Chicago for a weekend with the kids? Yes, please!
We have been to Chicago twice (as a family) and both happened to be in 2018: once in the Spring for the debut and finale of my acting career (I was an extra on Chicago Fire one time) then a few weeks before Christmas. They were entirely different experiences and we are already planning a […]
Sea Lions, Pirates, and Tequila – Oh my!
We come from the Midwest and are always looking to escape the bitter cold winters to somewhere affordable. Our family took our first trip to Puerto Vallarta in April 2019. The weather was impeccable (only one day of rain), the ocean was gorgeous, the location was perfect for exploring the city, and the kids had […]
Travel Hacks – Road Trip!
You guys, we took the longest road trip of my life this past summer (not including the move halfway across the country when I was 19): Eastern Iowa to Deadwood, South Dakota… with 2 kids (13 and 6 year old boys). We were planning to stay in a large cabin with a huge group of […]
Mystery Shopping is no longer a mystery…
What is mystery shopping? How do you do it? How much do you make? Is it a scam? These are all questions that I have heard when I tell people about my mystery shopping assignments. So I’ll start with saying: it’s legit and I like doing it. If you are interested, here are some of […]
Can you Visit Orlando and not Spend a Fortune?
Why yes, yes you can… Our final family adventure of the Summer was taking our first trip to Orlando! No one in our family has been to Florida before and I got some pretty decent rates on airfare flying from Des Moines to Sanford (which is about 45 minutes Northeast of Orlando). FYI – it […]
Timeshares: Deal or No Deal?
I am not sure that everyone has had experience with timeshare companies or “vacation memberships”, so it is worth mentioning in my blog about family travel on a budget. Especially since you can get some pretty awesome deals if you are willing to sit through a timeshare presentation. I am about to unfold the secret […]
Top Places for Restaurant Deals: Going out to eat? I always check 3 places…
Whether I am at home base or travelling with the family, there are a couple of apps that I check consistently before we go out to eat: Groupon: I check for local Groupon restaurant offers. They are listed under Local Food & Drink. Sometimes you get national chains and other times there are some awesome, […]
Best Deal on anything from Theme Parks to Nail Salons? Start with Groupon
If you aren’t using Groupon yet, you are definitely overpaying for something. I’m serious, you can definitely find online deals on products, but they also have hotels, waterparks, fun attractions, restaurants, and salons. Every time I look at spending money on restaurants, attractions, or travel (whether it’s rural Iowa or Orlando), I check for Groupon […]
What can your family do in {newly discovered town} and not break the bank?
The first resource that I want to mention for families in any corner of the country is Macaroni Kid. It is a FREE resource to Find Your Family Fun® in over 500 communities around the country. It is GREAT for locals, but even better if you are just visiting and looking for free (or inexpensive) […]
What can you expect here? (Not $5,000 vacations…)
So I spent the weekend looking around the internet to see if there are other websites offering tips for “affordable” family travel, and of course, there are TONS. However, one of the ones I saw talked about their trips to Tokyo and compared Disney locations around the world… please don’t expect to see that here. […]