Every road trip has two inevitable questions: do we eat out and do we really need souvenirs?
The answer can easily be "no" to both. Saying, "yes," to eating out is, at the very least, five dollars a person. By the time you spend $60 to feed a car-full of travelers you could have bought a fresh tank of gas. And, I don't know about your kid, but The Kid always wants something from the gift shop that he already has: a toy helicopter, a matchbox car, a crappy price of plastic that spins around and lights up. Each of these costs ten bucks a piece. So with food and souvenirs, the cost is really starting to add up. This was supposed to be a day trip (and aren't day trips supposed to be cheap?).
Here is the fix: "no!"
For road trip meals: Pack sandwiches or (our family's favorite) a loaf of French bread, cheese block, and salami, or something you can keep in a cooler all day and serve that for your travel meal. Keep the meal balanced with carbs and protein so everyone can be pleasantly full when done. Bring fruits, veggies, a carb, and a protein. I always slip in one fun sized candy bar for each of us for dessert, because this is a special occasion and i want to brain wash them all into thinking this was a great idea (road trip=candy, yea!). 😃
If your road trip was suppose to have you home before dinner but it has been one hellofaday and now you are 150 miles from home without any more snacks or food, go get food from the grocery store. Pick up some hot grub in the deli department and grab fruit and veggies in the produce isle. A quick grocery trip will cut the food costs in half compared to The Golden Arches or the like. No need to get utensils and plates, some delis will give them to you on request. But you probably have Tupperware and utensils from earlier. Reuse them.
So, food solved!
Souvenirs...(sound of doom). Don't worry. This can be solved a few ways:
1. We collect rocks. Not in the nerdy, rock hounding, "looks at my Andasite" way. But everywhere we go we see the most amazing geology. We see 3,000 foot cliffs of marble. We see desert rocks that have been slowly racing across Death Valley for 1000 years. We see the tallest trees and the biggest trees on the planet. We saw volcanic rocks from Emboy. We see beaches with marble-like rocks instead of sand. What better way to remember those places than to bring it home!!! And it is free. Everyone take home their favorite rock. We keep our family rock collection in a display case but it would work equally as well in the garden or the kitchen window sill.
2. Invest in smashed penny souvenir books. Collect pressed or "smashed" pennies from your travels. We have all see those machines you drop $0.51 or $1.01 worth of change into the top, crank the lever. Then, your penny slides the shoot, gets pressed against the die, and comes out of the bottom proudly marked by _(town/zoo/amusement park)____ . This can save you a lot of money compared to the alternative of crappy light up noise makers. If you have six kids you will spend $6.06 vs. $60.92+tax.
3. Bring your kids' money pouches or wallets with you and make THEM buy their souvenirs. If they want that Calico Gold/Pyrite rock, let them pay for it. This will only work if you have an allowance program in place at home or if you have given them a set $ amount before leaving home. The Kid receives $8.00 a month for just being part of the family (he is learning how to manage money, not where it comes from). Then he can earn more through extra work (not through chores. Chores are mandatory and without monitory reward and just part of being in this family). I buy him, at most, $5.00 of souvenirs: a piece of candy, a sack or rocks, a whistle, etc. if he wants a plastic airplane or a fire truck, he buys that with his own money (Yes, The Kid is familiar with the returns line at Target because a 4 year old IS fickle!).
+++quick tip++++
Keep an eye out for souvenir prices. Buying souvenir jewelry is almost always cheaper at missions, churches or community centers. But if you feel you are getting a good deal, take it no matter where it is.
4. Just say "no" and that's the end of the story. If you don't have cash on you, in a cash only site, this will be simple. If you don't want to spend anything at a site, say so. You are the adult and you make the rules. Just be honest with your kid. If he has a melt down because you said no. Tell him to ask you "why" and then tell him,honestly, why. It will work and he will get over it. Besides, he DOESN'T need another paper envelope of Mexican Jumping Beans.
I hope this helps to tackle the two biggest money eating issues for your next one-tank road trip.
Safe travels from us to you.
