"Mom, can we go to Goa in these holidays? All my friends are going somewhere!" "My wife informs me that our neighbours have decided to go to Ooty for the holidays." "We need to visit the relatives this year, but we just can't afford it." Have these conversations been heard in your house? Taking a vacation today has become incredibly expensive. A trip to Goa. For some families this seems easy, but not for everyone. Many households are struggling just to get all the bills paid every month, so taking a vacation can take a backseat. The truth is, it is these very families who really need that vacation. If you are scrimping and saving all the time, the idea letting go and spending a little can be liberating. So what are the ways to get that family vacation? First of all ,you need to have a plan. Where do you want to go? Discuss this as a family. Are you going to visit your relative in Mumbai or do you want to go to Goa? If you are really stretched financially, start small. Maybe you could afford a 3-day weekend to a nearby city. . Research your destination. Use the library, the Internet, ask a relative or a friend for more information. Find a great restaurant by asking around. Once you have your destination decided ,write it down on a savings worksheet. Put the worksheet on the front of the refrigerator. This helps your family to remember the goal you have set. What travel arrangements will you need? Are you going by car, plane, bus, train? Once you know how you're going to get there come up with a cost of your travel & accommodations. If you're going by car, don't forget to add the petrol cost. Try to get a approximate total of how much it will cost you to travel there and back and add it to your chart. What kind of lodgings will you require? If you're staying with relatives, great! If not, find hotel rates in the area and figure out (1) how much it will cost per night and (2) how much the total bill will be for your family. Add this to your chart. What kind of entertainment/meal money would you require? If you rent one of those family suites now so popular, you can save substantial amounts on your food bill. We stayed at a timeshare with a small kitchenette. We brought soft drinks cereal, milk, bread and dry snacks from the inhouse grocery store. This way we saved on at least one meal everyday. Figure out how much you want to spend per day on restaurant meals. Then add it together to get a total. Add this to the chart. Then think about what you will do at your destination. If you are going to a museum, how much will it cost for your family to get in? Shopping? How much? A friend’s daughter once saved her birthday money to get to contribute towards a vacation . I thought it was great way to teach kids why we save for things. Decide what you want to do and then calculate how much each activity will cost and put it on the chart. Now, add it all together and take a deep breath. This may be the point where you have to ...modify! Maybe not. How are you ever going to get all that cash together? I can't guarantee these strategies will get the total amount for you, but they will definitely help you to reach your goal. Save your change. Whatever you have left in your pocket at the end of the day, put in a jar. You will be amazed how quickly that change adds up.   Skip a movie and watch a video or Skip a video and watch t.v. We rarely go to the movies at our house because it is so expensive. We do rent DVDs though. If you rent many during the month, try cutting down on them. You can easily save a few hundreds and put it in your savings..   Don't buy anything new for six months. Now I'm not talking essentials here. I am talking about a big ticket item. Unless you desperately need this item, try to hold off until after the vacation. Decide which is more important to you.   Stay away from the mall-where you find prices inflated up to 100%? Try a smaller store. Shop in less expensive stores and keep those kids away if you can. You won't get weak if you don't get tempted.   Economize on gift giving. There are many ways to do this. If you have to buy a gift for every kid in your son's class who has a birthday, consider buying in bulk. One time I found a popular board game marked down 70%. I bought 5 games to give away as gifts.   Plan before you grocery shop. This has been one of the most effective money-savers in our house. Find a sale and stock up Try and use as many discount coupons as you can and wherever you can. Avoid eating out and try to stay away from purchasing junk food and colas. On top of all these things, find ways to generate extra money by working part-time, tutoring, whatever you can do. You may not reach your total vacation expenditure, but these strategies will help provided you remember to squirrel away what you've saved. If you buy a pair of jeans for Rs.350 at a sale then write a check to your vacation fund for the other Rs.650 or more that you would have spent at the store. Families need vacations to rest and rejuvenate from the busy lives they lead. Take a small or a big one, but try to find a way to take a vacation .