Stay with friends and family en route.

Whether you are visiting said family or not, most family and friends will happily accept your family for the night. You might even be able to ask friends if they have friends where you are going.

Cooler and fridge space on trips.

When you are traveling, pack a small cooler to travel with you. Place in it some fresh fruits and vegetables, deli cheeses, meats, and beverages or bottles of filtered water. By keeping these fresh foods available while driving, you can keep yourself safe and focused by not being hungry. You can also avoid fast food black holes that are bound to suck you in otherwise. By making sure your accommodations have at least ice if not a small fridge, you can place your food in overnight to keep it better longer. Be cautious of what to include considering the temperature of your cooler may not be food safe for some foods after a long drive.

Enjoy a stay-cation and spend travel FUNds on the fun.

There is no rule that your vacation days must be spent away from home. There is no rule that your kids must go on a vacation to some super fantastic great and expensive place. Enjoy a stay-cation at home. Invest the funds you would have spent traveling on family fun, entertainment, and tools that will be around for longer than just the weekend. Buy an Xbox or a PlayStation and a really special game. Plan a day at a local fun shop instead of going far, far away, maybe go-carts, putt-putt, or even just pizza. Ask members of the family in advance what they would like to do.

Celebrate holidays off schedule.

If everyone in your family can plan to celebrate in the same off schedule way you can make many of the holiday stresses and expenses practically vanish. This can help you stock up on after holiday sales to use for your holiday. This can also help you avoid the holiday rush travelers and the expenses the market produces.