Divas on a Dime: Join the staycation fixation

Summer’s right around the corner this means it’s time to plan your vacation. While some families spend thousands of dollars on their getaway, an increasingly popular trend is choosing a stay-at-home vacation or staycation.

You’ll save money on airline tickets, hotels, and meals. No precious vacation days spent traveling to your destination. No stressing about airlines overbooking, missed connections or worrying about who’s watching your house while you’re away.

Just because you’re staying close to home doesn’t mean you won’t have a blast. Here are some tips for the best staycation ever.

• Time out! The trick is to step far away from your daily routine and take a vacation from ordinary life.

• Plan ahead. Get the whole family involved. Brainstorm local places you’ve wanted to see and things to do but never have the time. Set a comfortable budget for a few fun activities.

• Treat it like a vacation. Do what you’d do on a vacation, just from your own home. If you usually dine out, try a new restaurant. If you want to relax, book a spa day. Do things that make you happy, take naps, binge watch Netflix, read a book, go for a bike ride, do a craft, and just relax. (Cleaning the garage isn’t a craft.)

• Unplug! Turn off your electronic devices, phone, computer, and alarm clock. Change your outgoing messages to say you’re on vacation and will connect when you return. Your family will appreciate you dropping everything to focus on being together.

• Make your own amenities. Love hotel housekeeping service? Take some money you saved and hire a cleaning service for an afternoon. Use paper plates and disposable bakeware to cut down on dishes. Like room service? Stock your freezer with meals so you hardly have to cook or treat yourself and have dinner delivered.

• Be a tourist in your own town. Pahrump tourist information is available at the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce at 1301 S. Highway 160 on the second floor and online at visitpahrump.com to explore dozens of attractions and day trips. Visit your local museum, tour the wineries, go golfing, try high-speed car racing or try your luck at the casinos.

• Think like a tourist. Take advantage of coupon books and internet bargains (like Groupon) intended to lure tourists. These are especially helpful because we live close to Death Valley and Las Vegas. Who says tourists can’t live just over the hump? Many places offer “locals only” discounts so you can save even more.

• DIY Summer Camp. Remember summer camp? Recreate the experience in your own backyard. You can set up a tent, sing camp songs, tell ghost stories while you roast marshmallows for s’mores over the barbecue.

• Water Fun. Set up a sprinkler, fill the wading pool and bust out the swimsuits. Get squirt guns, bubbles and popsicles. Remember sunscreen!

• Family Film Festival. Everyone picks a film and you settle in for the day with snacks and lots of popcorn. Darken the room for a theater experience.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you a week of fun, rest, relaxation and the best staycation ever.

Frugal Family Fun contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com uFacebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom