cheap trip

The next few posts will be about travel and about budget travel in particular. Spring break is next week and, of course, we are itching to GO. But alas, there is no extra cash for it. So what is one to do? The answer is easy at first blush. We go camping. Duh. But the devil is in the details when traveling with three young children (3,6, and 9) and expenses mount quickly, given the least opportunity. I'm not sure about ALL children, but MY children could EASILY drop $75-100 dollars at the first convenience store headed out of town. There are so many things in there that they NEED and they are so very good at communicating this deep need. In a foreign language even..... Whine-ese.

I've often thought that this would make an interesting experiment, if I had a hundred bucks or so to flush down the toilet. What would happen if I said, 'Hey Lewis, no problem man, here's a credit card, just get whatever you need.' Good God Almighty! He'd come out with all the usual suspects, of course, gallons of red bull, lots of fruity candy....starburst, skittles, blow pops and pop rocks, miniature boxes of oreos, doritos and cheetos and teriyaki beef jerky....but what else? He's quirky. He'd probably get a Car Trader magazine and he and max would pore over it picking out their favorite rigs. (and they have AWFUL taste in cars and that's a whole nother story)) He'd get a lighter, and a flash light with a sewing kit and an air freshener. A key ring and a hood ornament. A bawdy license plate and a decorative figurine for the dash. And he would be genuinely thrilled by it all, bless his heart.

But it's not happening, and the moral of this post is that if you're on a budget, don't let your kids run willy nilly through a convenience store when you stop for gas. Don't let them near it. Don't even let them out of the car.

That's what travel diapers are for.

Stay Tuned.