As a single mother supporting two children on my own, I dreamed of a beach vacation on Tybee Island in Georgia.
I worked at home as a freelance writer for a daily newspaper in Indiana. I never took a day off, but saved money so I could rent out a beach cottage with my parents.
According to a survey by Expedia.com cited in Robert Sullivan's book, "How Not To Get Rich," 14 percent of Americans take no vacation time, and 30 percent of American workers who have vacation time don't use it.
I didn't want to be one of those people who get burned out at work because they never take time to relax. Plus, the brutal winters and blizzards were taking their toll.
It wasn't easy to save up the $4,500 we needed for the beach cottage, travel expenses, food and vacation spending money, but we did it.
Taking less desirable work
One of my secrets for earning the money I needed for my vacation was to do the work that no one else wanted to do. I covered stories at night in the city of Gary, which was considered the "Murder Capital of the World," at that time. I was able to make twice as much as some of my colleagues by never turning down an assignment.
Finding easy ways to make money
When I wasn't working, I was working. I found easy ways to make money by participating in market research studies. Some of the studies were conducted on the phone. I typically made $100 for less than an hour's time. All I had to do was give my opinion about various food products and different advertising campaigns.
Shopping at the no-frills stores
We saved hundreds of dollars by shopping at a no-frills grocery store. We purchased generic food products instead of name brands. I purchased pasta, which I mixed with my homegrown vegetables. I used produce from my yard to make fruit smoothies mixed with an inexpensive protein mix.
Clipping coupons
In order to save money for my dream vacation, I clipped coupons and shopped for deals. Even though I don't like dollar stores, I took my children to the dollar stores to buy their weekly rewards instead of going to the expensive toy stores.
Quitting the gym membership
Instead of paying the $80 a month to belong to the gym, I took my children on a walking trail near my house. They were motivated because the trail led to a playground. We went sledding in the winter, which was free.
It took me four years to save up the money I needed to rent a beach home for a week for myself, my two children and my parents. My father was suffering with poor health, which made the family vacation even more important. I wanted my children to bond with him while he was still with us.
We had a wonderful time renting bicycles to ride around the island. We visited the Tybee Island Lighthouse and the various restaurants. I always look back on that vacation with fondness. Even though it left my savings account bare, it was well worth the scrimping and saving to be able to add that vacation to my "memory bank."
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