On the road again

Unless you live a far distance away from Branson, you will probably be driving your vehicle to get there.  The tips below will help make your road trip to and from Branson pleasurable and money saving experiences as well.

Gasoline
Gas prices are through the roof in most of the United States right now.  You may be surprised to learn that gas costs less in Missouri, due to Missouri's lower sales tax rate.  That being said, there are still ways to save a few bucks on gasoline.

Go to gasbuddy.com before your trip and find out which stations on your route have the best prices on gasoline.  If possible, fill up your gas tank at gas stations in the larger cities on your route.  There are smaller gas stations that stand alone (without any buildings near them) near interstate exits, and they charge more per gallon.  The owners figure that if you wait until you almost run out of gasoline before you fill up your gas tank, you'll pay their exorbitant prices.

If you drive a SUV or a 8 cylinder gas guzzler, consider renting a car with a 4 cylinder engine to save money on gasoline.  Just because a car has a 4 cylinder engine doesn't necessarily mean it's a small car.  Our family's current vehicle is a 2010 Jeep Patriot, which is an SUV with a 4 cylinder engine.  There is room for 5 people to ride comfortably, an area in the back for luggage, and a roof rack for even more luggage (but we usually don't need that).  During our maiden voyage with the Patriot to Branson last year, we went from southwest Illinois to Branson on almost a full tank of gas.  We stopped at Quik Trip in Ozark to top off the tank. 

While you're driving on the interstate, follow the speed limit and keep acceleration and passing to a minimum.  This will also help you save money on gasoline.  Make sure your tires are filled to the proper air pressure and you have a clean air filter.  This will help your gas mileage.  It's not a bad idea to check all the fluid levels in your vehicle for leaving for Branson, or for any trip.  It's no fun being stranded on the side of the road with an overheated radiator. If it's warm enough to roll down the windows, use the air conditioner instead - you will save money on gas.  Driving with the windows open at highway speeds produces a drag that causes the vehicle to use more fuel. 

Food
It is about a 4 hour drive from our house to Branson, so we always stop in either Lebanon or Rolla for lunch.  All of the bigger cities along Highway 44 have the usual fast food restaurants, so bring your fast food coupons and save some money on lunch.  Or you can pack a picnic lunch and eat at one of the rest areas on the way.

Rest areas
There are some very nice rest areas on Highway 44 in Missouri.  The buildings are clean and modern, and one that I know of has a playground for kids to burn off some energy before hitting the road again.  Most rest areas have vending machines with food, soda, etc.  However, the prices are expensive.  Save money by bringing your own snacks, soda, and water from home.

If you don't have room for a large cooler in your vehicle, purchase a collapsible or soft sided cooler.  They are relatively inexpensive.  We used one of these for the first time last year on our trip to Branson.  When we got to the hotel, we emptied out the leftover water and ice in the bathtub and wiped out the inside with a towel. When we were ready to head home,  we then got a bag of ice from the gas station for the cooler.  Collapsible coolers also have shoulder straps, which come in handy for picnic lunches or packing up the car.

If you have any other suggestions for saving money on a road trip, please comment below.  Hope this post was helpful!  Until next time -

Happy travels!

Diane

Budgeting for your Branson vacation

Before you can plan what you're going to do on your vacation, you need to figure out what your vacation budget will be.  Our vacation budget this year (and last year too) is pretty slim; although I work full time, my husband is only working part time.  This makes budgeting for vacation challenging.  We realize the need to get away and take a break from our everyday lives, so we do what we can.  My philosophy is don't pay full price for anything unless there are no discounts available, especially in Branson where there is such a proliferation of discounts available.

Last year, our vacation was completely paid for via credit card, and I was really upset about this.  I had a hard time enjoying myself because I was worried about the credit card bill.  This year is a little different - we received a little bit of money from the bankruptcy estate of my husband's former employer, so we have the money for the hotel room.  I use Swagbucks.com as my Internet search engine, and you are awarded points for performing searches.  I used my points to purchase a $25.00 Travelocity.com gift card.  This amount was enough to knock the taxes off our hotel bill. I made our hotel reservations for our Branson trip tonight.  :) 

So how can you get money for your vacation?  I suggest not using a credit card to completely pay for a vacation (as per my story above).  The only possible exception to this suggestion might be a gasoline credit card.  If you don't have a lot of cash just lying around (and who does?), there are a couple of options.  Some banks and credit unions offer vacation club plans, which work like Christmas club plans.  Or you can start a savings account just for vacation expenses, and divert some of your paycheck to it via direct deposit.  My husband saves his pocket change throughout the year and then cashes it in right before vacation. We use this for spending money on the road. 

Once you figure out how much you have to spend for your vacation, the real planning begins. How long do you plan to stay in Branson?  If you can't afford to stay for a whole week, maybe you can stay 3 or 4 days.  Does vacation to you mean no cooking?  If so, you can stay in a hotel but you will have to eat at a restaurant for lunch and supper, since most hotels have a free continental breakfast.  If you don't mind cooking on vacation, you can stay in a condominium or a resort that has a kitchen where you can cook all your meals.  Do you just need a place where you can crash at night or would you like a place with a few amenities so you can spend some time relaxing at the hotel?  Another way to save some money is to vacation with other families or with friends.  You can split lodging expenses that way.

Another way to save money when you visit Branson is to travel during the "quiet season," which runs from January to March.  You will be able to save some serious money if your schedule allows you to vacation during quiet season.  But be aware that not all music shows and Silver Dollar City is not open during quiet season. 

After you figure out your lodging budget, you will then have to figure out what activities you are going to do while in Branson.  Will you want to go see some music shows?  Do you want to visit to Silver Dollar City?  Do you want to visit any museums or go shopping?   What is your budget for food? 

When we plan our vacation budget, we find our hotel first.  Our family likes hotels with an indoor pool (no need to put on sunscreen before swimming!), a hot tub, a great continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi.  We think about the shows we might want to see and where they're located in Branson, and choose a hotel in a location where we won't have to do a lot of driving.  There is a lot of traffic in certain areas of Branson, and ways to get around Branson without getting stuck in traffic will be covered in a future post. Once we choose the hotel we want, I then search for bargains.  After the hotel reservations are made, I then know how much we'll have to spend for other activities. 

Sorry this has been such a long post, but there's a lot to consider when it comes to budgeting for your vacation.  Next time, I'll cover just why you would want to visit Branson.  Until then -

Happy travels!

Diane

Welcome to my Branson blog!

I'm so glad you stopped by!  The purpose of this blog is to help you find the best ways to save money but still have fun on your vacation in Branson.  Our family has visited Branson every year since 2003 and we love it.  I want to share the reasons I love Branson, and why you'll love it too. 

The reason this blog is called "Branson on Your Budget" is because:  a.  "Branson on a Budget" was already taken; and b. everybody's vacation budget is different.  As I post new blog posts, I will add links to various web sites to help you plan your vacation and save money too.

When I talk to people about Branson and how to get the best deals, I tell them about several different web sites - and hope that they remember what I told them.  Now, all I'll have to do is to point them to this blog.  I hope you'll recommend this blog to others looking for Branson information. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'll post again soon!

Diane