Holiday planning

Today I got out the holiday planning information and decided I am going to have to pick up the pace a little.

We are planning 2 weeks in Queensland in March of next year and so I have been putting aside $20 every week for this. I've also been collecting air dollars on my credit card purchases (CC paid off in full each month so no interest charges) and making sure I swipe my flybuys card to collect those points whenever possible as well. Also when we started saving for this holiday in March of last year after the last trip I was being very good and putting lots of bits and pieces extra into the savings fund. One thing I started especially well at was selling outgrown or unused stuff on Trade Me with all funds being set aside for the holidays.

I have however gotten very slack lately and it's been quite a while since I last topped up with anything extra. Every spare cent has been hitting the morty or paying back the money I borrowed from the lads to buy the dishwasher.

Some might say just postpone the holiday but for us that's not an option we want to do. Our last visit to the Gold Coast was one of the most amazing things we have done as a family and all 3 of us are really keen to do it again. So I guess it will be tighten our belts time. Lol we might have to lose weight though as there's not a lot of room to make things tighter. Actually tightening the belts is not at all an option as there is no way we could find the extra money we need.

So it's on to plan b then. Plan b is back to the beginning. Get some stuff sorted out and sold on Trade Me, save any unexpected windfalls and make sure I am making the most of the CC and flybuys for the points.

So far I can fly me to Brisbane with air dollars but I can't come home and I can't take the lads. I want to get enough points for at least my return flight. To do this I need to make sure I make as many purchases as possible on the CC.

With flybuys I can get all 3 of us in to Dream World and White Water World for free on a 2 day 2 world pass. I will ask my parents to get us Sea World passes for Christmas. Then I need more flybuys points so I can transfer them over to air dollars and hopefully pay for one of the boys return ticket. Again with this I just need to shop smart and remember to use my card.

The rental car is a goal I have given the boys when we got back from the 2009 holiday. I have given them a target of $500 to save for the rental car + they need to save their own spending money. It's up to them how much they save and so far they are at nearly $400. Not long to go and they will be onto their own spending money.

So other than accommodation and my spending money a lot of the big stuff is worked out. The main problem is the small stuff - the boys both need new passports, petrol money for the rental car, food money for groceries as we won't eat out all that much, a fund for misc. expenses that come up unaccounted for, and travel insurance should cover all the bits and pieces. I currently have enough money saved for about half the spending money and all the accommodation.

Here's the dollar values of what we need. This is kind of ball park figures as a lot will depend on how the currency stands at the time of booking and travel. Also I won't know what if any special deals we will be able to take advantage of.

Passports x2 $180
Food $200
Petrol $150
Travel insurance $70
Airfare x 1 child $450
Airport taxes $200
Spending $750 (minimum)
Total $2000

Now that is assuming I manage to scrape together enough air dollars for both mine and one child's return flights. I am currently putting aside $20 each week and have about 38 weeks to go. So we will still be about $1250 short at this rate.

$1200 in 38 weeks. That's my new goal. Now for ways to achieve it.