One Caveman’s Financial Journey

Photo by: slightly-less-random

My wife and I are approaching our 5th anniversary and we have been looking for a chance to reconnect. It’s been a long time since we’ve really had the chance to get away, just the two of us, since our daughter was born. We’re looking forward to enjoying some alone time to let us rediscover each other after nearly two years of “just surviving together.” It’s very important for couples to take time away from the rest of their life, including their children, so they can maintain a close, loving bond.

We’ve nearly got our plans nailed down - we’re just waiting on a few of the finer details to work themselves out. To reduce travel time and expense, we’re going to keep our getaway local, but that may work out to our benefit in more ways than one. It takes a little work, but it’s not hard to reduce your overall cost and potentially even get away for cheap.

Take a Mid-Week Vacation

For both our honeymoon and our 1st anniversary, we had the pleasure of staying in a quiet bed and breakfast. I can’t remember a more relaxing and romantic time. My wife has been doing some research into our local B&Bs and noticed that spending a weeknight is far cheaper than staying over the weekend. To take advantage of that, I’m strongly considering taking a week’s vacation sometime later this summer and we will spend one of those nights together at a B&B. We still have to come up with an over-night babysitter for our daughter, but that shouldn’t be too hard - Grandma will probably volunteer since she’s been the one insisting we take more time together. (And she’s right; we need it!)

Negotiate, Haggle, and Barter

Whether you choose to stay in a bed and breakfast or a hotel, you can always try negotiate a better price than the “standard” price, especially mid-week. For example, take note of how full the establishment is and use that to your advantage. If the place is less than half-full, you may be able to work out a lower price since an empty room is worthless compared to a discounted room. A local, family-owned establishment is far more likely to tweak their price to ensure your business than a large chain - yet another reason to seek out a B&B.

If they won’t budge on the price and you have some practical skills you believe they can use, you may want to consider bartering. For some reason bartering has fallen out of style, but it’s a perfectly viable way of doing business, especially with smaller businesses. Offer to trade your services for a free or discounted room; the worst they can say is “No.” You may even find yourself making money on the deal by potentially gaining a long-term customer in their business.

Picnic in the Park

For our honeymoon, we bought a basket and blanket with the intention of taking an afternoon for a picnic. Our lunch was simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chips, and a soda, but that date wasn’t about the food. As we sat there, enjoying each other’s company, we were entertained by the antics of a family of playful squirrels and some panhandling birds. Fortunately, we brought along extra bread for the little beggars.

We spent the afternoon laying out on our picnic blanket throwing little balls of bread for the squirrels and birds to fight over. It was such a wonderful afternoon that we still talk about that picnic today. We’ll definitely seek out a park this time to try to reproduce that experience.

Bubbles and Candles

If you’re fortunate enough to choose an establishment with a private, two-person tub or jacuzzi, you must make use of the facilities since there is little more relaxing and romantic than a candle-lit bubble bath for two. Since my wife is pregnant, we have to be careful to not let the water get hot; but who wants a hot bath in the middle of summer? Hopefully we’ll be able to turn on the bubbles in some cool water after our day in the park.

If you do not have access to a two-person tub, the both of you can still enjoy a bath together. Since there’s not room for two in the tub, have one person stay out and wash down the other. The bubbles and water help soften and smooth the skin and your spouse’s fingertips will wash away any tension. At the same time, your spouse gets to explore… It’s a win-win!

Quiet Music, a Touch of Oil, and a Backrub

We have a relaxing massage CD that we save for special occasions such as our anniversary. When one of us pops that in the CD player, the other knows they have a special treat coming…

Seriously, there is probably not a better way to connect to another person than through a sensual massage. There’s just something about being able to bring relief to your partner’s stress and tense muscles and there’s certainly nothing better than being on the receiving end of a massage from someone who loves you.

We like to use a scented massage oil since your body heat will warm the oil and help it release even more scent. If you don’t have access to a massage oil, you can purchase baby oil for very little. A few drops between your spouse’s shoulder blades are enough for the whole back. Just get in there and get working. If you’re unsure about how to give a good massage or your partner needs a guide, there are good couple’s massage resources on Amazon.com.

Enjoy Each Other

You can spend a lot or very little on a romantic getaway, but what matters is why you’re spending and what you get out of it. If going to a local bed and breakfast will help you and your spouse to better connect at the expense of a little extra money, I see no reason not to “upgrade” to an experience that will be better for both of you. There is nothing wrong with approaching a vacation with frugality in mind, just make sure to not derail the purpose and benefit of the vacation by taking it overboard.

Make sure to enjoy some special alone time with your partner this summer. Reconnecting with your spouse keeps your relationship fresh, helps you stay in love, and will help you be better parents. I know we’ll definitely try to do this more often!

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