We love to camp. It does save money on food and activities. My kids are happy with sandwiches for lunch and hot dog or hamburgers for dinner. Sometimes we even have fresh trout that they have caught that day fishing with their Daddy, which makes them so proud that they contributed to dinner. We have a camper and leave it at the campground storage because of the price of gas to pull it there. Overall I think you can save money if you like the outdoors and have a nice lake nearby.

Shhhhh ... don't tell anyone this secret, okay? We often stay at KOA camping Kabins or Lodges for much less than the cost of a hotel room. For instance, our last trip to the Portland, OR area cost $89 a night. That was for a cabin that had two rooms, a full bathroom, a kitchenette, cable TV, and free wireless internet. There was no phone but we use our cellphones even at hotels. The cost for two adults and two kids PLUS the dog? $89 a night.

This summer we're staying at a KOA cabin on the Oregon coast for $129 a night. Our friends recently spent two days at the Oregon coast - off season - and spent $250 a night but didn't stay at a KOA.

We also often look for B&Bs to stay. Usually they are much better than hotels, yes they take children, are more comfortable, and breakfast is included!

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

I'm counting down the days till camping season starts. We always camped in tents and this year we bought a trailer. Our biggest expense was of course the trailer, but I picked up everything I needed on clearance at the end of last season. The kids and I love it. Dh is ok with it but I think he would rather stay in a hotel. He totally hated the tent. I'm hoping to get up to the U.P this summer and visit some of the campgrounds around there. As far as the gas prices go, we don't go that far so that's not a major concern for us. And if they do keep rising there is always the backyard.

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~Missy~

You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live !!!

We love camping! We just got back from a beautiful weekend of camping. The start up costs are high and there is more labor involved. But we did take my SIL and her fiancee camping last weekend and I think their costs were pretty low since we had the grill, pans, tarps, etc. We spend more on dog sitting than our actual vacation. It was $30 for 2 nights and $10 for wood. The dog sitting was $100 - geeze! We always try to pick camp sites away from the campers, so it is nice and quite. Also, we love to letterbox and it makes the trip more eventful (Letterboxing North America)

By the way, we always go to the State Parks so it stays pretty cheap and nice.

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Mom to Kaylee (10/2006)
Waiting on our second bundle of joy to arrive January 2009!