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| The hubby enjoys cooking outside. |
We usually stay in yurts which make it a lot simpler for us with limited packing space and little kids. For us, it's not about proving how much we can "rough it" out there. It is, after all, our vacation. We all love being outside every chance we can get and with two little energetic boys it's a dream to live outside for a few days.
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| A typical yurt |
One thing to consider for reserving a campsite with a yurt or cabin is that you need to plan WAY ahead. Like 9 months ahead. So we usually reserve our summer vacations in the fall. But that also helps us budget for them. We can get the sites paid for way ahead of time and then save for gas, food, supplies, etc. You can reserve at this website: http://www.reserveamerica.com/
Yurts are very economical. They are about $45/night with plenty of room for most families compared to suite in a hotel room at the beach could be $250/night!! So we can stay a whole 3 day weekend somewhere, with gas, food, etc. for less than the price of one night in a hotel. And I love having a "backyard" at our site.
A few pics of the last yurt we stayed in earlier this summer:
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| There was plenty of room for all 5 of us to sleep- including the pack-n-play and all our stuff! |
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| Bottom bunk was Mom and Dad's bed (full size mattress). My sleeping bag is broken but still worked well as a blanket lol. |
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| Our oldest slept on top. |
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| Baby girl's corner and bag storage |
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| Our younger son slept on the futon (which could be opened up for two) |
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| Little heater, light, and table too. We really didn't spend a lot of time inside because the weather was pretty nice but it is nice to have that option! |
For our family, I will be honest and say that camping with three young kids is not relaxing. It's not luxurious. It doesn't always include a ton of sleep. But it's fun, adventurous, and memorable. And there are moments. Those moments of bliss just being all together. Away from distractions, tv, internet, work, chores, laundry etc. Where our sole purpose is to be together. Or those few minutes around the campfire with the hubby late at night when all the kids are asleep.
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| Baby girl loves the great outdoors too! |
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| New fav. park. Will return again :) |
Here are just a few ways we try to simplify and save money camping:
*Make your starter ice- I empty the ice into bags for a few days before camping to avoid having to buy it on our way out. Of course you'll still have to buy ice while you're gone.
*Simplify meals: hard boil eggs at home, prepare a cold salad, make pancakes to be re-heated, make a foil meal (our fav is sw potato and ham cooked ahead of time and re-heated over fire or on camp stove), etc. This is the time when I splurge a tiny bit to buy "convenience" foods like salad kids, canned green beans, and individual applesauce cups to make it fun and relaxing. By packing all or most of the food we'll need we'll save a lot of money on eating out.
*Find free fun like parks, trails, beaches, etc. Your kids won't know the difference. We found the coolest park on our last trip that had a little swimming/sand area, an awesome playground, and multiple short hiking trails good for kiddos.
*Start your own traditions- scavenger hunts, banana boats, hikes, campfire family devotions, card games, etc.
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| This is how we roll. We have a compact SUV and 3 kids but we have our system. I "pack" everything and my husband "places" everything. I actually think his task is harder. We have an inexpensive flexible roof top carrier that is a lifesaver. We can fit a ton of stuff up there! |
We are constantly learning about the type of contentment God can bring about in our lives and it's always humbling. There's always the desire for bigger, better, more, nicer, etc. But sometimes just loving on my little tribe of people and having another day seems more than I could think to ask for.
Hebrews 13:5
Don’t be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have..."
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