5 Ways To Save Money When Camping

June 16, 2008 · Filed Under · 8 Comments 

We just got back from a weekend camping trip with the kids. We have the dirt to prove it. Oh, do we have the dirt to prove it! There were times on the trip when I could only spot my kids when they smiled. Good thing we have them brush their teeth twice a day! But if you have a family camping trip planned here are 5 easy ways to save both time and money:

  1. Bring Frozen Meals From Home. Not only do you save money on your food bill but they double as great ice blocks in the ice chest.
  2. Bring Your Own Firewood. No camping trip is complete without S’mores around the campfire, but they state park we stayed at wanted $7 for a small bag of firewood. Ripoff!! Bring your own.
  3. Find Free Entertainment. Again, the state park we stayed at had a bunch of free activities for the kids. We participated in Junior Rangers and the campfire program and they were both free with your admission. Ask about what they have going on and take advantage!
  4. Stay Close To Home If Possible. The park we stayed at was about 70 miles away from our home. With the price of gas, this was about as far as I wanted to travel. Ask around about nice camping spots close to home. They surely exist.
  5. Improvise With Stuff you Already Have. If you are tent camping, you don’t need to invest in sleeping bags as well, just bring blankets from home. Try to bring as much camping stuff and food that you already have and avoid the big expensive trip to the grocery store or Wal-Mart.

Please add your suggestion or tip. As always, looking forward to your great comments. Happy camping!

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Comments

8 Responses to “5 Ways To Save Money When Camping”

  1. Lynnae on June 16th, 2008 5:23 pm

    If you’re tent camping, invest in a good air mattress, or you might not be able to move in the morning. LOL

    I wouldn’t know that from experience or anything. :) It’s not really frugal, but it will make your trip more enjoyable.

  2. Leslie on June 18th, 2008 6:02 pm

    I grew up in a family where “vacation” was synonymous with “camping,” mostly because it was what we could afford to do, but there’s also a delightful simplicity to it.

    One recommendation I’d make, based on my own experiences decades ago and my own practices now, is if you can, stop at some of the small farm stands and buy what is local and grown on the farm (since many farm stands supplement their picked-that-morning produce with the same shipped-from-Chile crap you get at the grocery). Many farms will allow you to visit the farm (go to http://www.localharvest.com to look up farms in the area that you’ll be) which can be lots of fun for kids. And while not every kid is the same, in our family those vegetables that we got right from the farm were a lot more appealing than when they were served at home – and in most cases, they truly were more delicious. While this is not necessarily “frugal,” in the end it can instill a special love for fresh foods and an awareness of where our foods come from, which can help promote an appreciation for a more frugal and sustainable lifestyle.

    And I want to second all of your suggestions, especially your “close to home” one — camping allows you to develop a much deeper appreciation even for places that are only a few miles away from your home.

  3. Andrew on June 20th, 2008 9:32 am

    Great post, Kyle. I haven’t been camping in a really long time. And good idea on the frozen meals, except how did you actually cook them? Did you just bring frying pans or a grill and put them on an open fire? We used to just do the marshmallows and hot dogs (er, not together…) thing. Oh and potatoes too! Wrap ‘em in aluminum foil and just toss em in the fire for a good hour or so. Amazing! Now I”m starving. Great. Thanks….

  4. Monroe on a Budget on June 24th, 2008 3:55 pm

    Before you transport firewood, look up the firewood restrictions.
    http://www.emeraldashborer.info/firewood.cfm

  5. Cox4 on July 7th, 2008 11:41 am

    I fill empty milk jugs with water and put them in our freezer for camping. You can then take a hammer and break them apart and use ice chunks, and/or stuff the whole gallon or 1/2 gallon frozen jugs in the cooler and when it has thawed out pop it back in the (camper) freezer for later use. I don’t like to waste money buying ice I can make at home!

  6. earthmother on July 7th, 2008 4:42 pm

    for fire wood check out the nearest lumber yard often they have scrap peices from building truss’s and other things. We can load up the pick up for a total of five dollars. Which gives us plenty of wood for cooking and the bonfire.

  7. Oahu vacation rental guy on July 31st, 2008 6:27 pm

    Here’s a great tip if you’re every camping in Hawaii on the beach. To camp in Hawaii, you need a permit. But there is a law that says you can spend the night at a beach without a permit if you are fishing. So if you didn’t plan ahead (permits are almost impossible to get last minute), swing by a store and pick up a fishing pole. Most places will have an inexpensive one for under $20. Don’t forget some bait and you might have some fun too!

  8. Ozark Trail Tents on June 24th, 2009 9:37 am

    Great idea with bringing the frozen dinners with~ How do you prepare those? Just pop them into a frying pan over the fire?

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