Momma Told Me: Ingenious Summer Vacation Hacks For Under $1

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Ingenious Summer Vacation Hacks For Under $1


#99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
Vacations can be stressful, am I right?

I am one of the reported 40% of vacationers that experience enough stress over the act of vacationing that it often puts a damper on my entire trip. It really doesn't matter whether it's a day trip up the Coast or a 7 day Alaskan Cruise, the anxiety over planning for every possible contingency is real. And don't get me started on how much vacations can cost- is it any wonder I have visions of winged numbers flying out of my bank account every time we even think about eating away from home? Heck, I need a vacation just after writing that paragraph.

But, alas, there is hope for us 40%, and the other 60% of you can take some notes from some of my best Summer Travel hacks too! My first tip? Shop 99 Cents Only stores for all of your Summer travel needs- from delicious road trip snacks to tech accessories you can afford to have fall in the pool, stylish flip-flops, name brand sunscreen, and more. Even better 99 Cents Only stores are located along the West Coast and in the Southwest , so you can often do the 99 to fill in those 'oops, I forgot' items, on the go!
#99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
So it may be a no brainier to shop the 99 when packing for a vacation because you'll automatically save money on the things you'll need and use everyday. There's also always something new to discover at the 99, so there's plenty incentive to stop in often- However it also makes sense to shop the 99 for vacations when you 1.) Are traveling with multiple people and need a variety of the same item for each person, 2.) Might be traveling far and could potentially lose everyday items on your trip (Don't bring your favorite pair of expensive sunglasses to a water park, for example), 3.) Want to be prepared with items you might already have at home, but need in a smaller, easy to pack, size, 4.) Would like to splurge a little on some treats, games, or toys to make down time on your travel more fun, or 5.) Land in a strange town and want to avoid paying high prices for local grub (99 Cents Only Stores even have a fresh product section so you can eat great, on the go!)
#99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
#99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
#99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
Right now my local 99 resembles a vacation party store- they have aisle upon aisle crammed with amazing Summer essentials- and amazing less-than essentials. Right when I walked in the door the other day I spotted some full size graphic boogie boards for just $2.99! I live in a beach town and they were adorable enough to make me want to plan a trip to the beach! Of course I had to do some practical shopping too- we have day and weekend trips planned every other week through the Summer. I made sure to stock up on extra charging cables, fun smartphone camera filters, dryer sheets (to stash under car seats to fight 'road trip' odors), beach towels, travel size essentials, and more. I also picked up a few key things I use for Summer Vacation Hacks, read on to learn my secrets to smooth Summer traveling...
Use A Damage Free Picture Hanger Hook + Small Gift Bag As a Cord Organizer and Trash Bin in the car! #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
Most vacations will utilize a vehicle to some extent- whether you're flying to an exotic local and renting a car, or road tripping half way across country in your own, you're bound to accumulate trash. There's an old Pinterest hack to use a plastic cereal container as a car trash bin. For those of us with compact cars this can really eat up foot space. When I travel I like to pick up a few 'paint friendly' picture hanging hooks and a small gift bag from my local 99. These easy install hooks are meant to be easy to take down, with no damage, and will easily hang a stylish gift bag trash bag of your choice. Best of all the gift bags are so affordable you can empty them during your trip then toss them out at the end, without any fuss of cleaning or cost. If you manage to get the wide picture hanging hooks you can even use the extra hook space to help wrangle unused charging cables!
Help cut cord clutter while in the car and travelling by curling cheap charging cables from 99 Cents Only Stores with a pencil and some hairdryer heat! #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
The next hack is one I was skeptical off the first time I tried it. You'll want to invest in a few spare charging cables- if you're like me, length matters. Unfortunately all those cables can really get in the way at the airport, in the car, or in the hotel room. Tightly wrap a spare charging cable around a pen or pencil, taping the ends down and leaving 3-4" on either end for the adapters to plug in. Next turn your hair dryer on high and slowly heat the cable, moving up and down while turning the pencil/pen. This will take about 3-4 minutes on high, until the cord is warm to the touch.

Turn your hair dryer off allow the taped cable to cool completely for 5 minutes before removing the tape. Slide the pen/pencil out from inside the coiled cord. You should now have a space saving 'bungee' charging cord! ***NOTE: Different cord materials and qualities will respond differently. Practice on an old or extra cord until you get the hang of how tight you should wind/how much you should blow dry.
Pack over-the-counter travel medications, supplements, and vitamins in a pill organizer with the labels taped to the caps! #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
My next Summer Travel Hack involves over the counter medications and supplements. Things you may take but once in a blue moon, but just might need should the fates frown on you and attempt to ruin your vacation. Heck, spend 8+ hours in a crowded car with 3 kids screaming and you'll probably need something to keep you trucking along!

While we have a pretty well stocked medicine cabinet at home there are a few things we don't keep on hand we've found we could have used on vacations in the past. While you're at the 99 grab a 7-Day Pill Organizer and some over-the-counter medications such as acid reducer, non-drowsy allergy medication, sleep aids, immune boosters, vitamins, and more. And, since it's the Summer, don't forget the suntan lotion and aloe vera! Cut the labels off of each item and tape them to the outside of each pill cubby for identification. (You may want to 'shrink' them in a printer's scanner, if necessary.) Keep this handy pill container in a purse or glove compartment for emergencies.
Use shower caps to pack and store dirty shoes while traveling. #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
Summer vacations often mean we travel light on footwear, but also travel through all sorts of terrain in our footwear. Grab a pair of emergency flip flops from the 99 and a pack of shower caps while you're there. Use the stretchy shower caps to keep dirty show bottoms off clean clothes and car floors when traveling and packing. Shower caps are also great for keeping sand off of food at the beach, keeping bugs out of drinks at the campsite, and much more!
Use a binder clip as a stand to keep your toothbrush off yucky surfaces while traveling! #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
One of the things I love most about traveling is also one of the things I like least. Yes, you guessed it, staying in strange, new, places. I always pack a new toothbrush when traveling but I never quite have anywhere to put it, besides wrapped in toilet paper back in a travel bag. Help cut down on bactieria and let your toothbrush air out, while keeping it off hotel counter-tops by using a simple binder clip as a make-shift stand. Ingenious and simple! Use different colored clips to help keep track of which toothbrush belongs to whom.
Use a badge clip to store your sunglasses when not in use while traveling! #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
Summer travel means plenty of time out exploring in beautiful weather. Whether you've designated someone's purse as your MacGuyver Kit, plopped a fanny pack on the eldest kid, or decided to carry your entire vacation life on your back sunglasses are always a pain to deal with. You need them, you don't need them. This amusement park ride requires you to take them off. The clouds just rolled in on a sunny forecast. You're back in the car with tinted windows. On. Off. On. Off. It's a wonder you don't lose several pairs a trip.

Oh, wait. You do.

Well I've got a lovely little hack that will save you tons of pairs of sunglasses- and if that doesn't work, simply buy several extra pairs *just in case* while you're at the 99. Badge holders. Yes, those funky little snap clips with the bungee strings on them. Clip them anywhere that's easy to access on the turn of a moment and snap your sunglasses on when not in use. Never hunt for your scratched up, lens popped out, nowhere to be found, sunglasses again.
Keep hair ties on a caribiner while traveling- You can also use hair elastics to bundle wet swimsuits together, contain loose cables when traveling (that pesky hair dryer), extend a jean button in a pinch, convert any bra into a racerback for beach or formal wear, fasten hats to backpacks as a makeshift loop tie, child-proof hotel cabinets by tying a hair tie around handles, and much more!   #99YourSummer with these simple Summer Vacation Hacks that'll save you dollars and headaches! #DoingThe99 #AD
The last tip is a two-fer.

Caribiner clips. Buy several packs of them at the 99 and clip anything with a hole or ring to them. This includes, but is not limited to, hotel key cards, car keys, fashion jewelry at the pool, your baby's binky, and more. Clip the clipped items to your purse/stroller/belt loop and never lose them again.

My even bigger suggestion is that you invest in a pack of mutli-colored hair elastics and dedicate a caribiner to them as well. Not only will the caribiner keep all your hair stuffs from getting lost but anyone with medium to long hair traveling knows it will be essential to put one's hair up at some point. For me it's whenever Jay decides to randomly pop the car's top down. Hair ties also make great drink markers, and even party identifiers (pop one on each of your child's wrists at the park in case of an emergency tell employees to keep an eye out for the 'orange' wristband, etc). You can also use hair elastics to bundle wet swimsuits together, contain loose cables when traveling (that pesky hair dryer), extend a jean button in a pinch, convert any bra into a racerback for beach or formal wear, fasten hats to backpacks as a makeshift loop tie, child-proof hotel cabinets by tying a hair tie around handles, and much more!
Our first trip of the Summer is this week, a one day over-night trip up the coast to Torrance, CA. One would think, after growing up in this state, I would be long bored of the coastal towns and scenery but I still love having a vacation in my backyard! For now we're all stocked up and ready to go- but I know we'll be back at the 99 before our next trip out of town. Now, tell me, where are you heading this Summer? Which of our hacks did you find the most useful! Check out more Summer Vacation fun with the 99 Cents Only Store here in the Social Hub and on Instagram!


12 comments:

  1. This is so awesome! I love the tip on curling your USB cord for yourself like that. Thanks!

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  2. Shower cap shoe covers are absolute genius! They look just like the booties workers wear when they come to the house. Cool tips!

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  3. The hack for covering shoes in shower caps is genius! I will surely be using this hack next time I travel!

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  4. Medication organizers are a must in our household when we go on vacation. I love how you labeled them with the package, we always use Sharpie marker and it always seems to wear out after awhile. The car trash bag with the cord holding it up is genius, whenever we have something to throw away in the car, you have to dig around the back seat looking for the trash bag.

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  5. You have got some genius hacks. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. A fun and useful post and a great way to save money while prepping for a vacation. I always lose things like sunglasses on the trip, so packing extra makes sense.

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  7. These are all great ideas. I like the idea with making the charging cords into a bungee charging cord.

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  8. I am taking notes!! These are fantastic, loving the toothbrush marker/stand, the charging cord!!

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  9. The shoes in the shower cap idea is genius! Can't wait to try it out!

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  10. These are excellent hacks. And that shark backpack is awesome!

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  11. Wow, what great tips for summer travel! And that boogie board totally takes me back to my middle school days. I might just have to relive that sometime soon! Thanks for sharing all of these fun ideas! #client

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  12. You were given a few genius hacks. Thanks for sharing.
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