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Saving money while camping – you think that would be easy; plus how to see concerts for free!
The funny thing about camping is that we all believe it to be a cheap form of stay-cationing (taking a vacation where you live) but it’s actually not! Let me tell you why..
So today starts the great Vancouver Island Music Fest. This is a festival that’s a lot like the Glastonbury Festival in England, except way smaller and filled with bands most people haven’t heard of. Just kidding – headlining tonight is Walk off the Earth.
Could watch that all day – never gets old.
Level up your Vacation skills
The tickets are about what you would expect for a festival in the boonies but, with the cost of camping, over three days, it’s A LOT.
We dropped our kids off there yesterday morning to pitch their tent and inflate the airbeds, etc. They get to go for free because they are volunteers. My kids are 18 and 14 (with ASD) and their idea of work is not what you or I might envisage but, nevertheless, they are booked to help out under “Munchies” and for this they get to go for the full three days for free.
All was blissfully quiet in the house for exactly 15 hours ( 9 of those were sleeping hours – just for perspective). At 8:00am this morning the phone rang and it is the eldest child and most beloved daughter.
“Mom – the airbeds deflated in the night and it got cold and Ceej wants breakfast and I need a cuppa tea”. With no hesitation and just like a submarine preparing for battle stations I sounded my Mommy alarm and my poor hubby thought the world was ending. He leapt from beneath the Duvet as I scurried around the house gathering more Duvets and fleece blankets and whatever else my precious poppets might need to survive a balmy summer evening in British Columbia.
Why does camping cost so much?
On route to save our preciousses I thought “wait a minute, why did the airbeds deflate?” Sure, they weren’t the most expensive on the planet but they weren’t cheap either. Regular $57.00. 
Now – we had to have two of these so we are up to $114.
Next came the tent. We purchased a decent tent just over a year ago after the rats got into the shop and made a nest in our old one but even a year ago, that bad boy was $599.
We camped in Gold River Provincial park for one week. Cost of Gas estimated at $200 and camp site fee $200. Of course, hubster and I also have the double airbed, the pump, an extra large fleece lined sleeping bag pour moi (I get cold really easily), sleeping bags for the precious poppets. At this stage we are around $1500 in spend and I haven’t covered eating, cooking, etc.
My best guess for a family like ours (4) for one week of camping in a Provincial park works out around $2000. Many of you might say “Well that’s only $500 each” and you might be right but let me show you this….
For the same amount of money I could be lying beside this beautiful pool and sleeping in a comfy bed with room service AND this wasn’t the only offer of flights and hotel in my budget range. There was Mexico; California; Las Vegas, Florida..(Remember, I live in Canada so visiting the States is great for us).
There are Pro’s and Con’s for each type of vacation but for me, the comfort factor usually wins out and, in this case, given that the air beds bit the dust after only one hour, I think the kids would be on my side too.
People will say kids today are spoiled and getting them out into nature and making fires and cooking over them is what is required and to some extent I agree, but what about broadening horizons through travel and lessening the insular mindset of your typical North American through experiencing different cultures. I believe in a healthy mix of the two.
I did find a solution to the airbeds that will save over $150 (including air pump) for the precious poppets. These things are robust, cheap, in abundant supply in July and easy to use…only $5 from the dollar store!
Money Saving Tips:
Buy inflatable mattresses at the dollar store – they won’t deflate until you make them!
Sign up as a Volunteer at concerts and events – free shows, free food and free accommodation. It doesn’t get better than that.
Check out vacations online before committing to a week in the woods in a tent – money wisely spent is just as good as a savings tip. Your family vacation is also an investment into your wellness so invest well.
The initial start up costs for a family camping trip can be quite hefty. If you can avoid buying new then you can cut the costs significantly. With easy to use trade sites like Craigslist and Ebay, getting second hand gear is so much more simple than it used to be. My dad would drag us off to the Military surplus store and buy the scratchiest blankets on the planet. Good enough for our great British soldiers but makes kids miserable.
The benefits of camping.
The beauty about having the camping gear and enjoying the out doors closer to home is that next years stay-cation will be so much cheaper (closer to $1000 for the week than $2000); you will learn a lot about the area you live in and, in the event of a natural disaster (I live on the subduction zone of the Northern Peninsula and we are just waiting for “The Big One”), you will have temporary shelter and a way to cook and eat if the emergency arises.
I’ll bank that and call it a win but… Oh, that pool though!!
XO
Anna
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