Your bags are packed, your cat sitter is scheduled, and you’re on the road, headed for the airport. Vacation is a GO!

But I have just one question for you: is your wallet as packed full as it could be?

Never!

And one way to get and keep more cash in it is to make good financial decisions while you’re partying on the road.

Going on vacation is no excuse for making stupid decisions about your finances. So to help you save money on vacation, here are four doozies you really want to avoid:

1. Book hotels at the hotel on the same day

It seems like it only happens in movies nowadays, but it used to be really common for people to book hotels right when they get into town and walk into the hotel. Same day, same reservation, full price. But that’s nonsense! And you’re wasting tons of money.

Instead of paying full price at the counter, book your hotel through discount sites such as Hotwire, Priceline, Expedia, or Orbitz. These sites let you book hotels within a star range for reduced rates and you can save tons of money on short notice.

2. Purchase tons of souvenirs

While you always want to remember your vacation fondly, spending money on souvenirs is a silly way to do it. Bulky physical souvenirs take up space both when you travel home and when you get home. And more often than not? You just get rid of them in a few years! Talk about wasted money…

Instead of purchasing souvenirs, get creative and make your own! Don’t buy postcards, take pictures. Don’t buy books about the places you visit, write your own account of what you have seen or blog about it. And instead of purchasing jewelry, create your own using found shells or rocks. There are tons of creative options that will help you remember your vacation without weighing you down with extra stuff or draining your wallet of your hard-earned cash.

3. Only visit places that charge admission

Contrary to what flyers and ads may try to tell you, you don’t have to spend money to have a great experience! Instead of visiting theme parks, visit national parks and other sight-seeing opportunities.

If you’re travelling in the Southern United states, national parks such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park charge no admission fee. These sorts of areas are perfect for longer trips because the money you save by not having to pay for entrance or parking can go towards lodging or dining, further reducing your overall costs.

By saving that much money, your overall vacation expense is much lower than it otherwise would have been.

Heading out on vacation? Don’t make these silly money mistakes! Get creative with your souvenirs, attend out-of-the-box theme park and sight-seeing opportunities, and book your hotel using a discount site to save tons of money (and maybe even extend your vacation!).

Do you have any vacation no-no’s to warn us about? Let us know in the comments!

Getting married is an exciting adventure that brings with it a lot of change. Changing addresses, last names, and maybe even habits! But one thing many couples don’t want to change is bank accounts.

No one wants to think about the end of a relationship while the wedding bells are still ringing, but unfortunately, money is still the most commonly cited cause of divorce in the United States.

Here are three reasons why combining finances after you get married might help you build a stronger marriage… though of course, not combining finances certainly doesn’t mean your relationship is doomed :-).

1. Combined Finances Makes Money a Team Effort

When you share a bank account, there’s no getting around communication. From dining out to paying the utililty bill, to saving for retirement, you have to talk about your habits, goals, and intentions with money to make sure you’re on the same page.

But it goes far deeper than that. Sharing a bank account helps put firm details to the fact that all of your goals are common goals. You fail together, you overdraft together, and if you plan properly, you succeed together! Your finances are no longer a separate challenge or indulgence — they’re a team effort that you both participate in.

2. Matched Finances Equal Matched Priorities

If you and your spouse are on the same page with how you spend and save your money, it means you also have similar priorities in life. On the other hand, if you have greatly different priorities with your money and life in general, it is a good idea for couples to discuss how their finances and priorities will work after they marry.

Even if you don’t have matched priorities, what’s important is to at least understand and acknowledge that fact. That way, if there is some sort of irreconcilable difference in priorities, you have the opportunity to discuss it before the wedding to help a couple tackle the issue straight on and determine whether or not they are capable of functioning as a unit.

3. Remove Financial Barriers to Build Intimacy

No matter what your religious perspective in marriage, in many way marriage is the process of two people becoming one team or unit. Keeping finances separate can make it feel that, even though the couple is together in lots of ways, they are not together in every way. Sharing finances with each other can often help to establish unity in all areas of your life and really approach your challenges as a single unit.

There’s no one right answer, which means that each couple needs to decide whether or not to share finances as a couple. And make it a long conversation! There’s no such thing as talking too much about finances, priorities, and goals before you get married, because every conversation and argument you have before you get married is one less fight you will have after the wedding.

What do you think are the main benefits of sharing finances with a spouse? Do you think the benefits outweigh the perceived loss of independence?