STAYCATION

You have to love America for jumping all over the trendy new way to save a buck. The so-called "staycation" is the answer for saving money while enjoying time in your own community. As a stay-at-home mom of a family of 4 living on a single income, I've been "staycationing" for 3-1/2 years. It's nothing new. I do, however, love that the media and city planners are coming up with cost-friendly and innovative new spins on the local attractions and goings-on. And I love my friend network for always being on the lookout for free events and discounts.

Recently, I've had the opportunity and advantage of taking a 3-day trip to Vegas as well as enjoying a solo 4-day stretch at home. I'm intrigued by the contrast and, honestly, preferred the 4 days of peace in my castle as opposed to the 3 days of debauchery elsewhere. There is a lot less stress, good and bad, when at home.

On my 4-day home stay I lounged around the house as if at a resort. I enjoyed 80+ degrees in my own backyard and basked in the simple glory of cooling off in a kiddie pool. I dined al fresco at each meal and came and went as I pleased. I slept 10-hour stretches and answered to no one. On one particularly warm evening, I created a spa in my master bath, complete with a hot soak and a cool fan. Music and bottled water.

My Vegas trip was a jumble of excitement and fun in it's own right. How could it not have been with 104 degrees and pool side drinks? But the tension and limits imposed by costly meal offerings, check-ins and flight times put a cloud over the freedoms associated with vacation. Not to mention the costs! Eight dollar beers, $4 coffee and outrageous markups on everything and anything you can imagine cranks up the stress a bit. In a time of national recession and a city that's rumored to be hurting in it, I didn't see much of an impact. If anything, they just tightened up the slot payouts.

There's something to the notion that you need a vacation after you get home from one. Time to mellow out and return to the daily grind of your lifestyle. I didn't need that after my 4-day time spent at home and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

As the opportunity to enjoy several days alone is rare with 2 young children, I find mini-vacations everyday. Nap time parallels my preschoolers "quite time" for a blissful 2 hours each day. You will find me kiddie-poolside with a book and bikini. Or giving myself a mani-pedi. Equally enjoyable are the after hours -- the time when my kids are tucked in for the night, amazingly by 730pm. With warm summer evenings and a backyard firepit, I'm stocked with marshmallows and bug spray and my Netflix queue is stocked with a large collection of Indie flicks.

These are my own happy hours and you can't beat my drink specials. You're welcome to join me.