Vacations vs. "Stay"-cations, and How Families Can Save But Still Have Fun

In addition to weekends, there are school breaks all throughout the year when kids are given time away from the rigors of the classroom. And parents look for ways to keep their kids preoccupied and entertained during school breaks. 

And coming up with ideas on what to do during these breaks may be your gateway for getting published in parenting magazines.

Very recently, a number of articles have enumerated the benefits of families having "stay"-cations, or choosing to stay at home and have lots of activities over going on a trip abroad, where expenses for airfare, hotel rates, and food are sure to rack up a huge amount.

However, it can also be noted that several airlines, from time to time, offer promos like affordable trips to popular theme parks like Hong Kong Disneyland, and many parents are looking into this as a cost-effective way to take a vacation.

As you can see, there is a goldmine of ideas for articles from these contrasting points of view. But regardless of whether you're for a "stay"-cation or vacation, put your emphasis on the following:

• The joys of getting together and spending time as a family
• The value of relaxation, and how it can make both parents and kids feel recharged
• Getting the kids excited about planning the activities, games, snacks, and refreshments. This will encourage kids to be as imaginative as possible and let their creative juices flow.

Pitching Ideas to Parenting Magazines: Keep the Mindset of Consumer Moms and Dads in Mind

If you're a freelance writer and you'd like to break into parenting magazines, an excellent way to launch your career would be to pitch ideas for articles on how parents and families can achieve financial wellness.

Consider these facts: Even if this may be the age of two-income households, the majority of married couples prefer to keep their families small to keep expenses at bay. And yet, disagreement over financial issues still remain to be one of the most common triggers of marital disputes. 

There are a variety of other reasons that articles about finances are perennially welcome in parenting magazines. A couple may go through stages in their marriage, but money, or issues about money, must always be settled if marital harmony were to be preserved. 

The good news is you need not be a financial expert or certified adviser to give solid advice to readers.  Since parenting magazines hope to appeal to couples of all income brackets, managing editors prefer contributions from freelance writers of different stripes.

You may be a parent yourself, and you and your spouse are working as a team to provide for your children. And surely, even single adults who practice frugal spending habits have something worthwhile to share.

So, to get you started, let me cite some of the most common concerns among parents: 

• Living within their means by coming up with a household budget, which may include payment for rent, food, clothing, water, electricity, telephone, and utility bills
• Paying for their kids' education
• Spending money on entertainment, trips, and vacations 
• Setting aside a portion of their income for savings and investments
• Saving for their retirement  

In my next few articles I'll talk about possible ways to approach these issues.

Harness the Mindset of a Consumer and Make Money

This next series of articles will teach freelance writers, bloggers, and graphic artists to earn money by operating from this philosophy:

Help people be more mindful of their spending by empowering them to be informed consumers.

In our modern age, holding down a job and getting a regular paycheck is one thing, but even more important is setting aside at least a substantial portion of your monthly paycheck for savings. 

Therefore, anyone who's making serious bucks should look for practical advice and tips on cutting down, or keeping expenses, at bay.

When coming up with a monthly or weekly budget, the majority of consumers are most concerned about cutting back on --

• food, including expenses when eating out and celebrating with family members or friends.
• apparel and shoes.
• grocery items.
• appliances.
• entertainment.
• expenses for vacations and trips. 

As you can see, the items mentioned above make up our most basic needs, but anyone can spend inordinately on just one or a few, to the point of excluding nearly everything else.
 
There are thousands of blogs, magazines, and other periodicals out there that will never run out of space for freelance writers who can make consumers' lives easier when they're out shopping. And if you can enhance your articles with visuals like graphics or charts to verify your claims, you can be assured of a higher honorarium rate. 

When brainstorming on possible topics, you can build your articles on the following:

• Spending more on items that you'll use for a longer period of time.
• Preferring second-hand or used items that are still in good condition, with the intent to save on a couple thousand pesos or dollars.
• Scrimping on trendy, or "fadish," items.
• Looking for alternative forms of recreation that are a lot less expensive.
• What to do to save money when planning a trip or a vacation.