You work hard and you look forward to taking some time to get away over the summer. But it can be easy to overspend on vacation and regret it later. Here are a few suggestions for reining in your vacation spending:

• Make a budget before you pull out of the driveway. Consider taking cash for all expenses instead of pulling out the credit card.
• If you have some flexibility, consider checking out online travel specials. You can often find a great package deal through travel sites and ticket consolidators if you're able to "get up and go" on the spur of the moment.
• If you're staying in a rental home consider cutting back on food expenses by planning to eat in or at least stock up on snacks and drinks for mid-day munchies. If you're staying at a hotel, make sure you know whether or not the hotel adds surcharges for using the phone. Hotels do sometimes charge exorbitant fees for making long-distance, credit card and even local calls. Instead use your cell phone, calling card, or pre-paid phone card for long-distance calls.
• Arrange to stay with a friend or family member instead of at a hotel
• Ask your hotel about any discounts or deals they could give you to lower the cost of your stay. Some hotel chains have frequent guest cards or arrangements with airlines or rental car companies that can reduce room prices.
• Look for free, group rate or discount rates for local events and attractions to enjoy – such as libraries, museums, festivals, concerts, parks and community recreation centers.

Look around for restaurants that have “kids eat free” nights or other promotional discounts to lower your food bill.