My cousin has an beach house that he rents out most of the summer but when he is spending time there with his family, he usually invites us to visit. He had some cancellations for this week so I am taking my four kids down for an overnight stay. It is about a 2 hour drive each way, but not too bad if you are staying over. We will leave tomorrow morning after rush hour and be there in time for lunch and an afternoon at the beach. I promised the kids we will try to drive to the closest boardwalk (not one in his town) in the evening. We will head back home the next day after dinnertime so we will have another full beach day. My dh is staying home to work and take care of the dogs. He likes to act as if this is a big sacrifice but he actually enjoys the quiet. I offered to let him be the one to take the kids - he was very quick to answer no! The trick for me will be to keep it frugal at the boardwalk. It all seems to add up so quickly - a treat, a ride, some salt water taffy etc. I am going to have explain to them that they will have to make a choice rather than having everything. Of course, they can always bring their own money but this is hard for the youngest two who do not really get to earn their own money yet. I want them to have a good time, especially since we are not taking a vacation this year, but I also cannot afford to break the bank over a short trip. DH gets paid this Friday but I am still waiting to receive certain bills so I don't want to spend and then regret it when the bills come it. (Electric for example - I never know how high it will be, can only estimate). I am packing food for us to take down with us so it should still run under $100.00 for the two days since we have a free place to stay and a kitchen to cook in. Actually, that is not to bad, works out to be $10.00 per day per person or less if I can keep it frugal at the boardwalk. The most frugal choice would be to skip the boardwalk, but I enjoy it also. Oh, well, I am sure we will have fun. Here's hoping the weather is in our favor!