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With today’s economy being what it is many families are discovering that taking a family vacation is not necessarily within their means.  However, with a little creative and fun budgeting effort, you can still take a family vacation and get away to the beach or go sightseeing for less than what you would normally spend.  Plus, you can do all the things you love to do when you plan out your vacation ahead of time, right down to where you will eat out at.  Here are some tips on how you can save money and still take a family vacation by doing a little fun budgeting.
Tip #1: Take your vacation during the off season
There is nothing that says you have to take your family vacation during the summer or when destinations are in high demand.  You can have just as much fun on vacation by taking advantage of off season rates at hotels, restaurants and other tourist attractions and save money at the same time.  Just remember to adjust the time of day you visit attractions as many of them have reduced hours during the off season.
Tip #2: Avoid destinations where large groups of people will be traveling
A good example of this is Daytona 500.  The city is swamped with people traveling there to watch the race.  If you are not going to Daytona for the race, avoid it during this time of year.  Prices are inflated and you will not be able to get the best deals on hotels or food while you are there.
Tip #3: Fly flexibly
When it comes to flying your family someplace for the family vacation it’s a good idea to use a budget airline.  Flying economy will save you money, and while the airline does offer drinks for the flight you will not have snacks or meals available, and if they are, it is at a fee.  You can usually bring snacks in your carry-on bag to hold you over for the short flight.  Additionally, you will save money flying at those times that others don’t want to travel, such as the early morning or late at night.  You can also save money by being open to flights that have a layover, as long as the layover does not require you to get a hotel room.
Tip #4: If you rent a car, get one that fits your needs without the frills
The lower you go on the luxury scale, the cheaper the vehicle will be to rent.  You do not have to rent the most expensive car on the lot and you need to be willing to accept what they have.  Traveling on a budget means you cannot afford to be picky.  Plus, if you are traveling with a small child, rent a car seat.  It’s actually easier than trying to lug yours from home to your vacation destination.
Tip #5: Utilize budget motels
When you are on vacation you are only going to sleep and shower in your hotel.  There are many budget motels and hotels available that are clean and perfect for the family traveling on a budget.  Plus, if you stay during the week as opposed to the weekend, you can reduce your rate sometimes as much as $20 a night.
Tips #6: Book everything in advance
The earlier you book your family vacation, the better the rate you will lock in for your vacation.

I can’t believe my ears what is coming from NASCAR officials today after there was a scrum between Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya. These two guys were in a physical altercation and weren’t easily separated when NASCAR individuals finally did decide to step in. Neither guy really wanted to let go of the other one. On top of that you had Kevin Harvick use a bad word in a threatening matter to Juan Pablo Montoya. The FCC doesn’t deem it as a bad word, but please go tell your local policeman what Harvick said and see where you wind up. I’m sure the police will love your FCC explanation.

It’s amazing that NASCAR is seriously thinking about letting this one go. Kevin Harvick has already shown to have a quick temper in the sport and his actions were the worse on Sunday with physical and verbal abuse caught on camera. Now NASCAR is just laying down the ground work for this to happen again. The next thing you know these will be falling off the circuit like car parts at the end of a conveyor line. If my driver gets suspended for hitting another driver or threatening him on National Television, then they better show the same punishment in the future as well.

NASCAR is really messing up! If you saw the most popular driver last year miss the cut for the Championship Race with Dale Earnhardt Jr. failing to finish in the top 10, then NASCAR gave two extra positions this year for him to get in. Now even with the extra help, Earnhardt isn’t going to be in the Cup Race this year either. Suspending Harvick for the rest of the season, which he deserves would help Earnhardt’s chances of getting in. If you are a little E fan, then you might want to push for punishment.

People want to talk about Michael Vick of the Falcons, but fail to see how this event in NASCAR on Sunday was worse than dog fighting and dog killing. These two guys could be holding a grudge and this could result in a human death on the track, and all because NASCAR is allowing this childish behavior. It’s time Kevin Harvick is showed the door and Nascar doesn’t need guys representing the sport in that way. It would be nice to see the local law enforcement take action on this situation and file criminal charges against these 2 drivers.

I see the rich and famous these days are just turning their basements or an area in their home into the ultimate home theater setting. You can see some really big screen projectors in these homes and it’s almost as big as the one the theaters have. I guess the price has started to come down some and you can still get a pretty big size television or projector screen for watching all those great Hollywood movies, for a reasonable price. You just need to add some Home Theater Seating and maybe a bar or refrigerator in the area of your big screen television and you will have a room like the rich and famous have! Just invite a few friends over, make some popcorn and turn up the surround sound and you can have that same theater experience at home! Your own entertainment room like this is also good for getting your friends to pitch in and order the latest Pay Per View boxing match that might be coming on. You can also host this years Super Bowl party and watch the game in style while offering your friends a unique experience that they may not soon forget. Having theater type seating sets the stage for some great times whether you are watching your favorite blu-ray DVD or the latest episode of 24.

Just how fun is it to be in California? So many people living in such a large state and seeing some of the most famous people in the USA and the world living in California, leaves one to wonder what California has? Maybe the riches in Malibu, the thriving business in L.A., or is all the fun in Southern California?

I’m sure with major colleges in the Southern Area of California, that there has to be a lot of fun that goes on in the sun and in the nightlife. The San Diego area is thriving with fun and they have a lot of nightlife entertainment to take advantage of. So many great places to eat and enough nightclubs to have a party at each night of the week. I’m sure while they are rooting for the Chargers, Padres, and Trojans, the San Diego residents have plenty of places to go to and celebrate their team’s win. I just wonder what club or restaurant has the best results, from a successful season by one of their sport’s team? Anyone that thinks they have a business or establishment that is idea for fans to go to after a big win on the sports field, probably would want to consider the San Diego area. Even the events that take place are handled with care from Orange County catering companies like the Bashful Butler. These companies are local to the area and know what it takes to have the Southern California feel. All the teams in Southern California are expected to do well right now and I’m sure a lot of shop keepers are licking their chops now at a Super Bowl, World Series, or maybe just a college championship sports team, for their sales to skyrocket. Even if they don’t win in Southern California, it’s still ranks as one of the best places to go for fun!

Was there ever any doubts which song would fall first in this top 5 countdown? There’s a lot of debating you can do for the top 5 songs by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but only 1 song can be put at number 1. Just to hear the first sounds of that guitar whaling away at the beginning of this song will run chills up ya.It’s songs like that and people that sings songs like that are still around many decades after originally recording them. back then Guitar Amplifiers lacked a lot of the technology that bands enjoy today so you can only imagine what could have been created back in the 1970′s with some of todays power and technology.

There might have been a horrible accident that took away the physical appearance of Lynyrd Skynyrd, but the soul of them original fellers from Jacksonville, Florida can still be felt today. When you listen to this song here, you can rest easy knowing about the horrible faith of some of those members that didn’t survive the crash. You can feel the passion in the way they sung this song and I really believe they were FREE. It’s almost like they knew what was going to happen and they decided to make this song so everyone could rest more easier about them.

An interesting trend started to take place in the early 80′s and can still be heard at concerts today. I’m not exactly sure how it started, but it is very popular to yell the name of this song out at concerts. No matter what singer or group is on stage, you can usually always hear at least one person shout out “PLAY SOME FREE BIRD!”

NUMBER 1 ALL TIME SONG FREE BIRD

I got the Vice City version of the Grand Theft Auto video games. This thing is so fun. You can do virtually anything, it’s so sweet. Your character’s name is Tommy Vercetti, voiced by actor Ray Liotta. His mission is to take over the Miami-like Vice City. The setting is in the 80′s, and they do a good job at perpetuating that image. When you drive around there is a ton of 80′s music to listen to. The missions are really fun and if you don’t feel like doing any of them, you can just wreak havoc around town, or create your own missions. I got a lot of cheat codes from Gamesages.com, and now I can do almost anything. I can change the weather, create low gravity, make cars and even tanks appear out of thin air. I can start a city-wide riot, or make the girls chase me. I can make all the cars explode, or turn them all pink or black. There is so much variety that each gaming session is unique. There are helicopters and even a single engine plane that you can fly. There are also three different kinds of sweet motorcycles. You have a ton of different guns for shooting the bad and good guys alike. It is so easy to spend hours playing and not even realize how much time has passed. Anybody who likes video games would really love this one. I’ve spent quite a bit of time playing it.

The games has gone to the dolphins it looks like. Dolphin games in general don’t seem to be that popular but Dolphin Olympics and Dolphin Olympics 2 appear to be doing very well. Have you tried to play either one of these versions of Dolphin Olympics? Is dolphin 2 better than the first dolphin game that came out? I was going to look around online and see if I could play the dolphin game for free, but wasn’t sure if it’s available or not. I’m not sure what the objective of the game is but it sounds like it might be fun. I know a few things about dolphins and think they are really incredible animals. They are very entertaining to watch when you are at one of the water parks and see them jumping out of the water. The people working with these dolphins seem to give them a small fish and they are happy to perform again. I guess it’s a good way to earn a buck for these theme parks that have live dolphins as an attraction. I know I read some great blog posts at Dolphin Bubbles and saw some great dolphin pictures and images. That’s about the extent of my knowledge on dolphins, but still would like to know more about the dolphin games. Please let me know if you have played Dolphin Olympics and is this game more for adults or kids. I will try to do some searches online and see what types of dolphin games I can come up with.