The costs of family vacations can add up QUICK. Have you seen some of the prices to take a family of 4 to Walt Disney World these days?! Worth it, yes, but sometimes that means families have to cut down on other expenses to meet their vacation budget. In my house, we’ve made this a game with our Family Adventure Jar.
I started my first Adventure Jar over a decade ago when I was trying to get to the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador. I knew it was going to take a lot of money (from my meager classroom teacher salary at the time) but I started saving dollar by dollar selling items I no longer used on Facebook Marketplace. It was so fun counting the money as it added up dollar by dollar while I was decluttering at the same time. By the time I started to make reservations, I had over $1500 in my jar. In fact, it was so much money that I felt unsafe, and opened a HYSA (high yield savings account) to earn interest on it until I was ready to book.
Why It’s Perfect for Families
When I book a family trip I get a new themed adventure jar and we start working together to sell items, donate chore money, and sometimes we even contribute Christmas lottery money from Grandma’s scratch-offs. The “game” has caught fire with the family and we were able to save over $400 before our trip to Yellowstone National Park. Today, we continue to sell our items and donate spare change for our trip to the Germany Christmas markets later this year.
How to Make Your Own Adventure Jar
If you have kiddos who love to craft, you might consider making your own jar. There are tons of resources online to help you. I prefer to have a cute cookie jar from places like Home Goods or TJ Maxx, where I got my “Adventure is Out There” jar. I also like to personalize for the trip. So, I have a Halloween jar for our annual Disney Halloween trip and a macaron jar for our 2027 Paris trip. You might also consider having your family pick one out together!
Some of my current favorites:
This can be a fun jar to decorate with past or future trip stickers or even glass paint. It’s a blank canvas for you and your family to decorate!
As soon as my friends and I started planning a girls’ trip to Paris, this Marie macaron jar went into my cart!
My brother and I struggled to get along growing up. After our parents told us we were going on vacation, I’d save every dime to my name while my brother continued to spend every cent he got the next day. If you have family members who might benefit from separate jars, then going with this multi-pack might be more helpful. You can decorate with letter stickers for personalization. This also comes in handy for having a personal souvenir fund.
Hello Kitty Japanese Trip Fund
Right before the pandemic one of my travel friends and I booked a trip to Japan. Unfortunately, the country then closed its borders and our trip never came to fruition. But I know I’ll get there eventually and I know I’ll want a good stash of cash to grab all the adorable merch from Tokyo Disney to Hello Kitty to the amazing stationary stores!
Christmas trips are the best! It’s such a fun time of year, but boy, are those trips expensive! We love using our old Christmas cookie jars as family adventure jars as well. This can work in a variety of ways for family plans, but the teamwork of giving and coming together for the group is one of the more beautiful themes of the season.
Whether you’re visiting Universal Studios in Hollywood, Florida, or Japan the newer Super Mario Bros. area is one of the most fun experiences! (Especially for those of us millennials who grew up playing on Nintendos 1-3 through childhood.) But with admission prices and bands having higher costs, having a savings plan can be really helpful to keep our bank accounts from plummeting.
Ideas to Fill the Adventure Jar
These are a list of easy-to-use sites and apps I currently use to sell clothes, accessories, kids items, books, and unused Disney merch. These have helped me save thousands of dollars for the travels you see posted on the site!
Many of the links include referral links so that you can benefit with an introductory offer that rewards us both. I’d love your support by using my links!
This is a great app for selling clothes, kid items, Disney merch, stationary, and any designer goods.
Click the link for $10 off your first order.
This app has also been a great platform for me with easy selling tools. I’ve sold lots of clothes, kid items, bags, dog toys, and even some book sets. On this app, I’ve found people are looking for a bargain more than paying full price, so be considerate of asking prices.
Click the link for $10 off your first purchase and/or $10 when you sell your first $100.
This bookselling app is perfect for those of us who buy more books than we read! I have way too many in my collection, but I love cleaning out my shelves while also making a few bucks to put into my adventure jar.
Use code BRANDY24 at checkout to get $5 off your first order.
This couponing app can really add up over the weeks when grocery shopping. Once you download the app, you can scan your items and add deals. Then, you take a picture of your receipt to show proof of purchase and get that money loaded to your account. They even include stores like CVS, Costco, and Trader Joe’s. Often, they have weekly and monthly bonuses that can add dollar by dollar. Before I go on a trip, I love transferring my saved coins over to my PayPal. Nothing like cash back on everyday items that I was going to buy anyways.
Click the link to get an additional $5 when you scan your first receipt.
Rakuten is a great way to save over time with getting cash back on retail purchases and several travel adventures. Most of my rebates come from Old Navy, Disney Store, Expedia, hotel chains throughout the year, and excursions like Viator. Last year, I was able to earn back $131 for bookings I was already making. I know I could have gotten more, but I’m still trying to remember them for each booking, that’s truly the hardest part! Using the app and the browser tool helps me remember though.
Using my referral link can get you up to $50 on your first purchase, for items you were already going to buy!
High Yields Savings Account w/ Ally Bank
Saving money for bucket list trips is essential. It took a long time to save for the Galapagos! One way that I saved money faster was using a high yields savings account, earning up to 4% on the money in that account each month. Let your money work for you while saving for your next best trip! On the app, you can even sort your money into “buckets” which I use for my different trips.
With this referral link, if you set up a new account and have a small amount set up as automatic payments, you can get a free $100 on your 3rd month. $100!
Facebook Marketplace
The OG! I began selling my old teacher and household items in 2011 to save money for graduate school. Rather than fill landfills, I shared gently used items with my neighbors for a good deal. After graduate school I continued decluttering my home while saving money for trips.
Unfortunately, it’s not as safe as it was 15 years ago and I rarely use them these days. However, it can be useful for bigger items that you can’t ship. Make sure to meet in a public place and beware of scams.
Garage Sale
The original way to get money for used goods. Some people love to shop around at garage sales and with nice weather you can get a lot accomplished in a short amount of time. If you’re up for early mornings, it can be a fun, family way to get rid of a lot of items and have a good chunk of money before a big trip!
Note: As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
If you found the travel guide helpful and useful on your upcoming trip, please consider a small contribution here:
Your donation helps keep this website free of ads with easily accessible information.