Does it ever make sense to stretch your spending, even if it means temporarily busting your budget or borrowing from your emergency fund? When the cause is as worthy as family vacations, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" For over 20 summers now, our family has taken a two week vacation. I wouldn't trade the fun and value which those vacations have brought our family for "full ride" college scholarships for our five kids. I'd like to encourage you to begin now planning a memorable and affordable family vacation for this summer. From our experiences, here are some tips that can help.

1. Budget realistically. Vacations need not be expensive. Budget an amount and stick to it. If you're driving, set a fixed spending amount ($150 per day, for example). Include all of your expenses, gas, meals, admissions, special activities, etc. Involve your children in the process. Share with them that conserving money on one day allows them to go to a water park on another day. Be creative. To save money, our family typically eats only one meal in a restaurant per day. For the other two, we prepare our own food and either eat in the hotel room or have a picnic. Take turns letting the kids choose the type of food-and, if you are really adventurous, the restaurant-each day. They feel important and it minimizes arguments. Shop around for hotel discounts. Paying the listed rate for a hotel room is like paying full retail for a mattress.

2. Set your itinerary. Agreeing on an itinerary is important because adults and children have different ideas of "fun." I want to do things that I can't do at home: drive through the mountains, visit historical sights, go horseback riding, etc. Children basically want to do what they can do at home: watch TV, visit a man-made attraction like Six Flags, or swim in the hotel pool. You gotta compromise. Every summer, my kids give me my day in the mountains where we do nothing but drive through the Rockies. They even try to look semi-interested. As a compromise, I'll do things that I think are a total waste of money. After all, vacations are for the whole family.

Be flexible. Not every one of our days is planned. This can be risky, but sometimes the memories are worth it. One summer, we just happened to be in the Denver area during a Promise Keepers men's conference. The only accommodations we could find were at "Ace's Motel and Kitchenettes." If you miss pink stucco exteriors and green shag carpeting, I'll give you Ace's number.

3. Stay in one place. Admittedly, this is from Dad's perspective because he is the one who packs the trunk. For at least part of your vacation, pick a place (like a family camp or the beach) where you are not packing and unpacking the car every day. Having five kids and your spouse packing and pointing toward a scheduled departure time begins to take on aspects of a cattle drive. Staying in one place allows you to relax for awhile.

4. Decide on the ground rules. How many times have you been on a family vacation and seen parents and their children arguing? Vacations are supposed to be fun, not a battleground. Parents should establish the rules in advance so that arguments don't take away joy from the day. For example, take children's spending. To them, nothing in a souvenir shop is too tacky or overpriced. How do we solve this dilemma? Simple. They can buy what they want with their own money but they can't ask me for more. A few months prior to our vacation, I begin reminding them that they should be saving their funds. Some do, some don't. On the eve of our departure, I may give them each $20 to supplement their savings. After that, they're on their own. If they spend it the first day, they're out of luck. Knowing in advance the ground rules on spending, fast food restaurants, and sharing the Game Boy saves countless arguments and embarrassing moments.