I’m pretty sure when it comes to traveling with multiple kids, my family takes the cake when it comes to needing those tips and tricks. I’ve shared previous travel hacks that I have discovered with you guys when it comes to road trips. My kids and I will be traveling the farthest we have ever traveled in our lives together and we are doing it, wait for it, by car. I know I sound completely bonkers telling you that I will be driving from Northern Virginia all the way to Orlando Florida for the 2017 Family Forward Event with Universal.
With this trip being the farthest we have ever gone together, I not only need to stretch my dollars and but I need rub two pennies together and hope a million dollars come out of it. I know that’s probably insanely far fetched but hey a girl can dream. Even though the kids and I will be traveling for three weeks, yes you read that right we will be road tripping for three weeks in a 2017 Kia Sedona. Somehow I have to find a way to stretch my dollars to make each penny worth it when it comes to making purchases for our upcoming trip. That’s why when it came to finding some helpful ways to keep the kids happy and most of all this mom happy, I was able to turn to some wonderful Reynolds Kitchen and Hefty products into something that worked for my family.
1. Bake From Scratch: First off I’m all about making things from scratch if it will save me those big green buckeroos. I like to make homemade cookies, bread, cakes and simple shelf stable snacks that I can throw in the oven and almost completely forget about until the buzzer goes off. Reynolds Parchment Paper is perfect for baking cookies, as well as being an insert for bread pans when I make my delicious Lemon Pound Cake (My Starbucks Copycat Recipe).
2. Buy In Bulk: I don’t just like to bake from scratch but I like to buy in bulk and then break it down later. In this case for my family, I shopped at a local store that sells products in bulk for big families like myself. My kids love to eat fruit so I’m never afraid to buy those in bulk, especially since I know that 5lb bag of apples might not make it to the end of our first leg of our 14 hour trip to Orlando.
3. Use Hefty Plastic Cups. Use the Hefty Plastic Cups to hold your bulk snacks in, I tend to break down those snacks into cups before we leave, and then just have the kids grab whichever they want to eat from the cooler. If they would like to put down the cup to grab a book or to just take a rest from holding it they can put it in a cup holder. This has saved me from many spills and messes in the past.
4. Always Bring Hefty Ultra Strong Trash Bags. Hello, amazing idea! I used to just bring small plastic bags I got from local grocery stores to hold small paper trash. It was a bummer when I had a pesky drink, cup of (I’m not sure where they got that from), or a fruit that is half finished. The wimpy grocery shopping bag didn’t hold anything and if anything made a bigger mess. Once I upgraded to carrying actual trash bags in the car, that’s when my life changed forever. Please underline this checklist item and put a star next to if for importance.
5. Utilize Those Cup Holders. Don’t just let a cup holder go unnoticed while on road trips, use them to hold snacks, juices, or even phones and tablets. Anything to give your hands and arms a break when it comes to long distance driving. I like to fill my cupholders in the front with fruits and small bottles of water. Although most of the time my waters end up going to the kids because their juices are pretty much demolished before we leave the driveway. A mom can never be too prepared though right?
Accidents happen and that’s why I always carry a few trash bags in the car while we road trip. It’s a normal occurrence for my family where the food seems to miss our mouths. I’m not sure if it’s poor aim or if the food hops out of our hands right before we get it to our mouths. I’d like to go with the whole jumping out of my hand’s excuse but I think the kids would have a field day with that assumption and turn it into a long debate.
Keeping the trash bags in the car allows me to open one up and have any fly always thrown into the bag, or else someone is going to be eating who knows what from the floor. I like to have the kids empty all the trash from the car into the bag before we adventure out to what ever destination we survived that car ride to. It makes it an easy toss in the trash before the fun begins.
How I Raise Money For My Kids School With Our Summer Road Trip
How does my road trip actually help raise money for the kid’s school? Well, I tend to lean towards buying products that give back to the kid’s school like Box Tops for Education. The products I buy in bulk actually have more box tops sometimes, so I end up raising more money for the kid’s school that way.
Reynolds Kitchens™ and Hefty proudly support the Box Tops for Education initiative which helps schools like mine raise money for supplies, technology and more. Find Box Tops on most Reynolds Kitchens™ products like Parchment Paper, Oven Bags, Slow Cooker Liners and Bakeware Pans. You can also find Box Tops on Hefty Trash Bags, Hefty Foam Plates, and Hefty Cups.
Enter To Win $1,000 in Box Tops For Your Kids School!
Now through August 29th, you can Enter Here to be one of 50 daily instant winners and enter to win the grand prize of $1,000 worth of Box Tops for your school! A total of five schools will be chosen for the grand prize and you can enter once a day until 8/29 so bookmark the site and visit often.
Can you name off some brands that you like to purchase that support Box Tops for Education? Do you clip your Box Tops for your kid’s school, if so how do you keep your box tops stored during the summer?
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Buying in bulk is the only way to go if you want to really save some cheddar. I love to combine buying in bulk with online codes and printable coupons. Cha-CHING.
marysa says
These are very useful ways to survive road trips! I dread spending so much time in the car and traveling because it is so hard to be organized. This also helps with cleanup too. Thanks for the tips!
Roger Willis says
Good luck with your trip! Virginia to Orlando is quite a haul! Back when my daughter was 4, (17 years ago!), I took all 3 of our kids from Upstate New York, to Texas! We had fun, but it was a challenge to keep them entertained. Sure, they had toys and such. I wish I would have had these tips way back when! Safe travels!
Amy @ Marvelous Mommy says
I buy in bulk and try to make everything from scratch. I love the idea of using cups for snacks on road trips.
sara says
Good luck on your drive! You will love the Kia Sedona, it is such a great car. I have always wanted to go to the Family Forward conference but it is just not at a great time for us.
Ricci says
Good luck with your road trip!! I love a good road trip and use many of these tips and tricks already!! LOL!!
Jenn @ EngineerMommy says
We are going on a few road trips this summer. These are great tips to make the experience successful for all of us!
uprunforlife says
I love doing what I can to save money too. It has been a while since we have taken a road trip. We are overdue. I love the idea of making healthy snacks in the cups. It makes eating healthy on the go easier. Plus, you can buy several pounds of grapes for the sane price for a small cup at the gas station.
Lynndee says
Both the hubs and I are all about making things from scratch as well. 🙂 And we love going on road trips as a family. Thanks for all these great tips!
Gabriel Bregg says
Prebagging food for snacking on the way is a great way to save a TON of money and time on the road.
Cherise Kachelmuss says
Such great tips! We are heading out on a road trip in a few weeks so these are helpful tips! We love Box Tops too as they are such an easy way to support a school
Our Family Worldi says
Road trips are actually enjoyable if we do the right preparations. I love your tips. Homemade snacks and plastic cups to hold them in while traveling is a great idea. Reynolds products have been around for the longest time. I still vividly remember my grandmother using Reynold’s foil wrap and/or parchment paper whenever she grilled or baked some goodies.
kim says
These are such fun ideas!! I love the tip about using Hefty cups for food.
Dogvills says
Just being there for the person who is suffering means so much. And I’m sure these thoughtful gifts will help ease the pain.
Victoria Heckstall says
My kids love road tripping. These nice ideas will surely help moms, like me to prevent or avoid hassle during the nicest trip on summer with the whole family.
Carol Cassara says
I think it’s really cool that Hefty supports box tops too! That’s amazing. We do bring trash bags with us whenever my husband and I decide to go on a road trip! These are great tips!