The Frugal Mom’s Guide to Paying for MOMcation

We do our best to make MOMcation as reasonably priced as possible for attendees, while still managing to feed, shelter, educate, entertain, and swagify everyone for a full weekend. However, we know that $150 can be a big hit to your pocket book.  That said, we offer FIVE different options for getting yourself to MOMcation without “pain in the purse.” By thinking ahead, you’ll easily pay for your attendance fee, and you’ll be so much richer for having attended MOMcation 2012!

Option One: Save Up
Option one is easiest and the most fail-safe of our five options, because it all depends on you.  The early registration deadline is February 19 for MOMcation 2012.  That means there are 5 weeks between now and when the $150 early-bird rate fee is due.  Start your MOMcation fund now.  You’ll need to contribute ~$30 per week to the fund in order to have $150 in your fund by mid February.  Is there something you can cut from your weekly expenses? Is there a change jar you can raid? Sell some old toys on Ebay, Craig’s List, at a consignment sale, or have a garage sale! If you have unexpected savings at the grocery store or on your utility bill, credit the amount you saved toward your MOMcation fund.

You can also forgo the comfort of knowing your spot at MOMcation 2012 is safe by waiting until the final registration deadline to register (provided there are spaces left!). The final registration deadline is April 1.  That gives you 11 weeks to save the $180 regular rate fee.  In this scenario, you need to save $16.36 per week until the beginning of April.  Again, get creative and think hard about where you can come up with $17 per week.  You can do this!

Option Two: Put it on Your Wish List
If you’re like most MOMs, you don’t even know what to ask for when it comes to your birthday, Valentines Day, or Mothers Day.  Why not ask for a MOMcation?  Multiple family members/friends can go in on it together (and we’ll provide them with a certificate they can present to you at gift giving time).

MOMcation 2012 is slated to fall one month before Mothers Day, and we can’t think of a more perfect gift.  What a great way for your family to show MOM how much they love her: give her an opportunity to relax, refresh, and renew!  Everyone is a winner!

Option Three: Get a Scholarship
We will be offering at least two full scholarships to attendees who demonstrate financial need in 2012.  This option is a bit of a gamble, but if you’re having a hard time scraping up that $16 per week mentioned in option one above, telling us about it on your scholarship application might get you a free ride.  Go to http://momcation.org/scholarship to learn more.

Option Four: Find a Sponsor
As event organizers, we rely on sponsors to help us carry the financial cost of putting on MOMcation.  We offer our sponsors advertising opportunities or other perks in exchange for their financial support.  You can use this same model to get an attendance sponsor for MOMcation 2011.  Not to say this method won’t require a little MOM moxie on your part.  Put together a list of what you can do for your prospective sponsor.  Maybe you can volunteer some of your time and skills to help the company or organization.  If you’re savvy with social networking, you could promise a blog post, promotion via Facebook, or a certain number of tweets before, during, and after MOMcation.  If you’re approaching your employer, you could explain how attending the event will be beneficial to you in your job, or that it will improve your mental health and well being and result in a more efficient, effective employee!  Present your plan to your prospective sponsor(s) with loads of enthusiasm and see what happens.

Option Five: Have Uncle Sam Pay For It
Might you be expecting a refund on your taxes this year?  Get your taxes filed as soon as you can and earmark some of your tax refund for some professional development (aka MOMcation).  Then, you can write it off as a job expense on your 2011 taxes!  (Ok, probably not, but it’s still a great way to use your refund!)

No matter how you fund it, we know you’ll get your money’s worth at MOMcation 2012. If you have any questions, concerns, or other creative ways to fund a MOMcation, please let us know!