Here's How To Plan For An Expensive Summer Vacation

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Vacations and other events this time of year can come with a big price tag, but there are ways you can manage your summer spending.

"My wife thinks of budget, I just think of the fun stuff. Golf, beach," Vacationer Ryan Herring told CBS2's Meg Baker.

Herring's wife and mother of two shared some of the family's money-saving tips. "Make a list. Go to the grocery store, get that. Plan your dinners, where you want to go, ask a local to tell you the best places to go," Laura Thiel Herring suggested.

Financial expert Paul Oster says treat your summer activities as an expense to manage so it doesn't lead to credit problems later.

"My mom used to call it Christmas club… Call it a vacation club. You have to start to put some money away because the worst thing that can happen you pay for your vacation on your credit card," he explained to CBS2's Meg Baker.

Oster added if a week is too expensive, try day trips, so you still get the sense of getting away. He also advises people to stick to cash to better track how much you are spending.

If you have not saved up for your vacation, experts say you should set up an aggressive post-vacation payment plan so what you've spent while you and your family are away gets paid off as quickly as possible.