Every year comes the same dilemma. You want to take an awesome, memorable vacation with your family, but you just can't afford it. Here are 5 simple, easy steps to help you take your summer vacation without breaking the bank.

1. Go on a monday, leave on a Friday. Most hotels offer discounts if you check in on a monday, and leave before Friday's check in. Do you really need to be there on Saturday and Sunday, when the hotel is the busiest?

2. Compare prices. There are many web sites out there where you can compare prices on hotels, resorts, bed and breakfast's, etc. Research and compare, and do this early. The earlier that you try to find a hotel, the better deals you will get. Some of the more popular wesbites where you can compare prices are:

3. Relax on your vacation. Have you ever had a vacation where you are more tired coming home than you were when you left, because you crammed so many activities into your week? Try to separate the activities every other day, and on the days where you don't have anything planned, go to the beach, or sight seeing. Or just relax at the hotel's pool while the kids splash around and have fun.

4. Go camping for a week. No doubt this will save you money, a campsite costs on average between 12 and 20 dollars a night, much cheaper and more cost effective than a hotel would be. You can enjoy nature, look up at the stars, and get to know your family again while cooking smores and hot dogs over the fire.

5. Bring coupons! If your hotel offers a kitchenette in your room, prepare your menu in advance, and pack corresponding coupons to use when you get to where you are going. Also coupons that do not specify a size are a great way to save money on the travel size shampoo's, conditioners's and soaps. Do not forget to bring coupons for snack food items, and check online to see which stores in the area that you are going to offers double coupons. An easy way to check which stores offer double coupons is to go to this website: http://couponing.about.com/cs/groce...doublecoups.htm Last but not least, search online for coupons for restaurants in the area that you are vacationing. Some restaurants now offer printable coupons that you can use at their establishment. Many restaurants near hotels, resorts or camping grounds have their coupons in brochures at the nearest rest stop or in the travel magazines that you will find in your hotel room. You can also go to http://www.roomsaver.com/ to see if they have any online coupons for your hotel room.

Remember vacations aren't about how much money you spend or about how many activities you can squeeze in, its about sitting back and relaxing with your loved ones.