LaurenR writes:  

LUCAS, OHIO - If you've ever tried to pack a slew of mementos in your luggage while on vacation, you know what a hassle it can be. To make matters worse, you review your receipts when you get home and realize just how much you spent on them. Forget all the hassle and heavy cost, and instead, bring home mementos that are not only budget-friendly, but will still be treasured years after you bring them home. The following are just four of the best to consider.

 

Wine corks or beer caps

Rather than toss the beer caps or wine corks after you're done with the bottles, bring them home with you as mementos. Not only are they free, but they're small so they'll barely take up any space in your suitcase or at home. Do crafts with them, such as making trivets or picture frames, or you can put them in a clear jar with a little label on it detailing the dates and restaurants from where you got them.

Post cards

Quite a few people pass up postcards as superb souvenirs, but they're actually great mementos that barely cost anything. On the back of each postcard, write a your favorite memory, get it postmarked from a local post office, and put a local stamp on it. This is an especially ideal option if you're traveling to different locations. Wherever you are on vacation, the stamp and postmark play a part in the memory, and you'll have something to look forward to getting in the mail when you get back. Put the postcards on a bulletin board, frame them, or place them in a photo album where they'll stay safe.

Newspaper or magazine clippings

There are many who would rather read online than get a newspaper or magazine, but it's the perfect way to capture what was going on in a specific location during a particular time frame. For example, if you're traveling abroad, get a local newspaper and magazine, cut out your favorite articles and pictures, and mail them home. Don't forget to also include the name and date on the periodical. Put everything in a scrapbook so you can look back on the clippings years from now and reminisce on how things were at the time.

Hotel keepsakes

Before you leave the hotel at which you stayed, pick up a few keepsakes to take with you. For example, take a piece of the stationery, a brochure about the hotel, and the hotel card key if they let you keep it. Even the invoice can be fun to hold onto and look back on. Put everything in a scrapbook, a frame, a memory box, or even in a jar, and it's a wonderful way to think back about where you stayed during your trip.

Vacations are already expensive enough between food, lodging, and transportation, souvenirs shouldn't have to take a chunk out of your budget as well. With the aforementioned fabulous mementos, you'll still have plenty of money left in your wallet and space in your luggage.
 

Photo Credit: Public Domain