As summer approaches, an increasing amount of family vacation pictures will start creeping into your social media feeds. If you're getting beach envy, but wondering how your family can afford that kind of vacation this year, we have an alternative: a staycation. In this story, we'll lay out the facts for you, showing what the average trip to the beach costs and how you can redirect that money by staycationing instead.

Why take a staycation? Because it can be just as fun as any cruise, island resort or big city weekend without the maxed-out credit card regret. You can redirect the funds you would have spent on an expensive vacation and still reap the benefits of rest, relaxation and good ole' fashioned QT with family. Win-win.

Let's break down the savings:

A little math, but don't worry, it'll be over soon. The cost of a beach vacation differs depending on the area of the country you're in, among other factors, so we took our best guess at how much an average week-long trip will set you back.

Transportation: $300 – This depends on the length of the road trip and your gas mileage, but $300 is a conservative guess on your gas spend. If you're flying or renting a car, your cost here could triple.

Accommodations: $1,200 – And this is if you get a deal, averaging under $150/night, plus around $200 for cleaning fees + tax.

Food: $800 – Let's say you're spending half your vacation eating in, and half going to restaurants. You're still looking at around $800 for the week for a family of four. If you're staying in accommodations without a kitchen, then it'll be more since all your meals will be out.

Activities: $200 – Unless you're going to a theme park for the week, in which case you can expect your activity costs to be much higher.

That's a grand total of $2,500… if you're frugal. No small potatoes!

So you've decided to save money and staycation! Now what?

Spend a luxurious week in

Pay to have your house cleaned by a professional to bring hotel-level service home. Grocery shop for some of your favorite high-end foods, or even make your very own Restaurant Week-like schedule to sample hometown dining.

What you can do with the savings

Pay down debt. You may be able to make an extra principal payment on your house or wipe out a credit card. Got student loans? Let this be the year you say buh-bye.

OR

Go out and experience your hometown

We bet there are plenty of fun destinations in your city that you just don't have time for, or don't think about because they're close-by. Hit up the museums, zoos, hiking trails, or paint-ball parks. Go out to the movies.

What you can do with the savings

Stick to your budget. Most people don't include funds for a vacation in their annual budget, but they end up spending the money anyway because they find themselves in need of a break come mid-year. Taking a staycation is the thrifty alternative to an extravagant vacation, and you may feel even more relaxed by the time it's over without the headaches of packing, travel, itineraries and overspending.