KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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As Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, families in Liberty are already mapping out how to make the most of the season without breaking the bank.
The Laughlin family has their summer plans locked in — lots of pool time, baseball, and two trips, including a family vacation to Oklahoma.
To keep costs down, the family is skipping flights when they can and hitting the road instead.
"We're all going and driving and meeting there. And that was a way to save money because I think flying is a lot more expensive," Julie Laughlin said.
Other families are taking a similar approach.
According to NerdWallet, 89% of summer travelers this year will take action to save money on their vacation — including choosing to drive rather than fly.
Morgan and Logan Conom, who live in Liberty, are doing the same.
When asked if they are doing anything to save, the Conoms responded, "probably driving."
"I mean, it stinks. But I mean, the time with them is so short, so I still want to go on a vacation, but flying can be expensive," Conom said.
But even road trips come with a catch. With higher gas prices, some families are rethinking how far they are willing to go.
Terrie and her grandson Hayden are keeping their summer close to home.
"We're trying to do stuff that's reasonably priced and not drive too far because of gas prices," Terrie said.
They plan to take advantage of free and low-cost local resources to fill their days.
"We're coming to the community center and using those resources and the library and all those resources that we have. So that's our plan," Terrie said.
Kenneth Chambers said gas prices have already changed at least one of his plans.
"I was going to Chicago this weekend," he said. "But since gas is $4 a gallon, I think I'll pass on that."
Chambers added that while the prices are frustrating, they likely will not stop him entirely.
"I'm not real excited about the gas being the way that it is," Chambers said. "It's probably not going to stop me, but I'm not really excited about it."
Rising costs are also prompting parents to have money conversations with their kids. Alysse Gutierrez said she has heard the message loud and clear.
"Make the money yourself, go get a job," Gutierrez said.
Jace Shearer said his family has been passing another piece of advice.
"They tell me like sometimes I should probably save a little more money than I do for something that I need instead of what I want," Shearer said.
Silas Fisher, who will be a sophomore next year and is looking for a summer job, said higher costs have nudged his family to scale back — but not stop.
"We're not going probably as out as we would usually, probably because of the inflation and stuff like that. But I don't think it's preventing us too much," Fisher said.
For the Laughlin family, the commitment to making memories outweighs the financial strain.
"Our whole lives we haven't traveled. And over the past couple of years, we've just been making it a point to travel, even if it means we have to spend money," Laughlin said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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