Again, Mike, I think you and I live parallel lives. If it weren't for my wife, our children would mostly remember "family time" as me trying to help them clean their rooms after becoming exasperated that they weren't doing it themselves. She knows when an inexpensive picnic in the park is enough to make some memories, but she also takes the lead in planning more-expensive summer trips to visit family and other fun places. And while making those trips has stretched our budget, the times we have spent at a hotel in Disneyland or at a beach house in Galveston or enjoying a weekend in Chicago have been among our most memorable together as a family.

So, what do you think? I would like to hear your ideas for inexpensive ways to build family togetherness close to home. But I also would appreciate your thoughts on how to save and prepare for more expensive trips. What has worked? What hasn't worked? How have your children reacted?

Or do you think Mike and I are just plain wrong? Maybe we're not being creative enough in our family outings and going to "fun" places is an unnecessarily expensive crutch. What do you think?

Please let me know. Or, if you have other financial questions or comments, I'd like to hear them, too. Send correspondence to gkratz@desnews.com or to the Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110.

E-mail: gkratz@desnews.com