Vacation for the Mind, Body and Spirit...not the checking account.

I'm back from vacation, having successfully lived it up - fab style. Beach. Poolside. Cocktails. Delicious meals. Sightseeing - all under my budget. (Ka-ching!)
I'm telling you, adopting a savemoneyhoney attitude can make your vacation still a vacation when you return home - instead of eating rice and beans until your third paycheck arrives and you can finally afford a trip to the grocery store. You may even be able to buy a hot new dress for those warm spring days that shows off you gorgeous new tan.

Here are some helpful hints for vacay: the savemoneyhoney way:

Get on the Bus
Do you really need to rent a car? Take cabs everywhere? What better way to get to know the area you're visit then by taking the bus with the locals? You're sure to encounter some interesting characters and you'll be able to sit back and enjoy the scenery instead of focusing on not getting lost. Not to mention...you're only spending a couple coins.

Take it to the Grocery Store
Oftentimes hotels in vacation areas come with kitchens. While these units may cost more than units without kitchens, lets really examine what you end up paying for. Let's say a kitchenette unit costs $40 more a night than a unit without a kitchen...and you're on vacation with one other person. You'll need to eat, and will probably end up eating out for breakfast ($10), for lunch ($15) and for dinner ($25 - $50). You're looking at an average of $62.50 a day per person on food x two people, that's $125/day on food alone! On a five day vacation...that can get pretty pricey. Now, let's say you get a room with a kitchen, make a grocery shopping list and spend $125 on food for the whole week - totally possible and in my opinion, very wise. You'll even be able to prepare a delicious meal for your ride back on the plane (so few airlines offer anything more than peanuts and cookies these days).



Bee Flexible - Travel on a Weekday
Ever been to the airport on a Friday, or a Sunday? Crazy, right? It's called peak and off-peak. Ever buy a commuter rail ticket? Generally tickets cost more during rush hour than they do at say 2pm. That's just a transit authority's way of taking advantage of the working public. If you get two weeks paid vacation, don't think these "weeks" have to start on a Friday. There are the same amount of days between a Friday and a Friday as there are between a Wednesday and a Wednesday. And chances are, traveling by plane on mid-weekdays is going to be a heck of a lot cheaper than trying to find a flight that leaves Friday and gets back the following Sunday. You can believe that. Plus shorter lines, less crowded planes...it's just a better way to fly.

Sharing is Caring
Timeshares. Everyone knows someone who has one in their family. And many people do not use their timeshares, or do not use all the dates that are available in their timeshares.
What are timeshares, you may be wondering? The basic idea is: you buy a share in a hotel-like unit (usually with a kitchen) which then grants you the amount of weeks you pay for at an appointed time every year, as in, the last two weeks of April every year. They're paid for, and available every year. Now, of course, life happens and oftentimes people are not able to go to their timeshares, or they can only go for a portion of their timeshare. This is a golden opportunity to make use of these hard earned timeshares. Ask around, bring it up in conversation, you'd be surprised to know how many people have these options available. Hey, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Free Z's
Sleep. Seriously, it saves you money. And you know you need to catch up on it anyway. Take a nap. Get some z's. You can't spend money in your sleep...or can you?