Saving Money on Vacation

Do you already have a place to stay? Rather than staying at a place that is right on the beach, look for somewhere that is within walking distance to the beach, it may be a pain to carry all those items back and forth, but you can usually save quite a bit. Also, in most cases you can rent a house/apartment for less than staying in a hotel. Of course that means, you'll have to do some cleaning, and extra packing - it may not be your idea of vacation.

We do several long weekends during the year. Our way of saving is we only eat one meal out a day. A try to stay at a hotel that includes breakfast, or I pack fruits, yogurt, and cereal. I have a hot pot that boils water in 2 minutes, so we can make oatmeal, hot tea, hot chocolate.

Stock up on water bottles, or better yet buy a 2 gallon cooler and fill it each morning with ice and water (best to use bottled 1 gallon containers when staying in a beach area).

Stock up on the snacks too. Don't bring any money to the beach with you so you won't be tempted to just treat yourself to that $2 icecream bar.

Have a great vacation!!!

Book a hotel with a kichenette. They cost a little more but the money you save from going out to eat is worth it. You can get a cheap small cooler too and pack lunches. Buying a case of water and getting take-out for meals will help alot as well.

HI T.,

I haven't been to Myrtle in years but I have used priceline.com and gotten some really good prices on hotels, restaurants and other things as well. Go to their website http://www.myrtlebeach.com/ and see what is happening during the week you are there. There are always festivals going on during the summer and most are free of charge.

M.

Make sure your hotel/condo/house etc has a kitchenette! We pack a cooler full of food, take our own drinks,dry food, snacks etc. Everything is cheaper back home and most likely the prices are raised just for vacationers like us! We treat ourselves to one or two dinners/lunches out depending on the year/budget. We spend most of our time on the beach, in the ocean and the pool, taking walks, enjoying the beautiful beach etc. There are usually some great coupon books available in your hotel lobby etc. Make sure you check those out before you go out and do anything! Have a wonderful vacation! :)

We stay at condos/houses with a kitchen and eat at least breakfast and lunch in. Cooking dinner on vacation is not my idea of a vacation, but O. or two nights during the week, I might cook in as well. also, dinners out don't have to be fancy or expensive. You & hubby can each split an entree with O. daughter to cut the bill a bit!

Here are some ideas I haven't seen mentioned yet. Take a crock pot and use it to cook while you are at the beach. Get Gallon baggies and put the dry goods you will put into the crock pot in them so all you do is add water. And bring any canned goods to add to the crock pot. That makes it really quick and easy. I have some camping dishes that have high sides that work well with solids or liquids. Every one cleans up there own so mom isn't faced with dishes. Use the burger chain's $.99 menu for lunch.

I get the local sales ads and buy fried chicken on sale instead of at KFC or similar. Sam's also has whole rotisserie chicken for $5 each or a very large pizza for less than $10 they will cook while you wait.

When we went to Disney World, we'd buy burgers off the $.99 menu the night before (NO! Mayonnaise!!!) and take them with us in a folding "ice chest". We had 8 kids and paid $.99 instead of $5+ for our burgers. We bought chips and sodas at walmart and saved at least $100 per day on food.

Hope you have a wonderful time.

If your going to be in a suite/kitchenette type place and you can do it plan on making your own meals for breakfast and dinner. eat out at lunch. lunches at places are usually just as big but a lot less in cost. or check out earlybird specials (dinner between like 3 and 5 oclock) we always bring our own cereal and bagels etc for breakfast and plan on easy stuff for dinner like sandwiches and salads. have fun

When my parents travel I always go online and find the tourism bureau or state web page for the state to which they will be traveling. Lots of times there are booklets they will mail to you for free that have lots of coupons and specials for hotels, restaurants, and other things. One time we even got gas coupons! Some states even have printable coupons on their websites. At the very least it is a good way to find out about things like festivals that might be going on or other special events you might like to visit as you travel.
Good luck and safe traveling!
Christi :)

Hi T.,

My family goes to the beach for a week-long vacation every summer and we have found many fun ways to stretch our dollar. Here are some ideas that we have put into practice:

** Rent a house/condo close to the beach. Find a place that is big enough for everyone to be comfortable. Renting a place is significantly less than paying for a hotel. Check out vrbo.com, Craigslist, or find a local real estate company that also handles summer rentals. You'll be surprised what you can find. Two years ago I was able to rent a house in Rehoboth Beach, DE that was five houses from the boardwalk for 1/2 price because the owners had a group cancel and they desperately needed to fill the week.

**Regardless of where you stay, fill up the refrigerator and always eat breakfast and and most dinners at your hotel/rental. We typically eat out for lunch because it is cheaper than dinner, and we want to get right back out to the beach after we are done with the meal. Prepare as many meals as you can yourself rather than eat out.

**You can rent beach equipment (chairs, umbrellas, etc.) when you are on the beach.

**If you are staying close to the beach, skip the rental car and walk. If you need to get somewhere, take a cab or see if there is a beach shuttle or other public transportation option. Rental cars are expensive and if it is just going to sit in a parking lot, it is a huge waste of money.

**I agree with the previous two posters - go online and see if there are free festivals or activities going on while you are there.

Beach vacations are wonderfully relaxing. We look forward to our week at the beach every summer. Have fun!!