And then I go and worship The Library. Ah The Library. I get giddy when I think of Her. No membership fee. Encouraging behavior like taking out THREE books at once that you couldn't possibly read before they are overdue.
It's a bloody miracle that there is a place in the world where they don't have hidden costs and is open to every social and economic demographic. With free internet (Love ya, coffee bar, but someone has been sitting in that chair for so long that it has his body scent. ). And they let you rent movies for free as long as you aren't late (Got to admire chutzpah to charge a buck a day....no one messes with The Librarian!). In just about every town in the country.
Sometimes I will go there just to pretend that I am shopping again. Looking at all of the lovely choices. Feeling the same way about books as I felt about shoes. And coffee beans. Wandering the aisles taking in the sensation that there is no rush at The Library. As long as it isn't closing time and I don't have a child in tow, I can lurk and loiter in a public place without any legal repercussion. If I lean over a book in my lap and don't snore, I can maybe get some sleep if they can't prove that I am not actually reading. They even have discounted and/or free museum passes at some of them so that you can loiter in other public places. All the while leaving the utilities off at home. Not only making The Library free...making it profitable!
Today, I found out there is a new Christopher Moore book that has been released. I love buying Christopher Moore books. But I can't do afford to purchase it in a book store. So I will go to my noblenet.com and order it from The Library where The Librarians will hunt it down for you if The Library Branch doesn't have it (same for DVDs). And they will call me when it arrives and say, "Hey, come get your free temporary brand spanking new book! Just like the new ones in the store but covered in mylar and stamps!" And I get to read it! Then I will look at the inside cover price and say, "Some day, I will give you royalties, Christopher Moore. Some day. But today, I still get to enjoy you and save 1/4 of my YMCA membership fee." And I don't mind giving it back when I am done. Because The Library is also a kind public institution....an oxymoron even.....and will let me take it out as many times as I want.
http://www.publiclibraries.com/
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Spending To Save Money! That's Crazy Talk!
I'm not sure which is worse. Never having a latte now or thinking you may never have one again (or a quality pair of shoes or a really good fancy cupcake....you know what I mean). "Never" is a scary thought. And sometimes it feels just like that. Infinite deprivation. Well, truth is, thinking like that isn't going to help or induce proactive behavior. Action makes me feel better.
The husband got a decent sized check earlier in the year. We paid up all of those bills that had piled up. We bought lots of groceries. I got a latte. It tasted wonderful. The problem, though, is that our owed money was so backed up that the decent sized check disappeared almost instantly and here we are again. We held onto it as long as we could. We pondered what we could do to make the future easier when the money would dry up entirely while our employment status remained fixed in this situation. And we came to some conclusions that did seemed a little extravagant for poor folks trying to get by. But, in the end, I think it makes sense.
We always buy a monthly train pass even if we have to sell the cat. We have to. The husband uses the commuter rail to get to school. It is enormously expensive to take the long commute per ride and it is one fee that we expect. The car is worn out as it is. The less we use it, the less we spend randomly on gas and repairs. Sometimes we don't even use the car and I feel virtuous as a non-carbon footprinter.
We also keep our YMCA family membership, again, even if we have to sell the cat. (And we like the cat. So don't think we would actually do it.) (I say in case my daughter is reading this). (And its a nice cat but the market value ain't all that.) All Massachusetts and Rhode Island YMCA memberships are good at any in those states. Also, we get a certain amount of passes for other ones not in state. Our YMCA family membership for 3 of us costs about $90 a month. Sounds steep? But, I shower there every day that I work out there. So does my husband. It is a couple of hours of every day that I am unemployed when I am not in my house not using heat and water. Say the kid is getting antsy because you just can't pay to do something like going to the movies or something like that? There's always the swimming pool at the Y. My employment is attached to my physicality. I am also over 40 years old. I have to exercise somewhere or I get mean. And lose work when it comes knocking. It takes the edge of the money stress. It is one more thing that is an expected monthly expense that keeps me moving forward. It is worth keeping.
I like to think of myself as a squirrel. Not in a rodent way. In a storing things for the winter way. Which is why when the money is present, I pay extra attention to sites like Groupon and Living Social. These are daily coupon sites that make deals with restaurants, salons, attractions, hotels, pretty much any local business willing to make one huge cut to attract new business. You choose your location and you receive an email each day with a couple of offers. I look for specialty food stores and occasionally a restaurant with a really good deal. Then I put it in a tree for the winter. Or when the financial feces hits the fan and I need food products.
My favorite has been an Italian deli where I picked up 20 bucks worth of cold cuts that I had paid ten dollars for and a bakery with fantastic bread with the same deal. 10 dollars for 20 dollars worth of food products that I had already paid for a long time before the fact. My acorns. We also paid for a coupon for a trendy vintage/hipster clothing store that happened to run a store wide half price special the day we were there. So we paid 10 dollars for 40 dollars worth of products in the end which included new jeans and a shirt for the husband which he needed badly. Pretty danged sweet. Yeah, its spending money on something that looks a little luxury item. But in the long run, food is food. Clothes are clothes. And cheap is cheap. Even if it is in a gourmet deli.
No one said it was easy. We do still have some choices. And sometimes the choice doesn't look like the right one. But in the long run it may help you get through to the other side in a less tattered condition.
The husband got a decent sized check earlier in the year. We paid up all of those bills that had piled up. We bought lots of groceries. I got a latte. It tasted wonderful. The problem, though, is that our owed money was so backed up that the decent sized check disappeared almost instantly and here we are again. We held onto it as long as we could. We pondered what we could do to make the future easier when the money would dry up entirely while our employment status remained fixed in this situation. And we came to some conclusions that did seemed a little extravagant for poor folks trying to get by. But, in the end, I think it makes sense.
We always buy a monthly train pass even if we have to sell the cat. We have to. The husband uses the commuter rail to get to school. It is enormously expensive to take the long commute per ride and it is one fee that we expect. The car is worn out as it is. The less we use it, the less we spend randomly on gas and repairs. Sometimes we don't even use the car and I feel virtuous as a non-carbon footprinter.
We also keep our YMCA family membership, again, even if we have to sell the cat. (And we like the cat. So don't think we would actually do it.) (I say in case my daughter is reading this). (And its a nice cat but the market value ain't all that.) All Massachusetts and Rhode Island YMCA memberships are good at any in those states. Also, we get a certain amount of passes for other ones not in state. Our YMCA family membership for 3 of us costs about $90 a month. Sounds steep? But, I shower there every day that I work out there. So does my husband. It is a couple of hours of every day that I am unemployed when I am not in my house not using heat and water. Say the kid is getting antsy because you just can't pay to do something like going to the movies or something like that? There's always the swimming pool at the Y. My employment is attached to my physicality. I am also over 40 years old. I have to exercise somewhere or I get mean. And lose work when it comes knocking. It takes the edge of the money stress. It is one more thing that is an expected monthly expense that keeps me moving forward. It is worth keeping.
I like to think of myself as a squirrel. Not in a rodent way. In a storing things for the winter way. Which is why when the money is present, I pay extra attention to sites like Groupon and Living Social. These are daily coupon sites that make deals with restaurants, salons, attractions, hotels, pretty much any local business willing to make one huge cut to attract new business. You choose your location and you receive an email each day with a couple of offers. I look for specialty food stores and occasionally a restaurant with a really good deal. Then I put it in a tree for the winter. Or when the financial feces hits the fan and I need food products.
My favorite has been an Italian deli where I picked up 20 bucks worth of cold cuts that I had paid ten dollars for and a bakery with fantastic bread with the same deal. 10 dollars for 20 dollars worth of food products that I had already paid for a long time before the fact. My acorns. We also paid for a coupon for a trendy vintage/hipster clothing store that happened to run a store wide half price special the day we were there. So we paid 10 dollars for 40 dollars worth of products in the end which included new jeans and a shirt for the husband which he needed badly. Pretty danged sweet. Yeah, its spending money on something that looks a little luxury item. But in the long run, food is food. Clothes are clothes. And cheap is cheap. Even if it is in a gourmet deli.
No one said it was easy. We do still have some choices. And sometimes the choice doesn't look like the right one. But in the long run it may help you get through to the other side in a less tattered condition.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Is that a soundbyte plugged into your head or are you just happy to see me
The downside to poverty in this modern era is, well, most things. One of the few positive points not terribly effected by financial loss is the technology to tap into new resources (if you can get access to the internet). I've already covered the area of boredom and as promised, here be one more way to not go broke trying to get some distraction while you are waiting for that next paycheck opportunity to arrive. Podcasts. Free podcasts.
New to podcasts, possibly? Well, okay. Have you ever heard of Itunes? It is where many of the kids these days purchase music that they download onto their computers. From there they can listen to it directly on the computer, burn it onto a cd to listen to in the car or on other computers or upload onto their portable MP3 players (Ipods, etc.). Well, it ain't just for music anymore. There are tons of movies, tv shows and podcasts for a very small price. And, occasionally, for free. You do not need to buy anything to sign up for Itunes. You only pay when you purchase a download. For free ones, you type the title in the search area, make sure that the price confirms "free" and click on the download button when the shows pop up. That simple. So no need to be a scaredy cat. There is a world of talk shows and music and informational podcasts just waiting to inspire, entertain and kill that big elephant of boredom in your head. Possibly even while walking or driving (burn to cd if you don't have a MP3 player) to employment. So, to get you started, I have asked the stand up comedy peanut gallery for suggestions and added a few of my own.
NPR has a great selection of shows that I listen to regularly. These are my two favorites. "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" is a game show that generally runs once a week on the radio. I have to be careful when I listen to it on the treadmill because I have been driven into giggle fits and fallen off. Also, "This American Life" with Ira Glass is outstanding and lasts for almost hour. It has a three part story format on a specific topic. Always really interesting. You could even learn something while being entertained. Poking around the www.npr.com website might even give you a few more directions of interest or just plug in "NPR" into the Itunes podcast section. One of the great things about any radio based podcast shows is that it usually has company on the station websites. Many many radio stations make their programs available for downloading after the show has aired, using, amongst other things, Itunes as a source. For free. Did I mention for free? For free.
Another show that goes along those lines is that old chestnut "A Prairie Home Companion" from the cornerstone of old fashioned entertainment, Garrison Keillor http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/about/podcast. I have had the opportunity to see Mr. Keillor speak twice live. Don't no one do it better.
For the hipper set, a great comedy talk show that has been around for some time now is Keith and The Girl. Think of it as a pop culture "A Prairie Home Companion" with less music and more dirty words and two people that aren't Garrison Keillor. But funny. Very funny. www.keithandthegirl.com or just search for it in Itunes like the rest of them.
Looking for pure good old fashioned storytelling? There is the spectacular The Moth series also found for free on Itunes. This gathering of people trading tales has been taking place in various places throughout the country, going back to spoken word entertainment in its purest form. www.themoth.org. Go hear it for nada.
You can't afford to go out? My fellow comics have also suggested their favorites bringing a little showbusiness to you. Jon Fisch interveiws different funny folks to see what makes them tick called In The Tank with Jon Fisch http://jonfisch.com/inthetank. More on general showbusiness business can be found at KCRW on a show called "The Business." http://feeds.kcrw.com/kcrw/tb. Bill Burr has a great comedy podcast www.billburr.com. Marc Maron has the most popular one amongst the comics that I asked called wtfpod.com. He has a suggested small donation on his website (man's got to eat) but it is way cheaper than paying for the in-person experience and he asks whatever you want to give. Visit character actor Stephen Tobolowsky and hear his stories at http://www.slashfilm.com/category/features/slashfilmcast/the-tobolowsky-files. Love movies? Listen to comic Doug Benson and friends give insight and opinion passionately uncensored at "I Love Movies." Itunes free. One of the great things about podcasts is that it truly lets the freedom of speech rip and these guys are the best at voicing their unique opinions with style.
Music heads? TV geeks? Gamers? Moms? Movie freaks? Sports enthusiasts? Religious nuts? Politicos? How to seekers? Gossip mongers? You got a taste, its out there for free. Search Itunes in the podcast section. Check out radio stations. Ask friends. It's out there to stimulate your mind and give you something to think about....or not think about...until you can afford a movie again. If you don't have an MP3 player, you can always plug straight into a computer until you can get your hands on one. It's out there. Enjoy!
PS Thanks for the suggestions Boston comedy folks! You really helped!
PSS If you want to add some of your favorites, please feel free...there's that word again...to throw some in the comments section. The more info in the world the better!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The fuzzy end of the auction site lolly
Hey! Guess what! I bought another thing that I am going to lose money selling because I goofed! This is normally how I justify buying old things. Go to the consignment store or the antique store or the auction, decide I don't want it and then get rid of it on an auction site. Which is good if you are in it for the adventure. But the truth is, I am too broke to be taking a bath on this stuff and the profit part is necessary but not always the end result. So here's what I'm going to do.....I am going to let you benefit from my auction site idiocy so that you don't grow up to be like me some day. And possibly make some money from this nonsense. Here are some what not to do's.
www.ebay.com
www.usps.com
- Don't purchase anything to resell without looking at the closing prices on similar auctions on line. I don't care if it is made out of solid gold and belonged to Princess Margaret. It is only worth what it will sell for and the buyers won't change just for you. Save your novelty collecting for after you are rich. If possible, go to the auction sites on your smart phone. If not possible, go home and look it up and go back or call someone with the info to look it up for you on the "completed" selling section of your favorite auction site. Think of it as insuring that you have one more latte in your world in the future.
- If you go to an auction site and some items in excellent condition are selling well and some aren't? It is almost always because the shipping is priced to high. Which is very difficult to do these days since the auction site police are strict about their pricing policies. Odds are, they are taking the most expensive, fastest high fallutin' route to post an item and folks just don't want to pony it up when things can be had cheaper. Also, sometimes the auction site will not let you post it about a certain price and you have to move, say, a very heavy book into a non-media mail category because it is simply too heavy and the auction site has a cap on $4.00 for books. Will the buyer be willing to pay for the difference? Be careful of the totals with shipping, tax and insertion fees. If you are not allowed to charge enough to cover the cost or you are posting them at a price that will not sell, you will lose money. And this is not the point of this endeavor.
- Detail your needs. This includes how you are going to package your shipping and international shipping policies or anything else that could cause consternation in the future. Look at the individual sellers with over 300 good comments in their feedback statuses and see what they include in their completed sales as far as shipping/buying policies (not the power sellers/stores...the sellers like you who have to schlepp to the post office and don't have an office set up to deal with massive amounts of sales). Then do what they do.
- Be political. Bad feedback is box office poison for auction site sellers. There will always be incidents with things like the post office destroying goods (no other business could get away with mangling a product and not apologize when delivering it), tempestuous personalities looking for a reason to get in a fight with someone (auction sites don't have a "crazy bastard/beeyach" filter ) or just a customer misunderstanding the nature of the goods. This is especially relevant when handling collectibles. Super picky folks looking for specific things in certain conditions are the bastions of unhappy purchase experiences. I have found that it is always better to swallow your pride even if the buyer is difficult and always allow them to return the item, noting that you would rather have a happy buyer than the money. It may not be true but bad feedback could lose possible future bidders. So kiss ass and return it.
- Condition condition condition. Telling every stinking detail about the item that you can pull from the recesses of the most paranoid part of your mind. Color. Weight. Demensions. The tiniest scratch or chip. The size of the tiniest scratch or chip. The name of the tiniest scratch or chip. There is no such thing as too much. Every detail is an "I told you in the item description" if there is ever a dispute. It will prevent people from bidding on your item incorrectly, taking it away from a person who does want you to keep their money.
www.ebay.com
www.usps.com
Poverty Is Boring
I'll be doing a series of things to do that don't cost. This is the first piece in the pool.
So you can't go to the movies because there is no extra money. HBO and Showtime are no longer cable options. Or even cable maybe. It is too cold out to go take a long walk. You already looked for jobs on the internet. Made your phone calls. Forget shopping. Poverty is really really boring. Here are some things that you can do to tap into some more creative interests and give you a chance to exercise those parts of your brain that are feeling stagnant.
The internet is a miracle. Even if your electricity is turned off, you can find it at the library waiting to show you the world. The only problem is there is so damned many options. Right now my favorite choice in the road to creative stimulation is hitREcord.org. This is really neat site created by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You can contribute graphics, words, sound bytes, video to or grab a few that other people contributed to it and produce your own mash up of creativity. It costs nothing but time. And you feel like a working genius even if you aren't getting paid. Screw poverty! Bring on the starving arteests!
My next favorite somewhat free thing is mine the library for treasure. Oh, sure all of those books and dvds and magazines that normally would cost you the electric bill (or 2-4 lattes) are there. We all know that. But our library also has classes, knitting circles, reading groups and....bless them to pieces....museum passes. Nothing is a better healer of poverty woe than appreciating what probably other at one time poor people created. Sometimes the passes offer a discount but its still better than full price. And it gives you a place to go that actually requires you to move. A definite downside to the internet.
And if those don't kill the doldrums, find yourself a reminder that there are worse things in the world than no cable. Volunteer to help someone else. Seniors, shelters, whatever appeals to your sense of virtue. It makes you feel better about yourself. It reminds you that you still have things when others don't. You are contributing even if it isn't in a monterary sense. And if you don't have a library with museum passes and you don't want to sit in front of the computer for an exhorbatant amount of time, this will fill that poverty boredum hole in a big bad way. volunteermatch.org
So you can't go to the movies because there is no extra money. HBO and Showtime are no longer cable options. Or even cable maybe. It is too cold out to go take a long walk. You already looked for jobs on the internet. Made your phone calls. Forget shopping. Poverty is really really boring. Here are some things that you can do to tap into some more creative interests and give you a chance to exercise those parts of your brain that are feeling stagnant.
The internet is a miracle. Even if your electricity is turned off, you can find it at the library waiting to show you the world. The only problem is there is so damned many options. Right now my favorite choice in the road to creative stimulation is hitREcord.org. This is really neat site created by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You can contribute graphics, words, sound bytes, video to or grab a few that other people contributed to it and produce your own mash up of creativity. It costs nothing but time. And you feel like a working genius even if you aren't getting paid. Screw poverty! Bring on the starving arteests!
My next favorite somewhat free thing is mine the library for treasure. Oh, sure all of those books and dvds and magazines that normally would cost you the electric bill (or 2-4 lattes) are there. We all know that. But our library also has classes, knitting circles, reading groups and....bless them to pieces....museum passes. Nothing is a better healer of poverty woe than appreciating what probably other at one time poor people created. Sometimes the passes offer a discount but its still better than full price. And it gives you a place to go that actually requires you to move. A definite downside to the internet.
And if those don't kill the doldrums, find yourself a reminder that there are worse things in the world than no cable. Volunteer to help someone else. Seniors, shelters, whatever appeals to your sense of virtue. It makes you feel better about yourself. It reminds you that you still have things when others don't. You are contributing even if it isn't in a monterary sense. And if you don't have a library with museum passes and you don't want to sit in front of the computer for an exhorbatant amount of time, this will fill that poverty boredum hole in a big bad way. volunteermatch.org
Friday, January 22, 2010
Station Break 2
I am very busy perusing virtuous poverty behavior for choice bits to offer you. New one coming soon I promise!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
I'd rather be in a tent in Florida Part Deux How not to starve
This one is about scheming and plotting skills.
So you are in your car for 12 hours and you want food. Now. The natural inclination is to start reading the road signs and take the first thing that appeals to you with a "Screw it! I'll deal with the finances later!" sort of attitude. Hunger rules your brain and eats your logic. Which is why you really need to think ahead with these things. And you know that whole diet thing I wrote about before? Throw it out. You are on vacation and it must be adjusted for monetary purposes. Plan on walking a lot, don't eat the kids food too and readjust back to your saintly ways later. I think we actually spent less albeit gained weight. It is possible.
In our case we drove a long time both coming and going on the first and last legs of our trip. We needed to cover at least three meals and two of them had to be outside of the car because if we didn't get out, we would have begun eat our own. These breaks were important to refresh and stretch but you don't want some place that is going to take a million years. We found that ye old Costco wholesale warehouse provided a lunch for three of us for about 6 bucks in their limited but ultimately useful foodcourt. The husband and I did large hotdogs and a drink for $1.50 each. The daughter had a very large slice of pizza for $1.99. Since we are not big on having her drink soda, we give her $.50 and let her go buy a bottle of water out of the multiple vending machines. In fact, if you have to feed a soft drink craving, this is the place to stock up. $.59 for a regular size fountain drink. Ridiculously cheap vended sodas. If you are feeling particularly famished, you can also get a very very large vanilla, chocolate or swirl flavored frozen yogurt. I suggest that you split it. Like I said, very large. The plus on this is that Costco is all over the place. The bad news is that you have to have a membership. That and it is pretty not healthy but freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. No? How about we are on vacation lighten up?
Most meals came from the frequent flyer miles for restaurants that I spoke about in the "Frequent Flyer Miles Can Get You That Latte" blog. Many of the chains available as a choice for those cards are regional specific. Like Sonic will do you little good in the north (we did bring one with us because we were going south). Dunkin Donuts exists in the south but not like in New England. It is best to gauge a general idea of the area that you are going to be in by mapquesting the driving hours from different areas along your route, go to the websites of the places that you are interested in, and look at the closest ones. Redeem your reward points accordingly. Chilis saved us tons because we could look at the menus online and budget according to our two $25 gift cards. California Pizza Kitchen was just an fun place to stop because the ones in Florida tend to be nice in sunny shopping malls. We came home with one $25 card because their locations are limited.
The biggest food expenses are camping stuffs. It is better to shop for the basics before you leave because you know where to get the stuff for decent prices already. Bread, cereal for breakfast, peanut butter, stuff that doesn't require hard core refrigeration. Milk and juice boxes that do not need to sbe kept cold can be purchased in wholesale warehouses. Take as much as you think you can pack in the car and still not have to strap the child to the roof. Meat and dairy products need to be purchased in areas closer to camping. Try to stick to big groceries like Publix that have sane prices. I am addicted to Robert Is Here in Florida City. We attained large quantities of fruit and vegetables there for farmer prices, a lot freshly picked. The more remote to a large camping vicinity, the more likely it is that you are going to be purchasing last minute goods in a gas station convenience store out of last minute desperation. Stick to the list and shop where you can get it cheapest without the food rotting before you get to the campsite.
We planned on eating at two inexpensive restaurant type places that we can only go to in one area of the country outside of our rewards points system. We had to score cubanos because we were way too close to Miami to not get one. And Zaxby's, a relatively new southern fast food chain that is not afraid of hot sauce, was the other because we loved its deep fried indulgence the first time and we could take the leftovers with us. With the exception of carefully plotted car snacks, the aforementioned Costco, rewards card meals and the two surprisingly not bad complimentary breakfasts that came with our hotel rooms, this is where we ate. Nowhere else. Remember, this wasn't a normal vacation. This was one that we barely could justify going on to start. No extras.
And, speaking of snacks, here is where some of the nutritional value can be redeemed a little. It is fun to load up on junk and go a little nuts. It makes us feel like we are truly doing something outside of our home habits. However, think of being in a small area for 14 hours with a kid going on sugar swings? Or adults for that matter? We had a Starbucks card with us from our membership rewards because coffee is a necessity but it is possible to drink that away super fast and too much caffeine can be a mood wrecker. You know that at least once, people are going to get on each others nerves. Too much sugar and caffeine on top of really tired is a bad idea. Keep a small cooler in the backseat. Put foods high in protein like cheese or peanut butter on celery to help kick up the energy in reusable plastic containers. Vegetables and fruits cut up in sticks are good for something to chew on too that will cleanse the palate a little and not make you feel like a five year old after an Easter binge. Pretzel sticks can be purchased in bulk at wholesale stores and placed in plastic bags for easy transport. They are not high in nutrition but it satisfy that salt meets crunchy feeling that folks tend to crave. And bring a jug of water and water bottles. Those water bottles will serve you throughout all aspects of the trip, especially while camping.
It seems like it would be tricky to figure out these things ahead of time but it really wasn't. If the places you are sleeping at are predetermined and you know the routes that you are taking to get there a head of time, its pretty simple to research where you are going to be around meal times and plot accordingly. Besides gas, this is your largest potential travel expense. Conquering the money eating side trips of snacks and ditching the plan for indulging your yen for those tasty looking restaurants (La Toro Taco almost got me in Homestead) will make it possible to spend the same if you were at home. In our case, definitely less. Take that winter in Boston!
www.costco.com
www.points.com
So you are in your car for 12 hours and you want food. Now. The natural inclination is to start reading the road signs and take the first thing that appeals to you with a "Screw it! I'll deal with the finances later!" sort of attitude. Hunger rules your brain and eats your logic. Which is why you really need to think ahead with these things. And you know that whole diet thing I wrote about before? Throw it out. You are on vacation and it must be adjusted for monetary purposes. Plan on walking a lot, don't eat the kids food too and readjust back to your saintly ways later. I think we actually spent less albeit gained weight. It is possible.
In our case we drove a long time both coming and going on the first and last legs of our trip. We needed to cover at least three meals and two of them had to be outside of the car because if we didn't get out, we would have begun eat our own. These breaks were important to refresh and stretch but you don't want some place that is going to take a million years. We found that ye old Costco wholesale warehouse provided a lunch for three of us for about 6 bucks in their limited but ultimately useful foodcourt. The husband and I did large hotdogs and a drink for $1.50 each. The daughter had a very large slice of pizza for $1.99. Since we are not big on having her drink soda, we give her $.50 and let her go buy a bottle of water out of the multiple vending machines. In fact, if you have to feed a soft drink craving, this is the place to stock up. $.59 for a regular size fountain drink. Ridiculously cheap vended sodas. If you are feeling particularly famished, you can also get a very very large vanilla, chocolate or swirl flavored frozen yogurt. I suggest that you split it. Like I said, very large. The plus on this is that Costco is all over the place. The bad news is that you have to have a membership. That and it is pretty not healthy but freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose. No? How about we are on vacation lighten up?
Most meals came from the frequent flyer miles for restaurants that I spoke about in the "Frequent Flyer Miles Can Get You That Latte" blog. Many of the chains available as a choice for those cards are regional specific. Like Sonic will do you little good in the north (we did bring one with us because we were going south). Dunkin Donuts exists in the south but not like in New England. It is best to gauge a general idea of the area that you are going to be in by mapquesting the driving hours from different areas along your route, go to the websites of the places that you are interested in, and look at the closest ones. Redeem your reward points accordingly. Chilis saved us tons because we could look at the menus online and budget according to our two $25 gift cards. California Pizza Kitchen was just an fun place to stop because the ones in Florida tend to be nice in sunny shopping malls. We came home with one $25 card because their locations are limited.
The biggest food expenses are camping stuffs. It is better to shop for the basics before you leave because you know where to get the stuff for decent prices already. Bread, cereal for breakfast, peanut butter, stuff that doesn't require hard core refrigeration. Milk and juice boxes that do not need to sbe kept cold can be purchased in wholesale warehouses. Take as much as you think you can pack in the car and still not have to strap the child to the roof. Meat and dairy products need to be purchased in areas closer to camping. Try to stick to big groceries like Publix that have sane prices. I am addicted to Robert Is Here in Florida City. We attained large quantities of fruit and vegetables there for farmer prices, a lot freshly picked. The more remote to a large camping vicinity, the more likely it is that you are going to be purchasing last minute goods in a gas station convenience store out of last minute desperation. Stick to the list and shop where you can get it cheapest without the food rotting before you get to the campsite.
We planned on eating at two inexpensive restaurant type places that we can only go to in one area of the country outside of our rewards points system. We had to score cubanos because we were way too close to Miami to not get one. And Zaxby's, a relatively new southern fast food chain that is not afraid of hot sauce, was the other because we loved its deep fried indulgence the first time and we could take the leftovers with us. With the exception of carefully plotted car snacks, the aforementioned Costco, rewards card meals and the two surprisingly not bad complimentary breakfasts that came with our hotel rooms, this is where we ate. Nowhere else. Remember, this wasn't a normal vacation. This was one that we barely could justify going on to start. No extras.
And, speaking of snacks, here is where some of the nutritional value can be redeemed a little. It is fun to load up on junk and go a little nuts. It makes us feel like we are truly doing something outside of our home habits. However, think of being in a small area for 14 hours with a kid going on sugar swings? Or adults for that matter? We had a Starbucks card with us from our membership rewards because coffee is a necessity but it is possible to drink that away super fast and too much caffeine can be a mood wrecker. You know that at least once, people are going to get on each others nerves. Too much sugar and caffeine on top of really tired is a bad idea. Keep a small cooler in the backseat. Put foods high in protein like cheese or peanut butter on celery to help kick up the energy in reusable plastic containers. Vegetables and fruits cut up in sticks are good for something to chew on too that will cleanse the palate a little and not make you feel like a five year old after an Easter binge. Pretzel sticks can be purchased in bulk at wholesale stores and placed in plastic bags for easy transport. They are not high in nutrition but it satisfy that salt meets crunchy feeling that folks tend to crave. And bring a jug of water and water bottles. Those water bottles will serve you throughout all aspects of the trip, especially while camping.
It seems like it would be tricky to figure out these things ahead of time but it really wasn't. If the places you are sleeping at are predetermined and you know the routes that you are taking to get there a head of time, its pretty simple to research where you are going to be around meal times and plot accordingly. Besides gas, this is your largest potential travel expense. Conquering the money eating side trips of snacks and ditching the plan for indulging your yen for those tasty looking restaurants (La Toro Taco almost got me in Homestead) will make it possible to spend the same if you were at home. In our case, definitely less. Take that winter in Boston!
www.costco.com
www.points.com
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