By Alysa Seeland
Expectations and Reality: When vacationing just isn’t in the budget
The hubs and I really wanted to go to SXSW. But the reality of summer travels, work schedules and budget restrictions left us sitting on the couch slurping any and every sound bite we could trying not to be miserable. But that was lame, so this weekend we decided to turn our frugal fate into a wonderful staycation!
The Itinerary:
We took some of the money we saved not buying $1600 worth of plane tickets and splurged on a fun weekend.
Friday: We went out to dinner and decided to go shopping at J.Crew. Isaac got two short sleeved dress shirts and I got a much needed spring jacket and a rugby ¾ length I’ve had my eye on since it came out in January. Even though we spent $200 we saved $65+ with our Cardmember discount, Isaac’s student discount and buying on clearance which had us feeling pretty grand. Daily Total: $230
Saturday: We had a cozy breakfast inside, collected sea glass and snails at the beach and took photographs. Then we ended the evening by watching three movies we’d been waiting to see while indulging in our favorite: BBQ Chicken California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza.
Daily Total: $9
Sunday: We went out to breakfast, took a nap in the sun, made dinner together and spent some time looking at old photographs (we’ve almost been married two years!) and doing creative things. Daily Total: $10
Here are some photos from our day:
Total cost of our Staycation: $249
It was definitely a splurge for us, but it was well worth it.
The Case For Staycations:
Your local town is filled with gems and treasures. Whether it’s the local restaurant that just opened, the thrift store you’ve been dying to try or simply the local park or lake - your local adventure awaits! Staycations are also a really good chance to relax, why? Well, vacations often include travel time that can leave you exhausted especially towards the most important part: the return home!
Staycation Tips:
- Picture it! Buy a toy camera and take some terrible pictures, buy a disposable camera and go to 1 hr photo, or put your iPhone camera to good use and actually film something! (Here’s an example of something we’ve made)
- Invest in it! Allocate money to make this local getaway grand! We decided our budget would be $300. That may seem like a lot to you or it may seem like nothing but based on your budget decide on a happy medium between splurge and splinch.
- Embrace it! You could sit in the house like a grump and watch TV (I’ve done that once or twice myself) and while it’s not a crime to veg, it’s far better to do some local exploring!
- DIY it! Take the time to do some fun DIY projects you’ve been pinning on Pinterest. Taking the time to plan ahead prevents the post-DIY depression when you survey the mess.
- Explore it! Whether you head to the Art Museum, explore the city or visit a nearby attraction there are SO many things to see - and don’t forget People Watching (one of my FAVORITE activities!).
I hope you’re convinced that staycations can be just as fun and even MORE relaxing than that Groupon Getaway you’ve been drooling over. And while you’re having a blast on your Staycation, ImpusleSave a portion of money you would have spent so that the next time the sea-breeze calls you’ve got the cash to cover it!
Did you go on a vacation recently? How did you afford it? What are some ideas you use to keep entertained on Staycations?
