Comments on: Tightwad Gazette Give Away!

By: poetloverrebelspy

poetloverrebelspy — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:02:00 +0000

Also here from Paid Twice.Since my entire blog deals with traveling on minimal funds, I'm going to limit my suggestions to ones appropriate for your intended destinations.Start here for an overview of how everyday budgeting skills can be tweaked for on-the-road adventures.Next, save money on accommodation. For nearly four years now, I have avoided ALL HOTEL/HOSTEL COSTS by staying with locals who welcome me into their home. I find them using the free website Hospitality Club. You can read my take on it here.Camping (as someone else mentioned) is a good alternative, if you can borrow equipment from and return it to your family before you leave (since I assume you won't want to pack a tent from France).Visiting and staying with relatives is another way to save -- make sure you'll be welcomed back with open arms by following these suggestions for guests.If you're not one for staying with strangers or sleeping on the ground, make sure you don't spend more than you have to on a hotel. Here are my tips based on Consumer Reports' recent guide to hotel chains and excess hotel fees.The other posters give a lot of great advice about packing snacks along; here's a post about which foods travel well and what items are essential for a travel picnic kit.Finally, your vacation post doesn't make clear exactly how you'll be getting from family member to family member. If you'll be driving, check out my tips for decreasing fuel costs and for killing time on the road. Also, don't pay for road maps when you can get them for free!To save costs further, consider the new low-cost bus services for getting around in CA.Tomorrow I'll have a post on a fun, free family activity in Seattle that you might enjoy.If you click around my site, you should find plenty of advice to help you save while traveling in Europe as well.Safe travels and enjoy your trip!

By: Line

Line — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:20:00 +0000

My tips is to take in to a hotel with a breakfast buffet and have the breakfast half an hour before they close (usually at 10 or 11). Get stuffed and you will save a ton of money on food all day. My husband and I did this when we were in Malaysia and could go until dinner, 6 or seven, but then again, we had so much breakfsat that it almost hurt haha. If the hotel/hostel has a gym or pool, use it, it will make you feel great all day. And get to know the staff, we ended up getting free water bottles and stuff because we asked the gym staff for it and were nice to them.
/sundayline@gmail.com

By: Rob in Madrid

Rob in Madrid — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:53:00 +0000

1. Travel with a few slide lock bags, when eating breakfast at the hotel take some bread and meat cheese and make a sandwich for the day. Grab a few apples as well

2. Find out if the airport your flying into has a grocery store (hint Munich and Frankfurt both have one) and stop there and pick up water milk etc)

3. When traveling in Germany the cheapest place to grab lunch is the backerei, sandwichs are generally cheap and filling.

4. A light bag or napsack is a great way to take water and a sandwich.

5. Pack some nuts (they can be brutally expensive at the airport but they are a godsend in the middle of the day when you get the munchies.

By: Reeva

Reeva — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:07:00 +0000

best travel tip is to bring your own goodies especially for amusement parks

By: Patricia

Patricia — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Be sure to pack your own over-the-counter medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrheal, etc, which can be expensive and/or inconvenient to buy there. Also, bring a backup memory card (or two)for your digital camera instead of having to purchase one overseas. Photographs make the best souvenirs.

By: Kathryn

Kathryn — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:40:00 +0000

There are 7 of us when we travel, sometimes more, so my tips are as follows:

1) I pack a frozen water bottle for everyone. These stay frozen for hours, and I don't need ice in my cooler...two birds, one stone. I also pack an unfrozen water bottle for everyone. These bottles are washed and reused everyday, and then recycled.

2) Everyone gets a sandwich and 2 snacks for long trips.

3) I always bring my electric fry pan and smallest crock-pot, and one plate, bowl, and set of silverware for everyone. I also bring a platter, serving bowl, and a couple of cooking/serving utensils, and the grill top from my roasting pan. This makes a great grill in a pinch...even a griddle. We use rocks to hold it up, use foil if needed, and we can grill right on the beach if we catch anything while fishing.

4) I pack staples like salt, pepper, sugar, flour, coffee, filters, dish detergent, clorox cleanup, dish cloth and dish towel into a very small dish drain. I also bring sandwich baggies, a sharpie pen, clothes pins for bag clipping, aluminum foil and a few plastic containers to keep stuff dry on ice in the cooler.

5)While the kids and I unpack, hubby heads out for cereal, milk, bread, and sandwich stuff. If we're at the beach, he may go to the local fish market, sometimes the farmers market.

We always go out to eat for 1 supper while we are gone to give us a break from cooking. Even with that one nice meal (where the locals go), we can still feed the 7 of us 3 meals and 2 snacks a day for less than $100 for the week. If we didn't go out to eat, we would spend less than $50.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:04:00 +0000

Thanks for doing this. I love to share ideas. Check out mine at blog.totallyready.com

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:03:00 +0000

Peanut butter and jelly can make an excellent meal out. It doesn’t require refrigeration.

Miss_cas@hotmail.com

I would love to win the Tightwad Gazette, I have a friend who would really benefit from having this book and I cannot afford to buy it for her.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:53:00 +0000

I don't need a book because I have the Complete Tightwad Gazette.However, my tip is about food. Rather than eating at restaurants all the time, stop at a supermarket (or farmer's market) and pick up a few supplies for a picnic lunch. For example, a few buns, some fruit, some deli meat or cheese, maybe a container of juice or another drink. If you are travelling by car you can keep equipment in the truck (bread knife, cups, tablecloth or blanket, etc.); but otherwise, just choose food items that need no prep. Buns can be torn open rather than sliced. Apples can be washed in a water fountain. I do this all the time (learned it from my parents growing up). Cheap, healthy meal.

By: KM

KM — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:15:00 +0000

If you have a long airplane ride, pack your own food. Airplane food is way overpriced! Same thing goes for snacks available for purchase in airports.