You didn't win the lottery did you?

Last year Joe and I returned to Las Vegas for what was the third time since we've been married. We repeated our stay at the Monte Carlo in the same honeymoons suite we had in 1999. We love the Monte Carlo for a variety of reasons, but mostly because it is a beautiful hotel that gives us the feeling of luxury without being "out of our league." I notice they are now advertising that they are the home of unpretentious luxury. We noticed that even in 1999! We stayed in Las Vegas for three nights and our son Will stayed with my mom. We made our way downtown for

the first time ever, enjoyed the O Cirque de Soleil show at the Bellagio, and layed by the pool in the sun.






We enjoyed dinner all three nights with room service to our hotel suite. We did this in part so that we would not have to spend lots of time waiting, and partly because it was romantic and relaxing, and partly because yes it saved money. Just a little more than 50.00 for the below dinner for two complete with dessert! Over three nights we had 150.00 in three beautiful dinners delivered to our room with excellent quality, excellent view of the strip from our beautiful room and with our feet out of our shoes since by then our dogs were barking!

Which brings me to my point. One of my bestest bestie friends said "you guys didn't win the lottery did you?" referring to our plans to travel. And I immediately had to laugh and say OF COURSE NOT! But we have learned over time that some secret strategies to save money making it easier to travel.






1) we frequently use Allegiant air; and plan our trip around when Allegiant is flying. AND we look at a calendar over several months to find the best value time for traveling based on the hotel we are going to stay at. One of the most interesting people I know is the custodian of the building where I work. He takes cruises or trips every year, multiple times a year. He and his wife and son are getting ready to go on an Alaskan cruise very soon! What's his secret?? He checks the website of his cruising choice, every single day. That's right every day he looks to see if there is a deal. And he is prepared when there is to not hesitate. Book it! He says people just don't take the time to look!
2) we frequently wait for Allegiant air to have buy one ticket, get one free with the booking of air and a hotel room (they are actually running this special right now). My mom and grandma and I have done this with Amtrak as well, but 2 get a third free!
3) when we cruise we try to fly in on the day of the cruise and fly out the day of the cruise so as not to spend additional dollars "waiting" to cruise (unless you plan ahead for the additional day and you see it as part of the vacation)
4) we have been the lucky recipients of two weeks at my in-laws time share, but I am aware that you can rent people's unused time shares at a reduced cost
5) we do not spend a lot of money on food, we generally eat out only once per day if at all when vacationing. If we do eat out, we choose wisely. We instead look for lodging that allows us to buy groceries. We make a run to the grocery or to Wal Greens, buy breakfast food etc., and especially water which is a premium when you buy it by the bottle instead of the case! The Residence Inn is a favorite of ours in Des Moines for just this reason. Yes it is an all suite hotel that is slightly higher in price, but it has a kitchen which is going to save us money in the long run. We feel similarly about the option to do laundry. It saves us space in our suit case, money in terms of buying things before we go, and stress for when I sit on M&M's in the car, which seems nearly inevitable.
6) we re-allocate money. This year our trip in November for example is likely to be our Christmas gift to each other (Joe & me) or another example, I do not intend to pay the 200.00 I frequently spend on getting Will's picture taken near his birthday, since we will be traveling to Disney World on his third birthday; I'm sure there will be plenty of photo opportunities and I just saved myself 200.00 at the local photographers.
7) we prioritize. For example, I wanted to see the Cirque show in Las Vegas the year we got married, (11 years ago). We decided that we just couldn't see parting with the money then. It has since been rated the #1 show on the strip for many many years. Upon our return, not only did I get tickets but I got really good tickets, and yes they were expensive. But we then balanced that with laying by the pool for free for 2 solid days and a walking/bus tour of the city which also cost us a whopping 0.00 dollars!
8) We save money on the extras on a flight etc. We pack light, the less you pack the less you pay for checking baggage. We're planning to do it one bag to WDW for 7 days for 3 of us! And, we always say no to travel insurance. Pay the minimum on your trip before you go and if you lose money you just lose the deposit. I have found that if there is a natural disaster airlines/hotels will make it right (I once had a problem with a hurricane and once with a huge fire in Colorado) and my parents have found that making a claim because of an illness is so complicated that its hardly worth it. So we save the insurance money on the front end and hope for the best on the back end and we've never been sorry.
9.) We ask Joe's mom to house sit while we are gone. Since we were after all robbed once...a story for another day...but this also saves a truck load on kenneling the dog etc, paying someone to take in the mail. Find someone who is happy to have somewhere to "get away" from their home and its a win win! Perhaps a college student? You might even be able to convince my mother in law to come to your house!
10) We stay aware of discounts. For example, Will can get into WDW for free until he is 3 so we are going twice before he is 3, once literally days before hand. There are similar benefits to flying before 2 or to going places before your child is of adult ticket price. Another good tip, my papa taught me to NEVER travel without your student ID. You'd be surprised how many museums etc., let students in at half price or even free! Even if you are just doing continuing ed credits, I bet most of you are a student SOMEWHERE, seek out a college ID!



Its about balance for us, and trying to look at a budget for a whole year and thinking about what means the most to us. I bet if you look at your budget you could name things that could be sliced or eliminated in order to allocate a couple hundred dollars towards your next adventure!