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How To Save Money On Your Universal Orlando Vacation

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Tips for Universal Studios on a budget!

Our family recently got home from a fun vacation to Universal Studios Orlando.  We had so much fun spending the week together as a family, making memories, and riding all of the fun rides with our 3 kids.  One of my goals for this trip, and every trip we take, is to have a memorable vacation without having to spend a ton of money.  So, today I’m going to share exactly how to save money on your Universal Studios vacation!  I hope it will help each of you be able to take this trip, even if your budget is tight.

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Best Tips to Save Money On Your Universal Orlando Vacation

Any vacation will cost money, but there are some tricks you can do to lower the price a little bit.  Learn how to save money on your Universal Orlando vacation below!

1.  Stay At A Hotel With A Kitchenette

One of my best budget travel hacks is to book a hotel that has a small kitchen, or kitchenette.  This was a huge money saver for us!  We ordered groceries from Walmart and had them delivered to the hotel the first day that we arrived.  I also saw a lot of people using Amazon Fresh to get groceries delivered. 

Using our kitchenette we were able to eat all of our breakfasts and lunches in our room, and only ate out for dinner.

Hotel Breakfast Ideas:

  • Cold Cereal
  • Instant Oatmeal
  • Muffins
  • Yogurt
  • Granola
  • Fruit

Hotel Lunch Ideas:

  • Mac and Cheese
  • Sandwiches
  • Bagels with Cream Cheese
  • Fruit
  • Protein Drink
  • Salad
  • Cup of Noodles

2.  Book Discount Universal Tickets

When purchasing your Universal Studio tickets, make sure to buy them from a discount retailer, you’ll be able to get the best deals and a few added perks!  I bought our tickets from Undercover Tourist and was so impressed with the price and ease of the purchase.

A couple other discount retailers I recommend are Costco and Get Away Today (use code SWEETFRUGAL for $10 off your Get Away Today vacation package!).

3.  Split a Meal

Another great way to save money at Universal studios is to split a meal between two people, instead of buying one for each person in your group.  All of the meals that we had at Universal Studios were very large portioned, making it easy to buy one meal and split it two ways!

4.  Skip Park-To-Park Tickets

Universal Orlando sells two different types of tickets.  You can either purchase a single park per day ticket or a park-to-park ticket.  The single park per day ticket will allow you into one of the Universal theme parks each day.  The park-to-park ticket allows you to visit multiple parks in one day.

Now, I totally think the park-to-park tickets are convenient and fun, but I still recommend skipping buying them.  Why you might ask?  Well, first off each park is huge and can easily fill an entire day.  It takes a lot of time to get to each park, so we prefer staying and enjoying one park each day.  The amount of time it takes to walk around one park, and then walk to the next park, and then walk around the other park just doesn’t make much sense to me.

The second reason I recommend buying a single park per day ticket is because it is much cheaper than the park-to-park tickets.  You can see the exact same attractions for a cheaper price.  I personally don’t think it’s worth the extra money.

Now, honestly, I give this tip with a little bit of hesitation.  If you are a big Harry Potter fan, than paying the extra money *might* be worth it to you.  The only way that you can experience the Hogwarts Express ride is if you have a park-to-park ticket.  The Hogwarts Express was closed when we were there, and at first I was really sad about it, but now I don’t feel like we missed much by not riding on it.  We were still able to experience all of the other incredible Harry Potter attractions.

Another exception I would make to my advice of skipping the park-to-park pass is if you only plan to attend Universal Studios for one day.  If you only have one day for the park, buy the park-to-park….but if you are going to be there for multiple days anyways, then save yourself some money and purchase the single park per day passes.

5.  Visit During The Off Season

One of the easiest ways to save money on your Universal Orlando vacation is to plan your visit during the off season months.  The cheapest months to go to Universal Studios Orlando is in January, February, or September.  Not only will Universal Theme Park tickets be cheaper, but so will hotel rooms and many airfares.

6.  Skip The Express Passes

Another extra you can purchase is the Express Pass.  The Express Pass is in addition to your regular Universal Studios ticket.  This amazing pass gives you the ability to cut to the front of the line on almost every ride (all but two!).  It is a great way to save time, ensure that you can ride all of the rides, and stay out of the heat. 

I was jealous of every single person who was using the Express Pass, however I do not recommend you buy one…..and here’s why:

The Express Passes are really really expensive.  Like, more than double the cost of your ticket expensive.   Plus, I don’t think they are necessary!

We visited Universal Studios during one of the hottest, busiest times of the year….and we were still able to ride on every ride that we wanted to ride in.  Yes, we had to stand in long lines, yes it was hot….but we survived!  And saved a ton of money in the process!

Standing in long lines is not the most fun way to spend a day….but it doesn’t have to be a terrible thing!  To help make the experience a little more enjoyable make sure to bring a lot of water, a mist spray bottle, snacks and some fun games.  Before our trip I downloaded the Heads Up app onto my phone and we had so much fun playing it while standing in line.  We were even able to make a few friends this way!

7.  Fill Your Water Bottle At The Free Coca-Cola Freestyle Stations

One of my favorite Universal Studios money saving hack is to fill up your water bottle with ice water for free at the Coca-Cola Stations around the park.  These stations are available in multiple locations (you can find exactly where on the Universal app).

You can bring your water bottle into the park and fill it up for free with ice water at any of these stations.  Many of them even had free cups available for anyone who didn’t have a water bottle.  It’s a great way to stay hydrated while at Universal Studios, without having to spend money on drinks.

My kids loved using these collapsible water bottles, they were lightweight to carry around, and then pull out and fill up whenever we came to a freestyle station.

free water at universal studios

8.  Pack Food Into Park

Buying food inside of Universal Studios is expensive.  You will save so much money if you pack your own food into the park each day.  We like to pack a backpack full of snacks, sandwiches, and fruit.  This way we can bring it with us around the park and we don’t have to pay for a locker.

9.  Purchase Souvenirs Outside Of Universal Parks

Souvenirs are a fun part of traveling and visiting somewhere new.  We love bringing home a memento or two from our travels. 

The problem with souvenirs at Universal Studios, is that they are very expensive!

Fortunately, you can buy the exact same products (or very very similar) for much less if you buy them outside of the park.

For cheaper Universal souvenirs check out Amazon, Target and Walmart.  You can even buy an interactive wand on eBay for cheap…and use it to cast spells while at Universal Studios!  Turn around and sell it once you get home again!

10.  Choose A Hotel Off Site

You can find a lot of great hotel options within the Universal Resort.  However, if you are trying to cut costs, I recommend booking a hotel outside of the resort hotels.  You can find a lot of great value hotels on International Drive.

Just remember, when booking a hotel off site to add in the “extras” you will be paying.  These extras might include:  resort fees, shuttle bus, parking, etc.  I still think you can find good deals, even with these extras, but the extra costs can be a shock if it wasn’t planned beforehand……and we don’t like surprises when it comes to our pocket book!

11.  Buy Tickets In Advance

Universal Studios tickets prices tend to increase the closer it gets to a specific park date.  You will save much more money (and time!) if you buy your park tickets in advance.  I recommend getting them as soon as you decide to go, months in advance is best!

12.  Stock Up On Extras Before Traveling

You will get the best bang for your buck if you buy any miscellaneous items at home rather than waiting until you get to the theme park.  These extras might include:

Prices on these miscellaneous items increase drastically once you get to Orlando, with an even bigger increase if you purchase them inside the Universal Parks.

13.  Take The Bus

To save money on transportation try using the Orlando public bus system, instead of Uber.  Rides on the bus are only $2 each, or pay $4.50 to ride the bus for the entire day, such a good deal!  Look through the bus routes here to see if any of them will work for you.  It might be slightly inconvenient, but you can’t beat the price!

14.  Book A Hotel With A Free Shuttle

Many hotels near Universal Studios offer free shuttle service to the park.  When you are trying to find the perfect hotel for your family, make sure to check to see if they offer this shuttle service.  It can save you a lot of money in the long run.

15.  Utilize Free Universal Lockers

I don’t recommend purchasing a locker at Universal Studios.  Yes, it would be so very convenient, but it costs money, and we are trying to save money!  Right?  Right!

When preparing for a Universal day only pack items that can fit into a small backpack.  You can carry this backpack around with you and it will be allowed on most rides.  The rides that don’t let you bring a backpack are:  Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Men in Black, Revenge of the Mummy, Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Hagrids Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, and Jurassic World Velocicoaster.

However, each of the rides that don’t allow backpacks will offer FREE lockers for you to store your backpack!  They are easy to use and completely free.  All you have to do is use your barcode from your ticket, or use a barcode pass issued to you by an employee within the ride.  This barcode will open and lock the locker door for you to use before and after the ride.

So, instead of renting a locker all day, keep your backpack with you and rent one for free when you need to!

In Conclusion

We had such a fun time visiting Universal Orlando this year.  We are huge Harry Potter fans and just loved drinking butterbeer, walking through diagon alley, and exploring all of the fun details of the park.  I hope that you are able to visit and that this article helped you learn how to save money on your Universal Orlando vacation.

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Have so much fun on your next trip!  I hope you have some good ideas about how to save money on your Universal Orlando vacation!

 

Kauai on a Budget

By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

Tips for your budget friendly vacation to Kauai, Hawaii. 

I have never seen anywhere more breathtaking than the beautiful Hawaiian Island of Kauai.  With it’s gorgeous green mountains, cascading waterfalls, and picturesque beaches, it is my idea of a perfect vacation spot.  My husband and I were lucky enough to take a trip there together a few years ago.  I love to travel and see new places, but I always stay frugal.  I am excited to share with you how to visit Kauai on a budget!

 

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When I was planning our trip to Kauai I spent hours and hours researching everything there is to know about the “Garden Isle.”  I wanted to enjoy every inch of the island, but without having to spend a lot of money.

I read a lot of books about Kauai and the very very best one I found was The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed.  This book was everything!  I consulted it about beaches, hotels, restaurants, etc.  EVERYTHING you could want to know about Kauai is in this wonderful perfect book.  My husband teases me that I have it memorized because of all the facts I kept spouting out of it (this may or may not be true…).  Seriously though, if you are going to Kauai read The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook: Kauai Revealed.

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Cheap Places to Stay on Kauai

Hawaii is home to hundreds of high quality rentals on Airbnb and VRBO.  Honestly, my husband really just wanted to go the traditional route and stay in a hotel, but I convinced him that an Airbnb would be the most cost effective and he wouldn’t even miss the hotel!  (and I was right, he loved it!)

We were able to find a beautiful condo to rent for $100 a night on Airbnb .  It was a studio condo, right on the beach, with a small kitchenette.  The kitchenette was a huge money saver because we were able to make a lot of our meals, instead of going out to eat.

Airbnb is seriously amazing for finding great deals on lodging while traveling.  It has a lot of options and was very easy to work with.  I will use them every single time I travel to Hawaii.

Our rental was on the East Shore of the island.  We chose this area so that we would have easy access to both the North and South sides.  It was only ten minutes from the airport and very quick and easy to find.  The East Shore rentals were also a lot cheaper than other areas, which is what we were looking for!

However, next time we go, I want to stay on the North Shore.  It was by far my favorite area on the island!

Cheap Rental Car On Kauai

Kauai is a small island (it only takes about 2 hours to drive from one end to the other), but a car is still necessary.

We reserved an economy sized vehicle on discounthawaiicarrental.com for ONLY $6 a day.  YES!  You read that right!  $6 a day!   I couldn’t believe it either!

Be sure to check this website regularly as the prices change often.  Once you find that cheap price snatch it up quick because it will not last long. 

Cheap Places To Eat On Kauai

Kauai is full of yummy roadside food stops.  You can buy coconuts, juice, burgers, and just about anything at your local shops.  In an effort to save money we chose to eat most of our foods in our condo.  All it took was a quick stop at Walmart to stock up with food.

We had fruit and toast for breakfasts, packed sandwiches for lunch and stopped for quick dinners while we were out exploring.

A few of our favorite cheap eateries were Tacos Al Pastor, Da Crack, Hanalei Taro & Juice Company, and Puka Dog.

And of course, we made sure to eat shaved ice every day while in Hawaii.  It is so good and is a MUST try!  Our favorite shaved ice was at Hee Fat General Store in Kapaa.  We always ordered one to share to save a little extra money, but we did splurge and ordered real fruit syrup.  This was worth the splurge!

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Cheap Activities in Kauai

There are so many fun FREE activities to do on Kauai.  Which is perfect for a budget friendly vacation!  We had a great week adventuring around the island and spent very little money on activities.

Snorkel Bobs

Kauai has great snorkeling, all over the island!  We rented snorkel gear for the week from Snorkel Bobs.  The gear only cost us about $15 for the entire week!

We loved having the the gear with us at all times, so we could pull it out whenever we came across a great snorkel area.  Our two favorite snorkeling beaches were Hideaways and Turtles.  Snorkeling is very best in the morning, so be sure to get their early!

Beaches

My very favorite part of this trip was the beaches!  So many beautiful beaches!  With golden coarse sand, blue turquoise water, and large green mountains backdrop, the beach was the perfect place to spend a day relaxing and playing in sun and sand.

The beaches and parking are all FREE, so take advantage of them!

Favorite North Shore Beaches

Our favorite beaches on the North Shore were Kee and Hideaways.  Kee is at the end of the very end of the North Shore road.  Parking is limited and fills up quickly, so I recommend getting there first thing.

Hideaways is a little bit harder to find, which makes it a perfect, quiet, and uncrowded beach.  To get there we used valet parking at the St.Regis Princeville (this is free, but it is a good idea to tip!).  There is a trail a short distance away to hike down to the beach.  The trail is steep and slippery, so wear good shoes.

 

Favorite South Shore Beach

Our favorite beach on the South Shore was Kiahuna Beach, also known as Sheraton Beach.  Kiahuna Beach is located directly in front of the Sheraton Kauai Resort.  Just park alongside the street near the Sheraton, and walk down to the beach.

Hiking

Kauai is known as the adventure island for good reason!  It is full of breathtaking hikes and places to explore.

Our first day we hiked along the Kalalau Trail.  This is an intense 11 mile long hike along the Napali Coast.  We decided to just hike the first two miles to Hanakapiai Beach.

The views along this trail were incredible.  We were right alongside the ocean for most of the hike and I could not get over the view!

The Kalalau trail starts out extremely rocky and steep, so be prepared.  If hiking isn’t your thing, I suggest hiking at least the first 1/2 mile for a fantastic view of Kee Beach.

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Secret Falls

Secret Falls is a majestic 100 foot waterfall deep in the rainforest.  The only way to get to Secret Falls is to kayak down the Wailua River and then hike about 30 minutes through the rainforest.  You could pay for a guided tour that will take you to Secret Falls, but we decided to go with a much cheaper option.

We rented a kayak from Kamokila Hawaiian Village in Kapaa.  It is right on the Wailua River and you can launch the kayak straight from the village.  The kayak was only $35 for a daily rental.

Kamokila Hawaiian Village was so helpful and even gave us a map showing exactly where we needed to go.  The self guided tour is so so easy!

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We kayaked about 15 minutes up the river, docked the kayaks and hiked to the waterfall.  This trail is very muddy, so bring water shoes!  We passed MANY people hiking barefoot because it was to muddy for sneakers.

When we arrived at Secret Falls a large tour group just happened to be leaving and we were able to have the entire place to ourselves!  It was one of the highlights of the trip.  It was so fun swimming under the waterfall.

Once we got back to our kayak we paddled up stream another 5 minutes to a cliff jumping spot and were able to jump off the cliff and swim in the river for a little while.

We loved this entire day and it was really so easy to rent and find where to go all by ourselves.  You will not regret it!

Sightseeing

There are so many great sight seeing stops around the island.  They are all free and definitely worth a stop!  Here are a few of our favorites.

East Shore

Wailua Falls:  These falls are very easy to get to, and a quick stop alongside the road.  They are absolutely breathtaking!  We got there early in the morning and it felt so magical being there by ourselves in the early morning.

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Opaekaa Falls:  I’ll be honest, I was a little underwhelmed by Opaekaa Falls.  But, I do know of many others who have enjoyed seeing them.  They are very easy access right off the road and only take a few minutes to view.

 

South Shore

Tree Tunnel:  While driving into Poipu on the South Shore you will pass through what’s known as the Tree Tunnel.  It is a beautiful section of road lined with Eucalyptus Trees.  It was so much fun to drive through, and a great photo op!

Spouting Horn:  Spouting Horn is located near Poipu Beach.  Spouting Horn is a fun place to see water spray up into the sky through a blowhole.  A blowhole is naturally formed when water crashes through a small hole in the lava rocks next to the beach.  It’s a fun sight to see as the water can reach up to 50 feet in the air.

Waimea Canyon:  The road to Waimea Canyon is a little long, but the views are spectacular!  It is called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific because it is so big and so read!  The reds of the canyon next to the green vegetation were breathtaking!

We didn’t spend a lot of time here, but I know there are a few great hikes in the area and can’t wait to go back to explore more.

Drive a little further up the road and view the Kalalau Valley Lookout.  It is another view of the beautiful Napali coast and was once home to an ancient Hawaiian village. The history buff in me enjoyed imagining what life was once like there.

 

 

North Shore

The North Shore is my very FAVORITE part of the island and the next time I go to Kauai I will be spending all of my time here!  It is so green and dense with vegetation.  This is the part of the Island that gives Kauai the nickname, the Garden Island.

Kilauea Lighthouse:  This picturesque lighthouse is located just a few minutes off the main  highway.  It is a beautiful sight, and only takes a few minutes to visit.  We decided not to go look at it close, and viewed it from the parking lot, but I know that there is a bird sanctuary and other fun things to see if you get out and walk around.

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Hanalei Pier:  Hanalei Beach wasn’t my favorite, but it was a very pretty area to view and I am glad we made the visit.  It is a popular place for boogie boarding and surfing and we were able to catch a few waves and a bunch of laughs for the afternoon.  I did love walking out on the pier and watching the locals jumping off into the ocean.

Hanalei Valley Lookout:  Right along the main road right, just past Princeville you will find the Hanalei Valley lookout.  It is a beautiful area of taro farms, nestled right up to the mountains.  The field look like a green patchwork quilt and is a great stopping spot for a few pictures.  When we were there we counted 8 waterfalls on the mountain right behind the fields.  It was a breathtaking sight!

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Souvenirs

If you are looking for a budget friendly place to buy souvenirs check out the ABC Stores.  We stopped at the one in Kapaa on our last day in Kauai.  I was happily surprised and impressed to see how much cheaper the souvenirs were here than at the other places we looked at during the week.  They have all your typical souvenirs; shirts, trinkets, food, etc.  I was able to find a few items to bring back to the kids, and a few things for me!

In Conclusion

If you do some research and planning you can visit Kauai on a budget!  We spent less than $2,000 for our entire trip.  I am dead serious!  $2,000!  Half of that was spent on airfare, the rest was for our hotel, food and activities.

I can’t wait to go back one day and do more exploring.  It truly was heaven on earth!

Related Articles:

The Best Budget Travel Tips

Our Budget Friendly Disneyland Vacation

20 Free Things To Do In New York City

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What tips do you have visiting Kauai on a budget?

 

Quick New York City In A Weekend Trip

By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

NYC In Three Days

I have always dreamed of visiting New York City.  There is just something about the lights, the buildings, and the hustle and bustle of the big apple that appealed to me.  I’ve talked about this dream with my sister for years and one day she stopped me and said, “Let’s do it! Let’s go visit New York City this year.”  And I said, “Ok!”  We decided to try to keep the budget low and to visit NYC in three days, which wasn’t easy, but we were able to make it work!  I was a little worried that only one weekend in New York City wouldn’t be enough time, but I was wrong.  We were able to see all of our “must sees” and had the time of our lives!  Here are a few tips for a quick New York City in a weekend trip!  

weekend in nyc

Our Quick New York City Weekend Trip

We spent a lot of hours researching and planning our NYC trip.  The first thing we did was make a list of the places we MOST wanted to see.  The statue of liberty and a Broadway show were at the top of that list.

Next, we started researching for the most frugal ways to visit all of our favorite attractions.  Through that process we came up with our budget friendly, quick New York City in a weekend trip itinerary.  Below is everything that we did, and a few frugal tips to help you plan your own trip!

Day 1:  Thursday

We took a direct flight from SLC to Newark airport and landed at about 6pm.  To save money we decided to split an uber ride to our hotel, and cost us about $30 per couple.

Using Priceline we booked the Dylan Hotel located in Midtown Manhattan.  We loved it!  The hotel is located close to a lot of top attractions, it was clean and the price was very reasonable for the location!

*Hotel Money Saving Tip:  We booked out hotel through Priceline because they seemed to have the best deals.  When using Priceline we didn’t get to choose which hotel we booked, but we were able to choose the area and the hotel star rating.  The hotel we got was amazing, exactly what we wanted!  We scored a boutique midtown hotel (with a king bed, which is hard to find) for only $200/night! 

*Hotel Money Saving Tip:  When booking any travel make sure you use Rakuten first, this one simple step gave us an extra 6% cashback on our hotel purchase.

After settling into our hotel we walked down the street to Uncle Pauls Pizza.  The pizza was delicious and only $4/slice, exactly what we wanted!

Once we were full from pizza we walked around and enjoyed some sight seeing.  We visited Grand Central Station, St.Patricks Cathedral, window shopped down 5th Avenue, and ended the night in Times Square.  Everything we saw Thursday night was completely free!

 

 

Day 2:  Friday

On Friday morning we got up early for breakfast.  We went to a small restaurant, across the street from our hotel, Home Front Deli.  It was delicious!  They made the absolute best bagels I tried all weekend!  I highly recommend!

After breakfast we headed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  This was one of my favorite stops of the entire trip!  It is WELL worth the money!  You could spend DAYS in this museum.  We focused on the Egyptian Room, The American Wing, and European Art.  Everything was absolutely incredible!

 

After visiting The Met we rode the bus down to the Top of the Rock and were treated to absolutely amazing views of New York City. 

We chose to visit Top of the Rock, instead of the Empire State Building, because the price was cheaper and the views were better!  I loved that we could see the Empire State Building and Central Park in our view.

 

Next, was lunch at The Halal Guys for the best Gyros I have ever had.  This is seriously a must stop.  The portions were huge and only around $8 for a platter.

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That night we had tickets to go see The Lion King on Broadway.  This was one of our big splurges for the trip and it did not disappoint!  We paid full price for our tickets to The Lion King, but there are ways to get discount Broadway Tickets.

*Broadway Money Saving Tip:  To get discount Broadway tickets stop by the TKTS booth located right in Times Square.  These same day tickets are heavily discounted for a select shows.

Another way to get cheaper tickets for Broadway is to check out the Today Tix website.  We used this service for a Broadway show Saturday night and were very pleased with the discounts we got!

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Day 3:  Saturday

For breakfast on Saturday we went to Zuckers Bagels for another classic NYC bagel.  If I’m being honest, I didn’t enjoy this breakfast quite as much as Home Front Deli, but it was still delicious!

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Immediately after breakfast we headed to the 9/11 museum, this is what I had been most looking forward to. 

We were treated to an amazing museum full of heart wrenching photos, survivor stories and gut wrenching facts.  Total we spent about 3 hours walking around and taking it all in.  But, honestly we could have spent all day there, they had so many exhibits and a lot of great information to look through.

 

After the museum we headed Downtown to hop onto the Staten Island Ferry.  This is a completely FREE ferry that takes you right past the statue of liberty.  It was so simple to walk right on to the ferry.  I recommend going to the very back so that you can also be treated to a view of the NYC skyline.

The views of the Statue of Liberty were even better than we had expected!  Once we arrived in New Jersey, we walked off, went around the corner and walked right onto the next ferry to ride back to Manhattan.  So easy, and you just can’t beat a good view for FREE!

 

Next, we headed to Brooklyn for a walk across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a wet and stormy day, but we still enjoyed the views on the bridge. The architecture was incredible!

That evening we had dinner at Melt Shop for some gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.  The food was amazing and very budget friendly!

After dinner we headed to another Broadway Show, Waitress.

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This wasn’t my favorite Broadway show, but my sister really enjoyed it, so to each their own!

 

Day 4:  Sunday

Our plane was leaving Sunday afternoon, so we were thrilled to have a few hours left to enjoy the big apple.

We stopped by Wafels and Dinges for breakfast, and I have been dreaming out this place ever since!

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After breakfast we decided it was time for cookies, which is totally normal, right???!?!  We went straight from breakfast to Levain Bakery for the absolute BEST cookie I have EVER had!!!  You MUST, I repeat, MUST stop by Levain Bakery.  Their cookies were absolutely amazing!

We ate our cookies in Central Park and then spent the rest of the morning wandering the paths and enjoying the day.  It truly is a beautiful park with so many unique areas and sights.  I loved strolling through all of the different areas.

 

Our trip was a busy whirlwind, but I wouldn’t change it for anything!  We were able to see everything we wanted to see, and had a lot of fun doing it!  I can’t wait to go back again one day and visit even more of the amazing sights.

Be sure to check out my post 20 Completely Free Things to do in New York City for more budget friendly New York City ideas!

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I hope this gave you some good ideas for your quick New York City in a weekend trip!

How To Save Money When Moving

By: Sweet Frugal Lifecomment

How to move on a budget.

My husband and I have had plenty of practice moving!  We have been married 17 years and in that time we have moved 9 different times.  This includes 6 different cities and 4 moves across the state border.  We have made many mistakes along the way, and over time have learned a few tricks about how to save money when moving.

I wanted to share a few of the tips and tricks we have learned a long the way to help you on any upcoming moves.

How To Save Money When Moving

1.  Set A Budget

The moment you know you will be moving, make a plan.  Set a budget of how much money you will be able to spend on this move.  Once the budget is made, stick to it.   

It’s so easy to allow small expenses to creep in while moving, don’t let that happen.  Sticking to the budget will most likely be hard work, but it is essential to helping you save money on your move.

2.  Make a Sinking Fund

After you have your moving budget, you will want to set up a sinking fund.  This sinking fund will help you slowly save up cash for your upcoming move.  This way when the time comes to move, you will already have money saved and set aside to cover the costs.

If you know of the move months in advance this should give you plenty of time to contribute to your sinking fund.  If the move is quicker and you will only have a few weeks, still make your sinking fund and try to save as much as you can each day.  You want this sinking fund to be able to cover the cost of your move.

3.  Skip the Moving Company

You can do this!  It won’t be easy, and it won’t be fun, but you can move without a moving company!  I PROMISE.

Begin packing and organizing the MINUTE you find out you will be needing to move.  Enlist a few friends to spend a Saturday helping you pack boxes and another Saturday loading and unloading the moving trucks. 

Make sure to buy these amazing friends some pizza or donuts to let them know you appreciate their time and service.  You will save so much money simply by doing the work yourself.

4.  Shop Around

I get that DIYing the move isn’t the best option for everyone.  Maybe there is a reason you feel you will need to hire someone to help you move.  There is nothing wrong with that!  Just make sure to always shop around before hiring anyone. 

Get quotes from a wide variety of moving companies and check referrals to find the best company for you. 

You could even do half the work yourself and then hire a moving company to do the other half.  Don’t be afraid to barter a little and ask them to beat competitors prices or give you a discount.  The worst thing they could say is no.  My rule is, “It never hurts to ask.”

5.  Do Not Buy Boxes

From the very first minute you find out you’re moving be on the lookout for free boxes.  There are free boxes everywhere, you just need to know where to look!  And I can help you with that!  😉

The first step to free boxes is to start saving any boxes you get from Amazon, or any store you shop at online.  Also, ask all of your friends and family to give you all of the boxes they get in the mail.  Usually a simple Facebook post will do.

The next place to find free boxes is at the grocery store.  Keep an eye open for grocery carts full of empty boxes as employees stock shelves.  If you can’t find anyone ask an employee and they can tell you the best time to come for boxes.

Another great place to look is Lowes.  This was always the jackpot for us!  Some employees were happy to hand out big boxes, but others weren’t so sure….so don’t be shy to ask a few different people!

6.  Organize!

If you decide to move yourself, make sure to stay organized!  This will help the move go more smoothly, and also reduce the amount of broken or lost boxes.

One of the most important parts of organizing when moving is labeling your boxes.  When labeling always include the box contents, the room it needs to go in, and whether it contains fragile items.  Pack items together that will need to go to the same room.  This will save you a ton of time when you start unpacking.

7.  Find Packing Filler at Home

Save money on moving by not buying any packing filler.  Instead try to find free items around your home you can use.  I’m betting you have tons of items that will work as filler!

A few things I have used for packing filler is:

  • Dish Cloths
  • Towels
  • Sheets
  • Clothing
  • Newspaper

It’s all free and needed to be moved anyways, might as well give it a job to do at the same time!

8.  Sell or Donate

Moving is the BEST time to donate or sell items that you don’t use.  The less stuff you have to pack means the less boxes, tape, moving power, etc. you will need.  It WILL save you money!  AND, if you are selling items, you can even EARN money at the same time!  (double win!)

9.  Shop Utilities

With moving comes cancelling/setting up utilities, and these costs can get expensive quickly.

Make sure to shop around and be choosy before setting up internet, cable, phone, or dish..  Many of these companies will give a good discount to new customers, but you have to ask.  This could also be the perfect time to change habits and ditch the cable all together.  It’s a big money saver, just sayin!

10.  Be Flexible

Moving is STRESSFUL, expensive and hard!  Give yourself grace and try to be flexible with all of the ups and downs that will come your way. 

Remember that the hard moments will be temporary, and one of the only ways to get through it is just to grin and bear it.  Be true to yourself and your budget, but also be willing to go with the flow once the time comes.  You got this!

 

Related Articles:

How To Save Money On Kids Clothes

How to Save Money When Eating Out

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I hope this helped you learn how to save money when moving.

Family Trip To San Diego

By: Sweet Frugal Life13 Comments

Visiting San Diego on a Budget.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged all about our trip to Disneyland.  Before heading to the most magical place on earth we spent a few fun filled day in San Diego.  In our typical travel fashion, we visited San Diego for cheap, but we still had so much fun.  Here’s a peek at our family trip to San Diego.

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I am a Get Away Today partner and may receive commissions for Get Away Today vacations booked through links on my site.

Family Trip To San Diego

Once we arrived in San Diego we checked into our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express San Diego Circle.  We loved this hotel and it was a great value.  It had a modern layout and design.  Plus, the kids always had the pool to themselves, and the room was the perfect size for our family of five.  This truly was the perfect hotel for us!

We found this hotel on Get Away Today.  I am seriously in love with Get Away Today.  They offer the best discounts on any Southern California Vacation, and are so easy to work with.  I used them a few years ago for a trip and knew that we wanted to use them again for this trip.

**Bonus:  Get Away Today is offering my readers an additional discount, use the coupon code:  SweetFrugal at checkout for an extra $10 off your vacation package.  Yay!  I love extra discounts!

Coronado Beach

It didn’t take long for me to decide that we wanted to spend a beach day at Coronado Beach, it looked beautiful and absolutely perfect!  Plus, I loved that the parking was FREE (I love free!).

We went to Coronado Beach on a Sunday and were honestly expecting large crowds, but to our happy surprise the beach was quiet and peaceful.  It ended up being a perfect day!  My kids loved playing in the calm waves and hunting for sea shells.

When the tide went out around 2 in the afternoon we were able to find dozens of perfectly round beautiful sand dollars.  It was a fun little treasure hunt walking up and down the beach collecting our treasured sand dollars.

If you are looking for a great San Diego beach and love finding great shells go to Coronado Beach.

 

Sea World

We spent one more day at San Diego and wanted to use that time at Sea World.  This was a highlight of our trip!  The park was so empty, we were able to walk right onto every ride, had great seats for all the shows and loved learning more about the beautiful sea animals.

Get Away Today offers 7 day Sea World tickets for a great price.  If you are wanting to spend a few days at Sea World be sure to buy those tickets from Get Away Today.  We only had time for one day though so we bought our tickets directly from Sea World’s website, which ended up being the better deal.

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My One Regret….

We had a wonderful time in San Diego, my only regret is that we didn’t spend more time there!  It is such a beautiful city!  Next time we visit I will be planning a few extra days there.  We all can’t wait to go back and visit again!

Related Articles:

Over 20 Tricks for Travel on a Budget

Kauai on a Budget

20 Completely Free Things to do in New York City

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I hope you enjoyed reading more about our family trip to San Diego.

20 Free Things To Do In New York City

By: Sweet Frugal Life5 Comments

Cheap Things To Do In NYC.

Did you see my post about our recent whirlwind of a trip to New York City?  We had so much fun in the big apple!  I fell in love with all of the beautiful buildings and delicious food.  This is a trip I went on with my frugal sister and we both tried to keep costs low.  Fortunately, we were able to find so many things free things to do in New York City.  Yay!  We love FREE!

nyc on a budget

20 Free Things to Do While in NYC

If you are planning a trip to the big apple, make sure to try a few of these free things to do in New York City!  There are so many great options for everyone!

 

Explore a City Park

New York City has so many beautiful, unique parks to explore.  We had so much fun visiting a few of them and can’t wait to see more the next time we visit.  Here are some parks I recommend you visit.

1.  Wander Around Central Park

You could literally spend DAYS in Central Park.  There is SO much to see and do!  We loved wandering around, enjoying the beauty and little sections of the park. 

Be sure to visit The Mall, Belvedere Castle and Bethesda Fountain.  They were all incredible!

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2.  Walk the High Line

The High Line is a beautiful elevated park.  It was made from an old railroad no longer in use. 

This unique park provides miles of walking paths and gardens.  We were sad to miss it on this trip, but will be sure to visit it another time.  I have heard such good things!

3.  Washington Square Park

Washington Square Park has over 9 acres of beauty located in Greenwich Village.  It is well known for the landmark Washington Square Arch. 

This park has many different things to see and do, including some great photo ops!

4.  Bryant Park

Bryant Park is located right in midtown, making it a quick and easy stop. 

We visited Bryant Park in late October and they had their Christmas Shops and ice skating rink set up.  It was so fun to walk around looking through the cute little shops and watching the ice skaters.

It is also conveniently located near the library, for another free must do!

5.  Battery Park

Near the entrance to the free Staten Island Ferry you will find Battery Park. 

This is another large city park with paths, statues and memorials.  A visit to Battery Park will also give you a good view of the Statue of Liberty!  Don’t forget to hop onto the free Staten Island Ferry while you are there!

 

Famous NYC Landmarks

If you are a first timer to New York City, or even if you have been there before, make sure you check out some of it’s famous landmarks.  You know, the famous spots you see in every movie!  They are so fun to see in real life and get to experience them for yourself.

6.  Take the Staten Island Ferry to  View The Statue of Liberty

You may not be able to go visit the Statue of Liberty for free, but you can get a free boat ride that will take you right past Lady Liberty.  

We decided to take the ferry to get a glimpse of lady liberty and I was impressed by how well we could see her!  The Staten Island Ferry is a completely free round trip ride with fantastic views!

7.  Visit Grand Central Station

It only takes a few minutes to pop in and visit Grand Central Station, but it is WORTH it!  The architecture of this building is absolutely breathtaking!  I loved ever minute we spent inside.

 

8.  Walk Across The Brooklyn Bridge

We had so much fun walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, it is such a fun activity to do in New York City for free.

 The architecture is absolutely beautiful and it only takes about 30 minutes to walk across!  The best views are when you walk from Brooklyn into Manhattan, but either direction works just fine!

 

9.  9/11 Memorial Plaza

The incredible 9/11 museum is not free, but walking around the memorial is free!  I really enjoyed the special reverence on the grounds and seeing the twin waterfall pools.

10.  Times Square

There really is nothing quite like Times Square.  A true melting pot of lights, colors, people and sounds.  It’s loud, it’s busy and it is completely free!  A must stop (at least for a few minutes!).

11.  Rockefeller Plaza

Another thing to do in New York City for free is a visit to the famous Rockefeller Plaza.  It’s a fun section of the city to walk around and explore for a few minutes. 

We visited when the ice skating rink was set up and we loved watching the skaters for a few minutes and window shopping past the buildings.

 

12.  Flat Iron Building

The iconic Flat Iron Building is a perfect spot for an Instagram photo!  It is such a unique building and I am so sad we weren’t able to stop and see it this trip.

10.  New York Library

I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t really believe a library was a worthwhile stop on our trip, but I was SO wrong!  This building is absolutely beautiful! 

We spent about 20-30 minutes walking around and viewing the different rooms (be sure to stop by the Rose Reading Room!).  This was one of my favorite buildings we saw.

 

11.  The Charging Bull

If you are in the Wall Street area, you must stop by and see the famous Charging Bull.  It’s another picture perfect spot!

 

 

Free Museums

New York City is home to many amazing museums, and a couple of them are even free!!  Hooray!

12.  Bronx Museum of the Arts

The Bronx Museum of the Arts is the home to many unique art exhibits.  It is large and open and rarely ever crowded.  The best part is it is completely free!  Be sure to stop by if you are in the area!

13.  Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology

If you have any interest in clothing and fashion, you would probably enjoy the free Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.  The exhibits inside all showcase the history and workings of the exciting fashion world.

 

Visit an Old Church

One of my favorite parts of NYC are the old buildings, especially the church’s.   They are all so breathtaking and free to visit!

14.  Trinity Church

A visit to Trinity Church on Wall Street gives you not only a visit to a beautiful old church, but it’s also has an old cemetery on the grounds that’s fun to explore.  In this cemetery you will be able to find a few historical figures buried there, including Alexander Hamilton and his wife, Eliza Hamilton. (any other Hamilton fans?!?!?)

15.  Cathedral of St. John the Divine

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the largest cathedral in the world and it just so happens to be in the big apple.  With plenty of detail and beautiful stain glass windows, it is definitely worth stopping at!

16.  St. Patrick’s Cathedral

St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a must see when in New York City.  I originally thought we would only stop by for a few minutes, but the cathedral was so gorgeous with lots of details to look at, we ended up staying much longer.

 

 

Explore a New Neighborhood

One of my favorite parts of New York City was the new vibe around every corner.  I loved that there was always something different and unique to see.  There are so many fun neighborhoods with different attractions, so take some time to visit a few of them.

18.  Walking Tour

Google “NYC Walking Tour” and you will find countless free guides that tells you exactly where to walk and what to visit in each neighborhood.  One of my favorite parts of New York City was taking in the beauty and uniqueness of each neighborhood.

 

19.  China Town

There is really nothing like visiting China Town.  I love walking through the streets, browsing the shops and taking in all of the sights, sounds, and smells.  China Town is a place you could spend hours in, or just walk through quick, it’s completely up to you!

20.  Window Shop on 5th Avenue

We had so much fun walking down 5th Avenue and peeking in all of the different stores.  This is not shopping for the cheap!  But, it is free (and fun!) to look in all the pretty windows and buildings!

In Conclusion

There really is nowhere like New York City.  You can enjoy this great city, without breaking the bank!  Have I missed any other free things to do in New York City???  Let me know in the comments if you have any other recommendations!

 

Related Articles:

The Best Budget Travel Tips

A New York City Weekend

Our Budget Friendly Disneyland Vacation

 

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I hope this article gave you a few ideas of things to do in New York City for Free!

The Best Budget Travel Tips

By: Sweet Frugal Life2 Comments

Sharing my best tips to travel cheap!

Do you long to to see the world, but finances are always holding you back?  I get it, I have this inner struggle almost daily.  But guess what I have finally learned……you CAN travel while on a budget!  We have successfully traveled to Disneyland, Kauai,  New York City, and more, all without spending a fortune.  You can do it too, you can travel, make memories, and see new places….it just takes a bit more planning, and a little more effort.  Today I’m sharing 17 of my Favorite Budget Travel Tips!  I wanted to gather even extra advice, so I asked my amazing Instagram followers for their budget travel hacks as well.  My wonderful followers delivered with some great responses and budget travel tips.

20 Plus Budget Travel Hacks

I am a member of online affiliate programs.  I will be compensated for purchases made from links in this post.  All opinions are my own.

Budget Travel Planning

One of my favorite parts of traveling is planning the trip (I know, I’m a little weird!), it’s so fun to research and dream about our upcoming vacation.  If done correctly travel planning can save you a lot of money.

1.  Plan Ahead

One of the most important budget travel tips is to plan thoroughly.  Plan your trips well ahead of travel time.  This will give you the time needed to search out the best deals, learn the peak travel times, and begin your travel Sinking Fund.  I prefer planning at least a year in advance; but anywhere between 6-12 months is ideal.

2.  Research

Study, research, and learn everything you can about the place you want to go.  Read travel blogs, check out books from the library, and regularly look at travel websites to watch for deals on hotel and flights.  This gives you a good idea of how much the trip will cost, so when you see a good deal, you will know it’s a good deal.

3.  Be OK With Less

We have all seen the picture perfect vacations, with the expensive restaurants and luxuries.  It is fun to dream about these ideal vacations…but it’s more fun to be debt free!

Learn to be OK with a vacation that is maybe less than glamorous.  Ask yourself, “are you going on a vacation to relax and make memories, or to have the best pictures to show all of your friends????”  I bet it’s to make memories!

Most of us want a trip that is fun and relaxing, one where we can rejuvenate and make memories.  This can all be accomplished WITHOUT the fancy resorts.  Be mindful of your personal reality and financial situation.

This might mean your vacation will be a camping trip, or a stay cation.  For some it just might even be a stay at a resort island.  No matter the trip you can afford, love it, embrace it and make it the time of your life!

4.  Make a Budget and Stick to It

After some thorough research you should have a good idea of how much your trip will cost.  Use this information and your monthly income to make your trip budget.

Write this number down and commit to it.  You will find it extremely easy to spend a little extra here, and a little extra there, and before you know it you have gone FAR over budget.  Practice self control and don’t allow yourself any wiggle room.

5.  Travel Sinking Fund

Once your travel budget is in place, you need to make a Sinking Fund.  This will be a fund you save into over a long period of time.

Choose your target travel date, and divide your Sinking Fund by the number of months until travel.

For example:  if I had a budget of $1000 and wanted to travel in 6 months, I would divide $1000 by 12 and get $84.  I now know that I need to save $84 into my sinking fund each month to have enough money to cover the trip.

6.  Travel During Off-Peak Times

If possible plan your travel dates during off-peak travel times are for your specific destination (this will vary based upon where you are going).  Traveling off-peak will save you money on flights, hotels, and activities.  You’ll also be treated to less crowds!  (my fave!).

Off peak traveling does come at a small sacrifice.  To save money you might not have the best weather or specific circumstances, but it will save you money, focus on the positive!

More Travel Planning Tips From Instagram:

mommypa123:

“Besides having a vacation sinking fund, I buy stuff for vacation after season on clearance.”

melfinaw:

“RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH”

jane_tern:

“Trailer or RV travel instead of hotel.”

sellybelly:

“Travel off season!  Sometimes waiting just 1 week after “peak” times can save you hundreds.”

How to Travel When You are On a Budget

Savings On Traveling

Now that you have planned your trip, it’s time to start traveling.  Here are a few ways you can go on a vacation, without breaking the budget.

7.  Tuesday Travel

Tuesday is the secret budget travel date.  This is the day of the week when airfare is the cheapest.  Try to plan your travel dates around Tuesday for the best deal.

8.  Road Trip

Seriously consider driving to your destination instead of flying.  The costs are significantly less, and some of the best family memories can be made in a car!  Really!

9.  Incognito Browsing Window

When you are searching flights, change your browser to incognito.  Websites use cookies to monitor your browsing habits; if they see you are searching for a particular flight, they will raise the prices.  Fortunately, with an incognito browsing window you can look at flights without being seen by cookies (yay!).

10.  Only Pack Carry-On Luggage

Most airlines charge for all checked luggage.  Save that money and only bring a carry-on suitcase.

Honestly, this is so hard for me (I like to pack options….)!  I am that person who is always sitting on my suitcase, trying to pack my clothes down while zipping it up at the same time.; all while looking longingly at my pile of clothes that didn’t fit into the suitcase (cue sad violins).

But, even though I don’t like to pack less, it is WORTH IT!  And truly, I never miss that extra “stuff” once I’m on vacation.

11.  Check Multiple Airports

When booking flights check all airports in the area you are traveling to.  You can usually find much cheaper deals at a smaller, less popular airport in the area.  This might mean you have to travel a little further to get to your final destination, but the savings is worth it.

What’s Instagram Saying????

thingsilearntalongtheway:

“Flying isn’t the only way to get around.  I once took a 12 hour overnight bus to save $500.”

amandaraybould:

“Pack half of what you think you need to pack so you don’t ever have to check a bag!”

hayleebroadhead:

“Use the Gas Buddy app.”

kkrhea12:

“Gate check your bag for free instead of paying when you initially check in, $25 saved!”

 

How To Cut Costs On Travel Food

We all have to eat, and food costs money, especially when on vacation.  Try these frugal tips to save money on food while traveling.

10.  Pack Your Own Food

Save on food costs by packing as much of your own food as you can.  If you’re driving, pack a cooler full of cheap, quick to fix meals.

If you’re flying use Walmarts Free Grocery Pickup to order your groceries online, and then pick them up when you get to your vacation spot.  Always pack your own snacks and a lunch to eat at the airport.  Airport food is so expensive!

11.  Book a room with a kitchen

When booking a hotel room, find one that has a small kitchen.  This will help you prepare more food at the hotel and save on expensive eating out costs.  Or, even better stay at an Airbnb Rental.

I love to make easy, quick to fix meals while traveling.  We like oatmeal, sandwiches, frozen dinners, etc.

12.  Restaurant Gift Cards

Buy a few gift cards on Restaurant.com for restaurants in your travel destination.  These gift cards are sold at a discounted price giving you more food for less price!  (yay!)

You can also buy restaurant gift cards at Target.  If you use your Target Red Card you will get 5% off your purchase, including gift cards!

13.  Share Meals

When eating out order one large meal and request a few extra plates.  You can all share the one meal together.  Most waiters and restaurants are happy to oblige to this request!

What’s Instagram Saying?

flybytheseatofourpants:

“Bring your own food, eat out once a day.  Use credit card hotel points.”

garnishathome:

“Book an Airbnb with a kitchen so you can do some, or all, of the cooking yourself.”

theresa.runn:

“I make pizza the night before our travel day so we save money and time by not having to stop for lunch.”

 

Where to Stay

There are so many rental options available right now that vacationing does not have to include staying at a hotel.  Be willing to get creative when finding a place to stay.

14.  Rent a Home

Consider renting a home from Airbnb instead of staying at a hotel.  The prices are much lower than hotels, and we love having a little extra space for our family.

15.  Earn Cashback

Always book your hotel through the Rakuten website.  This is the easiest way to earn cashback.

Rakuten partners with many popular travel websites, such as Travelocity and Priceline, to give you cashback on your normal purchases.  Many hotels offers 10% cashback on hotel room bookings.  This is free money, don’t miss out!

It’s so easy too!  Simply log into Rakuten, click the website name you want to shop on, and book your room as usual.  You will receive your cashback check every few months in the mail.

********Bonus:  Sign up for Rakuten using this link and you will get an EXTRA $20 cashback after you spend $20 (which is so easy to do if you’re traveling!)**********

What’s Instagram Saying????

jane_tern:

“Trailer or RV travel instead of hotel.”

3girlsmom29:

“Don’t buy anything at the hotel.”

Anonymous:

“I find that boutique hotels have modern looking interiors at a fraction of the cost of staying at a big hotel chain.”

 

Entertainment

What’s a vacation without some entertainment?  Try a few of these frugal hacks when choosing your entertainment options.

16.  Free Activities

Every city you travel to will have free activities to do, you just have to search for them.  Take some time, do a little research and find the free activities every where you go.  Spend the day at a beach, explore a new park, go on a hike or explore a free museum.  You might just stumble upon a secret treasure.

17.  Use City Pass

Explore a new city using a a City Pass, or something similar.   City Pass gives you huge discounts on the top city attractions, and is available in most large cities.

What’s Instagram Saying????

stewbrosmom:

“We always do Restaurant.com, Groupon, Living Social for discounts on food and activities.”

chantelle.hitchock:

“Camping is cheap. Also, travel near national parks – hiking is free!  Pack snacks for road trips.”

garnishathome:

“Google the best free sights/activities for the area you are visiting and plan ahead.”

 

In Conclusion

A good vacation is such a great way to unwind and relax!  You can enjoy this without going into debt or spending a fortune.  Just remember to do your research and plan smartly.  I hope you enjoyed these tips to travel cheap!

 

Related Articles:

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Our Budget Friendly Disneyland Vacation

By: Sweet Frugal Life4 Comments

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The best frugal tips for visiting Disneyland!

Last fall we took our family on a vacation to Southern California.  It was the best week exploring California, bonding as a family and enjoying a budget friendly Disneyland vacation!

I started planning this trip a couple of years before it actually happened (planner by nature here!).  We knew we wanted to go on a family vacation in a year or two and we knew that we wanted to save up for it slowly.   Today I wanted to share with you the steps we took as we planned, saved, and explored California all while on a budget.

We spent a few nights in San Diego and a few nights in Anaheim.  Today’s post will be all about our stay in Anaheim.  Be sure to check out my post How we visited San Diego on a Budget to read about our few days in San Diego.

Disney Savings Plan

First, we set our budget.  We wanted to spend less than $5,000 on the trip.  Once the budget was set we developed an aggressive 52 week savings plan.  I pinned this chart up on my wall to keep me focused and excited as I saved little by little each week and got to cross off each week as our Disney fund grew.

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I am a member of online affiliate programs.  I may receive compensation for purchases made through links in this post.  All opinions are my own.

Hotel

Once we had our savings plan set I began researching hotels.  Daily I checked travel websites and read review after review of different hotels.  We needed a hotel large enough to sleep our family of five, one that included an in-room microwave and fridge, free hotel breakfast and the kids requested a pool.  🙂

I was thrilled to find a great deal and exactly what we wanted in Springhill Suites Anaheim Maingate.  We purchased the hotel through Get Away Today as part of a Disney Vacation package.  The kids loved that we had the pool to ourselves every single night.

Springhill Suites provided a huge breakfast each morning, they even had Nutella (my favorite!) for my toast.  The room felt nice and spacious with two queen beds and a small couch (which turned into a bed) and desk.  I think my favorite part of the room was the large closet where we could hang up our clothes and stash our suitcases.  Don’t forget to grab my $10 off coupon from Get Away Today later in this post!

Tickets

Get Away Today is the absolute cheapest place to buy Disneyland tickets.  Promise.  I have searched and searched and could not find any cheaper than what Get Away Today offered.

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February 14, 2020 Update:

Disneyland just raised their prices effective immediately.  However, if you purchase your Disneyland tickets through Get Away Today now through February 20 you can still get the 2019 ticket price!  This will save you up to $75 per ticket!

You can use these tickets anytime throughout 2020.  If you have plans to go to Disneyland this year, buy your tickets now through Get Away Today BEFORE the prices rise.

Plus, if you use code SweetFrugal you can get an extra $10 off a vacation package.

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We decided to spend two days at Disneyland and bought a one day at each park pass.  This made it possible for us to spend an entire day at both Disneyland and California Adventure.  The parks are each so large, I find it’s not worth the extra money to buy the park hopper ticket.  These tickets were part of our hotel vacation package.

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We are huge Harry Potter fans over here, so knew we had to include  a one day pass to Universal Studios to our vacation package.  It was the best day exploring Hogwarts and Hogsmeade.  If you are a Harry Potter fan, you MUST visit Universal Studios.  The attention to detail was incredible!

 

 

Transportation

Plane tickets for a family of five are pricey, so we decided to drive the 13 hours to California.  I know that not everyone has this ability, but if you live within 15 hours driving distance, I highly recommend it!

Road trips can be a lot of fun!  We made multiple sight seeing stops, listened to audio books, watched movies and played many car games.

While in Anaheim we decided to use the ART shuttle to take us to and from the Disneyland resort.  The ticket prices for the shuttle was very reasonable as part of our package from Get Away Today.

It was so nice to just sit down on the shuttle and rest our tired feet after a long day playing at the park.  The shuttle was always available for us with very little wait time and the ride to and from the hotel was short.  Best decision ever!

Food

I’ll start off by saying that our family are not big foodies.  We would rather spend money on experiences then food, so our way of eating at Disney might not be for everyone!

Before driving to California I packed up a cooler full of snacks and makings for sandwiches.  Breakfast was provided by the hotel daily.

We packed sandwiches, bagels and snacks into the amusement parks with us every day.  For dinner, we ate at budget friendly restaurants inside the parks.  It was so handy having the snacks all packed into individual serving baggies, we whipped them out while standing in long lines and it helped keep the kids happy and occupied.

Below I listed a few of our favorite budget friendly places to eat while inside the parks.

Disneyland

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Bengal Barbeque: The Bengal Barbeque has really tasty meat and vegetable skewers for under $5!

Cafe Orleans:  Cafe Orleans is not your cheapest option, but I had heard so many great things about the Monte Cristo Sandwich I decided to include it in our food budget.

This delicious Monte Cristo Sandwich is only served at the Blue Bayou and Cafe Orleans.  The sandwich is the exact same at both restaurants, but $7 dollars cheaper at Cafe Orleans. So, if you want to try the sandwich do it at Cafe Orleans!

We also decided to split the sandwich between my husband and I and then we split a plate of kids Mac and Cheese between my three kids.  Splitting between the three kids was a little small, next time I would buy two kids orders to split.  For the five of us we spent about $30.  Which is the most we spent on a meal the entire trip, but totally worth it to me to get to taste that delicious cheesy Monte Cristo Sandwich!

Rancho Del Zocalo:  Rancho Del Zocalo offers delicious food with very generous servings.  This is another great option for splitting an entree.

California Adventure

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Cozy Cone Motel:  Cozy Cone Motel is a fun little walk up window restaurant with different snack options that can be easily turned into a small meal.  We ordered a couple of chili cone quesos and they were so good and so satisfying, and under $10!  Yay!

Pacific Wharf Cafe:  Pacific Wharf Cafe has great soup and salads each for around $11.  My favorite is Broccoli and Cheese soup served in their famous Sour Bread Bowl.  So GOOD!

Universal Studios

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We weren’t to adventurous while eating at Universal Studios.  After looking through a different locations we finally settled on lunch at Panda Express, which is located at the bottom lot.  It was a good, affordable option!

Souveniers

A month before we left on our vacation I printed off some play money and told my kids that they will need to do chores in order to earn money to buy souvenirs while on our vacation.

They each earned around $25.  We told them that this was their money to spend however they wanted, but once it was gone it was gone.  This honestly helped us to not impulse buy while in the park.  We all had our limit and we stuck to it.

Disney Saving Hacks

I have a great savings hack for all the  Target shoppers out there!  Target has Disney Gift Cards available to buy and these can be used within the park.  If you use your Target Red Card you get an automatic 5% off all purchases, and this counts toward gift cards too!  I didn’t try it, but I think it is genius!

Another hack which saved us huge on booking the vacation was paying with it with our Discover Card.

We like to use our Discover Credit Card (and pay it off IMMEDIATELY) for big purchases like traveling.  I explained all about it in my blog post titled The one idea I disagree with Dave Ramsey on.

Discover will sometimes give 5% cashback towards travel purchases.  So, after I had enough saved for our vacation I waited for the 5% cashback offer.  Once Discover offered the deal, I purchased our vacation package.  In this case I was given around $200 cashback.  A great deal!

Coupon Code

If you are looking into planning a family vacation on a budget Get Away Today will give each of my readers $10 off a vacation package when you use the code SweetFrugal at checkout.  This makes their awesome deals even sweeter!!

how to visit disneyland for cheap

I know you can have a wonderful Budget Friendly Disneyland Vacation!

 

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