Frugal Entertainment: Submit Your Best Tip to Win a $30 Entertainment.com Membership

Online travel sites have good deals, but for great last minute deals call the hotel. They do not like having empty rooms and are willing to offer great reduced prices.
 

For Weekend Getaways:

 

* Come up with a low Budget & see how much fun you can have for free or inexpensively.

   and get the kids involved.

(our budget was $250 for 2 days, including gas, hotel, foods, everything in San Diego)

 

 

At the end of the weekend, he said "Mom!! You did It!! He was so proud of us!!

 

 

Me & my Son managed to do this a few months ago, and I'll be honest, it's the most fun I've had with him in a long, long time. I guess because we are not so busy going from Theme Park to Theme Park and thus exausted from trying to cram as much as possible in our 2 days.

 

it gave us time to do Mother/Son things, Ride our bikes, have real conversations, walk the beach, etc

 

What we Spend:

Dolphin Motel (super super clean & amazing people) : $120 ( 2 night weekday)
Gas (from L.A. and back) $40 (I know its cheap, but I have a small car)
Rays Bike Rental : $12 ( it was $2 extra for the basket & lock)
Cotija's Tacos: $11
Bahia Don Bravo lunch: $15
Super Cocina: $17
Bakery 1 block from Super Cocina: $4
Cafe Coyote: $22
Candy @ Historic park in old town: $4
Total: $245!
 

 

For an inexpensive date night with your Hubby, instead of going out to a movie, what about renting one?

Redbox and Blockbuster often have free codes to allow you a one night rental for FREE from their kiosks. And pop-corn at home is WAY less expensive than at the theater...and you can make it healthier too

Fee-free days at the National Parks!  You can see a list of all the fee-free days this year.  One of them is National Parks Week right now!

 

We love hiking and outdoors stuff, so we try to take advantage of these.  But even if you have to pay, National Parks are a great deal.

 

This is a great tip from Rachel Ray, check out if a restaurant has an early bird special. We have a seafood buffet here that offers $10 off if you come between 3 and 6. Also if traveling check out a city's online newspaper for coupons.  Our local paper's site always has buy one get one coupons listed right on their website and can be printed off.

Go out for lunch instead of dinner (at a fraction of the cost...and crowds!). Or have dinner at home and then treat yourselves to a dessert out!

Swap houses with people

 

We have land up on a mountain with a campter. We go camping and hiking on the land. Some friends of ours has a lake house. Another friend has a house on the beach. So we all swap. This way we get a free rooms and all we have to pay for our our food and activitiest.

Join restaurants birthday clubs and other special programs to receive free dinners on your birthday and savings throughout the year.  Sign all your family members up too.  I sign up for emails for all the restaurants we like to visit and I receive many offers for discounts, free appetizers, desserts and meals.

A good way to save money traveling is to go someplace you can drive to instead of flying.  I bet there are a lot of fun things you can do close to home that you have never done before.