Bogus title, I know. Oh well.
Getting there seems to be the toughest place to cut $$ in my travel. Here are some things I try but I'm really and truly open to suggestions on this topic. This is a weak spot for me.
Flying.
It's convenient, fast, etc, but it also means you have to get to an airport. When you live in a populated area it's a bit easier. You can take public transport, or a cab, or a shuttle, or whatever. I live in the boonies. Taking the bus to the airport would be cheap, but for a 6am flight, I'd need to leave the house at about noon the day before the flight. If I arrived back at the airport anytime after noon, I'd be lucky to be home before 10pm. Still, I may try it sometime.
As it is, I end up driving to the airport, often the night before if it's an early flight, and paying to park. The convenience and safety and flexibility outweigh the cost for me. There are two hotels within walking distance of the airport which allow you to park your car for up to 1 or 2 weeks (they differ) for the price of a room. I calculate that cost vs parking in the airport lot and walking to the hotel. The benefit is, I don't miss flights. Counting on driving in the wee hours of the morning isn't a good idea for me. 6 months of the year we risk bad roads from ice, black ice, freezing fog, freezing rain, snow, fog, etc. And I'm just not up for driving at 3am anymore. Much safer to pay for the hotel.
Driving.
Since I'm not near a major airport, it can be quite expensive to fly. Especially when you add in parking. When the inconvenience of the flight schedules and the time to get to the airport, arriving 90min before the flight, etc, is added in, I often drive to places even when I could fly. For example, Seattle. There ARE cheap flights, but, I would need to drive to the airport, more than an hour each way, and pay to park, arriving 90 minutes before my flight. 90 minutes of wait time at the airport plus 90 minutes for the drive...now we're at 3 hours. The drive to Seattle is 5 hours. Once I would fly to Seattle, the airport is a good hour from where I need to be in the city. There is another hour. Now the total is 4 hours of drive/transit time and we haven't even added in flight time and tarmac time yet. It's basically faster to drive.
I found a similar issue when I calculated a trip to Portland. The flight times were extremely inconvenient and would have meant a night at a hotel in Spokane. For the cost of the hotel, I could drive and park at the Portland airport. So I did.
Bus.
I haven't taken a cross country bus lately. One issue is the boonies location noted above. About 2 years ago regularly scheduled bus routes started up in this area again. Since then the number of trips through has steadily decreased. Then there are the connections. It would take me about 11 hours to get to Seattle by bus given the bad connections. I could cut 5 of those hours off by driving to Spokane, but there is no where to park in the vicinity of the bus garage. I COULD park out at the airport and take the city bus back into town to the cross country bus terminal...but now we're paying for parking and adding hours to the trip again. There is a possibility of driving south to Moscow Idaho and catching a Seattle bound bus and I may try that sometime. If someone will let me park in their driveway. I can't just leave the car on the street in the winter due to snow plowing. I won't just get plowed in, I'll get towed.
Train.
I love the train in Europe. I'd love to take the train here. It leaves Spokane, for Seattle, at 2am. From a scary part of town with coin-op outdoor, unmanned, parking! By the time I add in the cost of getting a new car and the aggravation of dealing with the insurance after my car is stolen/stripped/smashed (or all three), it wouldn't be worth it. Taking the bus into Spokane...see above. I'd arrive about 8 hours before the train left. And then there is the cost. It's cheaper to pay for gas and drive myself. The train to Iowa would be fun too. I could possibly catch it in another town, also in the week hours of the night. It takes a day and a half to two days to get within 3 hours of my folks' house. So that is not particularly convenient. Trying to carry food for that long and to keep clean would be gross. Again, I'll pay less to fly or drive.
From all that it seems there is no cheap way to get places, distant places, when one lives in the boonies. So, here are a few ways I minimize the costs:
Flying: I keep "alerts" on cheap ticket prices for places I go regularly. I've never bought a ticket when one of these alerts emails me, but it gives me an idea of the lowest price I can get on a flight to that area so when it's time to go, I can shoot for something in that range.
I also keep track of websites that tell the best day to buy tickets and explain the current trends in flexible pricing (e.g., right now purchase on Tuesday and be ready to travel any day of the week. It used to be cheapest T-Th, but not always anymore). That also shows that I keep my dates somewhat flexible. I have a job and can't travel just any time, but I can usually shoot for anytime within a 2 week window. I use the aggregator sites like Travelocity and Orbitz, and I also call the airlines and check their websites and purchase whatever is cheapest. NO ADD-ONS. Not even a checked bag. I'll wear two sweaters and a coat onto the airplane but I will not pay 25$ for someone to kick my bag around the tarmac. For 25$, or whatever the bag fee is, I can go to a thrift store and buy several outfits if need be. I take whatever seat I can get and I suck it up. I will not pay to get on earlier, more leg room, marginally more edible food, etc. I carry nuts and a refillable water bottle so I don't starve on the flight.
And of course there is finding the cheapest parking, taking into account everything from delays, shuttle times, etc. Since I have a bit more $$ now than when I was in college, I no compromise a bit for convenience.
If you have the time and the airline offers, take the $$ to get off the plane. I could have done this on the way back from my most recent trip to Iowa, but the offer wasn't real cash, just flight vouchers that had to be used in a limited time frame, and would have meant getting back a day late. I skipped that offer but when I was in college I would have run off the plane for that sort of thing.
Find the most cost effective way to get from the destination airport to the final destination. Talking someone into picking you up for free is the cheapest. Check into shuttles and other group transportation. Not always the fastest, but it might work. And of course, public transportation. This worked fabulously in DC, will not work well in Waterloo, Iowa.
Driving: Keep the car in good shape with oil changes and air filters and proper tire pressure. Carry drinks and food from home to save $$ on road snacks (and the inevitable dose of Imodium from ill-advised road snacks). Drive slower. I gain 10-20% on gas mileage if I drive 60 or slower. That really adds up on long trips as well as regular driving. Leave plenty of time to get where you're going. I find that this cuts down on stress, which cuts down on snacking and speeding so indirectly, it saves me $$. Once you get where you are going, still use public transportation if you can. In Seattle I have a hotel that is thrifty and includes free parking. I take the bus and walk once I'm there. Driving downtown means gas, aggravation, and parking fees. Riding the bus means seeing strange people and getting good stories.
OK, that's a lot of information.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Travel Souvenirs
When you travel...do you really need souvenirs?
Maybe.
I like to have a little something to remember a place by. I've gone through a few phases.
At first, I would buy books...uh, heavy and expensive and how many of those have I actually read? Zero.
Than I went through a calendars and whatnot phase. Better. But again, done after a year or so and other than the calendars, they weren't things I would just see on a daily basis, so not much remembering going on.
Now I get tiny things that I'll see now and then...and smashed pennies. The smashed pennies take up almost no space and cost 50 cents or a dollar each. And you usually get to turn the crank thingy which is fun and a little obnoxious so double fun. I'm thinking about having the pennies from a trip joined on a chain into a bracelet (by my sister so cheap).
The daily use souvenirs that have been great successes for me:
Tea towel from the tea and coffee museum in London. I use it as a cozy for my kitchenaid mixer and so I see it most days and think "That was a great trip."
A handmade pottery plate from Santa Fe. I met the potter and her husband and chatted. I really liked the plate and use it most days and think "that was a great trip." Since I had bonded with the potter and husband, they even stopped by Idaho for a visit on their way through. Fun.
Thin cheapo reproduction plates of English royal dishware from olden tymes. (I think Chris got me these...still love them). They are a bit fragile so I don't let guests use them...I wouldn't mind the damage so much but they are tin and the paint comes off in your food if you're not careful and I figure guests don't want to eat paint chips. They are cool and I remember the trip when I use them.
In DC, I tried to go even smaller. I got quite a few smashed pennies, kept the Van Gogh decorated metro pass card, and got chapstick from the Smithsonian. I put the pass card up with other tickets I've posed in a little space in the kitchen. It gives me things to think about while I cook. The chapstick is in my pocket.
In Wales (trip described in past post), I got a pen at a thrift store. It was new, but had a logo that reminded me of the store and of Wales. It just gave up the ghost.
I've got ticket stubs from Italy, Wales, Seattle, Santa Fe, Denver, pretty much everywhere I've been. These are fine souvenirs.
I guess my recommendation is tiny and cheap.
Maybe.
I like to have a little something to remember a place by. I've gone through a few phases.
At first, I would buy books...uh, heavy and expensive and how many of those have I actually read? Zero.
Than I went through a calendars and whatnot phase. Better. But again, done after a year or so and other than the calendars, they weren't things I would just see on a daily basis, so not much remembering going on.
Now I get tiny things that I'll see now and then...and smashed pennies. The smashed pennies take up almost no space and cost 50 cents or a dollar each. And you usually get to turn the crank thingy which is fun and a little obnoxious so double fun. I'm thinking about having the pennies from a trip joined on a chain into a bracelet (by my sister so cheap).
The daily use souvenirs that have been great successes for me:
Tea towel from the tea and coffee museum in London. I use it as a cozy for my kitchenaid mixer and so I see it most days and think "That was a great trip."
A handmade pottery plate from Santa Fe. I met the potter and her husband and chatted. I really liked the plate and use it most days and think "that was a great trip." Since I had bonded with the potter and husband, they even stopped by Idaho for a visit on their way through. Fun.
Thin cheapo reproduction plates of English royal dishware from olden tymes. (I think Chris got me these...still love them). They are a bit fragile so I don't let guests use them...I wouldn't mind the damage so much but they are tin and the paint comes off in your food if you're not careful and I figure guests don't want to eat paint chips. They are cool and I remember the trip when I use them.
In DC, I tried to go even smaller. I got quite a few smashed pennies, kept the Van Gogh decorated metro pass card, and got chapstick from the Smithsonian. I put the pass card up with other tickets I've posed in a little space in the kitchen. It gives me things to think about while I cook. The chapstick is in my pocket.
In Wales (trip described in past post), I got a pen at a thrift store. It was new, but had a logo that reminded me of the store and of Wales. It just gave up the ghost.
I've got ticket stubs from Italy, Wales, Seattle, Santa Fe, Denver, pretty much everywhere I've been. These are fine souvenirs.
I guess my recommendation is tiny and cheap.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Thrifty Vacation Housing Options
Moving along on my list of topics I said I'd cover about vacationing....frugally and simply (or fairly frugally and fairly simply since the MOST frugal and simple would be to sit at home in the cold and dark).
So, I've tried hotel/motels...some are a fairly good deal. Some are not.
I've tried vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner), not bad. Prices go as high or low as you want.
And the DC trip was through airbnb.com. Again, price range is quite wide.
3 of us shared a 2 bedroom apartment in DC, with full kitchen, one full bath, and a washer dryer (nice ones, not those crap stacking ones with a top loading washer), breakfast foods included for about 35-40$/each per night. That was really good.
Here's a link to the place if you're curious:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/339208?guests=2&s=19fa
The beds were great. Pam (Hi Pam) got the couch so she'll have to give us a ruling on that. It was very private and no steps other than the front porch. It is in a working class neighborhood in DC. The Metro stop is literally yards from the front door. You can see the place when you get off the Metro. 4 stops to the Mall. So, we didn't feel we spent too much time or money on transportation.
Having the washer/dryer meant we could pack with only a small carryon that fit under the seat in front of us. The airlines sometimes require you to check the roller bags these days with the overloaded flights. That doesn't cost you money, but it does cost you time waiting for the bag. I personally don't want to pay to check a bag so the washer facilitates that savings.
By staying in a working class neighborhood rather than at trendier or more "nightlife" type area, we also got a less expensive place.
With airbnb.com much of your experience depends on your host so read the reviews and communicate with the host before committing. The host, Wayne, was awesome! Good directions and suggestions. He encouraged us to take a bus to the national cathedral rather than the metro. Even cheaper AND it's like getting a free tour of DC. Some people might not care for the bus as the poor people take the bus along with everyone else, but we didn't mind at all.
What you don't get with airbnb: a round the clock concierge, linen service, a cookie-cutter-predictable-chain-hotel experience, reward points, etc.
When I've managed to get excellent prices on hotels/motels, it's largely been in "mom-n-pop" type places. They don't have advertising and often don't have websites so there is some risk. But isn't life full of risk?
One of my favorite cheapy hotel/motel experiences was at Paul's Motor Inn in Victoria BC
www.paulsmotorinn.com/
This was several years ago and I cannot vouch for their current conditions. The room was clean and quiet (due to the cinder block walls...those don't transmit much sound). The onsite restaurant hadn't been redecorated, or restaffed, since the 1970s. If you like vintage you'd love it. If you like modern and exotic then probably not for you. The place came with parking. Since I drove there and it costs to park in the city, free parking is important savings for me at a motel/hotel.
In Seattle I generally stay at the Travelodge University. It's not the cheapest, but the location is good, the price is very good for the location, free parking, and there are some 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with full kitchens. These cost a bit more than the regular rooms but I'm usually able to recoup much of the difference by having 1 or 2 meals a day in the hotel.
I no longer go so far as to sleep in the car to save money. I have a job and find that sleeping inside with a toilet and shower available is way better and worth the money these days.
So, I've tried hotel/motels...some are a fairly good deal. Some are not.
I've tried vrbo.com (vacation rentals by owner), not bad. Prices go as high or low as you want.
And the DC trip was through airbnb.com. Again, price range is quite wide.
3 of us shared a 2 bedroom apartment in DC, with full kitchen, one full bath, and a washer dryer (nice ones, not those crap stacking ones with a top loading washer), breakfast foods included for about 35-40$/each per night. That was really good.
Here's a link to the place if you're curious:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/339208?guests=2&s=19fa
The beds were great. Pam (Hi Pam) got the couch so she'll have to give us a ruling on that. It was very private and no steps other than the front porch. It is in a working class neighborhood in DC. The Metro stop is literally yards from the front door. You can see the place when you get off the Metro. 4 stops to the Mall. So, we didn't feel we spent too much time or money on transportation.
Having the washer/dryer meant we could pack with only a small carryon that fit under the seat in front of us. The airlines sometimes require you to check the roller bags these days with the overloaded flights. That doesn't cost you money, but it does cost you time waiting for the bag. I personally don't want to pay to check a bag so the washer facilitates that savings.
By staying in a working class neighborhood rather than at trendier or more "nightlife" type area, we also got a less expensive place.
With airbnb.com much of your experience depends on your host so read the reviews and communicate with the host before committing. The host, Wayne, was awesome! Good directions and suggestions. He encouraged us to take a bus to the national cathedral rather than the metro. Even cheaper AND it's like getting a free tour of DC. Some people might not care for the bus as the poor people take the bus along with everyone else, but we didn't mind at all.
What you don't get with airbnb: a round the clock concierge, linen service, a cookie-cutter-predictable-chain-hotel experience, reward points, etc.
When I've managed to get excellent prices on hotels/motels, it's largely been in "mom-n-pop" type places. They don't have advertising and often don't have websites so there is some risk. But isn't life full of risk?
One of my favorite cheapy hotel/motel experiences was at Paul's Motor Inn in Victoria BC
www.paulsmotorinn.com/
This was several years ago and I cannot vouch for their current conditions. The room was clean and quiet (due to the cinder block walls...those don't transmit much sound). The onsite restaurant hadn't been redecorated, or restaffed, since the 1970s. If you like vintage you'd love it. If you like modern and exotic then probably not for you. The place came with parking. Since I drove there and it costs to park in the city, free parking is important savings for me at a motel/hotel.
In Seattle I generally stay at the Travelodge University. It's not the cheapest, but the location is good, the price is very good for the location, free parking, and there are some 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with full kitchens. These cost a bit more than the regular rooms but I'm usually able to recoup much of the difference by having 1 or 2 meals a day in the hotel.
I no longer go so far as to sleep in the car to save money. I have a job and find that sleeping inside with a toilet and shower available is way better and worth the money these days.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thrifty Packing
So, as noted in the previous post, I pack so that I have ONLY a carry-on. This saves baggage fees and the hassle of hanging out at the airport waiting for bags. I don't want to pay extra fees and I want to get the most vacation for my flight dollar.
This trip, as with most, I packed in an ancient day pack I used through much of grad school (so purchased sometime before 1997...I think...it might be a lookalike that's only a decade old but I think it's closer to 20 years old). It has one main compartment and one outside front pocket, 2 shoulder straps. That's it. I have an alternate bag for trips where I need a bit more or expect to bring back a bit more, but we'll stick with this bag for now.
We knew we had a washer and dryer in the apartment we'd rented (more on the apartment at a later date) so we knew we could do laundry easily. Even without a washer/dryer, I find I can wash everything but jeans in a gallon ziplock bag.
Here's the total of what I brought, clotheswise, including the outfit I wore on the plane:
2 pairs of jeans
2 turtlenecks
1 silk thermal undershirt
1 shortsleeve t-shirt (for jammies)
2 longsleeve t-shirt
1 button down overshirt
1 nice sweater
5 undies
3 pairs of wool socks, various weights
1 pair of light hiking boots
1 pair sturdy walking shoes
2 bras
1 leather coat
1 color coordinated scarf
All clothes are in one color range and yes, I pretty much looked the same every day since I ended up wearing the button down shirt as a jacket. Oh well. I wasn't in DC to impress people with my fashion sense (of which I have none).
I could have left the coat home and just worn a thick thermal undershirt. I don't have a decent light jacket at the moment and the weather forecast indicated some chilly temperatures...which didn't really appear. I never took the coat out of the apartment once I'd arrived.
To get all this, and my toiletries and sundries, in the pack, it's important to pack tight and be willing to carry the weight.
Wear the heaviest things even if you'll be a bit too warm on the trip. Once you wear it onto the plane, you can stuff it under the seat in front of you, or roll it up for a lumbar support in those CRAP airline seats. So, the boots, coat, a turtleneck, button down, scarf, socks, undies, bra and jeans were the outfit of the day.
The rest went in the bag. First, I put the undies in a thin, and clean, veggie bag left over from a grocery trip, then stuff them in a shoe. There was room left over for a rolled pair of socks. The other shoe got more socks, a bra, and the silk undershirt. I also packed an extra pillow case as I had recently put henna in my hair and didn't want to dye anything at the apartment. This pillow case was an old one so if I needed to lighten the load, I could leave it behind. One pair of undies was beyond the pale and was chucked rather than brought home. 1 t-shirt and 1 turtleneck were also potential donations if there wasn't room on the way home.
So, the stuffed shoes went into the bottom of the bag for rigidity. Then the jeans. Fill in around the edges with rolled or tightly folded shirts. The pillowcase was folded to the size needed to make a layer across the entire bag and the packing thus far, then the sweater and the rest were layered on. I had about 4 inches of space left in the top for my neti-pot and sea salt and threw in a cloth handkerchief for good measure. Also in the top were the phone charger, ipod charger, etc. The toiletries bag goes in the small outside pocket along with the travel journal.
I have an expandable, but still very small, travel purse that I can take on the plane as well. It was purchased because with the expando-zipper around the bottom open, it will hold a water bottle upright. The purse had the water bottle (filled at a drinking fountain after passing security...saves on those stupid expensive bottles of water at the airport), a bag of almonds and craisins, a pencil, tiny earbud type headphones, and the like.
The combined weight of pack and purse was maybe 10 lbs. That didn't include the clothes I was wearing.
Packing tight like this, also makes for easier travel on public transportation. I took the Metro from the airport to the apartment and it was no problem. On the Metro back to the airport at the end of the trip, the only problem was when I set my backpack on a bench to wait for a train...then got on the train without it. I immediately noticed and was able to jump back off and grab the pack and get back on. Thank goodness! In DC, and at the Arlington Cemetery stop, that bag would have been taken by security and possibly blown up had I left it behind.
Arlington Cemetery stop you ask...Why yes. We (Mom and I) stopped at Arlington to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the way to the airport. Since we'd packed light, we just took our bags along. I wouldn't choose to hike that far everyday with a pack, but it meant we could make the most of our final day in the city. Nice.
Mom also packed VERY light. She did put a few things in a clothing donation bin before we departed. I had plenty of room so went ahead and brought my potential-donation clothes home to take on the next trip.
A final note: I did not take along any toothpaste, shampoo or etc. I don't use them anyway. I took a small jar of sea salt (fits in the neti pot) which I use for tooth brushing. I wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with dilute vinegar and figure I can get that at pretty much any store. The apartment was well stocked and had both on hand. The apartment also had plenty of lotions, potions, soaps and shampoos so that if you do use such things, you wouldn't have needed to bring any.
This trip, as with most, I packed in an ancient day pack I used through much of grad school (so purchased sometime before 1997...I think...it might be a lookalike that's only a decade old but I think it's closer to 20 years old). It has one main compartment and one outside front pocket, 2 shoulder straps. That's it. I have an alternate bag for trips where I need a bit more or expect to bring back a bit more, but we'll stick with this bag for now.
We knew we had a washer and dryer in the apartment we'd rented (more on the apartment at a later date) so we knew we could do laundry easily. Even without a washer/dryer, I find I can wash everything but jeans in a gallon ziplock bag.
Here's the total of what I brought, clotheswise, including the outfit I wore on the plane:
2 pairs of jeans
2 turtlenecks
1 silk thermal undershirt
1 shortsleeve t-shirt (for jammies)
2 longsleeve t-shirt
1 button down overshirt
1 nice sweater
5 undies
3 pairs of wool socks, various weights
1 pair of light hiking boots
1 pair sturdy walking shoes
2 bras
1 leather coat
1 color coordinated scarf
All clothes are in one color range and yes, I pretty much looked the same every day since I ended up wearing the button down shirt as a jacket. Oh well. I wasn't in DC to impress people with my fashion sense (of which I have none).
I could have left the coat home and just worn a thick thermal undershirt. I don't have a decent light jacket at the moment and the weather forecast indicated some chilly temperatures...which didn't really appear. I never took the coat out of the apartment once I'd arrived.
To get all this, and my toiletries and sundries, in the pack, it's important to pack tight and be willing to carry the weight.
Wear the heaviest things even if you'll be a bit too warm on the trip. Once you wear it onto the plane, you can stuff it under the seat in front of you, or roll it up for a lumbar support in those CRAP airline seats. So, the boots, coat, a turtleneck, button down, scarf, socks, undies, bra and jeans were the outfit of the day.
The rest went in the bag. First, I put the undies in a thin, and clean, veggie bag left over from a grocery trip, then stuff them in a shoe. There was room left over for a rolled pair of socks. The other shoe got more socks, a bra, and the silk undershirt. I also packed an extra pillow case as I had recently put henna in my hair and didn't want to dye anything at the apartment. This pillow case was an old one so if I needed to lighten the load, I could leave it behind. One pair of undies was beyond the pale and was chucked rather than brought home. 1 t-shirt and 1 turtleneck were also potential donations if there wasn't room on the way home.
So, the stuffed shoes went into the bottom of the bag for rigidity. Then the jeans. Fill in around the edges with rolled or tightly folded shirts. The pillowcase was folded to the size needed to make a layer across the entire bag and the packing thus far, then the sweater and the rest were layered on. I had about 4 inches of space left in the top for my neti-pot and sea salt and threw in a cloth handkerchief for good measure. Also in the top were the phone charger, ipod charger, etc. The toiletries bag goes in the small outside pocket along with the travel journal.
I have an expandable, but still very small, travel purse that I can take on the plane as well. It was purchased because with the expando-zipper around the bottom open, it will hold a water bottle upright. The purse had the water bottle (filled at a drinking fountain after passing security...saves on those stupid expensive bottles of water at the airport), a bag of almonds and craisins, a pencil, tiny earbud type headphones, and the like.
The combined weight of pack and purse was maybe 10 lbs. That didn't include the clothes I was wearing.
Packing tight like this, also makes for easier travel on public transportation. I took the Metro from the airport to the apartment and it was no problem. On the Metro back to the airport at the end of the trip, the only problem was when I set my backpack on a bench to wait for a train...then got on the train without it. I immediately noticed and was able to jump back off and grab the pack and get back on. Thank goodness! In DC, and at the Arlington Cemetery stop, that bag would have been taken by security and possibly blown up had I left it behind.
Arlington Cemetery stop you ask...Why yes. We (Mom and I) stopped at Arlington to watch the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the way to the airport. Since we'd packed light, we just took our bags along. I wouldn't choose to hike that far everyday with a pack, but it meant we could make the most of our final day in the city. Nice.
Mom also packed VERY light. She did put a few things in a clothing donation bin before we departed. I had plenty of room so went ahead and brought my potential-donation clothes home to take on the next trip.
A final note: I did not take along any toothpaste, shampoo or etc. I don't use them anyway. I took a small jar of sea salt (fits in the neti pot) which I use for tooth brushing. I wash my hair with baking soda and rinse with dilute vinegar and figure I can get that at pretty much any store. The apartment was well stocked and had both on hand. The apartment also had plenty of lotions, potions, soaps and shampoos so that if you do use such things, you wouldn't have needed to bring any.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Thrifty Travel
OK, the THRIFTIEST travel is to stay home but that's not really what I'm about. So, I'm going to do a little series on thrifty travel based on my recent trip with Mom (Hi Mom!) and Pam (Hi Pam) to DC for 10 days. It was a blast and pretty dang thrifty.
Topics to be covered:
Packing: ONLY a carry-on and keep that small enough to go under the seat in front of you.
Choosing a place to stay: we used airbnb.com to find a nice place, good price and with a washer/dryer (helps with the packing bit)
Sights, museums, eating, entertainment: Get the most bang for your buck
Souvenirs: Do you need them? (probably)
Getting there: This can be the toughest place to really make deep cuts in the travel budget without sacrificing time and enjoyment so balance may be a key consideration.
And there might be more.
The 10 days in DC were amazing and a pretty darn thrifty for the three of us.
Topics to be covered:
Packing: ONLY a carry-on and keep that small enough to go under the seat in front of you.
Choosing a place to stay: we used airbnb.com to find a nice place, good price and with a washer/dryer (helps with the packing bit)
Sights, museums, eating, entertainment: Get the most bang for your buck
Souvenirs: Do you need them? (probably)
Getting there: This can be the toughest place to really make deep cuts in the travel budget without sacrificing time and enjoyment so balance may be a key consideration.
And there might be more.
The 10 days in DC were amazing and a pretty darn thrifty for the three of us.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Using What I Have...or Attempting to Use What I Have
So, I generally stock up on food and whatnot in the fall (like a squirrel). The goal is to have enough to get through spring without having to do a big grocery shop. The issue has been lack of organization in planning and storing this so that it was the right amount and I actually used it. When you don't know where things are, you don't use them up. By "you" I mean "me."
A couple of weeks ago I spent a couple of hours gathering together everything I had that was canned (home canned) or dried and stored. There were a few things from 2008 and a few that had lost their integrity (broken seals) and some that it was now clear that I won't use up (too many dried plums). Those jars were emptied into the compost to grow again in a new form next year.
The rest, including this year's canning and drying products, were grouped by type on the living room floor. It was all in jars so no carpets were harmed in the process.
Then, I counted and catalogued the whole she-bam.
I took a day to think about how long this stuff could last me. Prices for fruit and veg are highest in the late winter/ early spring so I figured it would be most frugal to eat the most canned/dried/stored stuff from January through April.
Then I assessed my total amounts. It looked like it would break up into 7 groups fairly evenly and any extra good would go into the January through April groups.
Finally, I found 7 sturdy boxes. They are fairly uniform in size, fruit boxes, but not entirely so the biggest ones were for the January through April months. I labeled the ends and lined them up in a semi-circle around the goods.
A bit more math...and I knew how much would go in each box. Then the divy-ing began. I started with canned and dried tomatoes since I had the most of those and they are a real staple item in my cooking. This ensures a pretty steady stream of good tomatoes for soup, stew, chili and salsa all winter, with extra in the usual months.
The few odds and ends, like 2 small jars of dried onions, were put in those late winter month boxes too.
I made sure there were 2 or more jars of apple butter or other sweet treat in each box, with 3 in the late winter boxes when there will be less cheap fresh and local fruit available.
You get the picture.
Once everything was divided up, I of course ran across one last box of perfectly usable canned and dried goods that I'd missed! Darn it! But a jar of dried hot or medium peppers got to go into each month's box, which will make for much better chili.
The 7 boxes were then lined up under my bed in order...of course I didn't plan all that well as getting to the "November" box this afternoon will require me to move 2 other boxes. I will reverse the line-up order next year so that the "November" box is the easiest to get to.
There are other stored items I'll need to remember. The potatoes, onions and squash are all in the front bedroom/root cellar. The bedroom isn't exactly warm (about 51-55 degrees) but the temperature fluxuates all the way up into the 60s on a sunny winter day and I don't want to do that to the stored vegies. Those will stay in the north bedroom in cold storage. I love potatoes and onions so I don't think I'll forget them. I haven't devised a system for how many per month I can consume, but given that they also tend to go soft at variable rates, I'll just try to stay ahead of the rot.
I didn't get many squash, only about 5 or so, this year due to scheduling problems (couldn't get to the final day of farmers market when they are cheap) so I'll have to see what can be done with other things.
I also have quite a bit stuffed in the freezer. It's just the freezer above the fridge, but I must have 30lbs of meat in there (chicken, lamb, pork and beef) along with frozen fruit mush from making shrubs (more on that in another post) and various other fruit/vegie things. I tried to do a better job of labeling and packaging this year. Meats were divided into single servings where possible (don't really want to do that with a roast), well wrapped and labeled. The fruit/vegies were similarly divided and labeled.
I left basic condiments, dried beans, grains, flours, and my stock of zevia brand pop in the cupboard and on the kitchen shelves. I may move the Zevia to the monthly boxes so I don't drink it all at once. I don't usually buy a case at at time but will write a blog on why I did this time.
Now the plan is to get out a box on the first of each month and try to use it up before I get the next one out. This should cut down on my waste as well as keep me from eating out as much in the winter. I can't decide if I should put the food on the kitchen shelf unit, or put the box on the kitchen table like a center piece so I can remember to use it up. Probably the latter this year. That way I can track what does and doesn't get used, what I had too much or not enough of, etc.
A couple of weeks ago I spent a couple of hours gathering together everything I had that was canned (home canned) or dried and stored. There were a few things from 2008 and a few that had lost their integrity (broken seals) and some that it was now clear that I won't use up (too many dried plums). Those jars were emptied into the compost to grow again in a new form next year.
The rest, including this year's canning and drying products, were grouped by type on the living room floor. It was all in jars so no carpets were harmed in the process.
Then, I counted and catalogued the whole she-bam.
I took a day to think about how long this stuff could last me. Prices for fruit and veg are highest in the late winter/ early spring so I figured it would be most frugal to eat the most canned/dried/stored stuff from January through April.
Then I assessed my total amounts. It looked like it would break up into 7 groups fairly evenly and any extra good would go into the January through April groups.
Finally, I found 7 sturdy boxes. They are fairly uniform in size, fruit boxes, but not entirely so the biggest ones were for the January through April months. I labeled the ends and lined them up in a semi-circle around the goods.
A bit more math...and I knew how much would go in each box. Then the divy-ing began. I started with canned and dried tomatoes since I had the most of those and they are a real staple item in my cooking. This ensures a pretty steady stream of good tomatoes for soup, stew, chili and salsa all winter, with extra in the usual months.
The few odds and ends, like 2 small jars of dried onions, were put in those late winter month boxes too.
I made sure there were 2 or more jars of apple butter or other sweet treat in each box, with 3 in the late winter boxes when there will be less cheap fresh and local fruit available.
You get the picture.
Once everything was divided up, I of course ran across one last box of perfectly usable canned and dried goods that I'd missed! Darn it! But a jar of dried hot or medium peppers got to go into each month's box, which will make for much better chili.
The 7 boxes were then lined up under my bed in order...of course I didn't plan all that well as getting to the "November" box this afternoon will require me to move 2 other boxes. I will reverse the line-up order next year so that the "November" box is the easiest to get to.
There are other stored items I'll need to remember. The potatoes, onions and squash are all in the front bedroom/root cellar. The bedroom isn't exactly warm (about 51-55 degrees) but the temperature fluxuates all the way up into the 60s on a sunny winter day and I don't want to do that to the stored vegies. Those will stay in the north bedroom in cold storage. I love potatoes and onions so I don't think I'll forget them. I haven't devised a system for how many per month I can consume, but given that they also tend to go soft at variable rates, I'll just try to stay ahead of the rot.
I didn't get many squash, only about 5 or so, this year due to scheduling problems (couldn't get to the final day of farmers market when they are cheap) so I'll have to see what can be done with other things.
I also have quite a bit stuffed in the freezer. It's just the freezer above the fridge, but I must have 30lbs of meat in there (chicken, lamb, pork and beef) along with frozen fruit mush from making shrubs (more on that in another post) and various other fruit/vegie things. I tried to do a better job of labeling and packaging this year. Meats were divided into single servings where possible (don't really want to do that with a roast), well wrapped and labeled. The fruit/vegies were similarly divided and labeled.
I left basic condiments, dried beans, grains, flours, and my stock of zevia brand pop in the cupboard and on the kitchen shelves. I may move the Zevia to the monthly boxes so I don't drink it all at once. I don't usually buy a case at at time but will write a blog on why I did this time.
Now the plan is to get out a box on the first of each month and try to use it up before I get the next one out. This should cut down on my waste as well as keep me from eating out as much in the winter. I can't decide if I should put the food on the kitchen shelf unit, or put the box on the kitchen table like a center piece so I can remember to use it up. Probably the latter this year. That way I can track what does and doesn't get used, what I had too much or not enough of, etc.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Dumpster Dive Frugal SCORE!
OK, it wasn't really a dumpster but "free book bin at the recycling center frugal score" was too long for the title.
I found THIS:
It was just sitting there. I have volumes I, II, and III. This however has a few more articles, takes less shelf space, and is just a bit cooler.
So, does anyone want my old volumes I, II and III? I could send them out if someone wants them. I got the final volume, III, with birthday money and have already read it twice. The information is still good even though it's been read.
The Tightwad Gazette was a frugality/thrift newsletter in the 1990s to early 2000s written and distributed by a woman who actually lived, and presumably still lives, the lifestyle.
I found THIS:
It was just sitting there. I have volumes I, II, and III. This however has a few more articles, takes less shelf space, and is just a bit cooler.
So, does anyone want my old volumes I, II and III? I could send them out if someone wants them. I got the final volume, III, with birthday money and have already read it twice. The information is still good even though it's been read.
The Tightwad Gazette was a frugality/thrift newsletter in the 1990s to early 2000s written and distributed by a woman who actually lived, and presumably still lives, the lifestyle.
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