As of May 11th, Tim and I will have been together for five years — three of them as a married couple. For the past four years, Tim has been mildly put off by the fact that we don’t make a big deal about our anniversary. Which is to say that, due to financial constraints, we were unable to do more than go out to a semi-nice dinner. And actually that was really just one year. Mainly, we don’t do much of anything.
So now that we’re out of debt, I decided that it’s time to appease him and make a bit of a fuss. Which is how I came to the suggestion that we drive to Vegas for a few days.
I’m still shooting for mild frugality. Tim’s ADHD means that, when he goes out gambling, he tends to spend any winnings out of sheer boredom. He’s worried that if he has constant access to gambling, he’ll go overboard.
So, while we’re going to Vegas, most of our trip is geared toward actual tourist-y stuff. Which means that, for the next couple of posts, I’ll be talking about some ways that I’m saving money on our trip.
First and foremost, the operative word is coupons. And Vegas has a zillion of them, from the looks of it. Really, most major cities do, but Vegas seems especially stuffed with them. (Though a lot of these are for casino offers like matching your first $10.)
Doing some keyword searches of varying combinations, I found a few sites advising me about where to find coupons. Our first real stop in Vegas is going to be the Visitor’s Bureau. Obvious as that may seem, I’m not sure I’d have thought of it. There’s a visitor’s guide, but also the place is alleged to have coupons galore.
It’s also a good idea to ask the concierge if there are any coupons. You’ll get the obligatory offer of free floor shows or celebrity tributes that you have no interest in, but there may also be some decent discounts on buffets or local attractions.
The hotel we’re staying at has a “Funbook” of coupons. Plenty of coupons will be for casinos — free appetizers at restaurants, $10 of credit when you play $10 at the tables/slots, etc etc. But there may be some goodies there, too. It never hurts to check.
Another good source can be the Entertainment Book. Currently, all 2011 books are $15 and, through Mr. Rebates, you get 30% back. A lot of Entertainment Books have buy one, get one coupons for local attractions. And you might even find a restaurant or two of interest.
Unfortunately, the Vegas book was lacking in any local attractions that we want to hit. So much for that.
You can also check eBay. A lot of locals gather up coupons into packages and sell them for a couple of dollars each. Granted, you can usually find those same deals by doing a little asking around. But if you want a no-hassle collection of goodies, well that’s a good way to go.
Finally, there are the sites themselves. For example, by clicking on the “Specials” for the Adventuredome at Circus Circus — one attraction we’re considering — I found out that local Burger Kings have $5 off coupons. There are local coupons for $4 off, but this is a better deal and will require a lot less asking around.
Most attractions will have a “Promotions” or “Specials” page. It’s always good to see what’s on the agenda. Checking out a local water park, for example, I found that Mondays and Tuesdays have admission as $21.50 instead of $26.95. Every little bit helps!
Since a lot of Vegas attractions are tied to hotels, it’s also a good idea to see what packages are offered with hotel stays. But I’ll be talking about hotel deals in the next post.
In the meantime, if you have any experience finding great coupons for local attractions — or if you have any suggestions for Tim and I to check out — leave a comment!
CandiNP says
Mmmm Vegas! I would say for the relatively cheap burger that can't be beat please go to In and Out burger off the strip. I miss that chain SO much as I am east coast!
ManicMagic says
Yeah, we have those here
Practical Parsimony says
I read this regularly and am confused as to how you got out of debt. I need lessons…lol. Didn't you just buy a car? I thought there were payments, but I could be mistaken.
Abigail says
PP: I suppose you're right — we're still in debt for the car. We owe just under $7,000 and, on Friday, are being cut a check for $3,500 from the insurance company (more on that in another post). So we do still need to pay off $3,500 for the car and $2,500 to the relative who lent us part of our down payment.
But we're not in credit card debt, which we were for so long, which is what I keep thinking of. The car payments are $136 a month — not a problem to make, though obviously we want to pay it off quickly. I guess after paying off around $60,000 of debt in about 4 years, the car loan is just hard to see as "debt" in the ominous sense that I usually consider it.
Practical Parsimony says
I see what you meant. However, from what I see, you and Tim spend money that just horrifies me…those expensive cards and all the gaming or whatever. I don't know how your first debt came about, but your spending seems to be how you could very well end up in debt again or never make headway on longterm goals. Okay, I am not your mother, so maybe I ought to keep my mouth shut. I tend to vacation cheaply, so even coupons at BK seems like excessive spending. But, what do I know? My last vacation was in 1982, unless you count three out-of-state trips to bury parents and sibling or a grueling trip to a job training week. Those are my only "trips" in 30 years.
ManicMagic says
& the cards & gaming is mostly me. Magic: The Gathering is a hobby of mine that I’ve throughly enjoyed since 1996. Also it’s something I’m quite good at, to the point of many times playing for free due to store credit received for doing well. We look at the cards & the tournaments as our outlet for a healthy social life in a nice, clean environment with good people. If that makes us bad, then so be it.
Abigail says
PP: We were in debt initially because I couldn't work and Tim had student debt plus a lot of medical expenses. It's never been about consumer spending.
The expensive cards were bought slowly over time, and, as Tim points out below, we do a lot of trading. Plus, when you do well, you get store credit that allows you to buy more cards. Each regular tournament we go to costs $5 each — and now on Saturdays we found a place where I play for free because it's "ladies' night."
There is a decent chunk of spending, overall, I suppose. But most people have the one hobby — and I've only started playing MTG and increasing our spending for it as we neared getting out of debt.
I'm not sure how much you think we spend; I suppose my talking about the really expensive cards gives it a bit of skewed perspective. At some point, I should probably sit down and figure it out just for the record, I suppose.
Really, though, the huge drain on our resources right now is eating out. We spend much, much more on that. But we still aren't going back into debt — credit card wise, and will be able to pay off the car quickly.
I guess I better get my act together here at some point and actually break stuff down because my complaining about how much we spend seems to have given a distorted perception. Though I definitely don't feel very frugal while we flail around food-wise, I think we still give careful consideration to how and where to spend our money and make sure to keep within the bounds of our budget, with an eye toward saving for the long-term future. To me, that's the most important part of frugality.
Also, I think you misunderstood: I had no intention of EATING at BK. Just dropping by to grab coupons. Those sorts of things just lie around by the condiments, usually.
Practical Parsimony says
I just saw these replies. "Flailing around foodwise" Maybe you can just tackle this issue one dish or one meal or one day at a time. I think you said you or Tim does not like leftovers. Cook a chicken or a pkg of boneless-skinless breasts or a package of legs and thighs…okay, if you eat chicken. Use all that cooked chicken for several meals–chicken in a salad. Buy the bags of cut salad and some tomatoes. Throw the chicken in that–one meal. Use the chicken in a pot pie or soup or a pasta dish-another meal. Cook rice and make a rice and chicken dish–third meal. The nasty pan has to be washed once. Let me tell you, cooking bags are cheap and the cleanup is simple. If depression is getting in the way of your financial well-being and healthy food, tend to the depression and work your way through finding some really easy dishes.
Country Girl says
I found food really expensive in Vegas and it was hard to find a place to grab snacks without wandering off the strip too far. I would recommend bringing some snacks with you. Also, avoid Circus Circus – that place is cheap for a reason – it's so nasty.
Disappointed says
I agree with Practical Parsimony. You have this way of trying to justify your spending, always blaming it on Tim. I don't think you are frugal in any way (at least from what you write here) You bought an XBox Kinect even after everyone told you that it was not a good exercise medium. And I don't know if you have a maid yet. The worst part is your justification. If you had said, "Screw it, I am going to Vegas.. I will pay for this somehow" it would have been so much better.
You used to so honest and brutal and that's why I used to love your blog. Remember this? https://ipickuppennies.net/2010/03/a-bankruptcy-st…
https://ipickuppennies.net/2010/03/a-bankruptcy-st…
Disappointed says
I am sorry my comment has come about trollish, rude and snarky. That was not my intention. Please don't be mad. I just wanted to point out that you might be slipping up a bit
Abigail says
Disappointed,
I'm sorry if any of this sounded like a justification. That wasn't my intent. I wasn't trying to justify a vacation. I had no burning need to go to Vegas. It sounds like fun and, now that we're planning it, I'm actually pretty excited.
But this really was inspired by Tim. Which is to say that Tim has done a lot of changing over the years. And each and every anniversary (and most Valentine's Days) he's accepted my edict that we weren't going to do more than go get a meal somewhere. But he's also been very clear that he would prefer to do more and that it sometimes hurts his feelings that I don't want to make a bigger fuss.
So, this year, I'm trying to be a good wife and compromise in return. Will a vacation be extremely nice? Oh my yes. Would I have done it if Tim hadn't been so upset this past Valentine's Day that I literally planned nothing? Probably not.
I'm sorry if it sometimes seems like I'm putting the blame on Tim for our spending. I have certainly loosened the purse strings since we got rid of our credit card debt and I got a full-time job. I don't have the energy and wherewithal to track and cut down on spending as much, and I also don't have to be quite so stingy because we have some financial leeway. I'm sorry if I don't address that enough.
I think I'm doing my best to follow my own imperfect frugality. And, for the record:
1. No, no maid yet — still can't pull the trigger on that expense
2. Same goes for the food
3. I don't have to say "I'll pay for [Vegas] somehow" because I know how we'll pay for it: Out of the money I get in my paycheck, especially since I was able to pick up some overtime recently.
I'll definitely keep your comments in mind, and if you have any questions about how we spend or pay for things or why we make specific choices, please do voice them/ask me. I try to be as open about things as I can.
ManicMagic says
& actually I was the one who convinced her to get the Kinect in the 1st place on basis of fun, availible exercise programs/games. Additionally it’ll work as a quasi web cam if friends have one too & have plenty of long distance friendships so that helps.