Darren had his birthday while we were up there so we had a ride on a paddle steamer boat in the morning and a roast dinner at the resort that night. The roast dinner was an event holiday makers can pay for to the resort and a two course meal is provided. Twelve people attended and we had fun getting to know all the others on our table.
As you can imagine, it's a little hard to be thrifty when on holidays but we did manage to save some money.
* We used our thermos for morning and afternoon teas. This is such a simple task that saves so much money.
* Used our saved Flybuys dollars to buy a few holiday groceries for our meals.
* I took a frozen chop suey and rice for dinner one night.
* Space was limited in the car but I did manage to pack cranberry hootycreek biscuits, muesli bars, fruit, water bottles, rolls for lunch on the way up, tea bags, sugar and chocolate.
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| Our paddle steamer ride |
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| The mighty Murray River |
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| The weir at Mildura |
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| A tropical garden path at the resort |
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| Yes it's cold |
It looks like a good week Wendy! I usually take a meal for the first night way and pack a picnic to eat on the way with a thermos of coffee and tea. I pack enough for that first whole day. I usually take basics like milk, coffee, tea etc. Usually our holidays are driving ones so this is all easy. I take things to do like my crochet. We dont buy souvenirs etc we would rather buy op shop bargains, local produce and good deals to bring home... they are my souvenirs. Another thing is we incorporate things i.e. Andy might take his fishing equipment and we bring home an eski full of fish for the freezer.
ReplyDeleteWendy I am glad you and Darren had a lovely week away. A ride on a paddle steamer for a Birthday treat sounds wonderful.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bluey and I go away, it is in the caravan. The major cost is fuel. We only stay in caravan parks when we need to fill our water tanks and cant do so any other way. The rest of the time we free camp. Before we leave the van is packed with all the staples. We cook and bake our meals and goodies just like we do at home. We rarely eat out whilst on the road. Bluey and I go for three months at a time and so far have been lucky enough to have our daughter house sit for us.
When we get to a spot we like we tend to stay for a few days. Many free camp sites have a time limit on them and we stay the length of time allowed. I recommend a visit to the Tourist Information Centre. There is a wealth of knowledge of the local area to be found in the volunteers behind the counter. You can find out costs and also find free events.
Our holidays are pack up the house on wheels and head off. Love it.
When we holiday I take food from home if I can and generally we eat where we are rather than eating out for each and every meal. I pop into supermarkets to buy our food too rather than expensive convenience stores.
ReplyDeleteI am recovering from a night of linedancing, so not much was done today but Friday I made a sour cream & apple slice, jelly slice, spiced pear & cranberry mini pies ready for us to take with us last night. During the week I made chicken & sweetcorn soup, pea & ham soup, thai vege soup - half of each of these are donated to a help group here in Geelong that give free meals to people doing it tough.
ReplyDeleteJust now I have made chicken, bacon & mushroom filling for stuffed crepes; mexican meat filling for tortilla stack, and I have got a big pot of cauli soup on the simmer, ready for meals for us this week. I like to big batch cook as it saves us being tempted to buy takeaway and far more healthier too.
When we drove up to Batesmans Bay a couple of months ago to pick up a quilting frame I got cheap (worth $1600, I got it for $300) we took all our meals withus. I researched a cheap motel with kitchen facilities ($85 for 2 nights) it wasnt 5 star but it was clean. We had been saving all coins in a jar since Xmas so this well and truely covered our fuel. We were able to show our daughter many tourist attractions on the way up and back. The 4 days including fuels Cost us $500. We thoroughly enjoyed it too. I worked out if we had have bought food too we would have spent over $1000 in total.
We were just on vacation in Hawaii (a ten year planned girls trip with my sister) & while not cheap at all, we did have some frugal wins. Like you, we all brought flasks for water. We brought our own alcohol (free checked bags through the airline), made breakfast & lunch in our room, & had happy hour discounted dinner options. We also parked 1.5 miles away from the hotel to get free parking, & walked when we needed the car. Parking was crazy expensive, so this was a great savings.
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