Adventures on Greyhound

Ever dream of traveling the world but on a budget. Whether you are as adventurous enough to travel across the states on motorcoach bus or only a few hours within your home, Greyhound offers it all. In most cases, it is cheaper than flying. On some pay in advance, fares can be as low as a few dollars, example starting at $2 from Dallas to San Antonio or $2 from San Jose to Los Angeles (you need to look around to catch these special fares). (2012)
For your destination, there are a number of schedules for you to pick and you can see all the stops/transfers and cities on your route. The bus runs 24 hours, even driving through the night. Sounds scary? Well, I am one who still has flying phobias and will probably never get used to flying. Some of the 24 hour stations I've been to are occupied by many people so I feel as safe as anywhere else.

The cons is that there might be rest stops/ transfers at odd hours of the night/ morning if you are on a long schedule.

The pros, I've had inexpensive vacations, without having to pay lodging! Just take an overnight trip and sleep on the bus. Schedule a return the next night and avoid the cost of lodging! On most of my trips, the bus is almost full of people so it's not an unsafe feeling of being alone.

Update- there is another bus line even more cost effective but with more limited schedules and locations and may not have the 24 hr full service stations with restrooms/food service- The MegaBus.  They have  stations in downtown Dallas and Houston and a few in CA, Atlanta, etc. If you are looking for cheap travels the Megabus may be of interest if you have one in your area.

Cruise on the Cheap!

Traveling can be expensive, right?  If you want to make the most of your money, one alternative is Cruising!

Never been on a cruise?  Well I hope to share with you some info that will have you consider it for your next vacation.
No worries about car rental and gas expenses, lodging, or meals. The cruise will provide you with all you can eat!  They offer the buffet option or eating in their main dining rooms. Entertainment on the ship is free. This will include all kinds of music , shows, fitness centers, Vegas-like musical shows and casino playing. Of course if you want to go on an excursion once at port, that will be your cost. However, if you book early for the cruise online, such as on www.cheaptickets.com, they sometimes offer you credit for a free excursion! It is easy to book for cruise excursions and activities online , offered while on the boat, or even at the ports.  Most cruises make at least 2 different port stops, so I think this is a good deal for the money.

Where to go for the cheapest cruise? You will need to consider airfare expense because in some cases, that may be the bigger expense. The cheapest cruise East of the US may be out of the Port of Miami to the Bahamas and secondly Key West & Cozumel, and thirdly the Caribbean Islands with starting prices of 3-4 night cruises for $169 per person or roughly $340 for one stateroom as 90% of cruise lines charge at least for double occupancy. Taxes are roughly $100 per person traveling. Now if you are looking to cruise on the West Coast, try Vancouver/ Seattle one night cruises starting at $69 per person and 2 nightsVancouver/ San Francisco cruises starting at $149 per person. I always book the cheaper interior stateroom; No need for the more expensive oceanview rooms as there are plenty of internal/external space on the ship for an exterior view.  If you are going single, Norweigian Cruise line  may have a studio stateroom on a few cruises and save you a little less than the standard double price.

The selection of cruise locations are limitless. Cruising makes your vacationing easy, especially if you are traveling to a foreign country such as to Europe or Asia. There could be multiple port stops in different countries. A cheapest European  cruise could take you to Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; and Savona, Italy with a return to Barcelona port. Or you can cruise from Venice and visit Greece and Croatia with a return to Venice. A cruise to Alaska is most cost effective flying out of Seattle with port stops in multiple Alaska ports including Victoria, BC.

Try cruising and you may be hooked on it like me.

Poolside Entertainment

Affordable Movies

These days the price of going out to the movies can be expensive but you can find cheaper alternatives!
There are a few online internet sites that offer movie viewing for free. Try to do an internet search or try  www.Hulu.com. Their movies are a bit noncurrent but they have a pretty good selection categorized by movie types.

Another option, try visiting a few of your local libraries. Here in Dallas,  I'm lucky to find the closest library to me contains a pretty good selection of DVDs movies to check out for free with a library card.  The DVDs are pretty current too.

RedBox is a cheap alternative too. Rent the movie for a stay at home night.

If you are longing for the big screen theaters, try a search for www.Cinemark.com. I can locate two theaters in Dallas with discount prices, the movies being only some months less than currently released. Movies start at $1.00 for matinee and $.75 all day Tuesday.  Both Cinemark Movies 10 in Plano, TX and Cinemark Hollywood USA in Garland, TX have RealD 3D movies starting at $3.00 for early Bird.

Now, who says you have to go broke with your entertainment when you can enjoy a movie for cheap!

Eat for Cheap

If your looking for a good deal on food, then one place for it is www.groupon.com. You can also get other things besides restaurant food savings. Subscribe to them and they will email you a few of their deals. You can customize what areas you are most interested in such as restaurants, entertainment, etc.

Facebook is also a great way to get freebies or discounts on food among other things.  You can visit a restaurant's Facebook site and subscribe to them to get announcements for freebies, contest prizes, or other discounts. I once got a free pizza this way and just had my free appetizer for lunch.  Just go search for the restaurant site that appeals to you.  Then beside their "Like" icon is the cogwheel and down arrow icon. Click on "Add to interest List" and name your list such as "Restaurants". Add as much restaurant sites to this interest list where you can easily receive their announcements.

Another way to save money and have fun, consider your own vegetable/fruit garden. Save the seeds from your bell pepper, cantelope, etc.  I do Okra every year since it is so easy to grow and I save the seeds for the next year planting. Try Watermelon/ cantelope growing. Believe it or not, little planting space is needed for this- you do need a lot of sprawling space like 8-10 ft on my brick patio. 

Welcome!

Hi! If you are like me, always looking for deals and refuse to pay the full price for anything, then this site is for you.  I hope to share with you my experiences that can save you a bit of money and where to get great deals. I am also open to any other ideas on ways to save.