Obviously, staying home and not traveling is the most money-saving thing to do. But little trips have the potential to add a lot of joy to life, so I think they are worth spending some money on!
And I did manage to stretch my trip dollars last week in several ways, so this will be a trip-related Five Frugal Things.
1. I booked my trip on cheaper days
Jim Thorpe, like many places, is more popular on weekends.
But since my current work schedule is all over the place, I am not limited to weekends!
So I sat down at the beginning of July and played around with dates on AirBnb until I found the cheapest combo of days that would work for me (which ended up being a Monday-Wednesday.)
Luckily, my future schedule as a nurse will probably also be rather non-traditional, which means off-peak travel will continue to be available for me!
2. I booked a place with a kitchen
I considered renting just a room, but a suite with a whole kitchen wasn’t a lot more expensive, and I knew I’d be able to easily save the difference by eating in.
Plus, eating in makes it a whole lot easier to stick with nutritious foods.
(How was I gonna eat my usual cottage cheese rations without a fridge?? Ha.)
same cottage cheese, different zip code 😉
Cooking for just me is so very simple, I don’t mind it at all, even when I’m traveling. So this is a no-brainer way for me to save.
3. I did free activities
As I mentioned yesterday, there are things you can pay for at Jim Thorpe, but I was happy just doing free stuff.
Walking by the water, visiting the library, looking at all the beautiful old buildings, browsing the shops…all of it made my heart very happy.
the public library in Jim Thorpe
4. I packed most of my food from home
Since it was just me, I didn’t need a whole lot of food!
So, I used my cooler to bring things like eggs and cottage cheese, and I also brought a whole bunch of produce from my Hungry Harvest box. I had made some mashed potatoes before I left, so I packed those too.
I used a saved rice bag to pack some frozen shrimp.
I packed cream for my coffee in a little glass container.
Lisey gave me this container a while ago, so I texted her this photo to let her know the cat was definitely making the cream taste even better. 😉
5. I stopped in at Aldi for two things
There’s an Aldi near Jim Thorpe, so I popped in there on my second day to buy some tilapia and a container of the chickpea salad (the one I make a duplicate of at home).
I ate the tilapia with mashed potatoes and some peppers, and I ate the chickpea salad mixed with the last of the shrimp.
I did buy a few specialty donuts, but that was it for buying food out on my trip!
P.S. This didn’t fit neatly anywhere else, but: I rented an AirBnb with an included parking place. There’s not really any free parking in Jim Thorpe, so an included parking spot is a big boon. It saves money and also just makes life easier!
Bobo
Sunday 4th of August 2024
What the **** is Jim Thorpe?
Kristen
Monday 5th of August 2024
Well, you could google it. Heh. But it’s a small town in Pennsylvania. I mentioned it in a bunch of posts last week.
Hawaii Planner
Friday 2nd of August 2024
Oh, let's see. The teens & I were on a really mixed bag trip. Part of it was celebrating my special needs aunt's 70th birthday (birthdays are a huge deal to her, so we try to make it really fun), helping my mom with her sister who is moving into a memory care facility, and then DS18 & I went to college orientation. DS17 stayed with family & lived his best life playing golf, attending a baseball game, & doing lots of bike riding. 1) I noticed at the airport that DS18's shoes had holes in them. We replaced them at an outlet on the drive to orientation. The new shoes are much sturdier & were very inexpensive. Bonus points: we were in Oregon, so no tax. 2) Took the teens to the airport lounge (free with my credit card) ahead of our flight out, and we all ate there. 3) All of us were upgraded to first class on our flight out. The teens + my nephew were upgraded to first class on the way home. Bonus: my BFF was also flying out to see us, and her upgrade also cleared. So, 6/6 of my upgrades cleared in the last week, which is basically unheard of. The upgrades expire if you don't use them, so I've been trying hard to make sure that someone gets to enjoy them! 4) DS18 & I got back to my sister's house on Wednesday afternoon, and we made dinner out of freezer items. 5) I did a full financial review for my sister (at her request, of course!) & found a ton of options to save her money. Next up is helping her plan for retirement, and get a plan to pay of a small amount of debt. I absolutely love helping people in this way, so it was a win/win. My BFF was also a part of the conversations & has asked for a similar financial review.
Colleen
Thursday 1st of August 2024
As I am in a massive transition at the moment some of my frugality doesn’t really feel like it in the grand scheme of things. -procured packing boxes/paper from neighbors -selling or rehoming most of my babysitting stuff as I don’t know what my next job will be - pantry eating until I move -selling books & realistically downsizing my library - using up the last bits of multiple bags of coffee (how did that happen?) with “specialty single coffee cups” on days I have hikes
Anita Isaac
Wednesday 31st of July 2024
we are going to a wedding in PA. taking ten days. using points for the hotels. all hiltons. we are hilton honors. stopping in jim thorpe. can't wait. have always wanted to go there. am s glad you posted about it. how was the meetup[? will there be anything about that?
Lindsay B
Wednesday 31st of July 2024
So glad you enjoyed your trip, Kristen!
1. Made a homemade salad dressing while the kids napped. I’ve previously done this but haven’t found one I really liked. DH and I are enjoying salads as a quick and easy meal this summer so I wanted to find something homemade if possible.
2. I found a dime. I’ve been finding a larger than usual amount of change but only because I’ve had to do more errands.
3. I picked up free ice cream from the local gas station. It’s easy to earn points which then convert into your choice of rewards, including free points earned by watching one advertisement per day.
4. I made a use-it-up curry that incorporated two wrinkly potatoes, some frozen chickpeas, and various other odds and ends.
5. I finally finished a hair gel that I didn’t prefer. I used it only when I knew I would be at home and it worked fine for frizz and flyaways in that situation, just not as a curly hair wash day gel. Curly folks know what I mean!