A Super Budget (Like Beyond Cheap) PTR/TR

[jsmla]

I know that there is a Trip Report forum but I really think my experiences will fit better here. Also, while I do have a deep respect for the 1st Amendment, I find sitting in judgement to be a particularly popular (and somewhat peculiar, is that judgey?) pastime on the DIS. I can't count the number of times where simply the mention of things like staying off site or cooking a meal while on vacation resulted in a hailstorm of "Well, I'd rather stay home (eat dirt, sell my youngest child, etc.) than make compromises on my vacation." type replies. Fine. Go right ahead. Stay at home until you can afford a week in a theme park view at the Grand Floridian with the Deluxe Dining Plan. It's your vacation, you should enjoy it. It's just that mine will be somewhat different and I intend to enjoy it as well!


Background

I tend to be more of a budget than luxury traveler. Usually I mind my pennies so that we (sometimes just I) can travel frequently. I have always had a serious case of itchy feet and, somewhere along the way, I passed it on to DH. Economies are made on a Disney trip so that, next month, we can head out for the beach or the mountains or even Europe. This year we've been (on separate trips) to:
Orlando
Las Vegas
Disneyland
Smoky Mountains
Nashville
Atlanta
Destin
Key West
(No Europe this year-our friends living in Germany are coming to see us!)

Our daughter will be getting married next year and this ain't gonna be cheap. No matter how much I have tried to convince her of the charms of a East Baton Rouge Parish courthouse wedding followed by a kegger in the back yard she really, really wants a big church wedding and a reception hall filled to the brim with her friends. DD is a very loving and attentive child and DH and I want to give her her dream wedding.. With that in mind, I planned to let my APs (Disney, Universal and SeaWorld!) expire and give Orlando a bit of a rest. DH really isn't a fan so it makes a lot of sense to give the theme parks a rest in 2017.

I decided that I would go out with a bang and booked two weeks in offsite condos and bought tickets to Early Morning Magic at both the MK and DHS. I also purchased a night in Lake City to soften the ten hour drive a bit. A few months later I took advantage of an excellent AP discount to book a night at Universal's Portofino Bay Resort. I was all set for two weeks of Orlando solo fun!

Then, this happened:



That's our small business. We had flood insurance but many of our customers (boarding stables, training barns, private horse owners) did not. Neither did the two rental tenants we had at that property. We're still waiting on the insurance settlement and both tenants have pulled out so, to say our income has taken a hit would be putting it mildly.

Once we recovered from the shock we began a new regimen of strict economy. We dropped cable, turned the thermostat waaay up and canceled plans for an upcoming pricey NOLA weekend. We did go on our Key West trip (non refundable condo) but cut waaaay back on the excursions and dining out. We ended up having a great time!



Nonrefundable Outlay
Well, we're home from Key West. Now there's the Go Out with a Bang Two Week Orlando Solo Extravaganza to consider. Like Key West, much of it is already paid for and non refundable, including:
1 night at the Holiday Inn, Lake City (Hotwire)
1 week at Kingstown Reef (timeshare condo) booked through SkyAuction
1 week at Legacy Vacation Resort Lake Buena Vista (ditto)
Early Morning Magic at Magic Kingdom
Early Morning Magic at Hollywood Studios
1 night at Disney's All Star Sports (booked third party)
Park tickets for WDW, Universal, SeaWorld and Aquatica



Cancleable Stuff
1 night at Portofino Bay Resort ($199/AP discount)
Breakfast and lunch at Be Our Guest



Additional (unavoidable) Expenses:
Gas should be around $125, I have free parking at all of the parks.



Food
For the record, I'm not a huge fan of 90% of the theme park eats. They're okay but very expensive for what you get, IMHO. I also have zero problems cooking on vacation and quickly tire of eating out at every meal.
-I have a ton of leftovers in the freezer that I could bring for dinners in the condo. I am also very much a morning person and am usually safely back at the condo by dinner time.
-I'm a seasoned (read picky and cheap) veteran of packing a lunch into the Disney parks. I also have around $60 in Disney Visa Rewards to use at Food and Wine.
-While I have never done so, it looks like I can bring a small lunch into Universal.
-I plan on purchasing any food I consume at SeaWorld.
-I won't be spending more than a few hours at a time at Aquatica, no plans to eat here.



So, not counting my APs to WDW/SW/UO I have over $1000 committed to this trip that I'll never see again. I'm thinking that, excluding the night at Portofino, I should be able to keep my OOP expenses below $300, maybe less. I'm gonna try. 'Cause it's either that or stay at home and, for me anyway, a PBJ eaten in the Magic Kingdom beats out a gourmet meal at home!

 

[kymom99]

So sorry for this sad turn of events. I hope you recover quickly. As far as the trip is concerned, I think it will be a great stress reliever

 

[ellie05]

I am so sorry you are dealing with this. I hope you have a great time on your trip.

 

[pigletto]

I am vigorously nodding in agreement with your first paragraph and I am looking forward to this report!

I am sorry for the terrible flooding and financial concerns that have affected you and your community. I hope your trip is a lovely break from the worry and stress.

 

[wendow]

I have family down in LA also trying to recover from the flooding. I'm so sorry for all those having to go through this. I hope your trip will still be magical!

 

[jsmla]

Thanks for the sympathy, it's much appreciated! There are many folks down here much worse off than us. We have a customer/friend (and her horses) staying with us whose house has only just this week dried out enough for her to even get to it. I've been washing and airing out the clothes she had that didn't get wet but pretty much everything else including photos, records, etc. are ruined after almost a month in the flooded house.

We both feel like we'll be all right with time. The insurance will pay out eventually. It's just that their records show the property as still having a mortgage that was paid off years ago so, yay, more paperwork.

It's a pretty good location and our rents are low for the area because of the possibility of flooding. We'll get new tenants in time. It's just the next six months or so that are a problem. Neither of us wants to borrow or touch our savings if at all possible.

Thanks again!

 

[scrappydew]

My heart goes out to you; I hope you can enjoy your solo trip!

 

[hsmamato2]

that's quite a beginning! I can't wait to hear more! (love a good budget story)

 

[ryansstitch]

I'm so sorry you have all that mess to deal with, but you've got a great attitude about it! I too am a believer in spending mindfully on what I really want or need and giving up the superfluous as needed. This is probably the best spot for your post! Elsewhere, the flames start getting thrown as soon as you mention not wanting to give Mickey your very last dime.

 

[crazylady]

I'm in! So sorry about the damage to your business.

 

[MinMou]

I am in awe of your positive attitude.
As for your vacation, I believe that we can learn something from everyone, even if they have different ideas and preferences. I happen to love eating out, but I will be following to find out what works for you on this trip.

 

[jsmla]

Howdy from Orlando!

Sorry about the lack of updates but, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't 100% sure that I'd be here at all until I was driving through Mississippi. My nights pretty much went like this:

10:00 PM
Me: I just don't think I should go, it's just not right.

DH: Like I've told you a million times-go. There's nothing here now that won't be here in two weeks and who knows when you'll get to go again.

Me: But you're stuck with all of that clean up!

DH: We've got it under control. (AKA, You're next to useless at ripping out sheetrock, you wimpy weakling.)

Me: Well, I don't know. We really don't need to spend money on stuff like this right now.

DH: Just go!

Me: Okay.


Midnight
Grownup Me: How can I possibly run off to Disney World and leave DH with all of that mess? How selfish is that? I'm a terrible, horrible person!

Toddler Me: But I wanna go! No fair! Why does this always happen to me?


2:00 AM
Toddler Me: Well, I'm going. Who cares what people think?

Grownup Me: I do, I want everyone to think I'm just lovely. What would my mother have said?


4:00 AM
Grownup Me: That's it, I'm definitely not going. How could I possibly go and still respect myself?

Realistic Me: You don't respect yourself now. If you did you wouldn't have eaten Doritos and chili queso for dinner. You would have had a salad. Doritos and chili are almost surely why you're wide awake at 4:00 AM.


7:00 AM
Me: That's it. I'm definitely staying home, final decision.

DH: (silence)



That was Tuesday. For Wednesday's and Thursday's fun just rinse and repeat.

 

[scrappydew]

You and I have similar conversations with ourselves!

 

[gardengalB4]

Glad you decided to go.....it will be a great stress reliever!

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks for the sympathy, it's much appreciated! There are many folks down here much worse off than us. We have a customer/friend (and her horses) staying with us whose house has only just this week dried out enough for her to even get to it. I've been washing and airing out the clothes she had that didn't get wet but pretty much everything else including photos, records, etc. are ruined after almost a month in the flooded house.

We both feel like we'll be all right with time. The insurance will pay out eventually. It's just that their records show the property as still having a mortgage that was paid off years ago so, yay, more paperwork.

It's a pretty good location and our rents are low for the area because of the possibility of flooding. We'll get new tenants in time. It's just the next six months or so that are a problem. Neither of us wants to borrow or touch our savings if at all possible.

Thanks again!

Hi, we live in the Central area, not too far from you! So sorry about the business! We (who actually live in a flood zone and have flood insurance!) were a tiny, but high and dry island, so we were very blessed that we could just help all of our friends and family who weren't so lucky. It's been so surreal around here! Our kids finally went back to school last week, so that was good. They're having classes in the gym and won't have a cafeteria for awhile, but at least it's some kind of routine again!

Anyway, I completely agree with you about taking more budget trips rather than spending so much on things that dont even enrich the trip as much -- in our opinions, at least. I'm glad you went, and I can't wait to hear about it! DH and I are going to Key West for a weekend in October (used a lot of credit card rewards, so it's practically free), so I'd love to hear about that, too! Hope you have a great time, and maybe some of these piles of debris everywhere will be gone when you get back!

 

[jsmla]

Hi, we live in the Central area, not too far from you! So sorry about the business! We (who actually live in a flood zone and have flood insurance!) were a tiny, but high and dry island, so we were very blessed that we could just help all of our friends and family who weren't so lucky. It's been so surreal around here! Our kids finally went back to school last week, so that was good. They're having classes in the gym and won't have a cafeteria for awhile, but at least it's some kind of routine again!

Anyway, I completely agree with you about taking more budget trips rather than spending so much on things that dont even enrich the trip as much -- in our opinions, at least. I'm glad you went, and I can't wait to hear about it! DH and I are going to Key West for a weekend in October (used a lot of credit card rewards, so it's practically free), so I'd love to hear about that, too! Hope you have a great time, and maybe some of these piles of debris everywhere will be gone when you get back!

We know it could have been much worse. One of our tenants had both her house and business flood and she had no insurance on either. We still have a customer and her four horses living with us. She's in the Alligator Bayou/Spanish Lake area and wasn't even able to get to her house until last week. She had insurance but the house is a total loss and will have to be razed. We're in the Perkins/Bluebonnet area and stayed high and dry.


We had a great cheapo trip to Key West. A few of our favorite cheapo things:

Ft Zachary Taylor State Park-beautiful sunsets, beach and the Eco-Discovery Center

A day at Bahia Honda State Park (You'll need a car for this.)

Sunset at Mallory Square

Happy Hour for cheap eats. Our favorites were The Boathouse and Alonzo's Oyster Bar.



We do enjoy eating out, just not all the time and not necessarily in theme parks. DH was a little leery of my "eating in" plan for Key West but it was fine. I bought a rotisserie chicken at Publix and we had that with salad one night. I used the leftovers to make chicken salad and jambalaya cooked in the microwave. (That was interesting!). We also grilled out and had several picnics at the beach and by our resort pool.

 

[jsmla]

Packing for a Budget Trip

I tend to be a heavy packer even when not on a budget. For this trip I also hauled down a ton of food that I pulled together from the pantry, fridge and freezer.

Pantry
Spices
Box of pasta
Rice
Onion
Garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Leftover tortillas and wraps
Coffee
Tea
Sugar

Fridge
Single serve guacamole pks
Tomatoes
Carrots
3/4 of a huge green pepper
Bunch cilantro
Bunch basil
Salsa
Peanut butter

Freezer
Red beans/sausage
Black beans/seasoned rice
Chicken chili
Bolognese sauce
Taco meat
Turkey sloppy joes
Leftover chicken pot pie filling

We have a very nice cooler and everything but the seasoned rice was still frozen when I unpacked. I always cool down the ice chest before I pack it. My plan was to fill in with dairy and produce once I got to Orlando.

I also packed:
Pyrex bowls/lids
Laundry detergent
Paper towels
Foil
Paper plates
Ziploc bags
Lidded coffee go cups

So, yeah, a ton of stuff. There would have been more but I forgot my Brita water pitcher. It is a bit much but I'm not someone who can exist on sandwiches for two weeks. I enjoy cooking and all of the freezer stuff is, while nothing fancy, homemade and from scratch.

All of this was packed into a smallish cooler, one beach tote and two large reusable grocery bags. Thank goodness I got all of my clothes into a carry on!

I've decided not to include cost estimates for the things brought from home. They came out of my regular food budget, not the vacation funds.

 

[jsmla]

Drive Days


Thursday 9/15
I spent Thursday night at my parents' house. My mother passed away last fall and my dad is currently splitting his time between the house and a nearby assisted living facility. My brother and I are slowly going through the house emptying it of all of the little extras that made it a home. I find going through all of my mother's special memories extremely sad. Like me, Mom was a bit of a sentimental hoarder and there are boxes and boxes of pictures, letters and old report cards. A break from that will be nice.

Anyway, Dad needs help,with his medications and errands so I drove over to take care of that. While there I swiped a 2 liter bottle of Diet Coke for my trip. Stealing from my 81 year old father-cheap knows no morality.

I had to unload the ice chest into the freezer which was a bit of a pain but I didn't want anything to thaw.


Friday 9/16
I tried to scrounge breakfast from the stuff in the house and ended up with a lovely meal of ice cream sandwiches and Diet Coke. The presence of ice cream was a bafflement. My father is pre-diabetic and my brother disapproves strongly of junk food of any sort. So, who bought it? I know that I didn't. Is someone breaking into Dad's house and filling the freezer with delicious frozen treats? It's a mystery.

I left Dad's around 9:00 AM. While on the road I called DH who was busy with demolition. (Massive guilt!) I was very disappointed to realize that, not only was it Science Friday on NPR (One of the major pluses of a liberal arts degree, IMHO, was the delightful near total absence of science and math requirements.) but it was also pledge week-yippee. For the majority of my drive I listened to the good folks of the local stations in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida cajole, beg and plead for funds. Begging and far too much science-I've got to figure out how Bluetooth works.

At some point DH butt dialed me. All I could hear was chain saws-guilt, guilt, guilt.

Before our current strained financial situation came into play I booked a non refundable night in Lake City. I pulled into the Holiday Inn around 5:00. Lunch had been a peanut butter sandwich eaten while driving and I was now both tired and starving. The plan was to eat out of the ice chest but all 439 pounds of it was buried deeply in the bowels of the cargo hold. I thought about hauling all of that junk out and the putting it all back and made an executive decision to go off plan and have dinner at the Ruby Tuesday attached to the hotel.

Early to bed.


Spends
$23.26/gas
$20.00/dinner at Ruby Tuesday

 

[rnorwo1]

We know it could have been much worse. One of our tenants had both her house and business flood and she had no insurance on either. We still have a customer and her four horses living with us. She's in the Alligator Bayou/Spanish Lake area and wasn't even able to get to her house until last week. She had insurance but the house is a total loss and will have to be razed. We're in the Perkins/Bluebonnet area and stayed high and dry.


We had a great cheapo trip to Key West. A few of our favorite cheapo things:

Ft Zachary Taylor State Park-beautiful sunsets, beach and the Eco-Discovery Center

A day at Bahia Honda State Park (You'll need a car for this.)

Sunset at Mallory Square

Happy Hour for cheap eats. Our favorites were The Boathouse and Alonzo's Oyster Bar.



We do enjoy eating out, just not all the time and not necessarily in theme parks. DH was a little leery of my "eating in" plan for Key West but it was fine. I bought a rotisserie chicken at Publix and we had that with salad one night. I used the leftovers to make chicken salad and jambalaya cooked in the microwave. (That was interesting!). We also grilled out and had several picnics at the beach and by our resort pool.

Thanks for the info! We will have a car (the trip is actually more about DH wanting to drive the highway down there, so we are flying Into Ft. Lauderdale, which works bc we had SWA points), so I will look into all of this. We very rarely eat out at home, we are just too busy and frankly it's not always pleasant with our youngest kiddo , so DH really looks forward to it on vacation. We will definitely look for fun and good (not fancy) places, so I'll check these out. Thanks again, I hope you have a great trip and I'm excited to follow along!

 

[jsmla]

Thanks for the info! We will have a car (the trip is actually more about DH wanting to drive the highway down there, so we are flying Into Ft. Lauderdale, which works bc we had SWA points), so I will look into all of this. We very rarely eat out at home, we are just too busy and frankly it's not always pleasant with our youngest kiddo , so DH really looks forward to it on vacation. We will definitely look for fun and good (not fancy) places, so I'll check these out. Thanks again, I hope you have a great trip and I'm excited to follow along!

We did Southwest to FLL too, our fares were something like $120 each RT. The Tripadvisor Key West forum was very helpful with the happy hours. You might want want to check there. There's a huge thread devoted to happy hour. Both Boathouse and Alonzo's are attached to fairly $$$ restaurants so the food was very tasty and a good value. If you like beer the Waterfront Brewery had a good selection and the fried pretzel bread with beer cheese dip was very nice.