Budget Beach Vacation Nessecities....

[pennydlane72]

We are going on a week long vacation to nags head with my in-laws. They rented a Oceanfront House in Nags Head and we are all pitching in with meal prep and groceries. What else should I bring to make this a budget friendly vacation?

 

[momto3dizkidz]

Bring lots of sunscreen. It is always superexpensive at the beach. I used Target brand this summer and we all did fine!

 

[momto3dizkidz]

We also stocked the freezer with ice cream treats since going our for ice cream always set us back $30 or so...

 

[Jill in Chicago]

Ziplock bags. They make clean up and leftovers so much easier. Consider paper plates. Then you won't fill up the dishwasher with plates and there will be room for all the other kitchen stuff.

Often home rentals do not have a good assortment of casserole pans. If you plan to make any type of casserole, lasagna.... bring along your own pan. Don't forget spices.

Buy toilet paper and paper towels on sale at home. Usually the home will come with just enough to get you through a day or time. The same thing with dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, and sometimes even hand soap. Don't forget your own bath soap and shampoo. This is not always provided.

Baby wipes work well to get suntan lotion off your hands so you do not have to run back up to the house to wash in the sink.

Bug spray. You just never know if you will need it.

 

[TupperMom7]

Pre-package snacks in small ziplock bags. That way sand is not getting into the box of ChexMix, etc. Also bring lots of bottled water - it's hot down there. Let's hope all these hurricanes are gone when you go down.

 

[mrsklamc]

We rented a house at the North Carolina shore this summer and a weird regional thing I found was that the houses didn't include sheets! You could rent them for an extra fee or bring your own. Guess which we did?

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

if they have not clearanced out where you live boogie boards and water toys also beach toys if you can find them on clearance would be a great.

sometimes when you rent the houses include beach chairs and umbrellas not sure what they have in NC the one we rent in SC provides these.

 

[3boymthr]

We rented a house at the North Carolina shore this summer and a weird regional thing I found was that the houses didn't include sheets! You could rent them for an extra fee or bring your own. Guess which we did?

I think that's an east coast thing because we've never stayed in a rental that had sheets or towels or any other kind of linen without paying an extra fee. To OP also make sure to check the sizes of the beds at the house before you leave home. We rented a cabin in Maine and knowing the cabin didn't supply linens brought sheets from home, well, wrong size beds : $100 later we had two sets of scratchy icky colored sheets we couldn't use at home. .

We also bring our own pillows, except this last time when the cottage listing said it came with pillows but lo and behold they weren't usable for sleeping so we had to track some down. Luckily there was a Walmart nearby that had some for $3/ea.

Before you bring casserole pans make sure there's an oven; we've stayed in two cottages that only had toaster ovens and one that the oven was so small it only held small pans like an 8x8.

If you have kids make sure to pack sand toys they're very expensive if you buy them at the beach. Also check to see if boogie boarding is allowed if it is make sure to bring your own from home they cost about twice as much at the beach.

Aside from spice other food items to bring from home - ketchup and mustard and any other item like peanut butter that you won't use the whole container in a week.

 

[mom2brina]

Our rentals have always included linens and towels, but only 3 rolls of toilet paper this year!! This year I did not bring as much stuff as I normally would because we have a smaller vehicle.

Here are some of the household things I bring along:
Cheap plastic storage containers (we like to take fruit to the beach with us so we cut up watermelon and bring cherries and grapes in these containers)

Frozen chocolate chip cookie dough

Small container of laundry detergent (if you have access to a w&d)

Roll of trash bags

A few ziplock bags

Dishwashing detergent (they only leave us 2 pkgs of powder for the whole week)

Refillable water bottles & tea bags (saves on buying so many drinks)

If you know what you are going to cook, bring the required spices with you. I hate having to buy spices there.

Pool & beach chairs / toys

 

[Blue.Fairy2]

I think that's an east coast thing because we've never stayed in a rental that had sheets or towels or any other kind of linen without paying an extra fee. To OP also make sure to check the sizes of the beds at the house before you leave home. We rented a cabin in Maine and knowing the cabin didn't supply linens brought sheets from home, well, wrong size beds : $100 later we had two sets of scratchy icky colored sheets we couldn't use at home. .

We also bring our own pillows, except this last time when the cottage listing said it came with pillows but lo and behold they weren't usable for sleeping so we had to track some down. Luckily there was a Walmart nearby that had some for $3/ea.

Before you bring casserole pans make sure there's an oven; we've stayed in two cottages that only had toaster ovens and one that the oven was so small it only held small pans like an 8x8.

If you have kids make sure to pack sand toys they're very expensive if you buy them at the beach. Also check to see if boogie boarding is allowed if it is make sure to bring your own from home they cost about twice as much at the beach.

Aside from spice other food items to bring from home - ketchup and mustard and any other item like peanut butter that you won't use the whole container in a week.

We live and rent on the East Coast and I have never heard of this before. We rent a house or a condo at the Beach in SC every year and never have we had to rent or bring sheets.

 

[czycropper]

We go to the Shore every year and every other year to the Outer Banks as well-yep we the beach - last year we went to the Caribbean as well as the Shore.

I have a "beach house" bag/section in the basement which I stock up of any missing items at the beginning of the summer, which includes:
-coffee filters
-salt, pepper & spices
-cooking oil
-olive oil
-ketchup
-mustard
-paper towels
-toilet tissue (my family is very picky on the brand)
-dishwashing liquid & soap
-paper cups & paper (I hate to wash too much, only use good plates for dinner)
-suntan lotion
-bug spray
-aloe
-soap
-lotion
-bin with beach towels, bath towels, sheets, beach toys - so all I have to do is pulled it out and I don't have to worry that I have everything
-another bin has the chairs, boogie boards just stacked in so we don't have to be searching for them.

We usually do the grocery shopping here at home (usually Costco) since it's much cheaper and just freeze all the meat. We pack up a couple of coolers with the frozen meat, cold cuts, butter, etc and since we won't open the coolers till we get there (10 hours to Outer Banks but 2 1/2 hours to Barnegat Light) it stays nice and cool.

The only thing I'll buy locally is the seafood (which we all love and is a MUST eat during our beach vacations). Even though I cook most of the time, we do go out to eat twice during the week - the first night we get there (just on principle) and the Thursday before we leave. We're staying 9 days this year so we'll probably go out another night

Have a great time! The Outer Banks is wonderful at this time of the year.

 

[TiffanyK]

Aloe. Sunburn remedies was the thing that we spent the most money on. We did use sunscreen, but some folks burned anyway.

 

[semo233]

Crock pot. Put something in it and let it cook all day. No cooking for you!

Grill utensils (if there is a grill) and matches
Baby powder - great for chafed thighs and to get the sand off
hats (for when your face is sick of the sun!)

 

[Pixieflip]

Pancake mix and maple syrup. Feeds an army for cheap and it really fills them up nicely for the day at the beach.

 

[TnTWalter]

Buckets and shovels!!

Beach Chairs

Pam for cooking. If they have a grill, some grill tools just in case they don't have them. Put some dishwash soap in zip lock bags or bring the box. Laundry detergent, etc. Trash Bags.

Big water jug so you can fill it with ice...also buy the plastic cups for the water so you can write names on it. Great cheap beach drinks for family.

Bottle/wine opener just in case.

Big bag for beach stuff just in case wagon
not provided.

Enjoy!!!

Trish

 

[Joyful3Heart]

beach umbrellas, ditto the crock pot and ziploc bags. Aldi's carries a 2 gallon zipper bag which is great for just about anything-shells, wet bathing suits etc. We never eat out our first day there, we are so exhausted we don't enjoy it half as much. We pack a cooler with one dinner and one breakfast so we can go grocery shopping after breakfast (much less crowded). Do check to see if linens are included, it depends on the realty company. We love Nags Head area. Have a blast!

 

[fauna74]

Some really great suggestions so far. The only thing I would add - (if there will be kids in your group) go to the $ store or michael's and buy a bunch of glow sticks. Take them out to the beach at night. Super cheap, super fun.

 

[NotUrsula]

Lots of places have umbrellas for use, but I've never encountered one that provided a sand anchor. Major necessity, IMO, especially if you are going this late in the season when there may be hurricane backwash creating higher winds than usual.

We fly to the beach, so we are resigned to buying a lot, but that sand anchor is always in the suitcase. You can only find them in beachy areas (or online), so buy one (or two) this time, but keep it so you don't have to buy one again.

Also, take along a rubber mallet for pounding in any stakes or such.

 

[Hoppy]

Gosh, you'll are really vacationing in the wrong place I like to stock my beach house with all sorts of stuff for my guests--they're on vacation.

I think the only things y'all mentioned I don't provide is the ziploc bags and the mallet for the beach (I do have an anchor for the umbrella and I do leave industrial rolls of tin foil and plastic wrap for guests).

 

[caligirl stuck in va]

Not sure what is provided in your rental home, but maybe some small family games (UNO, Yahtzee dice, cards, etc.) for that porch/patio on the beach house. Also, DVDs for down time. We have two DDs (8 and 5) - we like to take the girls' scooters. We stay up in Corolla and there is plenty of area to ride scooters and bikes (I think the bikes are going with us this year). Also, we bring art supplies.

Everybody else mentioned great stuff that we bring for food and beach supplies.

We are going down this year in mid-September. Make sure your windshield wipers are in GREAT working order and that your vehicle is running well, too. I watch the weather ALOT. Last year we had some bad weather and it was not fun. (Games, DVDs and art stuff come in handy on rain days!) I wish you a hurricane free visit!