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editor's note: Occasionally we'll get an email from someone reminding us that frugal living can be taken too far. We offer the following article as proof that too much of a good thing can become a bad thing! (Please note that the author was kidding and wasn't really recommending these ideas, so no one needs to send him (or me) an email to set the record straight! Our hope is that we can all look back and laugh at something that we did that was 'too frugal')
We live in Wisconsin and there are so many places to go here, but you still must watch your budget when you vacation in Florida. Our food budget is the biggest problem for us when we're on vacation. I have found a wonderful thing to do.
About six months before a trip, I start buying old clothes at Salvation Army and Goodwill. If I spend $1 a week on old holey clothes, I will have $26 worth of dirty, holey and well-worn clothes when we go on vacation. Enough for the whole family!
Here's the beauty of it all. We put these clothes on after we've had our fun for the day. We then go to Homeless Shelters, the YMCA, or YWCA and "bunk down" for the night. Believe me; you meet some really interesting people when you stay at one of these nice, friendly and warm shelters. Best of all, it costs abso-frickin-lutely nothing.
Also, before we head out for the day, we hit the same shelters for breakfast and a sack lunch. Sometimes, if the amusement parks we're visiting don't open until noon or later, we have the kids go out and panhandle before we change clothes for the fun-filled days of vacation. (That's spending money for the kids, free and clear). If we hurry back after a fun-filled day, we even get another free meal; and believe me, the evening meal is much better than any you've had (don't tell Mom, but it's almost like home-cookin').
Using this approach, you don't have to worry about the money as much because you're not spending one thin dime. Heck, if you have no scruples, you can even call up the local Pastor and tell him that your kids have never been to Disney Land (which is true in our case), and chances are, they'll throw a few free tickets your way. (Heads up! This works best if you call from the Shelter.)
Anyway, with all the money you've saved on vacation, you can use on you and your spouse when you get home. And we all know, there's nothing better than a vacation away from the kids, is there? Have a Hinkely-Dinkely-Doo Day!
"My Story" is a regular feature of The Dollar Stretcher. If you have a story that could help save time or money, please send it by mailto:MyStory@stretcher.com
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