Our low-budget Vermont vacation
Another vacation on the cheap! We took a one-night getaway to Vermont two weeks ago. Here's the breakdown: We went up Sunday morning to the Shelburne Museum. I'd won 4 adult admission tickets in an online auction for $39. Value: $22/each, total value $88. Each ticket is good for 2-days admission, so we only had to use two of the tickets. We still have two left, I'm not sure if I'll try to sell them and recoup some of the money or if we'll go back someday... (they never expire!)
On the way up we stopped at a park beside a beautiful waterfall for lunch (packed) - fruit, homemade bread, peanut butter and homemade rhubarb jam. Then on to the museum. We stayed about until closing, sneaking a snack in of homemade pumpkin bread and coffee at the lighthouse. Brought from home, of course!
We stayed at the Eliot House B&B in Shelburne. I'd won a free night there two years ago and we'd never gotten around to using it. I paid $70, with tax the room would have been $138. I'd talked to the owner and asked if we could bring dinner and heat it in a microwave, which was no problem. We had a delicious homemade empanada dinner with pumpkin cornbread for dessert at the B&B breakfast table.
In the morning after breakfast we headed back to the museum until about 2pm. I'd packed our lunch again with food brought from home. It was chilly but we ate on a bench outside, sandwiches of homemade bread with peanut butter and homemade blueberry jelly.
On the way back to Albany we stopped at our favorite grocery store, Champlain Discount. It's a salvage store, carrying dented/damaged food and other merchandise. Most items are marked down anywhere from 20% - 80% off original prices. We spent about $80 and saved at least $100 on our haul. We shop very carefully there, taking at least an hour to really scour the place for bargains.
Vacation tally ("would have spent" is in (): 2 lunches: $0 ($50); admission tickets: $19.50 - half of the $39 I paid ($44); accommodations $70 ($138); dinner $0 ($60); gas $40 ($40). Total spent: $129.50. Figure in $100 or so savings on groceries from Champlain Discount and we're looking at about a net $30 vacation. Cost if we traveled without bargain-hunting: $332. The cost may decrease even yet, if I manage to sell those two remaining tickets to Shelburne Museum!
On the way up we stopped at a park beside a beautiful waterfall for lunch (packed) - fruit, homemade bread, peanut butter and homemade rhubarb jam. Then on to the museum. We stayed about until closing, sneaking a snack in of homemade pumpkin bread and coffee at the lighthouse. Brought from home, of course!
We stayed at the Eliot House B&B in Shelburne. I'd won a free night there two years ago and we'd never gotten around to using it. I paid $70, with tax the room would have been $138. I'd talked to the owner and asked if we could bring dinner and heat it in a microwave, which was no problem. We had a delicious homemade empanada dinner with pumpkin cornbread for dessert at the B&B breakfast table.
In the morning after breakfast we headed back to the museum until about 2pm. I'd packed our lunch again with food brought from home. It was chilly but we ate on a bench outside, sandwiches of homemade bread with peanut butter and homemade blueberry jelly.
On the way back to Albany we stopped at our favorite grocery store, Champlain Discount. It's a salvage store, carrying dented/damaged food and other merchandise. Most items are marked down anywhere from 20% - 80% off original prices. We spent about $80 and saved at least $100 on our haul. We shop very carefully there, taking at least an hour to really scour the place for bargains.
Vacation tally ("would have spent" is in (): 2 lunches: $0 ($50); admission tickets: $19.50 - half of the $39 I paid ($44); accommodations $70 ($138); dinner $0 ($60); gas $40 ($40). Total spent: $129.50. Figure in $100 or so savings on groceries from Champlain Discount and we're looking at about a net $30 vacation. Cost if we traveled without bargain-hunting: $332. The cost may decrease even yet, if I manage to sell those two remaining tickets to Shelburne Museum!