"I'm here to check in, reservations under ..."
"Where are your parents?"
"Why? The reservation is under my name"
"Are you sure?"
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After proving I was old enough to reserve a hotel room without my parents, we made it to the hotel room, labeled "efficiency" room (a classy way to call it cheap), which was described to me as "a standard room, with a fridge, microwave, bathroom, two beds, and a view of the street." For $80 a night, though, I had no reason to complain, especially when this was our "non-ocean view" balcony.
After arriving, we gathered the small funds we had available, looked through some coupon books (found in the lobby), and decided to get some dinner. First place we found had a 10% off coupon, but after glancing at the menu, even after the 10%, we were looking at $30 a plate. We moved on. The second place, a cozy Italian restaurant at Barefoot Landing, was around $20 a plate. Being on a budget, this was still too much for us. Before sitting down anywhere, we looked at menus displayed outside of restaurants. Finally, we ended up at a pub with delicious $6 sandwiches and $3 beers. Although it was far from fancy dining, it was all we needed.
Next we made a trip to Walmart to buy any lunch food and drinks needed. This ended up saving us money on 4 meals, each.
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For my first vacation coming from my own pocket, it turned out better than expected. We found deals at every corner possible. Various meals, activities, and drinks were half off, due to the holiday. A theme park in the area was running a special on the forth, where entrance was only $5. We even went to Medieval Times for 50% off.
Although I made a few impulse purchases (a poster here, a decorate piece there), I only spent $130 on the room, and less that $200 on food, purchases, activities, and gas.
I'm sure this saving wont be the case when I return from Europe.
