Following these steps can help you enjoy more of this:
Grand Hyatt Kauai resort (I can now book this for you!)
Pic by my sis, Megan
Prices between Oahu and Kauai weren't too different and having been there before, I knew which stores were nearby the hotel, so I took those ads with me and tried to put together some meals we could eat from our room and fun snacks so we weren't spending hotel prices. I did have to get the garlic-parmesan waffle-cut fries just once though!
One of the best tools was my COUPONIZER that I got to try out- and it was perfect for this use! This isn't for taking multiples of coupons, but I did pull out our most commonly used ones in the categories it stores for me. It is also handy to have a small scissors that with comes it, while we were away (note: must put in check-in baggage). My favorite part: the COUPSTACKER- helps me quickly sort my coupons and goes into a corresponding page in the book. I still have to divide my Beauty/Health and Household products, but it gets me started.
One of our first stops was Walmart, got some water bottles and the snack/breakfast foods I saw in their Sunday ad. With it being Memorial Day weekend, the sale even lasted a little longer! Doing our big trip at first gave us more time to play at the pool or sight-see. It also gave us snacks during long drives when we weren't enjoying all the lychee in season.
So here are some ways to save while on trips:
1. Find out what stores are near-by ahead of time. You can even call the hotel and ask. There was a small market near the hotel, but the prices weren't that great and not something we'd be very familiar with beforehand. (It was good for emergency fever reducer run though when everything else was 1/2 hour away)
2. Find ads for those stores online (also before leaving if possible) and try to come up with some meals you can do at the place where you are staying. Hotels get tricky with only a refrigerator, but it beats spending resort prices! We flew out on a Thursday, which meant a whole new week of sales started on Wednesday but would last during our whole time away. Check how long those sales run.
3. Bring your coupons! You may not need more than one copy of each, but bring the highlights- things your family most definitely buy on vacation and you most commonly use. Restaurant coupons came in really handy, and I even found a coupon booklet for local spots while at the stores.
4. Do as the locals do. Talk to the employees and find out where they go to eat and what they do for fun. That way you know it's been tested out and you get away from the "tourist traps". This was how we found out about Keoki's Paradise and their awesome prime rib and the out-of-the-way Hamura's saimin on our first trip- but we have to get saimin at least twice each time we go.
5. Condo-it. Our last 3 days we stayed at a timeshare. We got to make Kauai more like "home". VRBO.com is a good way to find places like this to stay. It's not the daily maid-service type of place, but there are other advantages. Eating out less really helps with the trip budget and gives you more options for meals. It was also nice to have a washer and dryer so we got home from our trip and just unpacked and put clothes away, then we didn't have to wash more than what we wore on the plane home! (Those PUREX 3-in-1 sheets are awesome!)
If you want the COUPONIZER there are a few options:
COUPONIZER is sold on Amazon for $19.95, and can be combined with other items in their Super Saver FREE shipping. If you already have other items to order, this is the way to go.
$1.00 off COUPONIZER on their main site at the same price as Amazon (click link in post or ad above) using the code SUMMER10 (exp 7/31/10)- this will come out to just under $25 after coupon and shipping. This is the way to go if you can't find anything else on Amazon that you need.
1 comment:
ok just linked to it & it looks fabulous. IS it? is it tried & tested, do you prefer it? I must have the details.
Post a Comment