I recently experienced a “first” while I was in Las Vegas over the weekend. No it’s probably not what you are thinking since what I’m referring to is cooking while my wife and I are on a trip together! I never thought it was possible but the dinner actually turned out great! We had delicious food, we had fun and we saved a ton of money too!
It all started when my wife noticed that the hotel we stayed at offered a gas grill by the pool side. As our room also provided a dishwasher, plates and utensils, my wife decided to prepare some chicken wings to grill on Saturday night!
It was quite surprising to come back to the hotel room to find uncooked food on the counter but after my wife explained the plans, I was delighted to help and start our evening!
Why Cooking During Our Trip was Amazing
The gas grill worked great and we had a lovely dinner outdoors while watching the stars! Here are some other reasons why it was amazing.
- No Wait – Everywhere in Las Vegas is packed so it was a good change as there were no lines!
- Romantic – It was just the two of us and it was peaceful and also a wonderful night!
- It was different – it was surprising to say the least!
- And of course, it saved us a ton of money – The night’s cost was about $8 for the two of us since everything else was provided by the hotel. Compare this with the dinner we had the night before that cost us $50.
What I Learned about Saving Money from The BBQ
- Think out of the Box – There are always new ways to save money! Be creative!
- Don’t be Afraid to Try New Things – If my wife didn’t decide to just prepare the food, I might not think it would be a good idea as we were in a hotel after all. As it turned out, I had a wonderful night and I will probably do it again in the future!
- Turn Old Tricks in New by Changing the Environment – If I cooked while I’m on a trip, I might be able to save more money by applying what I already do with one activity and expand it to different environments. Hmm. Time to Start Brainstorming!
Promote or Save This Article
If you like this article, please consider bookmarking or helping us promote it!
Print Post | Email Post | Del.icio.us | Stumble it! | Reddit |
Related Posts
- Budget Travel
- Best of Personal Finance Blog by MoneyNing September 2008
- Frugal Living
- Groceries That Help Make Us Rich
- Do You Switch “Frugal Mode” On When You Come Back from Vacation?
Subscribe! (and Get a Mini-Course with Free Registration)
Follow me on twitter! In addition, subscribe to grab free amazing content or take advantage of the newsletter to have content delivered to you. For starters, a 7-part mini course to help you spend less and be happy will be delivered to you when you subscribe!(Don't worry about spam, because we hate it as much as you do!)
Twitter
Facebook
Subscribe
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just in Vegas too, and spent wayyy to much money eating out, even trying to be frugal (splitting 1 appetizer+1 entree for my wife and I, no cocktails/alcohol etc…)
What hotel was it that had the grill? I’ll definitely have to keep that in mind for my next Vegas trip!
Neat little idea!
I’ve seen those grills around hotels but always wondered whether people uses them. I guess they do!
I will just have to try it next time.
This sounds like such a great idea. I’ve never heard of hotels offering grills. One of my favorite memories of family vacations is the smell of the food cooking – it’s part of the whole atmosphere – I’ll have to look into this next time I’m planning a vacation.
Great Idea for saving money
but I can’t cook
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Remember when folks used to go on long drives and wrap a meal in several layers of tin foil and place carefully on the engine compartment of the car so it would cook using the engine for heat?
Boy, that takes me back! Used to be actual cookbooks for on-the-road cooking.
Ok – so now I’m telling how old I am! haha
Okay, now hang onto your hat…
SDXB (Semi-Demi-Exboyfriend, the Emperor of Cheap) loved to travel but he would not, would not, WOULD NOT eat out.
So…what did he do for food while gadding around the country? How did he make do during the long TDY’s to garden spots like the noncommissioned officers’ quarters in San Antonio and Robins, Georgia?
Camping gear. He would pack all his camping cookware (lovingly collected from various yard sales) plus a camp stove. When we’d arrive at our destination, he would run out and buy a propane canister and then hit the grocery store (he’s the only man I know who loves to grocery-shop–he regards it as a competitive sport). We would cook in the motel room, eat on the floor if there was no table, and clean up in the bathroom. Food was often very good: a typical dinner was pork chops, mashed potatoes, salad or veggie, wine, coffee or tea.
You can travel really cheap that way. Yup.
And when you’re on TDY, you know, you get a per diem to buy food, which saner people assume will be taken in restaurants or ordered out from pizzerias. Because he could eat so cheaply out of his traveling kitchen, he would come home with a pocketful of change. Enough, indeed, that he didn’t have to work at all most of the year: a two- or three-month TDY would support him for the other nine or ten months of the year.
Amazing, eh?
This is a really good idea. I didn’t think that you can cook in the hotel. These days whenever we travel, I try to look for accommodation with full kitchen. I think it’s cheaper and easier on our schedule to be able to have dinner in our room. Kids are less trouble.
BF and I almost never eat out when we go on vacation. We ALWAYS book a hotel with at least a microwave, and we cook.
When camping in a tent we took our crockpot( it would work in a room) put on dinner go sightseeing lunch out if the place we were had special places we did not want to miss. When we got back at night supper was ready.