WFMW: Weekend getaways on a shoestring!

I love weekend getaways...getaways with my hubby, getaways with my family, getaways with my girlfriends! Getaways can be quite expensive when you factor in hotel rooms, food, etc. I have found a few things that make these weekends much easier on my budget.

Hotels- I like to use Hotwire.com. I used them in November and stayed at a 4 star hotel in Chicago for $89/night! I used them around Thanksgiving and stayed at a Hampton Inn in Indianapolis for $35/night. I used them last weekend and stayed at a Signature Inn for $35/night and I'm using them this weekend to stay at a Doubletree for $52.

Food- I try to plan out our eating in advance! This weekend when we go to Indy, I had to come up with something for dinner Saturday night and all three meals on Sunday. On Saturday night, we'll eat at a restaurant using a Restaurant.com gift certificate. You can save 80% on Restaurant.com certificates by using the code "DINE". We typically spend about $25 OOP for a family of 4 when we use one of these certificates and we eat quite well! I'm also planning on eating lunch and dinner on Sunday using coupons. I also try to bring snacks from home with me for when we all get the munchies in the hotel room. This is a whole lot cheaper than vending machines and room service!!!

Our weekend away including gas, meals, and hotels will probably cost us around $125...not too bad considering we're a family of 4 and a typical hotel room costs that much!

That's what "works for me!" Head on over to We Are THAT Family for Works for Me Wednesday!