How to Have an Extravagant Beach Weekend for Next to Nothing
I just got back from a fantastic, stress-free weekend at the beach with 11 of my girlfriends! I wanted to share some of the money-saving ideas we used to make it a fun and affordable time. The keys are to plan ahead, do things as a group, and share costs. It can be tough for friends to all get together at the same time, but the more fun you build into your trip, the more interested folks will be and the less you'll each have to spend. Here are some great money saving ideas for your group – of families, couples or singles – to enjoy what will feel like an extravagant beach week or weekend without breaking the bank!
Consider Your Local Beaches. Make a tradition of going to your area's local lakes or beaches. Flying is a big chunk of time, cost & headache – and once you get there, transportation or rental cars add to your expense! On the East Coast depending on where you are, some of these fantastic places may be within driving distance:
The places above are my go-to beaches because you can rent a house reasonably and there are plenty of things to do once you are there. When I lived in Chicago I took trips to the Wisconsin Dells and Mackinac Island in Michigan. Both were amazing in their own right, but I am not qualified to make too many regional recommendations outside of my native East Coast. Readers from the South, Midwest or West Coast, please post your favorite beach getaway spots in the comments section!
Carpool. One of the best parts of the beach trip is getting there – with friends! It's easy to procrastinate or get stuck at work longer than you mean to, so a group of us girls always agree to take the afternoon off and drive together. We all meet and ditch our cars in one of our work parking garages (safer than street-parking my car in the city for a weekend anyway) and make a road trip out of it. It's a way to catch up with each other and plan for the week or weekend! We always listen to some great music, and we save on tolls and gas.
Rent a House. This is so much more cost-effective than renting hotel rooms, which I have done in a pinch. In order to get a house with the right number of rooms/beds, you'll usually have to book before the season starts for the summer. It's often easier to find what you are looking for if you plan to go to the beach during the off-season. I've had a fabulous time both before Labor Day and after Memorial Day at the beach – getting fried in the sun and fighting the crowds and traffic aren't my cup of tea. I've also found deep discounts when the owner typically has more trouble finding renters (kids are back in school). For me it's all about getting away with my friends, so time of year isn't as important. I'm also blessed to have friends with beach houses, which makes going to the beach a no-brainer! If you are lucky enough to know someone with a vacation house, ask first if they will rent it to you during the off season, or if there's a week this summer it's not booked yet. Depending on how close you are and whether or not you can reciprocate in some way, you may find yourself with a free place to stay for the week or weekend as long as you cover the cost of a maid. Keep in mind though that even your good friend can always rent his place out to a paying customer, so have some tact when you ask!
If your numbers are slightly off or you can't recruit enough folks to ditch work for the beach (i.e. your friends are a little lame), find more folks to add to your beach group on MIRL! Post that you have an extra spot in your beach house and start interviewing potential new friends.
Bring Your Own Groceries. Shopping as a group, cooking together and eating “in” is a fantastic way to be healthy, bond with your group and save money. You can plan ahead of time and distribute a menu and lists of what people are responsible for via email, or you can do this when you arrive at your destination. If you are staying somewhere for an entire week, you'll probably want to plan a bit more given the number of meals you'll have to cook. Either way, be sure to save your receipts and split up the cost to keep things fair. Breakfasts should be simple, lunches should be cooler-friendly, and dinner easy to cook quickly. If someone has a specialty or dish they want to cook and share, encourage this! Also designate someone to be in charge of booze as well – this is a big task and could get pricey.
Rent a Pontoon Boat. One really fun and inexpensive activity on a beach or lake trip is to rent a pontoon boat! The boat becomes a floating party for your group – you can cruise around with the wind in your hair, you can swim off of it, go fishing, lay out, drink, barbeque, stargaze, whatever. The typical pontoon boat has an extremely shallow draft (usually about 8") which means even more inexperienced boaters will be able to navigate safely without running aground. There's a covered area on most pontoon boats for folks who want to escape the sun, and some even have a small enclosed area for changing. I've heard of folks whose entire weekend getaway is driving to rent a pontoon boat! Worth considering.
Use a Kayak or Bicycle Delivery Service. Getting your sea kayaks or beach cruisers delivered is such a huge time saver, and you'd be surprised at how inexpensive this is. Many places will do it for free or for a nominal fee because they know you'll rent from them first if they advertise this service. Be sure to tip your driver!
Rent Your Umbreallas for the Week. If you keep an eye to the weather, you'll find a huge discount in renting beach umbrellas for the week rather than for the day.
Share a Sitter. If you and your friends have children, bring one of your trusted babysitters along and split the cost. She can help out with bathroom trips, get an exhausted little one out of the sun, assist with carting beach toys, watch the kids while the adults go out for the evening and a hundred other things.
Dine Out at a BYOB Restaurant. I've been to some fabulous Bring Your Own Bottle (BYOB) restaurants at the Jersey Shore and Martha's Vineyard – look into whether your area has one! You can bring that super duper expensive bottle you've been saving for a special occasion, or just bring a bunch of the el cheapo stuff and marvel at how much you've saved when the check arrives. I had the best Italian meal I've had in ages this weekend, we ate well, and the bill for 11 of us was $22 per person – we split it 10 ways to cover the guest of honor's meal - unheard of! Our server got a great tip.
Book a Limousine, This may sound a bit extravagant, but my girlfriends and I indulged this weekend and it made our time together that much more memorable! If your beach plans include nightlife or bar hopping, I highly recommend getting a limo. Split several ways it is VERY affordable (we would have spent that much on cabs or parking anyway), you can drink in the limo & tote whatever you want along with you (wine for our BYOB joint, flip flops for when our 4” heels became too much), we all arrived for our dinner reservations at the same time, no headaches searching for parking, none of us had a thought about traffic, and the glamor factor was pretty hard to beat.
Respond to this blog by posting your ideas for money-saving fun at the beach in the comments section, what beach is the best in your region and why. I'm looking forward to hearing from you!
Another idea if you don't mind getting up early is a fishing charter. Depending on what you want to spend you can join other fishermen on a head boat (party boat) or go all out and charter your own captained boat for some sport fishing.
If you only want to go out in good weather then I suggest reserving a couple days ahead of time rather than weeks in advance - you are also more likely to get sea sick when it is cloudy and windy (15 knots or more). Consider reserving a boat by going by the docks and talking to the captains in the late afternoon. This way you can check out the boats, see what others are catching, and enjoy a couple drinks at seaside bar while you're down there.