Gone a week, gone a lifetime

We spent the past week in Florida with my in-laws.  It was warm down there- some days drenching us in sweat, though by the last few days it was beautiful.

When we returned home, it felt like we had been gone more like a month!  It's cool here- approaching cold at night.  The trees, which had just begun to color their leaves when we left, are nearing their full Fall splendor.  My poor in-laws live in the mountains and they came home to bare trees and dead tomato plants!
Our garden is mostly dead as well, time to pick the very last of it's produce. 

My junior bunnies (those under 6 months old) have undergone a metamorphosis since I have last seen them- mostly for the better!  Still, in just a single week my "babies" have turned in to mini adults! Time flies in earnest when you're gone.

We did have one mild heartattack when we came home- the chickens were all out and two were missing.  I saw tons of feathers everywhere and assumed the worst, but luckily everyone is still alive.  The other two girls were apparently off on a field trip somewhere.  Note to self: fix the coop door.

-Kristen

How do you vacation?

I was talking to a friend recently about her vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  I mentioned that if I had known she was planning on vacationing there, we could have rented them our timeshare, which is a very nice property.

April then said that it was a last minute trip, as most of their trips are.

That got me thinking- what is your style of vacationing?

For me, I need to have at least a month of planning.  I prefer multiple months.  For instance, we're going to Disney World (again) with my in-laws in October.  I've known since March or so that they wanted to take the trip and I've succeeded in getting myself named Trip Planner.

For me, that includes research on the parks (again), research on dining options (again), planning out which park on which day to visit, stopping by the Florida Welcome Center for coupons and brochures (mostly coupons).  When we went to San Diego, I had an itinerary for each day with what we wanted to do, addresses, etc. 

Now, don't misunderstand me when I say itinerary.  It did not read like this:

9:00am        Get up
9:01-9:06     Bathroom Break
9:07-9:09     Brush Teeth
9:10- 9:20    Breakfast

Instead, it was much more like this:

Saturday: La Jolla, Old Town
Sunday: Point Loma, Coronado, La Jolla
Monday: Los Angeles, Anaheim Angels Game
Tuesday: San Diego Zoo
Wednesday: Disneyland

I actually tend to be very laid back on vacations, but I do like knowing what we are going to do each day.  I feel it helps us get everything we want to do done, without cramming things in on the last day or visiting on the very worst day possible.  I knew in Disneyland what we *must* see that was different from Disney World and where to eat (because of large portions and the ability to split meals).  I knew little trivia about certain rides- for instance, in Disneyland "Pirates of the Carribean", they used to use all real human skulls, because they were cheaper than buying fakes.  One skull in the ride is still real, it's the one over the captain's bed.   I like knowing that kind of thing.  I'm a nerd. 

If I have to, I can plan a vacation in a week. To just up and go? That would likely kill me.  I have to hunt for the deals, check groupon and living social for anything we want to do, get my tip sheets and itinerary ready, etc.   I have to coupon my way to my vacation.  Once there, the stress disappears.  A few days in San Diego we even finished up with what we wanted to do with half the day left! In that case, we flirted with flying by the seat of our pants, just up and saying "Well, let's go get Sprinkles cupcakes!"  One day, we went to Palomar Mountain then drove the length of the coast down to San Diego just to enjoy the views.  It was completely unplanned but lots of fun.  Thanks to my daily planning, we had the time to do that without stressing we wouldn't be able to squeeze something else in.

I'm not saying one way of vacationing is better than the other.  I can definitely see the appeal of just going and enjoying! I'm not wired that way though. 

-Kristen

Happy to be home!

We're home, we're home! 

The vacation was fun, but in most cases by Day 5 I am more than ready to be home.  Pictures and stories will be coming soon.

All the animals are doing great- the smallest set of chickens have mostly integrated with the flock, though they still prefer to hang out together.  At least there aren't constant fights! They have gotten so big, it's amazing!

The rabbits are all doing great as well- several of the babies are old enough to wean now and one little guy has hopped out of the nestbox!

The biggest surprise was the garden!  It looks fantastic- the volunteer tomato plant has blooms on it, as do several of the pepper plants and the cucumber plant!  The peas are shooting up with a vengeance that amazes me.  I was even able to pick our first bit of produce today- a hot banana pepper.  Woo hoo!

We added in a cantaloupe plant today.  I nearly bought some cilantro and basil, but I honestly don't use either very much.  The cilantro would mostly be for the salsa and one bundle from the grocery store is more than enough and cheaper than planting my own.  If we ever get our own home, I will definitely be planting a herb garden.

The cats are thrilled with life now that we are back.  They always act like they don't love us, but they totally do :).

-Kristen

Don't think I didn't notice!

Vacation is soon. So soon.  Yet not soon enough.  I still have an agonizing week of work to get through before glorious, glorious vacation. 

Anyway.

My poor laptop battery is shot.  I think it's the battery, anyway.  I've been eyeballing this replacement (offbrand, of course) on Amazon.com for a while. It was $18, but eligible for free shipping once I hit that $25 minimum.  I wasn't sure what else I wanted to buy (because I am morally opposed to spending $6 on shipping when I could spend $7 and get another item), so I have put off buying it.

I finally decided today to snatch up "The Scottish Prisoner" by Diana Gabaldon.  I had been going back and forth on the book for Kindle, or hardcover to match the others in the set.  I'm totally going with the hardcover to match because my OCD commands it of me.  I figure if I order it now, it will have arrived by the time I get home from vacation, so it's basically like not having to wait for it at all (I trick myself out of my impatience).  My cart informs me that the price of the battery has dropped from $18 to $12. Schweet.

I got ready to check out and suddenly my $26 purchase is $36+. Whaaaaaaat?
The sneaky bastards that are selling the laptop battery dropped the purchase price but now you have to pay shipping! Which brings my book under the minimum required amount for the Amazon free shipping- which adds almost $6 an item to my total.

Pfft. Don't think I don't know what you did there people.  You dropped the price so folks would rush out and pay the same price for the item once shipping is tacked on.

That irks me.  I don't like the sneaky tactics to try to sell things.  Plus, I was kind of looking forward to that free shipping from Amazon, which I am no longer eligible for. 

So now I am sad- no new book, no computer battery for me.  I guess I will wait until they switch the price back around to purchase the battery. 

Sorry Scottish Prisoner- it wasn't meant to be yet.  I'll read you some day soon though!

-Kristen

Edited 5/3:  Now the price for the battery is back to normal, with free super saver shipping.... I win!

Vacation Plans

Well, I promised Tim a big vacation this year and we are certainly going to have one.  We are headed to San Diego!

This means I'm going to be couponing in overdrive until May, when we hope to go (actually, when am I not couponing in overdrive?)

The biggest expense by far is going to be the airplane tickets out to California. $388 a person is the best we've been able to find and believe me when I say we have looked everywhere.  Taking a train seems to be out of the question, because Amtrak doesn't run to San Diego and I am sure not sitting on a bus for three days!

I am excited.  There is so much to do and see, just in the San Diego area.  We are going to swing up to Anaheim and go to Disneyland for a day and hopefully we can squeeze in a little Hollywood sight-seeing as well.  If only we could go now and if only we didn't have to fly.

-Kristen

Offsetting Vacation Costs

I posted here that I like to try to offset our vacation costs as much as possible.  I wanted to share how I do that.

Cook in the room- This one is a biggie for us.  We are lucky in that we have a nice time share. If we use it, it has a full kitchen.  If we trade it in to go elsewhere, we can choose places that have full kitchens in the rooms.  A quick trip to the grocery store (with coupons, of course) and we can at least toss in a frozen pizza one night, or make sandwiches one day!  Plus it's a nice break from eating out every.single.day.  It's also healthier and really can make the difference on a week-long trip financially.

Take photos of things I want- This one is a lot of fun and way cheaper than simply buying everything you see.  I also don't end up with buyer's remorse when I get home, nor do I have to figure out how to cram it on the plane/in the car.  I did a big write up on this idea here.


Frugal car rentals- This is one where Tim and I really differ.  Sometimes, we take trips that involve rental cars. He'd much rather pay the extra $20 a day and upgrade to a super cool car that he never gets to drive in real life.  He'd love to get a Challenger to drive around.  I'd rather get the cheapest thing possible- it probably also has the best gas mileage!  Just think, on a 7 day trip, that extra $20 turns in to $140.  Not to mention the gas costs.  Stick to a regular car.  After all, no one knows you in your vacation spot anyway.  If you really want to pretend you had a cool car, run by a car dealership and snap a few free photos.  Or just get over it,

Groupon- Once we figure out where we are headed, I go to Groupon and start checking out the deals in that city or the surrounding area.  Why not? You can end up with half off of something you really wanted to do anyway! Living Social is also a site I like to keep an eye on.

Transport- I offer transport for the bunnies!  Obviously this doesn't work out unless we are driving, but rabbit transport goes from $15-$35 depending on the person doing it. If you don't mind making a small pit-stop or two, it can really help out.  You can also transport other things- just use your imagination.  I do recommend only meaning in public areas though.

Coupon- I take my coupons on vacation with me! Not only that, I actively search out coupons for things I know we want to do or places we want to eat.  A few years ago I got my family week-long tickets to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for $99 a person.  My aunt went just two weeks before us and paid $150 for 2 days worth of tickets per member of her family. A little planning really does go a very, very long way.


Ebates- Ebates is my favorite way to save money on vacation.  It's a shopping portal.  Basically you sign up and then when you want to purchase something online, you go to ebates.com. You search for your store and it will tell you what % cashback you get when you click their link to open the store's website.  That's it!  The best part?  Groupon works with it.  All of your travel sites work with it.  That's right.  You could book your hotel through ebates- get money back.  Book your car through ebates- get money back.  You are being paid to plan the exact same vacation you were going to plan anyway! Why would you not? I've used ebates for several years now and have always been paid- I love it.


So there we have it.  Some of the ways I take the sting out of paying for vacation!

-Kristen

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Vacation Planning

Well, it's that time of year again. With Christmas over, Tim & I start trying to plan our vacation!

This year is a little unique, in that we won't be attending the National Convention for the rabbits, and the smaller Breed Nationals show is literally 20 minutes away for us.  This means I won't have to take any vacation days for either show.  No hotel fees, gas, food costs- none of it associated with the expensive larger shows, and no $15 an entry show fees!

So.  That means if we want to, we can take a really nice vacation! One with- dare I say it?- airfare.

Vacation planning time always depresses me just a little. It's hard to plan so far in advance.  What if we have a major bill come up? That happened to us last year, which cast a bit of a pall on Disney World.  What if I break a leg? What if, what if, what if.  Remember, I'm an excessive worry wart.

Not to mention, vacations are expensive.  I know they don't have to be, but even driving somewhere semi-locally, like the beach, can run in to some money.  After all, you have the gas expenses, plus food expenses and lord-forbid you want to go out and do things while you are there!  We do our best to offset our costs, which I will talk about in another post, but still, no matter what you do, vacations can drain your bank account.

Still- you're only young enough to really enjoy your vacations once, right?  For instance- I don't think Vegas at 80 would be the same amount of fun as Vegas at 30.

Besides, Tim lets me ruin our vacation days with rabbit shows.  He deserves a super nice one every little bit. I might even let him decide where we go.

Though I retain full veto power, of course.

-Kristen

Getting back in the swing of things

It's so hard to get back in the swing of things when you've been gone.  We spent a week in Indianapolis (or on the road to get there or to get back) and I feel like I am majorly trying to play catch-up.  I had over 300 emails, most of which I actually had to read or at least scan.

We still need to go grocery shopping, but all we really want to do is snuggle up on the couch with the kitties and watch tv.  Oh- and sleep.  I want to sleep lots and lots. 

At least we still have the weekend before I have to go back to work on Monday.

-Kristen

Souvenirs

This is an odd time to talk about vacations, but we're about to go to Indianapolis and it's on my mind.  This was written during our trip to Disney World, but I feel it's applicable to any trip and has been updated a bit.

Surely this is a hat for all occasions.

One of the most overpriced things on vacations (other than theme park food!) are souvenirs. Plus, you can't exit a ride or walk 50 yards without seeing entire stores devote to sparkly, fluffy, expensive crap.


A great way to save money is to wait to buy. Don't buy until the last day of your vacation or until the last day you know you'll be doing something like going to a theme park.  This way, you can scope out anything you just can't live without, and in some cases you find something you want more or find it cheaper elsewhere!

We've seen $15 water spraying hand-held fans. The same fans are in Wal-mart for $5, they are just lacking a little imagination. Try buying the fans at Wal-mart and then purchasing a $1 pack of stickers and decorating it yourself. Much cheaper than the anything sold in the park!

You can also do things like buy the Disney trading pins on ebay for a very discounted price.  Then you (or your kids) can trade them in the parks for the newest thing.  No need to spend $50 on the starter kits!

Yum yum! They were $9 though and I suspect they didn't taste very good.

The Wal-mart, Flea Market and pretty much any drug or grocery store in Florida is lined with entire aisles devoted to Disney themed items. We've gone to Disney discount warehouses where items were 50% off. It's awesome! Of course, you will probably be getting more generic Tigger items, but hey if you need to buy a gift for someone at home, that's definitely the way to go. 

Speaking of- don't buy gifts for everyone! I'm sorry, this is your vacation. This isn't buy-something-for-everyone-you-ever-met week. We often purchase a gift for the person taking care of our animals and possibly something as a Christmas gift for someone. 

Also remember- a vacation doesn't hinge on the stuff you buy. I've seen more adorable stuffed animals than I can shake a stick at. In 2 years, that $30 unicorn is going to end up in a yard sale for $1. In 5 years, if I remember it at ALL, I'll remember it as a huge waste of money. Instead, I prefer to collect one small thing- in this case I purchase a small ornament (preferably dated) wherever we go. For $8, I'll have this one small souvenir and at Christmas each year we can relive fun times we had at various places as we decorate the tree! Tim likes to purchase a drinking glass. We both seem to prefer useful items.  I just take pictures of the fun things I'd like to own but don't want to spend the money on.

I wanted this so bad.

My favorite souvenirs are pictures. I take a ton on my digital camera. Funny little signs, cute attractions, whatever catches my fancy. That reminds me much more of things we did than a $7 keychain or a $25 shirt.  I have even started taking pictures of things I kind of want to buy but don't want to spend the money on.

Don't freak out over spending any money on a little something. DO avoid spending $100 on junk though. Set a budget per person and stick to it- don't feel like you HAVE to spend the whole amount though. It'll be okay if you don't. Promise :).

-Kristen

Avatar coming to Disney World?

I love Disney World.  Love it.  Don't necessarily love the price of taking a nice vacation down there, but we really do enjoy it.

I just read tonight that Disney World has purchased the rights to make Avatar attractions in it's Animal Kingdom.

Whaaaaaaaat?  What does Avatar have to do with Disney?

Disney is doing some huge expansions lately.  They are redoing Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom, adding in Beast's Castle, Eric's Castle (from The Little Mermaid), several new rides, a huge circus themed area and a fun new roller coaster.

It's looking like Disney World will be the place to be in 2016-2017, once everything gets done! It will also give a year or so for everyone to rush down and be the "first" to see the new attractions. 

I guess I'm ok with waiting 6 years until I can go back to Disney.  After all, I was 17 when I got to visit for the first time.  At least with so long to save and plan, perhaps we can do a few more meals in the parks, instead of bouncing out to go eat at cheaper places.

-Kristen