Since I have been in college I have never had a real spring break. Everything from strep-throat to having to work always seemed to get in the way of me ever going anywhere. This year when spring rolled around I decided that I was going somewhere with my friends no matter what.

However, spring break usually tends to be somewhat costly. So for me to go anywhere was going to require me to sacrifice some spending up until the break and also be on a budget while on spring break. Luckily, my roommate’s family owns a condo in Daytona Beach, Fl. As long as we paid for the maid we were welcome to stay without paying the rental cost. The cost of the maid was $60 and with six of us going the condo would only cost $10 each, but this was the only break in cost I got.

I gave myself a budget of $200. This did not include paying the maid, gas, or things I had to buy before the trip such as clothes and getting my oil changed. I also brought $100 of “emergency money” which turned into spending money fast.

I came home with -$2.13 in my checking account, no gas, and nothing to show for what I spent. While I did have an amazing time, I realize now that I could have spent my money wisely and still had just as good of a time.

Spring Break 2009, Daytona Beach, Florida.

So the following is a list of mistakes I made and ways to avoid them.

1) Taking too many vehicles or taking the least fuel efficient vehicles. We had six people and three SUVs. I met someone who had drove from Illinois in a Chevrolet Cobalt with four other people. To drive my Toyota Highlander cost $75 in gas. Had we drove my friend’s Honda Civic we probably could have cut that cost almost in half. The lesson I learned – I can’t afford to be concerned with comfort for just a 3 ½ hour drive and if someone who has a vehicle with good gas mileage will drive, let them. .

2) Going to bars or clubs with an expensive cover and expensive drinks. Nightlife can be expensive and spent $50 in four nights just paying cover at bars and who only knows how much on $10 drinks. The lesson I learned – just because a place is overflowing with people doesn’t necessarily mean it is going to be fun. I could have had just as much, or more, fun with my friends at a smaller bar.

3) Eating out. Of course it is nice to go out to a nice restaurant while you’re on vacation. Especially those local restaurants that a town or city is known for. However, our condo had a kitchen and we didn’t cook one meal. On average to go out to eat at a nice restaurant cost around $25. Had we cooked dinner just two nights we would have saved $50. The lesson I learned – if you have a kitchen while on vacation USE IT! If not, try to find somewhat inexpensive places to eat at. Ask people who live there, they can probably tell you restaurants that most tourists aren’t going to know about.

4) Driving when you can walk. Our condo wasn’t exactly close to any of the nightlife so to get there we took a cab. Even though it was a good 4 miles away it is still very possible to walk and then just take a cab back if we were too tired. We also wasted gas by driving to places that were very close to the condo. The lesson I learned – If it is safe, WALK! Saves energy, money, and is good exercise.

5) Spending too much money on souvenirs. T-shirts are cool and it’s fun to buy souvenirs. If you’re like me you have too many t-shirts and junk as it is. So why buy more? The lesson I learned – take pictures, they last longer.
Although spring break has come and gone, these can be tips for any trip you take on a budget, and most college stuents are on a budget.

Ashleigh Salinski