Money saving ideas - What are yours?

Most people are looking for ways to save money on vacation while still having as much fun. Here are a few of our EASY ways to cut costs and control your budget EVERYDAY:

1) Find a hotel deal within your budget .............. look for deals that may include the Jamaican Room Tax and hotel service fees (collected and distributed to hotel employees who normally do not receive tips such as gardeners, maids, laundry people, and other "backroom employees) ............ these hidden taxes and fees normally run up to 20% of room rate plus $4 per bedroom per night Room Tax. Savings of 20% minimum

2) Stay at a hotel near where you spend the majority of your time. For example we are "beach people" so we stay the majority of the time at a beach hotel. Less transportation costs. Savings vary on how much you travel and what kind of transport you use.

3) Find a hotel that provides the extras you need or want the most. For example, free ice, clean beach towels every day, free breakfast, free refrigerator, free AC, etc... Save money and enjoy more at the same time.

4) Use your in-room refrig to the best of your ability. Case of beer from local store is $20-$24 US. Twenty for beers at $2US at a bar is $48 - do the math.

5) Like some special drinks that are hard to find or expensive. Like Gin/Vodka and tonic or seltzer ?............ bring a few bottles of tonic or seltzer. Like Bourbon? - pack a bottle or three of your favorite. Gimlets are your favorite - pack Rose's Lime Juice. Tequila on the rocks lights you fire - pack some tequila. Need a bloody mary to clear the fog in the morning - pack bloody mary mix and tomato juice. Like a nice olive or three in your sunset martini - pack a jar of olives ............. and vermouth. We pack ALL of the above.

6) Some hotel booking sites have discount cards included in their packages. For example negrilonestop.com has a card which gives you 10-15% discount at many places. That makes going out to a nicer place easier on the budget. We used it extensively in April. That is another 10% - 15 % savings.

7) Work the "happy hour" angle to your best advantage. Lots of places have discount food or drinks if you know where and when to look. For example White Sands has a "2 drinks for 1 price" special daily. Not exactly "buy one get one deal" but still a substantial savings over regular prices.

8) Find a way to cheaply convert your US dollars into Jamaican dollars and pay for most things in Jamaican dollars. ATM's charge a service charge which can vary but $5 US or more per transaction is not unheard of. Your bank may charge a ATM fee AND a foreign transaction fee which can run from zero to 15%. The exchange rate you get at a restaurant or bar will always be less then a Bank or Cambio. For example, beers on the beach can cost $150 to $400 Jamaican But you only have US dollars? They will charge you $1.50 to $4.00US. Might not seem like much, but with an exchange rate of $115 JA to $1US you just paid $230JA for a $200JA beer. Total those savings and it is a easy 15% - 25% savings just in simple currency management.

9) Stay longer. Airfare is a fixed cost and if you spread that cost over more days your cost per day is less. You don't save any money but you certainly will have more fun ! !

10) Fly on days when flights are cheaper. ITAsoftware.com has a great feature to show a 30 day calendar of flight costs. Some times moving ahead or back a day or two can save you $$$$$.

Disclaimer: I am a low season, shoestring budget traveler, LOL
Many hotels offer free breakfast, or incentives like stay 6 nights get one free, usually in low season
Scope out hotel rates online, then walk in with cash and make an offer (if the thought of doing that doesn't freak you out.)
I bring a small hot pot to boil water for tea, porridge, etc.
I bring a big bag of tropical trail mix and small ziplock bags to carry some to the beach or wherever
have brought fishing line and hooks and enjoyed the catch of the day
I keep it local - no chain or corporate type of business gets my cash (except the airline)
Stuff like sunscreen and "American" style snacks can be very expensive so don't forget to pack them.

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Originally Posted by goldilocks

I keep it local - no chain or corporate type of business gets my cash (except the airline)
Stuff like sunscreen and "American" style snacks can be very expensive so don't forget to pack them.

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These are excellent points. When we shop at the markets (i.e. Hi Lo, L&M, etc), we only buy local items and stay from the imported stuff. I see no reason to buy a $5 bag of Doritos, when I came to Jamaica to experience things that we can't get at home.

Also, items like sunscreen and toiletries are brought from home. Although you can find them on the island, you pay a premium for the imported brands.

bun and cheese from the store for breakfast and/or lunch a couple days.

I was a college student back when I first started going. Coca bread and cheese for breakfast . Couple beef patties for lunch and chicken off the truck for dinner . Under 10 a day. Yum yum

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Originally Posted by Captain Oil

4) Use your in-room refrig to the best of your ability. Case of beer from local store is $20-$24 US. Twenty for beers at $2US at a bar is $48 - do the math.

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Currently the beer prices in the store average approx. $27-30us for a case...includes tax & deposit. HiLo six pack exactly 844.70j as of yesterday...inc. tax & dep.

A couple of our favourite happy hour places....

*Yellow Bird on the beach 2 for 1 @500j for the selection of the day....usually 3-4 drink choices

*Canoe on the West End beach...2 for 1 from 2-6pm....many choices...wicked rum punch

*Seastar Inn...2 for 1 from 3-5pm (think the time is right)...great sports bar

I bring travel kitchette.......electric single burner stove, hot pot. I also buy pot, pan, plates, utensils from goodwill and leave those for housekeeper. I bring canned and dried food, mostly for breakfast and then for side dishes that go with my nightly jerk chicken. We go to value master to buy our sodas and beer to drink on the porch/veranda.....

Don't be a liquor snob. Jamaican made Vodka is perfectly acceptable and way cheap. You're mixing it with something (I hope), and it tastes just fine. Grey Goose, and Smirnoff people, close your eyes and you won't know the difference.

However, there is no replacement for the unique taste of Appleton Special Rum.

Book a hotel with free breakfast (as mentioned) and free rides to the beach and back (Seastar Inn) which also has free fridge and free ice at the bar.

No hotplate, microwave or stove? A drip coffeemaker can be used to warm your patty or sandwich as long as it's in a water-tight zip lock bag. (at least take the chill off)

Seastar also has a clothesline (way out back), that you might be able to use a few feet of, after you scrub and rinse your shorts and t's in the tub. (Shhhhhh, it's a secret).

'Course it's hard to get into Seastar. They popular!

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Originally Posted by Yesihunt2

I bring travel kitchette.......electric single burner stove, hot pot. I also buy pot, pan, plates, utensils from goodwill and leave those for housekeeper. I bring canned and dried food, mostly for breakfast and then for side dishes that go with my nightly jerk chicken. We go to value master to buy our sodas and beer to drink on the porch/veranda.....

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Do you encounter any problems bringing in your electric single burner stove/hot pot

1.

If you go in low season and just arrange your flight and maybe just one nights accommodation before hand. On your first morning in Negril, take a couple hours and visit some of the smaller hotels or B&Bs, (especially those across the street from the beach if you are looking for a great deal) and ask for their best "walk in rate". Sometimes you can haggle, especially if you visit three or four places and get some price comparisons. If you find a place you like but were quoted a better price somewhere else you can mention it and sometimes the person behind the counter will match or maybe lower their quoted rate just to get you to book in with them. Once you arrange your new digs, go have breakfast and then go back to the hotel you booked for your first night only and grab your bags, check out then hail a cab and move into your new room for the duration of your stay.

2.

If you are staying on the beach at a Non-AI sometimes a walk across the road for eats (places where many locals would stop) will see lower prices for food. It may not always be as fancy as a beachfront restaurant but if you get your food to go then just take it to the beach and eat it there.

One thing that I always appreciate to bring is my small water boiler & tea bags, hot chocolates, also some small snacks for the late night hungers. I really like to have an amount if US $1 dollar bills for late night far out west end taxi rides. Some times those all you can eat brunches fill me up for the whole day. You gotta love the street food, sometimes when a hurricane is predicted I make sure to get food in advance. Another crazy thing I always find useful is to bring lots of small plastic left over garbage type of bags for daily use. When I lived in JA full time I didn't know how to cook but I did learn. The summer in Negril was really horrid and we would move to Irish Town outside of Kingston leaving Seascape behind. Always missing Miss Jenny who cared for us so very well. Of Miss Jenny's Cakes. A really hard worker and a great great tribute to the original "NAYGRIL" families.

I bring my cheap lightweight toaster and a tiny little electric frying pan (holds just bigger then the size of bread. We boil water in there for our instant taters, and rice in addition to warming jerk chicken and making pancakes. Like mentioned utilize the happy hour specials for delicious drinks. We only eat one meal out per day. Buy water bottles and other drinks at the supermarket. Walk a lot. I bring my own clothesline I made by braiding rubberbands and hang things to dry on it.

a lot of great ideas shared . . .

Excellent Post, although we are no longer forced to make some of the cost cutting decisions we made in our earlier years, here are some of the items we bring on EVERY trip we take. Some are for cost savings if needed, some for a comfort & convenience and some because they may be hard to find if needed.

Gatorade G2 Powder, just add a little to the water and stay hydrated or use to mix with your favorite adult beverage
Can or Bag of favorite nuts
Pkg of 8 snack crackers &/or box of Nature Valley bars
Couple of pre-packaged cereal bowls
Bug Spray
Sun Screen
Aleve or some kind of pain reliever
Claritin or decongestant - different pollen and blooms can play havoc on your sinuses and can ruin a day or 2
Liquid Band-Aid or super glue for cuts and scrapes which can get infected

These items will take up very little room in your luggage but can be invaluable and you can leave them behind for a local friend or hotel worker, they will be very pleased.

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Originally Posted by Summer

Do you encounter any problems bringing in your electric single burner stove/hot pot

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No, Summer. TSA did open and search my bag, no idea if it was because of that.

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Originally Posted by Summer

Do you encounter any problems bringing in your electric single burner stove/hot pot

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No problems ever and have been doing this several years.......

After we empty a few wata or Coke light bottles, we fill them 3/4 full of tap water and freeze in the little freezer compartment of the in room fridge. Take them to the beach for some ice cold water as they melt.

If you have a fridge with a little freezer, put a couple of inches of water in plastic beverage cups in the morning and freeze them. By evening; you'll be able to add your favourite liquor and mix and have built-in ice that will quickly float to the top and keep your drink icy cold. That way you won't have to keep running to the bar for more ice.

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Originally Posted by davevols

After we empty a few wata or Coke light bottles, we fill them 3/4 full of tap water and freeze in the little freezer compartment of the in room fridge. Take them to the beach for some ice cold water as they melt.

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We do the same thing but not to drink.....we peel the label and use the frozen water bottles to keep items cold in our cooler.

Eat where the locals eat, see where the Taxi drivers go

we pack an insulated mug to make liquor drinks in the room and a soft cooler and buy Guiness from stores. usually no more than $30 a day on booze doing this. It at least gets us to happy hour! eat out only at Jus Natural

Great ideas...I really like this one definitely will bring with me next reach!

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Originally Posted by Packrat

Gatorade G2 Powder, just add a little to the water and stay hydrated or use to mix with your favorite adult beverage

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I always purchase my alcohol at duty free for my room and it saves a ton...and I bring lots of snacks (cookies, candy chips etc.) candles/incents for the room/balcony ambiance:)

we save our empty pepsi bottles and fill them with tapwater, ja water is great and free, soon come