I turned 30 this month.
Over the past six months, Ive become a grown-up really fast.
I used to be cool.
For the past four years, my boyfriend Stefan and I lived in college towns and hipster cities.
We were broke and chasing unlikely dreams.
We made the kinds of bad decisions that lead to good stories.
We lived without money, without a car for a while, even without a home for eight months.
We couchsurfed around the U.S., savoring the struggle of being starving artists.
No Interest Til Almost 2027?
We have aTupperware cabinet.
Thirty never really scared me.
Age is just a number, and all that jazz.
Did you know?
A Penny Hoarders Road Trip
I didnt want just any vacation.
Flights and nice dinners and mid-grade hotel rooms those are things adults with jobs can afford.
But I wanted to do it the way we used to: broke and without a plan.
So I drew a six-hour radius around our Tampa-area home and picked a destination.
I pulled $300 out of the bank and told Stefan to clear his weekend.
We were heading to Savannah, Georgia.
I also knew we could drive there in about six hours for less than $30.
Thankfully, it turns out Savannah is also a gorgeous historic city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
It was a lovely early-spring weekend in the Southern state, about 70 degrees and partly sunny.
So we could do our favorite things: walking and people-watching.
But I knew we had to do more than that.
We took a walk doesnt make for a very good story even if it was cheap.
We took this weekendroad trip360 miles from home for a grand total of $278.64.
Our Winn-Dixie fuel rewards knocked 15 cents off each gallon when we filled up before leaving town.
Avoid gas stations just off the freeway if it’s possible for you to.
Avoid gas stations in busy parts of the city, too.
Real estate is more expensive there and gas stations are less common, so increased demand drives prices up.
The rate was $60 per night, plus a total of $25 in taxes.
We stayed outside the citybecause even the discounted rooms downtown were at least double that nightly rate.
Unless we find a killer deal, we never book within city limits.
Its a road trip.
Whats an extra 15 minutes to get downtown for the day?
Either that or you feel like you have to stick to the Dollar Menu for your whole trip.
You dont have to do either.
Heres how we saved money on food.
We buy bottled water by the case at home.
Cost: about $3 for 24 bottles.
Note whether your hotel offers a continental breakfast.
For two people and two mornings, that could save $10 to $20.
The savings might even justify a slightly higher room rate.
Our Motel 6 didnt offer breakfast, but it did have free coffee.
That saved me about $2 each day.
We did make one stop at Chick-fil-A Friday night, because… road trip through the South.
Known for its delicious fried chicken, the restaurant also offers lighter fare at comparable prices.
you might get fruit cups, parfaits, wraps and salads on the go.
Before you stop for fast food, search for coupons and download the restaurants app.
Many companies offer a freebie just for downloading the app or joining their email lists.
For lunch and dinner on Saturday, we used Yelp and Groupon to discover local businesses and save money.
Local diners usually offer something for everyone, with most items costing less than $10.
you’re able to also use thissearch technique to find cheap restaurantswhen you travel.
We ate lunch atHenrys Restaurantin Savannahs historic district for $23, including tip.
For dinner, we picked Aroy Jung, an Asian fusion place downtown that has since closed.
Enjoy your Groupon savings, but remember to tip on the full amount!)
A huge point of savings for us was not drinking.
We didnt forgo it to save money; we just rarely drink.
If you do and youre going on vacation, suggesting you skip it is probably not realistic advice.
But you dont have to blow your budget on booze.
If alcohol is cheaper in your state than at your destination, take it with you.
Just be conscious of laws about transporting alcohol over state lines.
Saying martini costs money and youre stuck with that goofy glass.
Even with the low cost of this trip, Im cringing at what we paid for parking.
Wed have saved $5 if we werent running late for our dinner reservation so plan ahead!
Heres what we did for free in Savannah:
We found tons of free stuffrecommended by many tourist sites.
But we couldnt pack it all into one day.
Pick up a local newspaper.Weeklies are often free in boxes around the city or at your hotel.
Browse them for local trivia nights, open mics and other free events travel sites might ignore.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Shes written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writers Digest and more.