Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Saving and Splurging

Hotel we will stay at in Playa Del Carmen
Busy this week so just a short quick post :

1.  Thrifty hubby was power washing the house and driveway when something broke in our 8 year old power washer.  These units are not cheap and the one we have was about $400 originally.  Some would say that you don't really need one but here on the West Coast everything is covered in green scum in the Spring after our winter rains so if we didn't own one we probably would have to rent one.  He googled it, watched youtube videos, and found another identical unit on Craigslist for $100 that someone was selling for parts.  Really?  $100 for parts!  Instead of buying that, he found the exact part he needed for $22 but had to drive to Nanaimo 1.5 hours away for it.  Part plus gas equaled about $45 and now the unit is fixed.  We are going to try and nurse several more years out of it.  Yes, it cost him quite a bit of time but sometimes that is what Do It Yourself is all about.  If we had bought the other unit for parts we might be able to get even more time out of it - but have no where to store the parts in the mean time.  Now the house has been all scrubbed - next on the list is yard work.


2.  I found a great deal on a 4 star hotel in Cancun for our June holiday - except - we don't want to stay in Cancun as it is a big city with gigantic hotels and not much true flavor of Mexico.  Instead I found a 39 room hotel in Playa Del Carmen that has a small kitchenette, balcony with table and chairs and a hammock for basically the same price - and it has a great reputation on Tripadvisor, something I always use as a research tool.  Sometimes you pay more to be in the area we want to be - I knew this when I booked the flight as I used to be a travel agent.  If we wanted a cheaper holiday we would have gone to the Pacific side of Mexico which I also love but is not great for snorkeling and has no Mayan ruins.  We can walk everywhere without taking cabs or buses and it is 3 blocks from the Dive shop where I want to do a couple snorkel trips from, including snorkeling with sea turtles!  The primary purpose of coming to the Caribbean side of Mexico is to feed our love of snorkeling.  I am also paying more for the privilege of being at a hotel on the beach.  There are many places for half the price a few blocks off.  Why am I splurging?  Our 10th Wedding anniversary is in September - busy season for our company and not a great time to be away.  This trip counts as our Anniversary trip and the money is already saved.  Sometimes I nickel and dime our home life so we can splurge on vacation.  I am not a fan of all inclusive hotels although have booked them on occasion when they are the cheapest option. I didn't want to do that on this trip as the food never is as good as when you seek out your own meals.  For every Starbucks coffee I don't have here(*I am too cheap anyway lol - $7 for a coffee!) we could have a decent meal for one in Mexico. We will eat breakfasts in our room and then eat dinners out.   I prefer authentic Mexican food so we will try and seek those out instead of the typical tourist traps.  If we feel like a drink on the beach we will mix our own and take our cups down to the beach - already counting down the days until we go!

3.  I have gone to the thrift stores a few times this year but not found anything - until last week. Black Clark's Sandals for $4.99!  Sorry, no photo as I have been too lazy to take any pictures - although they have been all disinfected and polished up.  Let's just say that since finding my first pair of Clarks shoes last year - the most comfortable shoes ever - anytime I find Clarks in decent shape in my size and a style that I like  I am likely to buy them from here on out.  Score!

4.  My growing puppy Buddy needs lots of activity/exercise so about 3 times a week we walk over to my 73 year old Mom's house 2 blocks away, and pick her up for a long walk.  Yesterday we went about 2 km.  It is a win win for all three of us and something I hope we keep up.  Buddy is meeting lots of other dogs on these walks and learning how to socialize and be respectful instead of jumping all over them, while at the same time increasing his stamina. Hubby takes Buddy on the other days so he gets some of his energy out in walk time or playtime every day.

5.  Hubby flies out of town on Sunday and will be gone a week on business.  I intend to have a low-spend grocery week.  Time to clean out the fridge and make a big pot of soup with the droopy carrots and celery lurking in there.

So much for a short post - I've rambled on too much.  Anyway, that is all I've got for today.  Happy St. Patty's Day if you celebrate!


20 comments:

  1. I love Clarks Shoes also. As I am rough on my feet, it pays to buy the better quality shoes for me and Clarks are of a better quality.

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    1. I can't believe how comfortable the ones I got last year are - am sure these will be the same high quality. It was a major score!

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  2. Please may I come on vacation too?
    Jane x

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    1. Sure - just pack yourself in a suitcase and address it to Playa Del Carmen!

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  3. The trip and your preparations to date sound great. My only concern would be that the balconies from across the way seem close together and look into your room. Maybe it's just the photography.

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    1. You are right, they are close together but I have done a bunch of research and outside of that this one has everything we want so was the clear winner without spending a fortune as that area is so expensive. We are going in off season so hopefully it won't be full at that time.

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  4. We are not for alla inclusive hotels too , we prefer to eat breakfasts and lunches cooked by us and then eat dinner in local restaurants when possibile.

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    1. This hotel in Playa Del Carmen includes coffee and toast on the balcony every morning. We can supplement that with our own fruit and eggs if we wish. We rarely eat lunch so just need to source out decent suppers.

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  5. I can't see the point of all-inclusive, cooped up with a load of tourists eating Western food and chatting about home. My idea of a holiday from hell! xxx

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    1. We generally only do all inclusive when a package is cheaper than air only - but I completely agree, most of the food is lousy. We try and use it for breakfast then eat out whenever we like. For the same reason we dislike cruising although I have been on one (Celebrity) where the food was fantastic. I tend to eat too much on those types of holidays as well. No one needs that!

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  6. I absolutely think the vacation is worth the splurge. We scrimp so we can treat ourselves on the things that really matter.

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  7. Good for you, you deserve that trip away! Yes, the Mayan Riveria is very good for snorkeling although we found an outstanding place just outside of Huatulco that was fabulous as well.

    Nice score on those Clarks sandals, have to admit they make very comfy footware.

    Nice that you, your Mom and Buddy are all getting out for some exercise and socializing a few times it week. Hopefully you are getting some good weather.

    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

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    1. I've never been to Hautulco - have to check that out on a future trip. Our weather has had its ups and downs, lots of rain right now but we need it as had low snow pack in the mountains over winter. The dog hates the rain though :)

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  8. Good for you on all accounts! And you do plan swell vacations. I am envious!

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    1. I love planning vacations - I was really good at my old travel agent job. Unfortunately that industry went to crap with reduced commissions and so I had to get out as was just retail in the end - but I still love the travel part!

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  9. That was longer than most of your posts lol! That always happens to me too when I want to keep it short. When Kazi was away for 10 days earlier this month I didn't grocery shop - just lived on what there was :) You and I are a lot alike - I don't mind nickel and diming my home life either in order to splurge when travelling:)

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    1. I know - I just kept blabbing on lol. Lots of people say they can't afford to travel or do things..then they go spend major amounts of money on groceries mindlessly shopping without a list or on coffees out every day. My priorities are different :)

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  10. One year we took a trip to Cancun in our airplane. I bought one of the Entertainment Guides (I don't know if they make them anymore) from the local high school that was selling them for a fund raiser. There were coupons in them for chain hotels even in Mexico, so most of our rooms were half price even in the tourist areas. But one of our favourites was in a small town named San Blas. It's on the Pacific side, but has wide sandy beach. We were told it is a favourite for teachers from Mexico City because the hotels are reasonable. We loved walking down to have dinner of fried fresh caught fish and cerveza under a thatched roof and sand under our feet. The only scary part was landing and taking off from the gravel strip in the middle of town. There were four dirt roads crossing it without any regulation, goats and burros tied in the grass along the edge, and people walking everywhere. There was a little guard booth next to the spot where you parked the plane. The very young men had automatic rifles and wore army uniforms. We paid them a "tip" to watch our plane while we stayed for two nights in town. All worked out well, and we had a wonderful time. - Margy

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  11. Look at the colour of that sea in the photo! You deserve it :)

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