Lessons Learned from My Not So Frugal Trip to Orlando

I spent just over $1,000 for 5 days/4 nights attending a conference and enjoying the beach last week. That doesn't even include the flights or one night in a hotel since they were free. I learned a couple lessons, though:

• Rent a compact car, and refuse the upgrade. Sure, it feels like you're getting a deal, but you'll pay at the pump. I estimated that I spent an extra $20 on gas because of this.
• Pay attention to the "time out" when you rented. If I had returned the car just 20 minutes sooner than I did, I would have saved $43.31. The additional hourly fees for renting a car are not 1/24th of the per day fee!
• Consider the cost of extending your trip. Since we decided to spend a couple nights on the beach, we flew in and out of Tampa and drove to Orlando for the conference. Cutting out the beach or even reducing it to one night instead of two would have saved $100-$200.

In total, I could have cut at least 20% off the cost of our trip if I had been more prudent.