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What are the most frugal things you do in Vegas?

Discussion in 'Las Vegas for the Frugal (not Cheap)' started by Snowbelle3, Jan 20, 2015.

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  1. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Well...? :evillaugh:thumbsup:
     
  2. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    I've snagged a slice of pizza or handful of fries off a room service cart a time or two. :eek:

    Though, to be fair, it's more of a "trashed at 4 am" thing than it is a frugal thing. :drunk:
     
  3. LoveDowntownVegas

    LoveDowntownVegas High-Roller

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    Food. I just got back from a 3 night stay in Vegas and ate for under $50. Granted some meals were comped, but the ones that were not were under $12 with a beer.
    I may have missed something in here, but this is pretty accurate.

    Friday night - 1 shrimp cocktail at dupars $5 with tip.
    Friday night snack - 2 McDoubles from McDs @ the D - $3
    Sat morning - breakfast burrito from Commissary at DTG $7 with tip
    Sat afternoon - Tacos from Zaba’s Mexican Grill @ the Plaza and a beer - $12
    Sunday brunch - Omlette from the D Grill (comped)
    Sunday evening - 2 shrimp cocktail at dupars (comped)
    Monday morning - 2 breakfast burritos from McDs - $3
     
  4. RiddickBull

    RiddickBull VIP Whale

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    Lol. I have always been tempted to do such.

    5 dollar hooker for me. Do such deals Exist??
     
  5. Nick61

    Nick61 MIA

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    So you're the guy who stole my pizza.
     
  6. tim421

    tim421 Tourist

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    I take the shuttle to downtown, 9$ vs. 35$ for cab.
     
  7. RockyBalboa

    RockyBalboa Front Line Winner

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    Haha awesome!

    The most frugal thing I do in Vegas is hit the Walgreens or CVS to buy drinks and snacks for the room. I started doing that after snacking on the mini-bar stuff and seeing that bill.

    I bring a small collapse-able cooler with me and use that for my gatorade and water
     
  8. pebbles

    pebbles Micro Roller.

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    We stay a long time to make the airfare less horrible. It has been going up so much for us Europeans. Horrible prices for October, way more than we are planning to spend.
     
  9. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    Go to Harbor Freight and use the coupons for free stuff (or free stuff with purchase). Go in and out of the store a couple of times to get more freebies. They normally have the Harbor Freight coupons in the sunday parade or sunday USA insert (or some magazines) or else there are harbor freight forums with the coupons you can print (they just use the bar code for your discount). I have lots of those small flashlights, heavy duty scissors and work gloves, led work lights, clamps and other stuff. Actually I like Harbor freight, they have some neat stuff for cheap prices. Wish I could buy and bring home some of the heavier stuff like x ton car jacks but it would be too expensive and heavy to take with me.

    yeah, yeah, I'm cheep cheep, lol.


    Another thing I do is buy a big gallon container of water. Usually they are cheap - a couple of bucks - so it forces me to stay hydrated at all times.


    Certain times of the year the malls discount their out of season or end of the season items, much cheaper to pick them up at that time.


    The south premium outlet mall (the old Belz mall) usually has store turnover (closing and openings) so I always go there to check out if there are any specials or discounts. They also have a seniors Tuesday where some (not all) stores discount their prices for those 50 and over.


    Go to sports authority in Henderson (past the galleria mall) and check out the table with the discounted sports shoes (especially golf shoes). I have gotten some neat golf shoes for cheap prices (under $30) because they were the old stock or models. The best steal I got was for footjoy DNA golf shoes (retail over $150) for only $10. What happened was someone bought a pair but switched the sizes on one side. Sports Authority couldn't sell the mismatched shoes at regular prices so just discounted them to get rid of them. One shoe was 10, the other was 10 1/2 so not too much of a difference.


    Hmmm, I stay at the El Cortez because the prices for the vintage rooms were real good. Not so much now that they have a resort fee though, lately I find the boyd downtown hotels to be competitive with the EC rates and rather stay there since I gamble more times at the boyd casinos.


    I have some others like how to get free parking downtown but I don't want to tip off the hotels so that's my little secret.:evillaugh


    Oh, one other thing, I used to go to those timeshare presentations to get the freebie stuff (free shows, meals, gambling money, etc.). This was over a decade ago but because of the hype and them holding you hostage I don't do that anymore. I would also go to those free shows or get coupons to go to the IP car show.


    I also book late night flights out of vegas or redeye flights into vegas so I don't have to pay for a room. One Hawaiian air flight leaves vegas at 1:30 am so I just sleep on the plane. Sometimes because my flight leaves early in the morning I don't book a room for that last night, instead I gamble and cruise and nap on the couches at the car rental facility for a few hours before my flight.


    Lots of frugal things but these are some I remember off the top of my head.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2015
  10. carolineno

    carolineno VIP Whale

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    I almost always take the WAX bus at the start of the trip. Everyone on the bus is happy cuz we figure we're already up $20 :)
     
    Ladies getaway, somewhere on the strip with a pool :)
  11. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    And your response to your own question is? .....
     
  12. fresnofishfan

    fresnofishfan Tourist

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    Buy drinks, water , and snacks for the room as well. Stay downtown, get drunk at Stage Door.
     
  13. FXT

    FXT VIP Whale

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    $2 WAX to and from airport.
     
  14. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Reading your responses, I am reminded of some of the things that I do that I usually don't even remember are part of my frugal regimen. It's so normalized in my routine that it would take a while to pick out some of my tactics. Keep it coming!

    Flights
    1. Use my credit cards to build airline miles

    2. take advantage of oversold cabins in Southwest for flight credits

    3. search all sites for the lowest flights (even if I have to do one-ways or multiple layovers)

    4. I will take other forms of transportation such as a car, bus, or train to travel to a lower city to flight out from (also makes for mini-vacays in other cities)

    Bonus. I use megabus to travel to Los Angeles or San Francisco as other mini-vacays when i get to Vegas. In advance, these buses are truly $1.
    PS I never have but would take a bus from the east coast to get to Vegas if the price was right

    Accommodations

    1. I also stay 3 weeks typically in order to make the value of the flight stretch

    2. But I am so frugal that I will stay in multiple places for the best rates (but this also ends up feeling like multiple mini-vacays.... although this is starting to get to be a real hassle with all the resort fees/incidentals and other crap I have to take care of nowadays)

    3. I love hotwire, priceline for their secret rates/bidding to get rock bottom prices

    4. I am a huge fan of myvegas and have gotten so many great deals through them over the years

    5. I am not above staying at a motel, particularly if it's a crazy weekend that I can not afford. I adore Days Inn Wild Wild West although the area can be quite seedy. The rooms are basic and clean. And the casino is cute and playable. A 24/7 Dennys on-property and laundry doesn't hurt. It also has a superb Dennys breakfast every morning *complimentary*. There are also places like Baymont Inn off-strip (which is actually very very nice, better than most CET properties). Then there are places like Rodeway Inn near Riviera or Howard Johnson near Hooters that feel much seedier, but I would not be against staying for a night if I really want to go and everywhere is charging $300/night. I am sure this is where most people would draw the line. But then other folks stay for 3 nights and if I was only staying for 3 nights, unless I was staying for a festival or huge once-in-a-lifetime concert during a high-rate weekend, there would be no way I would stay there either. because my trips are long and I stay multiple places, this works out. They usually turn out not to be that bad. I will let you know when it gets bad.

    6. Like motels, I am not against staying at lower end properties. Your Circus Circus, Rivieras, Excaliburs, Hooters, and at a point Imperial Palace. I actually quite openly LOVE these places. They take me back in time, they transport me. They are old classics or just plain fun. They make me *happy*. Perhaps they are run-down. But they are enchanting to me. There, I do feel like I am in a Disney World. People often say that "oh it's just a bed", but to me I would actually never want to stay in a place that does not make me ecstatic and feel like "I'm in Vegas baby!" These properties fall into the "just bed" category for most but for me they are sacred. Their prices make them jewels to me. I can stay at these places for a full vacation, no matter how short or long.

    7. I stay at higher end properties too but only if they comp me (or severely discount the rates)... and strangely they do! In order, I love Wynn, Mandalay, Caesars (not the rooms), Cosmopolitan, VP! Ahhhh. I am ready to go right now! And with my handy dandy research skills I have not spent too much on them. I use my lower rates to offset my higher rates.

    8. A Diamond TR friend of mine once helped me book a room at IP or now Linq for $10/night with the friends and family rate. Sooooo score.

    9. In the past, I used to stay off-strip as a rule on the weekends to save money but then I realized that I just do not like staying off-strip (even though i do love so many off-strip prices). Lucky for me I have been able to stay on the strip with nice deals. Occasionally still I will use a downtown comp to cover a weekend. Otherwise, hotwire is my favorite website to cover a weekend on the strip, because I do not often get comped on weekends on the strip. Also, during the winter, especially in dead week before christmas, weekends on the strip are so doable, you can find excellent rates on regular websites.

    10. I will tip for an upgrade!

    Shopping

    1. Ross--end of story

    2. Souvenir shops downtown or at Circus Circus

    3. Window shopping at Forum shops/fashion show mall (buy most things online)

    Attractions

    1. Free circus acts at Circus Circus or free midway games from the fun booklet, also free adventuredome rides in the booklet

    2. Free and discounted rates in the fun booklet for food and fun at Excalibur and Luxor

    3. 3 for $57 deal at Luxor

    4. LVA/ACG coupons

    5. Costumes everywhere downtown and on the strip is a free attraction for me

    6. People-watching of course

    7. Hotel arcades

    8. Walking the strip, taking photos, selfies

    9. Entertainment on the strip like dancers and dancing fountains


    Entertainment

    1. Groupon, goldstar, halfpriceshows.com, vegas4locals, travelzoo, bookit.com to get discounted rates on shows (sometimes offered as a package with the hotel...ironically never used tix4tonight because I usually find better deals and far in advance)

    2. $1 Tuesdays at Tropicana Cinema, $5 Mondays at Palms, $5 Tuesdays at orleans for movies

    3. Free coupons for shows on the strip like ACG Riviera comedy, Marc Savard, Divas, Nathan Burton, Mac King

    4. Timeshare presentations

    5. TV previews (some offer cash or gift cards, discounted rates on things) and taste testers at Ballys, Hard Rock cafe, Twin Peaks, and most importantly MGM Grand

    6. Hotel discounts on big production shows like Le Reve, LOVE, Mystere, KA and myvegas of course

    7. Local entertainment such as Onyx Theatre, Cockroach theatre, Smith Center, Las Vegas Little Theatre

    8. Guestlist passes on line for dayclubs and nightclubs (sometimes comes with free drinks for ladies)

    9. Free cover nights at bars, ultralounges and karaoke citywide

    10. Free drinks in the Excalibur/Luxor booklet

    11. Free time at the pool! (Ladies are complimentary at most pools)

    Gaming

    1. I can buy into a $3 table with a $6 buy-in...enough said.

    2. I can exclusively play penny slots with a minimum of a 9 cents max line the entire time. For what I like, I am certainly getting my entertainment's worth. (or play exactly 1 cent at a time on a penny keno machine--lots of fun!)

    3. I try to play for as many hours as possible with $100 when I am "really" playing

    4. I hop slots and I call this a frugal move because I hop them as soon as I have played 3-5 measly units of a few cents a spin to see if it likes me!

    5. I can have $20 bucks for a session

    6. I can take out only $40 from an atm (from an atm that is charging me $5.99 plus other charges...I guess this part is not so frugal--rather care free) when I want to play more and I do not want to leave the casino

    7. I can walk a far distance to get to a $1 atm at Casino Royale when I am in the mood

    8. Win cards

    9. $1 and $3 BJ at Riviera

    10. I have traveled to the ends of Vegas for gaming deals, lower limits and better odds including downtown, boulder highway, henderson, summerline, the water area, and even outside in laughlin (free bus ride out here with several deals)


    Food

    1. Fun booklets

    2. Restaurant.com

    3. LVA and ACG coupons

    4. comps, dining credits, free buffets with hotel packages

    5. myvegas

    6. Eating downtown and off-strip (cheaper), particularly $6 buffets, $4 pancakes and eggs, $11.99 ribs and chicken, etc

    7. arriving between breakfast and lunch for the buffet (I do not mind paying the lunch price and gladly will/do but I do this more to get more bang for my buck---i get breakfast and lunch dishes... and usually do not eat for the rest of the day)

    8. $1 dollar menu at Mcds, $1 fried oreos/twinkies and $1 hot dogs at Mermaids, $1.99 footlong hotdogs at Casino Royale and other chains

    9. food courts

    10. stocking up on snacks from stores

    11. Ordering for food delivery

    12. Sign up for the "clubs" at chain restaurants and use their free coupons (they also offer one for your birthday and other discounts throughout the year)

    Transportation

    1. Shuttle or wax from the airport

    2. Deuce everywhere ($34 for 15 days at 7-eleven or Walgreens...taxi only in extreme cases) or hotel shuttles

    3. Walking mostly (and I have walked from the strip to downtown a number of times)

    Miscellaneous

    1. I not only budget my money, I budget my time and space. I do advance planning to make sure I take full advantage of the area I am staying in so that I do not have to use the deuce or taxi as much. I can a lot more things, cover a lot more ground. Where you stay is also where you get more discounts. Each area has their own frugal gems. It also saves me time. By budgeting my time, I am able to fit in as much low-cost things into a day as possible. Ultimately receiving more bang for my buck not only through budgeting money but also through budgeting time and space.

    2. I play for comps. Yes, I do not believe I would play for anything more than $20 at a time if not for the possibility of comps. Gaming is fun (like an arcade) but it's not my main source of entertainment like shows, pools... and even hotels. So if I can game a little (totally way within my budget) and get a nice hotel in the future, why not? I gain entertainment within the time of playing and in the future with staying at a nice place. Ultimately me playing for comps is a bargain because I keep my play under a certain condition.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 21, 2015
  15. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    I don't really consider most of my trips to Vegas to be any kind of "frugal", but I do some things that might look that way.

    I bring a cooler. I have drinks, snacks, fruit, etc in it. The kind of snacks that can be hard to find in Vegas - healthy ones! :) I also usually bring one of those big water bottles (2 gallon?) and drink out of that. That's not frugal though, that's knowing I hate the taste of Vegas tap water.

    I max out the MyVegas comps to save on rooms. And once or twice I've snuck some food from BeachCrazy's plate when she's not looking so I don't have to pay for my dinner. :haha:
     
  16. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    Bring my water filter water bottle so I don't have to buy theirs.
     
  17. smerrian

    smerrian View from Bally's

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    Get a car which pays for itself in better gaming at Off-Strip casinos and better cheap eating at Off-Strip restaurants.
    Pick up free waters at the Diamond reception at CZR properties and constantly refill said water bottles in the men's rooms. (A case of water at the $.99 Store would cost me a whole $2.99!).
    Pick up fruit for the room at the $.99 Store (½ the price of Albertson's)
    Scan LVAdvisor for good eating deals...especially the Graveyard Specials...and keep to an East Coast time schedule so that I can be up at 5:00am to get said Graveyard Specials.
    Eat meals Downtown at the cafes which are very good and very reasonable. Eat meals at Henderson casinos which are very good and very reasonable.
    Eat meals that are comped in REAL restaurants so that I still feel like I'm doing something special on vacation. Splurge on 1 or 2 meals just because they are so good and well worth the price: The French Bakery on Sahara in Summerlin, Goyomen Sushi on Decatur near Tropicana and Tacos El Gordo on Charleston. Two meals comped at Gold Coast's fantastic Chinese restaurants, a buffet comped at Red Rock and I'm set for the trip.
     
  18. leo21

    leo21 VIP Whale

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    Collect those bottles of water from the CWs to keep in the room.

    Take as many meals as I can away from the strip.

    Rent a car because I get better value over cabs.

    More and more stay offstrip.

    Hit an offstrip drugstore for snacks.

    Fly SWA because of the free bags.

    Try and get at at least a free meal through MyVegas although that's harder to do.
     
  19. Tellafriend

    Tellafriend MIA

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  20. Kickin

    Kickin Flea

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    Haha I've done the same. I'm sure the stomach full of alcohol sterilizes everything anyway.
     
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