frugality: my new companion

I returned from Ecuador head full, pockets empty. Frugality has now become a common companion on my shoulder, getting in the way of every decision I make. The most recent ones were in my 4-day road trip from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. A trip that with gas and lodging fees could easily be a few hundred dollars. I did it on less than hundred.

CouchSurfing allows travelers to crash on a host’s couches for free while traveling and proves to be beneficial for both the host, who gets to see their city in a new light and the guest who gets the best tour guide possible, a local one. I was lucky enough to crash on a city planner’s couch, who knew literally everything there was to know about Oklahoma City. True I spent on beer and food what I probably would have spent on a hostal, but frugality was easy subdued.

The second night I didn’t manage to hook up with host so I pulled another cheap trick from my back pocket, or rather from my back seat. The back seat of my car folds down creating a makeshift bed that extends into the trunk. I parked in a hotel lot and got some shut eye, which is not the most polite thing to do. If you aren’t willing to step on any toes, Walmart lets you park your cars in their lots all night. This is what most RVers do when traveling the country. In the morning I went in the hotel for a free continental breakfast and went to a neighboring Starbucks to use their bathrooms, which are always cleaner than gas stations and rest areas.

I continued the last leg of my journey, frugality still on my shoulder, the free continental breakfast to go on my passenger seat, money still in my wallet.