Being fancy doesn't have to be expensive!

So if you asked anyone for facts about me, the first thing they would say is "She likes nice things, but she knows how to save"! I have a few vices to say the least, I love shopping, I love eating, I loving doing stuff but I don't make a ton of money. So with all those things combined I have become quite the shopping savvy diva. I have a ton of money saving tips up my sleeve but I'll dedicate this post to activities.

Recently I decided to take an actual, turn my phone off/don't respond to emails, vacation. I made the promise to myself that I would celebrate my 30th birthday anywhere that wasn't in the US.. I knew right away I wanted something fun, exciting and wouldn't break the bank...I first started with the vacation sites: Applvacations.com, vacationexpress.com and cheapcaribbean.com Then I took a look to all of my basic deal sites: Travelzoo.com; Livingsocial.com; groupon.com.. Now don't get me wrong the deal sites aren't for the faint of heart, sometimes you have to be really spontaneous and know what you generally want to accomplish. For me spontaneity is just what I needed, I had put some money away so i had a budget and a date everything else was open for planning..

I kept my eyes open on a few sites for a few weeks and then up popped a four night deal at a fantastic little resort in Negril, Jamaica.. Now for $200 for 4 nights you would think the place would be a dump, however after looking at Trip Advisor reviews I was convinced that it wasnt that bad, it was actually a pretty awesome resort right on the beach and around all the action. When it came time to find a flight of course i went to all the majors fly.com, priceline.com and expedia.com but per usual Southwest (who doesnt list their prices on those sites) was the cheapest option.. they were having a fair sale.

I wish I had some amazing tips for you like: only look for airline tickets on tuesday at 2pm.. but I dont. For me its put the money aside, make a general plan and be prepared to jump on a deal the moment you see it.. Maybe my next vacation will be more thought out and planned, maybe not.. but for now enjoy some of my vacation pictures from a trip that cost me less than $500 total! :)