The Dynamic Duo’s Guide to Beachin’ on a Budget

A trip to the beach is the quintessential summertime vacation, but it can be out of reach for a lot of people simply because of the expenses.

Hotel? Gas? Food? Drinks? And not to mention swimwear and stylish beach accessories?

It can add up very quickly. But, we managed to embark on a weekend-long beach getaway for us and our baes for a grand total of around $500.

Here’s how:

We were lucky enough to be able to stay with one of our friends in Perdido Key, which is on the line between Florida and Alabama. We saved quite a bit of money this way, but even if you are not fortunate enough to have a friend who lives on the coast, a hotel is something you should save on. You are not going to be spending much time there anyways, so it’s really not worth it to spend $200 a night on a fancy resort. Find a place that has a bed, a shower, no frills (and no bed bugs), and only hang out there when you want to go to sleep.

 

We did splurge a little on going out to eat by treating ourselves to brunches and dinners for two days, but that’s more doable when your trip is shorter, like ours was. If we were going to be there for a week, we definitely would have stopped by the grocery store to at least grab some burgers to grill or some lunch meat for sandwiches to make some of our meals cheaper. Also, when we went out to eat, we usually all ordered waters instead of cocktails (which I can’t even order yet anyways) to make those dinners a little more affordable because a drink usually costs as much as an entrée by itself!

I unfortunately broke my only pair of sandals right before we left for this trip (unbelievable, right?), and you can’t go to the beach without sandals, so instead of buying myself a brand new pair, I borrowed my mom’s sandals for the trip. They weren’t my favorite, but I simply took them off for photos, and they got the job done!

-H

Right before we went on this beach trip, I was really struggling with what to buy for myself. I knew we were going to do at least one photoshoot, so I wanted a new swimsuit (or two), a beach towel, a beach bag—the whole works. Unfortunately, the more logical side of myself knew that I shouldn’t splurge on all of that, so I had to pick and choose.

I already had a new swimsuit (this amazing blush pink one!) that I bought a few months ago and hadn’t worn yet because I wanted to save its debut for the beach. So, one swimsuit down! All of my current swimsuits were solid colors, so I really wanted one that had a fun print. I did not want to spend a lot of money on it, so I turned to Amazon and found a cute one piece with a palm tree print. It was only $15, so I bought it. I actually didn’t even end up getting to wear it on this trip, but at least I’ll have it for my many days by the pool this summer.

As for the rest of the stuff, I borrowed a beach towel from the friends we were staying with and made peace with the fact that I would not be able to get an Instagram-worthy photo with an on-trend, circular patterned beach towel because it cost $45. I repurposed a cheap, lightweight tote bag into a beach bag instead of shelling out $70+ for one of those awesome straw ones. I figured out what was most important to me, spent money on it, and saved money on the rest. You don’t have to completely deprive yourself of what you want when you’re headed on vacay; you just have to prioritize!

-S

 

What are some ways you’ve found to save money at the beach? Let us know in the comments!

Here are some of our favorite candid moments from the trip!

Hannah’s Wearing:

|  Forever 21 Swimsuit |  Target Cardigan (similar) | Aldo Sunglasses (similar) | Kroger Hat (similar) | Target Earrings (similar) |

 

Sabrina’s Wearing:

| Love Street Apparel One Piece Swimsuit | TJ Maxx Sunglasses (similar) | Target Earrings | Amazon Cover-Up |