Top 5 Ways I Saved Money on my Thanksgiving Road Trip

I just returned from a 4-day road trip to see my in-laws. I hated spending a lot of money on gas, but I cut corners other ways.

Drinks - I brought bottled water and juice boxes from home so we wouldn't have to buy drinks galore at gas stations and restaurants. When we did buy a fast-food drink, my husband and I bought the biggest size and shared it.

Drove a Steady Speed - You can save money in a major way when you don't drive too fast. We kept the speedometer at a steady 70 mph the whole way. It may have taken longer to get there but we got good mileage for sure.


Hostess Gift - Everyone knows you should not show up to your host's house empty-handed. I selected two bottles of wine from Trader Joe's. One was red, one was white and they only cost $4.49 each. The wine was a hit and everyone enjoyed it.

Cheap Hotel - I needed one cheap hotel room for the way there and one for the way back. Some really inexpensive hotels are clean and nice. I always use Trip Advisor to find those and go directly to the hotel's website to book the room. In this case Trip Advisor pointed me to a Red Roof Inn that was recently remodeled. It was indeed very nice and it cost $50 plus tax for one night. For my second hotel I signed up to do a mystery shop at Hampton Inn so that night was free. Mystery Shopping saves me tons of money.

Skipped A Meal - By the last night on the road, we were tired of eating and spending money. We drove right past all of the restaurants and went directly to our hotel room. We pulled out a cheese ball with Wheat Thins and some cookies our family had given us and had them for dinner in the hotel room. The hotel had free hot tea and bottled water. It hit the spot.