We ended up having quite a luxurious day, and at the same time, it was pretty frugal! Of course, it didn't cost nothing, but for what we did, it definitely was quite impressive how little we paid for how much and how fancy our celebration was.
So first off, I rented a car. Since it was off-season and from a local guy who charges little for the car, it ended up being $58 for the car for the day. Gas was another $45 because we decided to not stay local, but go on a trip that we wouldn't otherwise have been able to do without a car. It was a 2.5 hour drive each way, which would explain the gas costs. So that is $103 on transportation. We spent the car ride listening to great music, which made it fun, not to mention that it was quite a scenic drive.
We went to a historic city on the shores of a beautiful lake. Before we went, we checked Groupon for deals in the area, which is how we kept costs down.
The first thing planned was a walk along the boardwalk and a picnic brunch there. We brought along crackers and cheese and yogurts and fruit and drinks, and it was a nice and tasty meal.
My friend and I both deal with debilitating physical limitations and pain, so we decided to forgo anything that would be physically strenuous, such as hiking, even though there were beautiful hiking paths in the area.
We decided that if we were at a lake, we wanted to do some water activities. Boating was the first thing that interested us, but only if it was frugal. We found tickets on Groupon for $45 for half an hour for a motor boat. When we got there, since it was a quiet time of day, and off season, they offered an even better deal than the Groupon- $40 for 40 minutes. The usual non sale price is $60 for 30 minutes.
We had a great time, speeding away and also just drifting on the water, again listening to great music. The wind was refreshing on a hot day and the view was beautiful.
After this was going to the beach. Since it is a relatively placid lake, I brought along flippers and snorkels for both of us. Great time!
Then we decided to hit up some hot springs. The city we went to has ancient roots and already 2000 years ago there are recorded baths for the hot springs which are said to have healing powers. There is a spa right down the hill from the hot springs which uses the waters and costs $29 per person. However, there is a national park at the entrance of the springs with pools you can enter, along with archeological sites and it costs only $4 per person. So that was great fun. The water was 40 degrees Celsius in the pool we went into!
On Groupon we saw a restaurant deal listed in a steakhouse with a meal for two for $57. This included 3 types of meats, sides, salad platters, and drinks. This was a ridiculously good price for what was offered. The restaurant was amazing. We got the most perfectly done steak I've had in years- it was utter perfection. Two large steaks. Also, we had delectable kebabs- I think lamb but I'm not sure. Again perfectly cooked. And then there were green beans; potatoes and sweet potatoes were grilled as well.
The meal also came with dips and salads that kept on getting refilled as soon as they were finished: egg salad, cabbage salad, beet salad, pickled veggies, tahini, eggplant salad, greens salad, coleslaw, along with freshly baked bread and gluten free bread to eat with the salads. Then there was also the pitcher of lemonade. All that for $57 which is a ridiculously low price.
It was an awesome day where we felt extremely pampered. And the total cost was $55 per person not counting transportation, and $106 total counting transportation.
I would say this definitely counts as frugal luxury. Yes, it wasn't free. Yes, it was over $100. But it was as if we spent a few hundred dollars, not just $106. And it was exactly what these two single mothers needed this Mother's Day.
Did you do anything for Mother's Day? How much would this cost you locally?
What a perfect mothers' day outing!
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