I've been to Las Vegas 3 times now so I think I've got a pretty good grip on this city and what it has to offer. Now, a lot of people would not even consider "Sin City" as an ideal vacationing spot because of what the city represents and I can fully understand their reasoning in that. People are tempted in many ways, but Vegas can be a fun place to visit, one of my favorites, without having any regrets when you leave. Gambling to me is a form of entertainment and should be viewed as such. You win some, you lose some but its all part of the fun. Take for instance a day of entertainment in the Tampa Bay area. Two Busch Gardens tickets, $10 parking, sunscreen, four meals in the park, a couple T-shirts, that dumb picture of you screaming your head off on Montu, and a couple bottles of water can cost you upwards of $150. That $150 is gone when you get home and you don't think about it twice because you had a great time. Well, in Vegas, I spend $50-$100 a day, that money is gone too, but I had a great time. The key to Vegas is to do it cheap, and since we are on a budget, I'll let you in on our secrets to doing Vegas under $100.

1. Stay cheap. The best time to check in is Mon-Wednesday since rates go up to accommodate the weekend crowd. You'll get the best deals on those days. You can stay off the strip and save a buck, but then you may incur costly traveling expenses getting to the strip so my advice is to stay on the strip at the best rate you can find. I've found that Expedia and the others don't always have the best rates, so it would be best to call around and try to find a deal. We stayed on the strip for $32 a night. Not bad!

2. Play cheap. Maybe gambling isn't your thing, there's plenty to do without it, but there are ways to gamble cheap too. A lot of the casinos just want you to get through their doors so they offer things like free pulls on slot machines and memberships that include promotions and discounts. These memberships give away match play on table games or like $50 free money toward slot machines. Chris and I spent all day and all night last time we were here walking to the different casinos, signing up for their promotions and playing the free money they gave us and leaving. You could get all the slot machine pulls out of the way with no charge to you. Plus, penny and nickel slots are the way to go because on $1.00, you can pull the lever 100 times and you might get lucky and hit the jackpot. I won $103.50 on a penny slot just because I wanted to pull the lever enough times to convince the waitress I was playing so I could get a free Cherry Coke. That's another great thing about slots, you drink free as long as you are playing so $1.00 could mean a lot of free sodas! If you like blackjack or roulette, there are casinos like Slots-A-Fun that have low minimum bets, $1 or $0.25 so you can still get that Vegas experience, get to know the other players and laugh a lot on $20. Watching other people gamble is fun for me and its completely free! I love watching people in the high limit slot go through $100 in a couple minutes.

3. Eat cheap. This is a big part of keeping Vegas to a budget. There are so man y places to eat but gone are the days you could get a steak and lobster buffet for $3 in Vegas. You have to look, but the deals are still out there. On the strip, check out Penny Heaven that has a pretty greasy dollar menu but it gets the job done. If you can go off the strip, Ellis Island has a steak special for $4.95 that includes a salad, steak, potato, and veggie and I mean, it is GOOD! Wild Wild West has a great burger and fries for $2 and if you can stomach this nasty casino, the Gold Spike downtown has ginormous hotdogs for $2 as well. Eat cheap and you'll have money to do other things.

4. Ride cheap. If you can rent a car that would be optimal because the best food deals are off the strip, but if you are stuck on the strip without a car, DON'T EVER TAKE A TAXI! They are expensive and you could be using that money to have fun. The Deuce will take you up and down the strip for like $1.50 and since the airport is so close, the bus system can take you there no prob if you have a little patience.

4. See cheap. There is so much to see and do in Las Vegas, you don't have to spend a lot of money to be entertained. There are some great headliner shows that can cost a pretty penny, but if you check out the 1/2 Ticket kiosks around, you can get a good show for a lot cheaper. We saw a great magic show for $17. There are free shows evevrywhere so do your research and plan your trip around them, you won't regret it. The fountains at Bellagio are a must see. Others include the Masquerade in the Sky at the Rio, the tiger habitat at the Mirage, the flamingo sanctuary at the Flamingo, the Lion Habitat at MGM Grand, The volcano at the Mirage, and the Sirens Pirate Show at Treasure Island. Your hotel should be able to give you discounts on their own shows if you ask. The casinos and hotels themselves are always trying to one up each other and the themes and beauty of the architecture takes my breath away sometimes. It took a lot of creativity and money to build these hotels so you will have a great time just walking down the strip and admiring all the unique hotels.

A typical day for us includes lunch at Wild Wild West for $2, checking out the free show at the Rio, playing a couple dollars of penny slots while waiting for our $17 magic show to start, grabbing a $4.95 steak dinner, singing karaoke at Ellis Island, watching more free shows around the strip, and then sitting down at a table and playing $20 of $1 black jack for a few hours and then falling asleep in your comfy $32 room. Under $100 and we had a blast. If you ever come to Vegas just remember this: You can have a great time on a budget, there is a lot to see and do, and you should never have any regrets when you come home if you just remember who you are.

You should write a travel book when this is done.

Dad says to print this one out for future reference - Thanks Julia!

My comment to Sherer is...Your mom should write a travel book when this is done! BURN!

Give me back my brother!!!!!

We are sorry. New comments are not allowed after 7 days.