Disneyland versus Disneyworld

Back from vacation fellow frugals!

One adventure we saved up for was to go to see Disneyland and its neighbor, California Adventureland. Two different, but very similar parks to what we have on the east coast of North America.

Here are some of our impressions:

• Sleeping Beauty's castle is pretty neat, you can walk through it and relive the childrens fairytale. Smaller than Cinderella's but neat. We were there 54 years and 51 weeks after the park opened. To think Uncle Walt walked through these same halls!


• It's a Small World; Hands down, Disneyland's is better. Outside, a huge glockenspiel and it is the first time we saw the new additions in the building


• Autopia.....way cooler and better than Disneyworld's
• Two words for the ultimate what started it all.......'The Matterhorn'. Disney's first and then replicated it at Animal Kingdom.


• Haunted Mansion....the same
• Pirate's of the Carribean...why call it that when it starts in New Orleans?
• Space Mountain....it feels like it is the same

Too many to describe, but we are certainly glad we shelled out the $$$ to go experience the parks. A few tips that apply here as well. It was not that crowded, don't know if it was the days we went (Monday/Tuesday) or the economy in Southern California, but:

• Use Fast Pass, we did not wait any longer than 30 minutes without it.
• Left or right? Always choose left. Shorter lines
• Look for the ala carte items to eat lunch. Cannot go wrong with Mexican cuisine
• Break the lands up and explore. We found if we did it leisurely, we lasted longer and saw everything multiple times

Anyhoo....hope you find this helpful, if your in Anaheim....go do it and compare!

Sightseeing on the cheap......

For the price of a tank of a gas, the Frugal's took part in a number of sightseeing activities in Southern California.....visiting roadside icons in the area.

Checkout these oddities in your own hometown, you'll be amazed at what you will find.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/

Included in this trip:

• The Dinosaurs of Cabazon. If you've seen "Pee-Wee's Great Adventure", you've seen these beauties
• The Dinosaurs of the Jurupa Cultural Center in Riverside
• The Giant hand-carved Indian Head by Peter Toth at the Cabot Museum in Desert Springs. There is at least one of these in every state. 3 in Florida!
• Giant VW Spider
• World's Largest Paper Cup (ok, it's really concrete)
• a huge windmill farm
• Tram at Palm Springs

So check out your area, you will never know what you may find for those fun and family moments!

Let's Play Ball....

The Frugals are on vacation. We have scrimped, saved and planned the vacation to maximize family and exploration time.

We took in a ball game, we follow the Rays closely and tried to match up a Rays game with a game on the West Coast, but it didn't happen, instead we took in an Angels game. The last time we were at this stadium, we watched the Rams play. What a difference! Angels Stadium is a fan's stadium. Cool breezes, covered seating and an exciting game to watch over our Nation's holiday.

On the agenda this week, a tour of Southern California Roadside wonders, Disneyland using Rewards points, tidepools, Legoland, desert hikes and most important, family time.

Stay tuned

3....2....1...Staycation!

Been a while since the Frugal's posted, we have been busy with vacation plans and summer.

A lot has been said about taking a staycation during these economical times. We decided to take part in an event that will no longer be around after 2010. We attended a shuttle launch a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the shuttled did not take off like the picture due to a hydrogen leak, however it still was a great vacation at a bargain price.

We stayed at the Jetty Park campground which is adjacent to Port Canaveral. Here is a link for the details:

http://www.jettypark.org/

A very reasonable and clean/open campground.

Set up was easy at the campground, there is a nearby grocery store for supplies. Fishing on the pier is a 24 hour event. Manatee sightings along with sea turtle sightings made the trip a nature outing as well.

Outside of gas to bring the camper over there, this was easily a <$200 weekend with food and extra's. Check out the world famous Ron Jon surfshop....it's an experience.

Well the shuttle is now supposed to go July 11th. We won't be there this time, but there will be the opportunity for a few more launches to go see and feel the thunder. After that, we will welcome the Constellation series of NASA.

We had a great time, weathered an incredible intense thunderstorm and even stayed dry. More to come on our real vacation!

Just heard about some soap solution you can use to combat mosquito's and using peanut butter to get dried gum out of clothes

Rain drops are falling on my head....

Greetings!

Don't know about your area, but we in Tampa Bay are in a serious drought. Although hurricane season is now here and the afternoon rains have arrived, the grass is growing again. The rain we have been receiving is not enough to take us out of this drought and we will continue to be in the drought for a long time. Some politicians, feel that since the rain is here, all is fine and water restrictions can be removed.

Phooey on that.....not only should the restrictions NOT be lifted, additional actions are needed by us, the Frugals and our extended families.

We have rain barrels to supplement the watering of our gardens. We have selected drought resistant plants and boy are they are beautiful!

Governor Crist has a bill in front of him currently that will take away from Homeowner Associations the power to dictate the maintenance and requirement of grass lawns. As long as the homeowner follows the stated protocol for architectural changes, a HO Association will not be able to stand in the way of someone who is trying to be water conservative! Please sign this bill.

Another idea to save some water includes placing a brick in the toilet tank, if you have not converted to the low flush model, keep an empty bucket in the shower and after a couple of showers there will be enough water for your potted plants.

So please be mindful when using water this summer, there is not a lot of spare water out there!

7/1/2009...Update....one rain barrel installed! Quickly found out more than one should be connected to each spout. More rain was filling the barrel than was being released! Here is a photo.

There is such thing as a 'free' lunch..

Over the past year, we Frugals have been keeping our eyes open for deals. Deals in a way, that if we spend a little money, we would be getting more value for our 'mark'.

We live in the Tampa Bay area. In the bay area, we have been fans of the Rays for quite a while.

If their pitchers throw 10 strikeouts in a home game, we can get a free 10" pizza from Papa Johns pizza. (http://www.papajohns.com/) Just go to http://www.kanesstrikeout.com/ for details. So far this season, there have been three 10 strikeout home games; that is a lot of pizza.

Everytime the Rays win, a free donut from Dunkin Donuts with a purchase.

Go to a high school athletic game? Check out the ticket, chances are there will be a free sandwich from ChickFila or some other fast food establishment.

The point here, is take a look at the offers around you during events you may participate.

Long ago in our 'poor' days, (that is beyond frugal), we used to go to car dealerships on the weekend for a hot dog or hamburger. Today, we do that at the Harley dealership. Yum.

When we were in Atlanta, there was Harry's market where you walked the rows of produce and sampled everything delicious. No need for a lunch back then! So keep your eyes out for those lunchtime deals and you will find there is a lot out there to take advantage of! Enjoy!

Farmer's Markets/U-Pick

Herr Frugal must be on a veggie kick. As the weekend is hier, it's time for our weekly grocery shop. We will be going to the big bulk store the bulk items and household staples. Fruits and Veggies are purchased through produce stands or farmer's market.....fresher and less expensive.

In addition, some of the produce is locally grown thus reducing the excess waste in energy. Nothing like purchasing strawberry's that were picked two weeks ago in California, when we have Plant City less than 50 miles away!

Take your family out this weekend or next to go to 'u-pick' farm. A couple of weeks ago we found ourselves at a bleu-berry farm. Absolutely organically delicious! Frau Frugal and I have been enjoying blueberries in our lunch for the past week. Easy to pick, eat and we supported the local farmer.

A great site to find a farm near you: http://www.pickyourown.org/

Found this article that speaks volumes for the markets. Enjoy!

http://www.eversave.com/mc/3/articles/1133/farmers-markets-save-money?ref=307311622&zip=34685&sourceid=46582