Beach vacations are a lot of fun for the whole family, but many people think they are unaffordable! This does not have to be true, if you keep in mind these money saving tips nearly anyone can afford a great beach vacation

1. Be Flexible With Your Dates
If you can be flexible with your dates, you can get some of the best deals around! This does not mean you have to visit the beach during the off-season, it simply means you may visit during the very beginning or very end of the season. This will give you some of the best rates around, and I always save a lot of money this way! When booking directly through the hotels website, or even on a hotel discount website, just switch around the dates until you find the lowest nightly rate. If you are taking a short beach vacation, take it during the week to save even more money!

2. Plan Early
This is one of the most important steps to planning a beach vacation on a budget. If you do not book your hotels early, you will not get a good deal. Many hotels offer special Internet discount rates if you book directly through the hotel and if you pre-pay for your entire stay in advance. You can save a considerable amount of money this way, but be mindful of the cancellation policy.

3.”Oceanfront” VS “Ocean View” Hotel Rooms
If you don’t care about a view of the ocean at all, it is almost always cheaper to book an interior room. If you do care, you will probably need to know the difference between the two! Oceanfront hotel rooms usually face the ocean directly, and give you the best views. These hotel rooms are the most expensive. Ocean view could be a room with a side-view, or even only a partial view. These rooms are usually cheaper than Oceanfront, but the views range from decent to bad depending on how obstructed your view is by buildings, greenery, or other obstacles.

3. Only Eat Out Once a Day
The only way to can manage to eat out only once a day is by booking a hotel room with a kitchen or kitchenette. Although these types of rooms are usually more expensive than regular hotel rooms, you will save a ton of money in the long run! A typical family of four could spend $50 on one meal alone

4. Plan and Research Your Dining Destinations
Even though you are only dining out once a day, you still need to plan out where you will eat! When you plan and research your dining destinations you will already know the food prices, and you might even be able to find coupon books for that particular restaurant. You will also know how far the restaurant is from your hotel, which is beneficial in case you have to budget for a taxi, miles used on a car rental, or gasoline.

5. Visit Your Beach Destination’s Official Website
The official website of the city you are visiting will often have special coupon books or visitors guides. You should have these sent to you about 2 months before you plan to go on your vacation to give you adequate time to look them over. These coupon books can often save you money on attractions, dining, and even hotels.

6. Buy Everything You Will Need At Home, And Check Your List Twice
Beach cities and towns may have higher taxes, or necessities just plain may cost more than they do in your city. If you forget essentials, you may end up paying a premium for it, so check your list twice

7. Stick To Your Budget in the Souvenir Shops
Beach cities and towns usually have a lot of souvenir shops with many cool things to bring home to your family. Make a shopping budget before you leave on vacation, and stick to it! If that last souvenir beach towel or t-shirt falls over your budget, just go without it rather than charging it.

8. Use Travelers Checks or a Debit Card To Pay
When you are paying for everything during your beach vacation with a credit card, it’s easy to forget how much you are spending. When you use Travelers Checks or a Debit Card you have to be more mindful, so you will tend to spend less.

9. Spend Most of Your Time At The Actual Beach
Since your vacation is centered around the beach, spend most of your time there! Although beach towns usually have tons of fun attractions, just pick out 2 or 3 that you would really love to visit and budget for them. It will save you a ton of money if you spend most of your vacation swimming or just plain laying out on the beach, because it’s free.

10. Drive or take the Red-Eye Flight
If you live with in a 14-hour drive to your destination, it is probably better to go ahead and drive. If you fly, you will probably need a rental care when you get there or you will have to take taxis everywhere. These expenses can add up, and can easily end up costing as much as plane tickets or more. If you live too far away to drive, or if you don’t have the time, take the red-eye flight to get the best deal.

With these great tips for saving money on a beach vacation, almost anyone can afford to take one!

Now that gourmet sea salt has become readily available at most of the major grocery and mass market stores, using wondrous sea salt in recipes is easier than ever. Gone are the days of searching high and low for a particular type of sea salt. Stock up on all you can find, because they do not expire.

My all time favorite gourmet sea salt is smoked sea salt. It is made by taking evaporated sea water, usually by means of an open fire that features various woods like cherry and oak. This gives the smoked sea salt it’s distinct smoke flavor, that is excellent used in recipes featuring beef and chicken. Can also be used on any other food where a smoke flavor is desired.

Sea salt differs from conventional salt in the fact that sea salt often retains the flavors of the area to which it was extracted. For example, Portuguese sea salt often has a strangely sweet taste to it. It can be used in almost any recipe, and it is terrific as a table salt.

One thing you should remember when cooking with any type of sea salt, is that it has a stronger flavor than regular salt. This is particularly true of rock sea salt, which is coarse and rather big. If a recipe calls for a half teaspoon of salt, and you are using sea salt, just put in slightly less. It is always better to not use enough than to use too much.

A wonderful way that I have found to use sea salt is for turkeys. Instead of everyday plain salt, substitute coarse smoky sea salt. Along with cracked pepper, the smoked sea salt takes the bird from ordinary to marvelous.

Hawaiian sea salt is red or pink in color, because it is harvested from areas in Hawaii with an abundance of clay. It is superb when used on grilled foods, especially seafood, because it gives the food a more mineral, less salty taste, and really livens up the natural flavor of the fish.

When you use gourmet sea salt instead of table salt, no matter what dish it is, you bring interesting flavor and texture into every meal. Try out the different types of sea salt that are available to you, and you will discover a new world in eating enjoyment.

Another use for sea salt is it’s ability to dry foods, such as ham and beef. The salt stops germs from forming in the meat, and gives it that signature salty flavor, that many people love.

No matter what you use gourmet sea salt on, you are sure to create a dish that is both delicious and memorable.

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