Staycationonomics: It's all about the Benjamins

I've already covered chinookonomics (part 1 and part 2), but the point of our staycation wasn't to save money per se. We were on vacation and using the Chinook Book gave us a great theme for the "trip."


However, even though we spent more than we normally would have in a week here in the cities, we still saved a ton of money. Here's the run down on our 8 night staycation:

• We didn't buy plane tickets. Savings: $450 - $700
• We didn't have to stay in a hotel. Savings: $700 - 900
• We didn't have to rent a car. Savings: $200 - $350

Also, like any week-long vacation, we didn't buy groceries (Savings: $100). Here's where the coupons come in...on dining and entertainment (excluding bike and home improvement purchases) we saved $120 plus our two discounts for laid-off state employees of $58.

To sum it up, by opting for a staycation, we saved close to $2,000. How do you like them apples?!