OK, it took me a while and I'm still not sure if it's exact, because some things needed to be cash and some had to be charged to the hotel room, while most I charged to my debit card. So you'll notice there's a large "miscellaneous" category that was just stuff we used our spending money for; I didn't keep receipts nor did I ask anyone to for those purchases.
Planned categories totaled $4,864.95, plus between us we brought $436.00 of our own spending money that we'd saved up, so we came to Vegas with $5,300.95 spent or available to spend. We came home with $174 between the three of us, which means our trip cost us $5,176.95. Whew!
The first few unplanned expenses: $15 each for two checked bags, there and back for a total of $60. And a $5 per day phone charge regardless of whether we used the room phone, so $45 total. (Grrr...just add it to the cost of the room upfront if it's required--it's not really an optional amenity then, IS IT???)
Right away when we got there I realized that my estimate of $150 per day for three people was naive at current Las Vegas prices. I resolved not to freak out about every cent but to try and keep it down to a reasonable level. I also realized that NT loves slots as much as me and AS, so we'd be spending more time (and thus more money) playing than previously considered. Lucky we'd all brought extra spending money along!
On the plus side, we ended up not doing a couple of the activities that would have cost money, and a few of my budget categories actually had surpluses, so this helped with the overspending on food.
So here's our spending, the best I could figure it out. Deviations from the planned budget are noted in parentheses.
Flight & hotel package $2,226.95
Food $1,446.20 (overshot goal of $1300)
Crazy Horse show $151.50
Comedy Stop show $0.00 (canceled; was going to be $65.85)
Liberace museum $40.00
Spa $275.00 (budgeted: $300)
Rollercoaster $0.00 (didn't do; was going to be $20)
Car rental & insurance $111.37 (budgeted: $200 for this plus gas)
Gas $21.77
Other transportation $65.00 (budgeted: $100)
Park entrance fees $43.00 (budgeted: $100)
Gambling $300.00
Baggage fees $60.00 (unexpected expense)
Hotel phone fees $45.00 (unexpected expense)
Misc. food, drinks, slots, etc. $391.16 (various things paid in cash and not tracked, mostly extra gambling)
TOTAL $5,176.95
For you math geeks out there, that averages $172.57 per person per day, if you count travel days (which you should, since the plane was one of the biggest expenses!).
So, without the extra money we'd all squirreled away out of our regular weekly allowance, we'd have really struggled to come in under budget, but with that money, we made it! Vegas tried its best to bust our budget, but with a little restraint and strategizing, it all worked out.
More about the vacay itself when I post some pics tonight or tomorrow!
Vacation spending totals
March 23rd, 2009 at 08:41 pm
March 23rd, 2009 at 09:41 pm 1237844511
And to spend under the amount budgeted! Most of the time money is treated differently when on vacation - it is so much easier to spend
Your gambling was also very modest.
I love Vegas. We go every year at least once (some times twice).
DH has a week-long annual convention there and I always join him.
Since his plane ticket, rental car and a very good hotel room are paid for by the employer, it is much cheaper. Also free breakfasts are included for platinum members and his per-diem takes care of dinners. So with just drinks/entertainment and gambling expenses we came in at $1,014 total for 6 days last year.
The trade off is that he is busy until 5 pm. So I lounge around the hotel, pool, watch TV in bed until than. But the casinos are open all night and all the shows are in the evening.
I really want to go again - but this year I may be send somewhere else for my work at the same time.
March 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm 1237846476
You're lucky getting all those amenities for free! Now that I know lots of parking is free, next time I would book a rental car for longer, because there are tons of wonderful dining and entertainment options outside of the strip, and taxi fare is outrageous compared to Minneapolis.
I think with 8 full days, though, we got our fill of Vegas for a long, long time!
March 24th, 2009 at 01:53 am 1237859582
That hotel phone charge would have been off my bill in an instant. It is probably too late to do anything about it now, but if you ever encounter that again, go to the front desk and speak to the manager. Tell him/her that you have no need for the phone since you have a cell phone and you want to have that charge removed from your bill. Chances are good that they will take it off. Be sure to mention that you weren't told about it when you booked.
I had a similar situation with an "energy surcharge" at a hotel a while back. They never mentioned it when I booked. I didn't learn of it until I checked in. I complained and they waived it. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.
Did you enjoy the Liberace museum. I'm not ashamed to admit I was always a big fan. I got to see him perform once in Atlantic City. I wish I had gotten to more of his shows. We loved visiting the museum.
March 24th, 2009 at 04:02 am 1237867353
It's too bad you didn't get a chance to see the Hoover Dam - that was one of my favorite places in Vegas.
March 24th, 2009 at 04:35 am 1237869331
March 24th, 2009 at 02:30 pm 1237905009
whitestripe, I exclusively played penny slots and 25-cent video poker, so it would last longer. The last day we gambled, we went to a cheaper casino off the Strip and I found 5-cent video poker--I was in heaven! I actually won a little bit that day--and then lost the voucher that had my money on it. Ah, the wages of sin.