Chicago on a Shoestring: We came in under budget!

---

Since the main purpose of this blog is to show my relatives (who rarely take vacations), and those of you like them, that it is possible to vacation affordably with the family, my Chicago entries wouldn't be complete without a spending wrap-up.

Knowing we'd already gone away this summer, I didn't allocate a large budget for this getaway. I wanted to spend no more than $500. The good news is, we didn't overspend. Our total for 5 nights was $481.98.

Here's how it breaks down:

Lodging: free (gotta love staying with the relatives!)

Groceries: $50.80 (Super Wal-Mart; we packed lunches each day. Any other meals not detailed below were eaten at home)

Eating out: $73.29

Details:
McDonalds on the road going: $13.23
McDonalds at Navy Pier: $13.00
Coffee and donuts on the road $9.52
Chicago Style Pizza at Beggars: $28.00
Coffee on road $1.19
McDonalds on the road leaving: $8.35

(McD's 3x in one week is not the type of diet I'd suggest for long term, but their dollar menu sure helped us save dollars on our trip!)

Attractions: $90.60

Details:
Parking at Navy Pier: $23.00
Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier: $12.00 (4 tickets, 2 for 1)
Shedd Aquarium (3 kids, free adult): $53.85
Parking at Shedd (metered) $1.75 (on the road btwn Shedd and Adler Planetarium)
Chicago Children’s Museum: free (4 reciprocal, 1 teacher).
Field Museum: free admission (1 reciprocal)
Museum of Science and Industry: free admission (reciprocal) and free parking.

Gas: $226.19
Tolls: $29.10

Misc: $12 (Stuff we forgot to pack, Walgreens)
Souvenirs: $0

Total: $481.98


There are a few things I didn't get around to doing on this trip that I would have liked. I really wanted to check out the Magnificent Mile, but I'm sure my window shopping would have turned into spending and put me over budget. Another activity that I'm disappointed we didn't get to is the Hancock Observatory. I saw people selling coupons on Ebay for that attraction; a family of 4 for $20. If we had done that it would have put me slightly over budget, but not by much. I guess it's good to always leave a vacation destination wanting to see more; it just means you'll have to plan to come back.

As it is, I think we packed in a lot of attractions given our spending limit. I hope I've inspired you to get out there and travel! As always, thanks for reading along and stay tuned for our next family adventure.

---

Comments

[sherry]

WOW!
You had me hooked with the three McD's meals! I don't advocate it either, but my youngest adores McDonalds and the price can't be beat. We always eat for less than 15 bucks there, for five of us, and are full, too. It is the one place EVERYONE in the family can agree on, fast food wise. Can't wait to read all your reports!

[P05]

McD's
Well, we definitely can't eat like that everyday! But if it's a choice between going on vacation or not, I'll do it for a little while and enjoy myself. We usually have healthy snacks packed in a cooler to supplement the McD's. I have carrots, grapes, juices, etc. that I carry with me.

[Heather]

Thanks!
Thanks! I'm a DISer who happened upon your blog and wanted to thank you for the Hancock Tower tip!