"Mini-Moon" on a budget

Not every trip should cost an arm and a leg. Especially not your honeymoon. Honeymoons often reflect the couple that goes on them. My husband and I chose to take a quick “mini-moon” to Nashville, Tennessee. This was the perfect trip for us. We wanted to save as much money as we could so that we weren’t starting married life completely broke, but we didn't want to miss out on any opportunities. I thought I would share a few tips on how to save money, while still getting the most out of your trip.

(While some of these ideas are specific to Nashville, they are very easy to apply to any type of trip to any destination!)

1. Walk

We stayed in a condo central to where we were spending most of our time. We were about a mile off of Broadway, so we were able to walk to Broadway and the Gulch instead of driving every time. This not only saved money on gas but also in parking!

2. Skip the hotel

We stayed in an air B&B and it was much cheaper than a hotel in the same area. Always do your research when booking with air B&B, but often times you can get great deals in great areas! We were able to stay in a condo with a full kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, and a pool right off of the river and near downtown for the same price if not less than a hotel room.

3. Share meals

Typically I am the last person to suggest sharing a meal (give me all the food), but this cut the cost of our trip nearly in half. Many of the restaurants we ate at had portions that were large enough for us to split and feel full, but not stuffed. We were also able to try more different foods. For example, we split an entree and got an appetizer (instead of each getting one entree). We tried so many new foods (which is big for us. We are creatures of habit who don’t typically try new foods)

Here are a few places we ate at (and loved) in Nashville:

-Biscuit Love (we had the french toast biscuit with lemon mascarpone and blueberry compote)

Yes, it was as good (if not better) as it looks

-Nashhouse (We did not split this meal, but it still wasn't crazy expensive and we enjoyed live music)

-Taziki's (We actually ate here twice because it was SO good! The line was never long and the food was amazing. It reminded us so much of our trip to Israel last December)

Grilled chicken & pesto gyro

Turkey Club on ciabatta

Hummus and pita

-No-Baked (The cookie dough was amazing and the staff was incredible)

Strawberry cheesecake and s'mores (we couldn't pick just one)

There are also several cute places to take pictures, so obviously, I was a big fan

-Milk and Honey (Incredible staff, delicious coffee, and a very filling meal. We ate here before our hiking day and this breakfast kept us full and fueled)

1. how cute is the door & 2. how cute is my husband

This was such a filling meal: potatoes, fruit, bacon, eggs, and toast

-Stompin' Grounds (Cute coffee shop. A little on the expensive side, but tasted great and we were able to support a small business instead of a chain restaurant)

The cinnamon roll biscuit was big enough for both of us

Cinnamon latte and a fun mural makes for a great morning

-Wildhorse Saloon (We just came in to use the restroom, but decided to stay to enjoy more live music and a tasty dessert)

-Luigi's Italian cuisine (We ordered a personal size pizza and it was perfect for the two of us)

-Mike's Ice Cream and Coffee Bar (Homemade ice cream and over 30 flavors)

Chocolate peanut butter cup was the winner

-Legendairy Milkshake Bar (This was not a cheap stop by any means, but we had heard a lot about it and decided to try it out. It was so good! We ordered the coffee and donut milkshake and loved it)

the only person I'd share a milkshake with

Coffee & donuts & a milkshake, can't go wrong with that combination

-Rocket Fizz (We each picked a soda, which took a while because they had so many different and unique flavors and filled a bag with taffy. We are still eating the taffy!)

4. Choose resale over souvenir

This was not something I had thought about before, but if you want a touristy type shirt, don’t get it from a souvenir shop. They charge way more than you need to. Places like Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and Plato's Closet (I’m sure there are more depending on the location) will most likely have some sort of local T-shirt section.

I got this tank for $6 from Plato’s closet instead of $30 at the souvenir shops:

While we were walking around the downtown area, we found a great shop, everything was $10. T-shirts, hats, dresses, etc. I found this dress and my husband found a T-shirt (it is great quality, especially for $10)

This dress was perfect for the outdoor wedding this weekend

5. Find nearby state parks

We love being outside and hiking and going on adventures. We found a few state parks about an hour or so outside of Nashville and spent the whole day hiking and truly taking in God’s masterpieces. We fell in love with Rock Island State Park and Burgess Falls State Park. State parks are free to enter and you can spend as little or as much time as you want there!

Just look at how beautiful it was:

Not park people? There are always free things going on in big cities. Depending on when you go, you may be able to stumble upon free movies being screened in the park, concerts, parades, and so much more! We also spent one morning driving and walking around to find all the popular murals in and around Nashville!

Just one of the ones we found in our adventure

These were just a few of the ways we chose to save money on our trip. Like I said earlier, every couple and family is different. Make your vacation YOUR vacation. Create a time that you all enjoy, try new things, and have FUN.

Does your family have a way they like to save money on vacations? What about favorite vacation spots? We are always looking for new places and experiences. Share them in the comments!