Suddenly Frugal Blog

Just as I should have planned ahead when joining a CSA, which I blogged about yesterday, the same holds true for planning a summer vacation–that is, if you don’t want to pay through the nose for your getaway, you should make your plans months in advance. A popular place to vacation on the East Coast is the Jersey Shore, which is the 127-mile-long coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. When you vacation at the Jersey Shore, you call it “going down the shore.” Where I grew up in New York, we just called it going to the beach. Whatever.

If you’re looking for a green vacation destination, the Shore could be it–since you can take public transit to many of the New Jersey Shore towns, and the towns themselves are quite walkable, thanks to miles of boardwalk along the beach. New Jersey Transit trains from New York city bring you to the northern Shore towns. New Jersey Transit’s Atlantic City Line can get you to the Shore from Philadelphia. New Jersey Transit buses are also a good option.

Writer Jen A. Miller, author of the new book The Jersey Shore, Atlantic City through Cape May: Great Destinations (a travel guide about the South Jersey shore that tells readers about the best places to stay, play and eat there), knows how to stretch a dollar when you’re down the Shore. That’s good to know since AAA says that the average family spends $261 per day on food and lodging while on vacation. As anyone who visits the Jersey Shore knows, the cost of hotels, beach tags (since there are few public and therefore free beaches here), souvenirs, boardwalk rides, pizza and all those ice cream cones can quickly add up.

“The Jersey shore offers so much to see, do and eat that it’s easy to blow your budget,” Jen says. “But if you know where to look, you can shave hundreds of dollars off the cost of your vacation through discounts and freebies.”

Here are her eight tips on how to save cash while down the Shore:

1. Coupon Clipper, which you can find in a town’s chamber of commerce or tourism office. In these coupon books, you can find discounts on everything from food to amusement park admission.

2. Go Off Peak. This doesn’t mean you have to walk the beach in December. Most hotels and B&Bs charge more in July and August. Try a June or September vacation instead. It’s a lot cheaper, and less crowded.

3. Book Last Minute. This may sound counter intuitive, given the advice above, but Jen says that booking last minute can work in your favor–especially late in the season, like late August, when many people are starting to think “back to school” not “back to the beach,” oops, I mean the Shore. “That late in the season, many places are trying to fill rooms any way they can,” she says, “so they’ll drop the price to get you in rather than leave a room empty.” She suggests asking for any “procrastinator’s specials.”

4. Special Events = Special Savings. If the town is running any special events, check with restaurants, retailers, hotels and B&Bs to see if they’re offering any promotional tie ins. For example, Dixie Picnic in Ocean City knocks 10 percent off the bill of anyone participating in the annual MS 150 bike ride.

5. Travel in Packs. Some B&Bs offer special discounts, or extras, if your group rents out the entire building (good for me to know since my daughter’s basketball team has a tournament at the Shore this summer). If you can’t get the gang together, ask for referrals from friends and family, then make sure you mention that when you book a room. For example, the Inn at the Park in Cape May offers a 5 percent discount if a past guest refers you.

6. Souvenir Savings. You don’t have to pay premium price for souvenirs along the boardwalk. Check local grocery stores, which usually carry town-branded items, like t-shirts and mugs, at lower prices.

7. BYOB. BYOBs (bring your own booze, er bottle) are hot at the Jersey shore, so look for restaurants where you can bring your own wine. You’ll save on the alcohol mark up, and the food is usually a few bucks less because the establishment doesn’t have to pay for a liquor license.

8. Free Beach. Most Jersey shore towns require beach tags in order for you to dip your toes in the sand and surf, but you can save on tags by visiting Atlantic City or Wildwood–in these towns, beach access is free.

For more about the Jersey Shore, visit her website or buy her book.