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6 tips to stretch your vacation dollars

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Spend less on meals without depriving yourself by preparing breakfast in your room, using Restaurant.com or other sites for discount certificates, and working the clock by opting for a heavier meal at lunch or partaking in early evening or late-night happy hour specials.

"If you're going to a foodie town, a restaurant that's pricey for dinner will have the same master chef for all the meals," says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of TheGroceryGame.com. "You get a good sampling at lunch, the same quality and some of the same items, for sometimes half as much as dinner."

Dinner at a neighborhood pub or individually owned restaurant offers another kind of twofer: inexpensive, good food and a chance to mingle with locals. To find such places, don't ask the concierge for advice, but chat up a local storeowner, rental car clerk or hotel maid, or visit social review websites such as Chowhound or Yelp.

"It's good to hear from locals what's good," Gault says. "You stay away from tourist traps, that's for sure."


 

 

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