Vacations are usually a huge money dump. Between the transportation, lodging, and food, there's hardly enough cashola left to actually DO anything! Well, that's the genius of Las Vegas. You don't have to break the bank to visit, AND - if you have a lucky streak - your vacation might actually pay for itself!
I visited Vegas recently, as a part of an annnual Girls Weekend (GWLV). My bestie, Amber, has got this whole trip-planning thing down to a science! Sure, it's a huge part of her actual job, but I think she enjoys planning GWLV. The main key here is that she plans everything loosely - attendees are free to participate or not - and no guilt if you decide to hit the pool instead of attending the afternoon visit to the Liberace Museum. (Disclaimer - We have never actually visited the above-mentioned location!) By going in a group, we share expenses, which brings the cost waaaaaay down.
Expense #1: Transportation. If you're in Cali, Arizona, or even Utah, a roadtrip is the way to go. Pack a lunch, or stop in at a roadside fast food place, and you can get there fairly inexpensively. Anywhere else, you're gonna have to fly. (Sorry, no stop at the World's Tallest Thermometer for you!) You'll be surprised at how cheap flights to Vegas can be! Seriously, check it out here. I've heard of people flying from the East Coast for about $100!
As for me, I tagged along with Amber & Oly, who chose to drive a very economical vehicle to Vegas, which required ZERO stops for gas! We stopped once for dinner - Oly was a sweetheart & bought us some fancy chicken strips at Jack in the Box.
Expense #2: Lodging. We take this super-seriously, after all, we're gonna be poorly-rested as it is, due to nightly adventures, but we don't want to sleep in rock-hard beds, too! Can you imagine the level of cranky that our group of ladies would achieve?! Nope, gotta stay somewhere nice. Our choice for lodging is the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino. The location is pretty close to perfect for us. It's on the south part of the strip, right next to a CVS (great for forgotten supplies like shampoo or sunblock), and there's a free monorail that will take you down to the City Center and Bellagio.
One really great thing about the Monte Carlo is it's ventilation system... Smoking is allowed pretty much everywhere in Vegas. (I still haven't checked the churches, police station, or hospital, but then again, we haven't done the The Hangover
version of GWLV yet!) Still, it's actually not overly smoky in the Monte Carlo casino. If you have a sensitivity to smoke, you really should consider this hotel, or the New York New York Hotel and Casino. Also, the Monte Carlo has a pretty decent pool area. It's no "Rehab" like at the Hard Rock Hotel, so if you're looking for a huge party scene, this isn't the place. It's pretty mellow, but don't worry, there's plenty of eye candy, if that's what you're looking for. The lazy river is a wonderful place to cool off... Just grab a floatie and meander around the river for as long as you like!
Anyhow, bottom line: Always have a roomie so you can split the lodging expense. If it's $40 a night (that's what I paid at the Luxor this past summer) and you've got a friend with you, well, now you're only out $20!
Expense #3: Food. You could pretty easily go broke just eating in Vegas. Keep your eye out for deals, though, and you'll be sittin' pretty! Prior to leaving, check Restaurant.com
for deals. They offer $25 gift certificates to thousands of restaurants for only $10! 
Also, consider getting an Entertainment Book
for Las Vegas. It has hundreds of "Buy One, Get One Free" coupons, and 50% off deals at restaurants all over Vegas. If you're smart, you'll keep a snack or two in your room. Think crackers, fruit, granola bars... And maybe a beverage. Or even some adult beverages! Our rooms had refrigerators in 'em, and of course, there's always ice available, so we had drinks available whenever we got thirsty.
The Monte Carlo has a food court that offers affordable fast food, such as McDonald's, Subway, and Sbarro. They also have an all-you-can-eat buffet... And on Saturday morning, when we went, that included champagne! (I covered my $19.99 worth in champagne alone.) I haven't done it yet, but I've heard you can get an all-day buffet pass for about $35, and it's valid at several different casino buffets. If you plan on being hungry, well, this is an AMAZING deal!
There are loads of reputable, exquisite restaurants in Vegas, and by all means, you might want to slurge on one or two. We dined at the Grand Lux Cafe at The Palazzo. I had a pasta and chicken dish and a beer for around $20. However, if you have a more refined palate, they have an extensive wine menu and lots of delightful entrees to choose from. The portions are HUGE - I think every one of us took a "to go" box back to our hotel!Expense #4: Entertainment. Vegas has a vast array of entertainment choices! It's possible to do all kinds of stuff around Vegas for fairly cheap, if you plan ahead! Remember that Entertainment Book?
It's loaded with entertainment deals in addition to food discounts. I just discovered this one today: The Ultimate Vegas Power Pass.
For a mere $89 ($59 for kids), for 2 days you have access to dozens of Vegas attractions. Here's just a few: All-Day Ride Pass at the Adventuredome, Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas, Hoover Dam Motor Coach Tour, Las Vegas Zoo, Liberace Museum, Madame Tussauds, $10 Credit at Planet Hollywood, Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden & Dolphin Habitat, Stratosphere Tower Observation Deck, The Legacy Tour at Grand Canyon West, and the Roller Coaster @ NYNY. The pass has a value of over $500! For comparison purposes: The NYNY roller coaster is $14, the Eiffel Tower is $10-$15 (depending what time you go), the Stratosphere is $15.95, and Adventuredome is $24.95. Honestly, the The Ultimate Vegas Power Pass is one of the best deals I've come across in a long time! Expense #4: Gambling. Naturally, you can spend as little or as much as you want on gambling. If you choose to do so, make sure you sign up for a players club card. Simply hand it to the dealer or insert it in the machine you're playing, and you'll rack up points toward free buffets, comped rooms, and other perks! One year, one of our GWLV attendees gambled enough to get a poolside cabana comped for us! (Thanks, Christina and Monte Carlo!) The Monte Carlo card works at several casinos, including the MGM Grand and Excalibur.
I managed to win just a bit more than I spent on this trip - I did pretty well at the NY-NY casino, as did my friend Amy. We had the best time there, and didn't realize how late it was until we walked out and saw the sun rising! I hit a $50 jackpot on the Wheel of Fortune penny slots at the Monte Carlo, too. Yaaaay!
Don't forget, when you're actively gambling, cocktail servers will bring you drink after drink after drink! Whether that's water, beer, or bloody marys, they're free! Don't be cheap though, give the server a tip. I give a dollar per drink. If you "forget" to tip, they oftentimes "forget" to come back for another beverage order.
Expense #5: Nightlife. This city never sleeps, so you can literally stay out all night long, if you so choose! (Remember my gambling all-nighter?!) Last July, when I checked into the Luxor, they handed me a little coupon book that included free passes to their nightclub. This is really common, and you should ask for a coupon book no matter where you stay when you check in.
Also, oftentimes, when you enter a casino, there's an attractive guy or gal handing out nightclub passes, or coupons for freebies. I can't tell you how many free jello shot coupons I've encountered for Dick's Last Resort! Lots of places are free before 9 or 10 pm. I went to my very favorite place, Nine Fine Irishmen, around 10 pm and got in free. We listened to an energetic Irish band, watched a spirited irish dancer, all free of charge! My cider was kinda pricey, $8.25/pint, but when you reconcile the overall cost, it's not so bad. (Beware the Irish Car Bomb though - my friend bought a round and was SHOCKED to find they were $11 EACH!) Last year we dined at The Palms, so we got into the Playboy Club and Ghostbar free-of-charge.
Lastly, to save some cashola but still vacation like royalty, join BuyWithMe.com
and Groupon.com
. Both sites offer AMAZING deals in cities across the country. Check what's available in Vegas before you visit. You could get spa services for half off, entertainment deals for 75% off, or even dining deals for up to 90% off!Total Expense: Believe it or not, my total expense for GWLV is ALWAYS under $200, usually closer to $150! See, Vegas doesn't HAVE to be a savings-draining vacation. Just plan ahead - and maybe pray to the gambling gods for good luck.
(Do you have a good Vegas tip? Let me know in the comment are below!)
We snickered a wee bit when, as predicted, her ranch wasn't included. The server trotted off to get it for her, which gave me a minute to snap a shot of our dinners. My cell phone camera doesn't do well in low light, so really, this picture doesn't come anywhere near the thousand words that I wish it did. 
for a lot longer than that. 
We had a winner with that idea.
The girls got situated and proceeded to bowl as poorly as humanly possible, but still had a huge amount of fun. They hit the snack shop, which needs some dollar deals to go along with the evening's theme. A large order of fries, side of ranch, and large soda was about $7. How about dollar Cokes and one buck hot dogs? Now THERE'S a plan they need to think about.
You know, like the one in the original 
where the adorable 
sorta worship "The Claaaaaaaaaaaaaaw". My daughter's friend fed dollar after dollar into that thing, and shockingly, has nothing to show for it. She did have fun, apparently, just trying to get ahold of one of those elusive stuffed animals.
and 
This led to some of the most spastic bowling I've seen in a good, long time, which made this whole evening completely worth the price of admission.
stepped into one in DC, followed by every photographer in the country who was not chasing 
or 
at the time. This made the 
grew to ginormo proportions as a result of his affinity for Big Macs.
The wait is made less traumatic by the free peanuts waiting for customer right there at the front door. 
Bar-B-Q sauce, or hot sauce. Get one, none, or ALL of those toppings - FREE! Cheese and bacon are available, of course, but you've gotta pay extra for those.
but less costly than 
They wandered back occasionally for an energy refill (read: food). There's no snack bar here so if you want to eat, you're gonna have to haul in your lunch yourself. That works for me! Brought from home = inexpensive!
certificates or coupons from our 
like the ones we used to play back in the day. They also used their prized quarters to get 
and 
and more recently, 
Best of all - it's FREE to visit!
On the second day, a few of the buildings were open, so we were able to really see the sets! 
and 
all performed here for a local TV show. There's a huge old pool on premises - currently it's empty, but don't get any big ideas, skateboarders, it's not like a modern pool with easy-to-skate bowls. It was built in the 40's, could hold 650K gallons of water and had a capacity of 3000 people! (And to that last part I say, "No thank you!" LOL) 
and comedian 
We might have stopped in for a cerveza on the patio, however, the kids were looking forward to lunch on the beach, so we kept on going.
First, we wandered down to the beach, where we plopped down in the sand and tore into lunch. We watched the numerous 
compete for waves as we dined. On the second day, we took a bench on the pier and watched dolphins swim by.
After lunch, we wandered along the pier to the end, beckoned by 
are enshrined here in the World Peace Memorial. 
on Sunset Boulevard. Most of the visitors respected the tranquility of the place, with one or two exceptions - not us, I promise! - and dotted around the lake were several meditating individuals. By the way, there is no admission fee to visit the Lake Shrine, although donations are graciously accepted.