TOPIC OF THE WEEK: Extravagant and Cheap? [Archive]

jolo777

07-13-2006, 10:23 AM

This week's Topic Of The Week question is:

What was your most extravagant purchase or expense and/or what was the cheapest thing you did to save money in Las Vegas? (Let's be honest :) )

My most extravagant expense was an $800.00 necklace at the Monte Carlo jewelry shop after I hit a jackpot of $2000. on the slots. The cheapest thing is having hotdog lunch with coupons at Slots-of-Fun next to Circus Circus after a loosing day. This is of course the place we eat lunch at a lot. LOL

carol222

07-13-2006, 10:24 AM

expense in las vegas was our daughter's wedding at the Excalibur - which was not only picture perfect but EVERYTHING was perfect. We did the whole thing, wedding reception, 6 hour party! IT was great...
Cheapest??? not sure....we once flew and had hotel for entire week - package was 250 a piece! Guess that was cheap - about 8 years ago.

talanhart

07-13-2006, 10:26 AM

I paid to be upgraded to First Class on one of my flights to LasVegas. That was nice. I have very long legs and the extra room came in handy. Eating the 1/2 lb hot dog for free at Slots of fun and considering it a meal for the day.

Nevada

07-13-2006, 10:34 AM

I eat at buy one get one free buffets and then settle in penny slots betting the minimum amount.this method good when having a bad day on slots:eek:

AppleGreenJade

07-13-2006, 10:37 AM

Well, I was having a very good run once...so rather than taking the risk of feeding it back in, I went to Le Paradis (?) in Appian Way at Caesars and bought a 2+ carat ring with princess cut and baguette diamonds. I figured I was safe at keeping my winnings in some warped way until casinos figure out a way where they have slot machines where you can not only insert your $$$, but an opening for your jewelry too! :D (By the way, I've always wondered who in their right mind would buy jewelry in those kind of expensive places...now I know.)

The cheapest thing I've ever done (and I'm sure lots of people have done this) is walk a long way rather than take a taxi. I once walked from Wynn to Caesars for dinner which is not an entirely big deal, but my feet started to hurt so so much that I had to buy new shoes after dinner (it so happens at Appian Way again). The new shoes cost about $80. This is where the term penny wise pound foolish comes in.....I would like to think one can still get a taxi ride for much less than $80 to go from Wynn to CP.

janwes

07-13-2006, 10:47 AM

We got bumped from Columbus, OH (it was a layover flight); and we each (7 of us) got $500 vouchers and a direct flight. We beat our luggage and food coupons on the Ohio end. The great part was the flight was on $99. round trip to begin with!!!
Everything I do in Vegas is cheap -- I rarely splurge. I don't like to waste money -- my budget is for video poker and I use every coupon, comp. etc. I can to get the best food and deals out there!

vegasrose

07-13-2006, 10:50 AM

The most extravagant thing I purchased was a pair of designer shoes in TI after winning on the slots. We saved money by using coupons from Harrahs to see a comedy and magic shows. Can't wait to go again.;)

adpflyer1

07-13-2006, 11:14 AM

This week's Topic Of The Week question is:

What was your most extravagant purchase or expense and/or what was the cheapest thing you did to save money in Las Vegas? (Let's be honest :) )

Well, several years ago in the late 1990's my brother and I were going to take my mom to Las Vegas for a vacation. Unfortunatly at the last minute she had to stay home so we invited a friend to go in her place. This guy makes Jack Benny look like a big spender! Our reservations were at the Stratosphere and my brother and I were looking forward to trying some of the nicer buffetts. Well, first thing that happened when we got to our room was our friend looked out the wildow, saw the Carl's Jr. and decided we had to go there to eat because a sign out front said "Buy one sandwich, get the second free!" That has to be a topper for the cheapest thing we've done (if you don't count our friend sneaking into through the back door of the Liberace Museum without our knowledge while my brother and I were inside having paid our admission!)

luvmesumvegas

07-13-2006, 11:40 AM

My most extravagant expense was my wedding ($8,000.00). We got married at the Paris Hotel in the "Chapelle du Paradis" and had our reception at "The Ritz of Las Vegas" on Flamingo and Pecos Rd. Best money I ever spent.:)

Cheapest thing.....I signed up for a timeshare tour only because they were giving away $25.00 cash and the end of the tour. :eek:

Steve

07-13-2006, 12:09 PM

The most expensive thing I did was to arrange a surprise anniversay dinner for Eileen. We had about 25 guests.

The cheapest thing I did was during a solo trip to Las Vegas. I was staying at the IP and went to the Burger Palace to buy a large Iced Tea to drink while at the Racebook. I think the cost was $1.89 which I charged to my room knowing it would be comped when I checked out. But the cheap thing I did was I got continuous free refills which meant I didn't have to tip a cocktail waitress for the entire day at the racebook. :o

Steve

JMVegas5866

07-13-2006, 12:29 PM

Well, so far I've been very lucky and all the extravangant things I have done in Vegas have always been covered for free due to my Uncles V.I.P. player status. Venetian suites, Venetian V.I.P. lounge, snacks in the Venetian highrollers pit, Paris suites, expensive dinners at 5 star steak house restruants, free casino limo service to and from the airport/casino... stuff like that.

The past 2 years my Uncle hasn't been going to Vegas cause his daughters wedding cost him an arm and a leg LOL. So now I just go to Vegas with my friends and we do some of the cheapy things. Last year we ate the Ho Mega Dog for $1.49. We also like the Paradise Buffet breakfast buffet at Fremont for $5 and change (it's actually suprisingly very very good). Can't forget tons of gambling Downtown cause of the lower table minimums.

Sherry

07-13-2006, 12:32 PM

The most expense is buying airline tickets to Vegas, this happens when you don't live close to an airport. The cheapest have been T-shirts for the family. All our family now have Vegas T-shirts so we don't purchase them anymore. We just go and have a good time and spend what we think we can afford. Sherry;)

silkbj

07-13-2006, 12:38 PM

Our most extravagant thing we ever did in Vegas was when we were leaving. We had just spent a wonderful and profitable weekend at the LV Hilton. Ended up being ahead quite a bit. On departure day, as we were walking to the gate at the airport, we spotted the stand for the Bose noise canceling headphones. We had been eyeing them for years but just could not justify the purchase. Well, we decided to take some of our winnings and bought two sets of the headphones! Great purchase and we use them every time we fly. They really cut down on the drone of the engines as well as the crying/screaming from the kids.

The cheapest is probably the hot dogs in the sports book at the Gold Coast! Tasty!

Enjoy!

ChicChas

07-13-2006, 01:35 PM

Well, I haven't been going to Vegas for very long, so I will probably eventually top both my stories.

Most extravagent was last August when my friends and I were dining at Eiffel Tower restaurant at Paris. It was my first trip to LV and I was having a great time, so I decided to pick up the tab that night. With tip, it was about $400.00 and worth every penny of it.

The cheapest thing, I think, was during my 2nd trip in February when I went alone. I was walking by Slots-o-Fun and they handed me a fun book on the sidewalk. The only thing I used out of it was the coupon for two free spins. I was excited when the second spin paid out.

Fifty cents.

MikeinChi

07-13-2006, 01:59 PM

Most Extravagant? It's a toss-up between:
- I hit a progressive VP royal flush for $5,600 and treated my traveling companion to dinner at CraftSteak at MGM Grand that night. We both ordered their $96 Kobe Beef Steak, plus drinks, appetizers, sides, and desserts. Total bill for the two of us was well over $400. (Truthfully, the Kobe Beef wasn't worth it. Their $44 filet mignon is much better!)
- Treating my parents to see Celine Dion at $245 per ticket. I almost died when the ticket agent said, "That will be $735."

Almost Extravagant: On the $5,600 trip, I was at the Venetian and almost bought an $1,800 black leather jacket from Italy. It was beautiful but I just couldn't get myself to buy it.

Cheap: (And I always do this) I don't drink much and tend to get bottled water when I play the slots. Whenever possible, I keep an empty water bottle and refill it in my room, so I don't have to tip the cocktail waitresses or buy a new bottle of water!

iam4nd

07-13-2006, 03:16 PM

Our most extravagant purchase thus far in Las Vegas was a pair of tickets to "O" at the Bellagio in May, around $260. We will surpass that our next trip in August since we have already purchased two front row tickets to "Phantom" at the Venetian, a little over $300. We're not much into expensive meals, so a show like Celine Dion might be one to outdo this one later.;)

As far as being cheap, I once made Cheryl walk with me back to the Riviera from the Barbary Coast instead of taking a cab. We had stopped in to see Susan McDonald perform (she was always great) and Cheryl had a bit too much to drink while we were there. I thought the walk back would do her a lot of good and she complained the whole trip. I think the problem was that she kept walking sideways to and fro and logged about twice the mileage that I did. Fortunately she did not remember too much about it the next day. It often can be a little dangerous to try new drinks.:o

retcsgt

07-13-2006, 03:58 PM

The most expensive I've have ever spent was the travel expense to get to LV, the cheapest was sleeping in the car. With all the promos from the casinos one doesn't need to spend except for the gambling, (slot club cards).

katherinemm

07-13-2006, 04:11 PM

[QUOTE=luvmesumvegas]My most extravagant expense was my wedding ($8,000.00). We got married at the Paris Hotel in the "Chapelle du Paradis" and had our reception at "The Ritz of Las Vegas" on Flamingo and Pecos Rd. Best money I ever spent.:)

Considering how much wedddings cost, that was a GREAT price.:o

Marla Chi-to-Houston

07-13-2006, 04:37 PM

Cheapest has to be a trip in 2004, my girlfriends and I were all broke, it was 11:45 p.m. and we had maybe two dollars, so we played penny slots for 15 minutes, one, two, sometimes three coins at a time. We were waiting for midnight, when we could withdraw from the ATM for the next days allotment.

I did buy some expensive perfume from a shop, and then spent a few hundred at Marshall Russo (sp). Can't even fit the clothes now....one day!

cindyinnj

07-13-2006, 05:17 PM

Most expensive purchase...$450 Prada pocketbook at Bellagio's Prada store.
Most expensive meal...$450 dinner at Michael's Barbary Coast (for 2)
Most expensive hotel...$299/night at Bellagio for 5 nights, plus pay for my in-
laws rooms for 3 nights also!
Most expensive bet...$400 on the $100 Wheel of Fortune, (only 2 pulls for
this amount and I got WOF on 2nd pull...won back
my original bet...:D will never do that again!
Most expensive show...$150 each ticket for Celine Dion (for 2)

Cheapest thing I've done in LV....walked a mile down the strip to get something at the drug store because I knew it would be cheaper there than at the hotel's store! Well, I did save $5 and got some fresh air and exercise...:o I can't believe I was being that cheap, especially after reading my most expensive list!:eek:

sandlind

07-13-2006, 05:47 PM

most extravagant was a rented convertable and the cheapest was a hot dog with kraut for 75 cents

Robbylou121

07-13-2006, 06:25 PM

Most expensive thing I did was pay $47.00 for 3 burgers and fries at some Hawaiian Cheeseburger place in the Desert Passages mall...A Big Mac and fries would have been better tasting...lol.

The cheapest was a few years ago when Hubby and I sat thru a Time Share Experience to get discount tickets for a Wild West Variety Show at the Aladdin. Tickets were $8.95 each..(Had to pay for 4 tickets)...Best thing we ever done. The show was fantastic. I read somewhere that you have to tip to get good seats and we were about 10th in line, so I was flashing a bunch of $20's...got great seats and then gave the hostess a $5.00 bill..Guess that really is cheap. :rolleyes:

vegasbabe

07-14-2006, 02:45 AM

the most money I've ever spent on anything in Vegas was $187.50 for a Barry Manilow ticket. But, it was so worth it, that the next time I get my mother out here, I'm going to purchase 2 of the nearly $300 stage seat tickets.

On the cheap, I had to redeem my player's club points for my food after a certain 5 star hotel double charged show tickets on my credit card. It took me 5 hours to find a supervisor who knew how to fix it, and those 5 hours were pure hell!

ianwaldecker

07-14-2006, 04:39 AM

The most extravant thing I've done is stay in a Mini Suite at Mandalay Bay. The price wasn't outrageous, still high though. I just really wanted a jacuzzi tub in my room. Will never pay that much again, would rather spend the money on other goodies in Vegas.

Cheapest thing I've done is gone to Margaritaville for lunch with my girlfriend. We weren't starving, but it was time to eat. We split an order of Volcano Nachos (highly recommended) and each had a drink all for under for under $20. We left there full and completely satisfied. Now we look for a Margaritaville when we take vacations, just for the cheap lunch.

Ian
South Portland, Maine

jo45an

07-14-2006, 06:35 AM

I spent over $1000 at the Luxor purchasing Egyptian art, and some antiquities in the World Bazaar shopping area! I didn't realize how much I was spending until we got home and I added up all the receipts!! But, I have all the items on display and they bring back the memories of our first trip to Vegas!

The cheapest thing I did was to purchase some shorts for my 11 year old son who packed only one pair for a seven day trip! We found one of those cheap, tourist shops near the MGM and I think I paid $2 or $3 for each pair. I believe they fell apart after the first washing, but they saved the vacation!

Joan in PA.:o

Boston_Bill

07-14-2006, 07:04 AM

Never really went overboard on anything. Maybe spent too much at topless bars after a nice run:).
Cheapest thing I did was buy soda and snacks at the 7-11 downtown to avoid gift shop prices.

sonntex

07-14-2006, 08:22 AM

Outside of paying over $700 for 2 airline tickets to LV - we changed the dates and had to pay a $100 per ticket penalty:(

Most expensive - 2 tickets to Elton John- almost $400

Cheapest - always sticking my Diamond card in the cashier's face and asking for a discount - we do about 90% of our eating and shopping at HET props

Most ridiculous - pictures taken at Ballys Steakhouse - $355:eek: which I charged to my room and were covered by TR points

MHIROTSU

07-14-2006, 04:18 PM

Well, I was having a very good run once...so rather than taking the risk of feeding it back in, I went to Le Paradis (?) in Appian Way at Caesars and bought a 2+ carat ring with princess cut and baguette diamonds.

Hey Doris, can I borrow this ring so that I can ask Suzy a question (sometime in the near future)?

My most expensive thing was a purchase of a purse and wallet at Chanel. That was highway robbery!

The cheapest thing is that I stopped in Barstow on my way in to Las Vegas and got all the coupons I could find for anything that was free in Las Vegas. I got coffee mugs from the Riviera. At the time I recall the Lady Luck (or was it the Westward Ho?) was giving free hot dogs with the coupon. Circus Circus was giving a free fanny-pack. Most of the coupons were to get more coupons (2 for 1 buffets, etc.), but if it wasn't free, I wasn't doing it (except for gas, hotel and gambling. I can't figure out how you gamble for free). Lady Luck saved me on the dining side of the trip, except I believe I had to fudge a little because after eating 2 of those hot dogs, you gotta eat something else, so I think I splurged on the $.99 shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate. Got picture taken at a couple of places (but didn't need a coupon for that).

Mike

dreamcatcheril

07-14-2006, 05:04 PM

What was the cheapest thing you did to save money in Las Vegas?
Plan
Vegas 4 nights, Stay with my sister and husband, in their apartment for Free.

After 2 days and nights of paying for, gas in the car, dinning out, breakfast, lunch and dinner for 3 people,,,,
I went to the grocery store, bought some food put it in the apartment.

Then I checked in at the Frontier.
Turned out it was not so cheap

AppleGreenJade

07-14-2006, 05:28 PM

Hey Doris, can I borrow this ring so that I can ask Suzy a question (sometime in the near future)?

My most expensive thing was a purchase of a purse and wallet at Chanel. That was highway robbery!

The cheapest thing is that I stopped in Barstow on my way in to Las Vegas and got all the coupons I could find for anything that was free in Las Vegas. I got coffee mugs from the Riviera. At the time I recall the Lady Luck (or was it the Westward Ho?) was giving free hot dogs with the coupon. Circus Circus was giving a free fanny-pack. Most of the coupons were to get more coupons (2 for 1 buffets, etc.), but if it wasn't free, I wasn't doing it (except for gas, hotel and gambling. I can't figure out how you gamble for free). Lady Luck saved me on the dining side of the trip, except I believe I had to fudge a little because after eating 2 of those hot dogs, you gotta eat something else, so I think I splurged on the $.99 shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate. Got picture taken at a couple of places (but didn't need a coupon for that).

Mike

Gee Mike, after reading your tale of freebies, I almost want to "give" the ring to you (NOT)as it gave me quite a chuckle...."priceless" LOL LOL LOL

kestral

07-15-2006, 12:42 PM

Went to a spa almost every day of my 7 day trip in November! Only 2 of those days were treatments - lime ginger salt glow + massage at Elemis ($270?) , tangerine scrub + massage ($140?) at the Orleans. But 4 days at IP, I bought a 3 day pass for the spa and just moved in there every morning. Except for my arrival night, I never used the shower in my room - just took multiple showers in the spa (hey, had to try all the different flavors of spa products!)

Cheapest - I join the folks buying snacks at Walgreens.

SandyA

07-15-2006, 01:27 PM

Most extravagant...springing for fully paid trips for my nieces and nephews at various times when they wanted to join me.

Cheapest...had to be my husband finding a nickel on the ground in front of Imperial Palace back when they had slot machines in the area in front where the bar is now...he played for half an hour on it!

AnnPedi614

07-16-2006, 08:38 PM

The most expensive item I have purchased in Vegas was a pair of Coach sunglasses this last trip. They were still under $200 so I am sure how extravagant that was!! We had dinner at the Foundation Room that trip and it was more than the glasses, and our most expensive dinner to date.

Cheapest..........that's not an easy one, since I don't think we ever really go cheap on anything. I guess it would be the time we went off strip and bought a bottle of vodka and the mixes and took it back to my friend's room at the Bellagio to watch the fountians.......We were in a non-smoking lakeview, they had the smoking room and 3 of us smoked so we hung out there!! The pain was that we were on different elevator banks!!!

Sandra

07-17-2006, 09:32 AM

Our most extravagant purchase was an antique slot machine. Each state has legal requirements to meet before one can purchase a slot machine. Bally’s 1965 Money Honey had just become legal, 25 years old, for us to buy.

It is a fully functional .25 slot machine. The ‘Money Honey’ has three reels, one pay line. The bells ring when I hit the jackpot. The top prize is three bars or three stars; it pays 150 coins, three watermelons pays 100 coins. Three of the smiling blonde money honey faces anywhere pays 18 coins, 3 bells 18 coins, 3 plums 14 coins , 3 oranges 10 coins, 2 cherries 5 coins, 1 cherry 2 coins. There are ten mystery combos too.

Finally the house edge is in my favor.

Sandra

ASTIDIXIE

07-17-2006, 09:41 AM

Lets start with skipping meals.............that is the cheapest.
So that I could afford the NFR jacket, sweatshirt, belt buckle & t shirts!
Give me some bacon, some English muffins, some OJ & coffee & I can be Miss Cheapo on eating for a very long time :D

garagesaler21

07-18-2006, 06:57 AM

This week's Topic Of The Week question is:

What was your most extravagant purchase or expense and/or what was the cheapest thing you did to save money in Las Vegas? (Let's be honest :) )

The cheapest thing we ever did in Las Vegas was at the Circus Circus when we had our children with us. We went through the trash cans to find buy one get one free game ticket coupons that people were given as they entered the building. Most threw them away and our kids played the games all day at half the cost.

jbueng

07-20-2006, 06:25 PM

Okay, I'm gonna cheat a bit here because this is happening in August 06.

CHEAPEST: My room, three nights at Stardust, $20.00 After $25.00 back for attending a 1 hour sunteras properties spiel. Then two nights at the Stratospere on a mail offer of 19.99 per night. A coupon accompanied the room offer for $50.00 cash when I check in. So, that should take care of the room charges. Also, got two free shows at the Strat, and free tower admissions.

MOST COSTLY: I'm finally bringing my GF with. Need I say more! Maybe I'll try that trick she uses......Hmmmm guess I forgot my checkbook and Plastic.

The Gumbo Man

07-21-2006, 10:52 AM

If you ask the wife-unit, the most extravagent thing I do in Las Vegas is to GO to Las Vegas.:mad:

But here are the ten cheapest things I've done when there.

10: Instead of pigging out at a $12 buffet, ate two Monster 99 cent hot dogs at Westward Ho. (similar dogs now available at Slots O Fun)

9. Sat at $1 slot machine without playing until waitress brought my free scotch, and stiffed her on the tip. (not proud of this, and it only works once)

8. Sat at bar just outside closed lounge (they had the big drapes closed) and heard Earth Wind and Fire for free:cool:

7. Sat on back fender of trolley and rode from Stratosphere to NY NY for free

6. We decided to take a picture, as a joke, so I sat on bench in Fremont Experience with a cardboard sign that said "Will Gamble For Money". Sad look on my face and ball cap laid out in front of me, while friend took photo. Less than three minutes, I had over $20 in donations! And nobody would take their money back!

5. Went into a breakfast buffet 10 minutes before they switched to the $6 higher priced lunch buffet, got lunched for the price of breakfast

4. Stood around the Rio for hours without playing anything, just to catch the free beads they throw out from the flying parade floats.

3. Also at Rio, had my picture taken with incredibly hot show girls, but never picked up or paid for the pictures.;)

2. Joined wild bachelor party in progress at Tropicana. No idea who these guys were, none of them knew me but it was free drinks and snacks all night long. Only now I have to respond to the name "Cousin Bubba".

And the cheapest thing I ever did in Las Vegas was

1. Slept in the back of the van in the Circus Circus parking structure, so I could stay one more day before going home.;)

sue2u2

07-21-2006, 04:39 PM

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT Gumbo Man

ChicChas

07-21-2006, 06:52 PM

Gumbo -- I've got a feeling you're going to win the Mr./Ms. Cheap contest! :D

Love your stories, but have to wonder about #6. What did you do with the twenty bucks?

hipster818

07-22-2006, 11:14 AM

The most expense thing I've done was have dinner with my wife at Nobhill at MGM before seeing KA. The bill was well over $200, the food was worth it. On the cheap side ording the kids meal at Swensen’s restaurant when it was still on the lower level of Bally's.

dean_1492

07-22-2006, 04:26 PM

I played 5 cent slots before I saw "O". lol I won $200.

KenoMom

07-23-2006, 12:05 AM

The most expensive thing I've done in Vegas is to take my 16 year old and hubby. Between the upgrade to a suite, 3 tickets to KA, Blue Man and Mystere....my son deciding to order room service and to try the steak with bernaise sauce, I could have gotten in another trip to Vegas by myself.

Cheapest was when I ran my own travel agency. My cousin would go to Vegas under the Hawaiian meal deal package and I would use my travel discounts to fly to Vegas. I'd stay for free while enjoying her meal tickets. Of course I felt somewhat guilty about this so I would use my travel discount to rent a minivan to drive the Hawaii group around - a mere $10 a day.

Oh....and running around to get all the "free" offers that various casinos would offer.

tryon4

07-23-2006, 07:52 AM

Easy answers for both and both enjoyable.
:) Most expensive was stage seats for Barry Manilow. 2 tix over $500.00. My better half is a fanilow and this was a way to make her happy. We flew out on frequent flyer miles so I decided that since we were saving a bunlde why not go for it. She was in 7th heaven.
:) A must stop each and every trip (until it closed) was lunch at The Ho.
For $1.49 you got a foot long hot dog, that I must add was very decent, and a drink. Seeing that you sat at unattended counters there was no need to tip. From there you proceeded to the lounge for desert which was a soft serve ice cream sundae. You sat at a table in the lounge and were entertained by none other than Elvis Presley. You tell me how it gets any better tahn that. For the price of 2 buffets ar The Rio ($48.00), you could have 16 lunches at The Ho

Steve

07-23-2006, 02:55 PM

LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT Gumbo Man

I have had the pleasure of receiving humorous emails from The Gumbo Man for a few years. I knew when I saw his first post on the boards that our members were in for a treat.

Steve

kimimurad

07-24-2006, 05:41 PM

legalois

07-24-2006, 07:38 PM

The Cheapest:

There were two and they both involved air fare:

I guess the cheapest was the time my credit card never got billed - can't get much cheaper than free!

The other time we had enough FF miles for one flight for me, but another airline had cheaper rates, so we flew separately. My husband had the earlier flight so I waited with him and heard them announce they were overbooked. I jabbed him so hard he jumped out of his seat. "Get up there and volunteer!" He waited until he heard that they were offering the next flight out, and a free round trip to anywhere in the continental US, and put his name in. I had to get over to my gate at that point, and I had no idea if he'd get bumped or not, so we made arrangements to meet at the hotel.

From my gate, I watched his plane take off and wondered if he was on it or waiting for the next flight.

I had a layover and wouldn't you know it, my second leg was overbooked. I was all ready to jump on it, but the offer wasn't as good: $200 and a 4-hour wait until the next flight to Las Vegas. Nah, I passed.

Not only did my husband get bumped, he had a change of planes in LA, still got to the hotel before me, and had already checked in!

The Most Expensive:

Two, again:

One was taking my Mom to see Sigfried and Roy, at $100 a pop.

The other was using a $100 gift certificate on dinner at the China Grill in Mandalay Bay. My husband, the original Mr. Cheap, whose idea of an expensive dinner is ordering a pitcher of sangria at Olive Garden, could barely disgest his food, just thinking about the cost.

Lois