As you probably know if you follow this blog, our family travels on a budget so we don’t get in a pickle. The lengths we are willing to go to save money can sometimes get {a litte} extreme. Over the years, we’ve learned to lighten up and spend money if it means saved time or convenience. Having a bigger travel budget has contributed to being less uptight about spending, but we certainly created some funny memories along our frugal flying journey.
The Pickle Journey Begins
A Pickle is just a Cucumber with Life Experience.
While on vacation in Seattle, we splurged on fresh raw salmon and raw bratwursts of all different varieties at Pike’s Market Place. We had them packed on ice and carried them around in our car all day.{Read our day trip in Seattle}
When we got back to our hotel, we planned a BBQ with our newly acquired goods. My husband ran to the store to get a few necessities to complete the meal. He bought a large jar of mustard because it was cheaper than the smaller jar. Too bad, he didn’t think of the option of getting free condiments from the deli section.
Budget-travel tip: Use the deli to get free travel size condiments!
He also bought a JUMBO size glass jar of pickles. Our kids really liked pickles at the time. Plus, it was actually cheaper than the smaller, name-brand pickles. He figured we would eat as much as they wanted and throw out the rest.
We did eat quite a few pickles that night but had a half a jumbo jar left. Instead of getting rid of them, we loaded them in the car for our 2-day journey around Olympic National Park. When we stopped for snacks or lunch, mom would pull out the pickles and have a crunchy snack.
More than once they rolled around the back or out of the car. But the jar stayed intact.
In a Pickle – Flying with a Layover
As our journey through Seattle was wrapping up, we were missing a warm beach. Don’t get me wrong, Seattle beaches were beautiful, but we couldn’t swim and get wet due to the cold. We hadn’t been to Hawaii in over a year. We love Hawaii and typically go 3x a year, so we were really missing it. Since we had another couple of days before we had to be home, we decided to extend our trip to Maui. {see the pros for DIY travel here}.
Unfortunately, we also had an overnight layover in Arizona. We were rushing to return the rental car and get on the airplane, so somehow the pickles ended up making the journey to Arizona for our quick 5-hour sleep. We dragged the jar through security, on the plane, on a shuttle, into the hotel, and put it on repeat the next day. In the morning, I was so tired and exhausted, that somehow, the pickles, also got on the plane to Maui. By the time we realized we carried the oversized pickes through 2 securities and 2 plane rides, we just decided to go with it. {Also, the plane garbage cans aren’t equipt for trash that size!}
Not wanting to stink up the plane, we didn’t crack the jar en route. But if we got hungry enough we had that option!
Social Embarrassment -DILL with it!
In Maui, we splurged with our hotel points and stayed at a Marriott Resort. We always feel a bit uncomfortable at resorts because we are budget travelers through and through. Staying in a really nice resort with people who legitimately afford to take their family’s theret makes us feel out-of-place.
The families all around us were ordering pool-side catering. Decked out in sun hats and name brand sunglasses, we definitely felt out-of-place. But adding to that discomfort, I pulled out a giant jumbo jar of Pickles…. from Seattle. Our kids were thrilled and quickly finished off the jar as they ran from the pools and slides.
While the people around us got a tiny portion of sliced pickle with their $23 lunch, my kids ate pickles to their heart’s content for $3/jar and our willingness to drag it around the country and over the Pacific Ocean.
As I took the jar to the trash, it was too big for the small opening. A kind resort worker offer to throw it away elsewhere. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks, as I handed her the enormous jar of pickles. I mean who brings that to a Hawaiian resort. We do, apparently.
Getting out of a Pickle: The results
My final thoughts on the outcome of the pickles are jumbled. On one hand, I’m glad I had some appealing snacks when my kids were hungry. I’m glad we weren’t wasteful and got the full value out of the pickles. Also, I don’t really care if people judge us for being frugal. I own it.
On the other hand, it was $3!! Why didn’t we just ditch the GIANT GLASS JAR of SMELLY PICKLES! Along with being a money-saver, I am also a space-saver. Enormous glass jars aren’t typically on my packing lists.
Also, how does a giant jar of pickles get through security, but my tiny toothpaste cannot? Riddle me this TSA!!
Have you ever gotten in a pickle traveling with strange things? How much do you like pickles?
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