Category Archives: Las Vegas

3.5 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Save Money on a trip to las vegas

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I am a Las Vegas addict who has spent years perfecting the best ways to get more for my money.   While I have written a ton of Las Vegas trip reports (which I am nowhere near done uploading on here), I realize that they are mostly written for Las Vegas addicts who already know the basic tips of stretching every penny.  Here are the 3.5 most basic ways for a first timer to Las Vegas to save money on their trip.

Note:  None of these are affiliate links.  They are all true tools that Las Vegas regulars use.

1: Buy an American Casino Guide.   You can see the coupon list here: American Casino Guide coupon list

If you plan on just sticking to the Strip, there are enough coupons in here to cover the cost.  But if you are going downtown?  You have hit the motherlode.   The free play alone covers the cost of the book.  The points for free buffets are easy to achieve.  Plus you get to be downtown, which is the greatest place ever.

These usually go on sale in late October for a discount early bird price.  They are good from the date you receive the book (usually late November.)   I got my 2014 guide in November 2013 and used it in 2013 and I will continue using it for my December 2014 trip.  I will also have the 2015 Guide with me, as those coupons will be valid once I receive them in November.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: Wednesday, August 27, 2008 – Back when the Imperial Palace was still the Imperial Palace

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that was written back in 2008.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008 – Day One of Eight

Today I worked and then went to the airport.  I made it there rather quickly and ended up with only about five minutes to kill in the airport.   Perfect.  My flight leaves at 5:30, but it’s about fifteen minutes after that when the pilot announces he has good news and bad news.  The bad news is that we are 21st in line to take off.  The good news is that there are planes behind us with longer waits and we are not one of those planes.  Oh yeah.  Still though, this actually is much less of a wait than I am accustomed to. I am used to it being hours after we are supposed to take off before they tell us we are 92873498237489237478923473289th in line.

I have the whole row to myself by the way.   This is my specialty.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: December 26, 2007: Yay! Screaming Kid on my flight from Las Vegas!

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2007.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 – Day Four of Four – Last Day

I hate hate hate waking up on my last day in Las Vegas.   Even though this trip is special because I’ll be back in less than a week, I still have to go home today and I just don’t WANNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I get up early at the El Cortez and go downstairs.  I manage to lose half of my day’s budget and it’s not even 9:00 am.  Way to go.

Of course, I head to McDonalds for my third morning in a row.  I will admit that on this day, I am a bit sick of Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuits.  But I just have to do it.  Just to be a dick.

Come back to the room and hide out for a couple of hours.  Pack my stuff up, rearrange my bag, check out, leave my bag at the Bell Desk and go.

Of course, first stop Binions, second stop – Press Your Luck.  I cannot stop it with this game.  I lost my $60 immediately.   Oh so it’s going to be one of THOSE last days, eh?

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Las Vegas Trip Report: December 25, 2007: The Day I Ate McDonalds Twice in One Day. Subtitled: Suck it.

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2007.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 – Day Three of Four

Merry Christmas!

My alarm goes off at 5:00 am because I have a massage appointment at Imperial palace and I need time to get there.   At about 5:15 I start getting “Merry Christmas!” text messages from East Coasters who never seem to figure out that I am in Vegas and probably asleep.  Or maybe they know I am a degenerate gambler who is up at 5:00 to start gambling.

Take the Deuce bus down the Strip and get off at Harrahs at around 6:15 am.   You know I stopped for McDonalds breakfast.   You also know I want you to CAN IT with your commentary on that.

I play around Imperial Palace and remember why I play Downtown.  I could not get a damn thing.   Not even from an All That Glitters slot that normally loves me.
At 7:00 I head to the spa, take a shower and get ready for my foot relaxation massage.   I am very excited about this.  Living in New York City = walking everywhere = every New York City chick needs a foot massage.    It was an hour long.   My feet didn’t really get massaged.  They did get exfoliated and wrapped in paraffin though, so that was wonderful.   The cost was $100, minus $10 from a coupon I got with the fun book I got when I signed up for a Bill’s player’s card.  Definitely worth it.

I take the Deuce back downtown without stopping to play anything on my way to the bus stop.   Hit Fitzgeralds and play and bit and I’m losing. What the hell.   I look at the time and its 10:00 am and I begin to think, do I dare?  Hell why not, I’m on vacation and I get my SECOND McDonalds breakfast of the day.  I mean it was four hours since my first one and I am on vacation ya know.

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Las Vegas Trip Report: December 24, 2007: Pressing My Luck in Las Vegas

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2007.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Monday, December 24, 2007 – Day Two of Four

I decide to sleep in with no alarm.  I turn my phone off to avoid the inevitable my-sister-calling-me-before-the-sun-is-up-because-she-is-obnoxious thing.  And I’m up naturally at 8:30.  I tell myself I did okay though because it’s really 11:30 on my time so I did in fact, sleep in late.

I am at the El Cortez.  I head downstairs and lose and lose and lose.  Sigh.   I go to walk over to McDonalds for breakfast (SHUT. UP.)

I stop at a Press Your Luck slot machine on the way out (OKAY it isn’t really on the way out, but you know) and I got back all the money I lost.   See why I am addicted?

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Las Vegas Trip Report: December 23, 2007: The Time my commute to the airport was longer than my flight

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2007.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Sunday, December 23, 2007 – Day One of Four

Here we go.  What trip to Vegas would be complete without me having problems getting to Vegas?  As you may recall, I have had problems with every trip I’ve ever taken from New York City.   Massive delays are usually the way my trips start off.   So I vowed I would start trying early morning flights, or leaving from Long Island.

Well.  Spirit Airlines had a sale and I found round trip airfare for $130 from Atlantic City (followed by an $81 round trip fare I booked for the following week.)

So that you understand this geographically:  For me to get to Atlantic City, it’s an hour train ride to Port Authority, and then 2.5 hours on a bus to Atlantic City.  This is really no big deal to me.  Add in the fact that the cost to Atlantic City is cheaper than a cab to a New York City airport ($33 round trip. Add in the cash you get back once you reach there, this makes the trip cost $13 round trip or less), this was a no brainer for me.
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Las Vegas Travel Blog: June 14, 2005: Last Day

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2005.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 – Day Ten of Ten

Up at 5:00 am – last day in Las Vegas!    I’m so sad.  I am out of the room at 5:30 am.  Head to Stardust, with a stop at Starbucks.

Stardust Sign Las Vegas

Lose and lose and lose.  Head to Wynn.   Lose and lose and lose and have $20 left of my gambling budget.   Put it in a lucky seals penny machine and win $85.   Wooooo.    Head to the buffet.   Wow.  $16.07.   Bacon was excellent, eggs were excellent, but other than that, I didn’t find anything I liked enough to warrant that price.   Also, the entire buffet is non-smoking.

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Las Vegas Travel Blog: June 13, 2005: The Time I Scored a $300 Suite at The Venetian for $30

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2005.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Monday, June 13, 2005 – Day Nine of Ten

Sigh – last full day in Las Vegas.  I’m not happy.

Check out of Sahara and head to the Venetian where I have booked a Rialto Suite for $32.82 thanks to a Travelocity mistake.   The check in line is absolutely ridiculous.   There is a FedEx convention and I am surrounded by FedEx employees who want to talk to me.   I think the fact that I look very young makes people very curious as to what I am doing in Las Vegas by myself.   I always get spoken to very condescendingly, as if the speaker and I have history and they are just begging me to say I regret going alone, as if they have been waiting forever for a chance to say “I TOLD YOU NOT TO GO TO VEGAS ALONE!”  This was pretty typical.

Get to the check-in-ling and I’m so scared she will tell me they don’t have my reservation.  I mean, what if Travelocity caught their pricing mistake and realized I am getting a $300 room for $30?

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Las Vegas Trip Report: June 12, 2005: Casino Crawl Day

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2005.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Sunday, June 12, 2005 – Day Eight of Ten

Woke up at 6:00 am at the Riviera and went downstairs.   I know the buffet at the Riviera is gross.   It’s so gross.  But I still have some food credit left so why not?   Ugh, why did I do this?  Why didn’t I go to Kady’s Coffee Shop?  The buffet is so horrible.   It’s just bad.   Really bad.  Nothing is cooked right.   They had “potatoe skins.”  They can’t even spell.   I wanted to get a donut but my stomach forbade me to do so.

Check out and take a cab to the Sahara, my next hotel of the trip.   Here I get room 2288 in the Tangiers tower.  Nothing special at all.

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Las Vegas Trip Report! My First Visit to the Newly Opened Wynn!

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Note:  This is an older Las Vegas trip report that I am posting for the entertainment of Las Vegas addicts and anyone else who loves fun.  It was written back in 2005.  Most of this information is now outdated and some places mentioned no longer exist.

Saturday, June 11, 2005 – Day Seven of Ten

Up at Lady Luck, head over to the Fitzgeralds for a buffet.   The line is way too long.   I decide to settle for McDonalds.  This line is also too long.   I end up at Krispy Kreme.

After eating, I walked over to the Four Queens.  I wrote “video poker win” but that’s all I have and I certainly don’t remember it.

Check out of Lady Luck and head back to the Riviera.  I won $165 on my Double Down Stud video poker machine.   Hell yeah!

I head out for a bit.  First stop – Westward Ho.  Try a new penny Monopoly.  I attempt to cash out and realize it’s hand pay only.   It’s a new machine, it should be TITO dammit.  Wait forever.  Get my money and take off to Wynn.  My first time here!  I am excited!

It’s a pretty long walk in the heat.   I get there and there is just so much congestion outside.   The walkway is pretty small and it’s filled with people waiting on the taxi line.  This is not a good set up. No way no how.

I walked around a bit.  It’s really nice inside.  I saw where the water show takes place.  I rode the circular escalator.

Wynn curved escalator Las Vegas

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