Parents Attending out of state meet on the cheap?

[Musicmama]

We're very new to gymnastics, let alone competing, so any advice you might have on how to attend a meet on a budget will not be too obvious to post. The closest experiences I have had involved music competitions as a teenager, but those were always day trips and I wasn't the adult.

One of the meets we have coming up next month is going to be about a 4.5-hour drive away and we'll be there for the entire weekend. Money is extremely tight right now and will be at least through next month. We found an inexpensive hotel nearby, which means that there won't be a fridge or microwave or a free breakfast, but I would also still like to bring as much food as possible for the weekend so we only have to eat out a couple of times.

We have no dietary restrictions. So far, I'm thinking that we'll bring granola bars, beef jerky, some canned soups and a hot pot to heat them, fruits and veggies in a coolor, and bread with peanut butter and honey to make sandwiches.

I'm a little hazy on what to do for breakfast that has a good amount of protein, but maybe I'm just overthinking it.

And I'm sure there's more to attending a meet on a budget than just bringing food, but I have no idea what that might involve. My mom is probably coming with dd and me so it'll be three people at most.

 

[Natasha]

If you are there for the weekend, look into renting through homaway or VBRO, you can rent a house or condo sometimes for less than a hotel room and have a kitchen to cook. We have actually booked a 3 bedroom place to split between two other moms and girls for a weekend trip coming up and it ended up being WAY less than a hotel room.

 

[Flippersmama]

If you can bring your own microwave you could make scrambled eggs, bacon, just about anything. Or make breakfast burritos ahead of time at home and then freeze and heat them as needed in the microwave. Cereal/granola with milk are easy if you bring a cooler or make muffins ahead of time. Hard boiled eggs are good protein that can be prepared at home. Also tuna is a great protein and is an easy to travel with-they even make those pouches now. With a microwave or toaster oven you could also do mini pizza with english muffins-a bit of sauce, cheese and pre packaged pepperonis. Look up camping food and there will probably be some good hacks for you.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Do you have to be there for the whole weekend? 4.5 hours sounds like it probably needs an overnight, but we only stay more than one night when we absolutely cannot help it.

 

[beachgirl]

For breakfast, hard boiled eggs, fruit salad, yogurt and bran muffin. Sometimes some of the hotels like the Hampton Inn that offer a free breakfast and nightly 1 item buffet aren't much more than a budget motel. Also, you only need to be there for your daughter's meet, which will only last a few hours, so only 1 night is needed at the most. Just as a word of caution, if the budget is tight and this is your child's first competition, be aware that the cost of gymnastics seems to grow exponentially through the levels.

 

[GYM0M]

We live on a tight budget! LOL! But it's been my experience that when we stay at cheap hotels, we spend more money frankly because we don't want to be there that often. Opt for a nicer hotel with rooms inside, not a motel. Free breakfast and other amenities to keep the little ones occupied and they usually come with a fridge and a microwave! We can usually get one on Priceline for around $89 per night.

 

[MILgymFAM]

Just as a word of caution, if the budget is tight and this is your child's first competition, be aware that the cost of gymnastics seems to grow exponentially through the levels.

This times 1,000. My DD is in her second year and already it's been an explosion of costs. I got a friendly fb reminder of my DDs invite to team two years ago, and I was talking about how we had to turn it down because it was $200 a month for 6 hours a week. They ended up giving my DD a scholarship (which included meet fees) and I have occasionally wished I could go back and ask them not to. Her training is now almost $600 a month and 21 hours a week, and her meet fees (which don't include travel- two travel meets this season) are well over $2,000. Plus choreography and uniforms and it goes on and on and on. Gymnastics was the one be careful what you wish for in my life.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

think camping.

If we were going away what I have done before is make up a meal ( eg bolognaise, chilli, curry), freeze it and then use it like an ice pack in a cool box, it can slowly defrost, keeping everything else cool and then be re-heated.

We have supermarkets here that sell Thai noodle boxes that can be microwaved but require no refrigeration. There are also freeze dried meas that just need hot water.

But in my experience, eating out in the states is, relative to here, very cheap. Its the least of your worries. Just try and avoid eating at the venue.

 

[bogwoppit]

Totally agree to staying just one night, plus try to stay where the team stays. Half of the joy of travel meets is being with the team, and their families.

Sacrifice in other ways, make the meet trip a family vacation, instead of other trips.

Honestly gymnastics is just starting for you, it gets pricier and pricier with every passing level.

 

[kayjaybe]

Agree with not going with the cheapest hotel. If you have a room with a fridge & microwave and free breakfast, it is probably well worth the extra money.

Also, see if the meet has a group rate for the hotel. At a meet last weekend, the regular rate for the room was $160 but the group rate was more like $109. The room had a microwave, fridge and the hotel had free, full breakfast. I also joined the rewards program and they gave us free bottles of water and little bag of snacks at check-in. (Hampton Inn)

There are a lot of expenses you might not think of going to your first meet. There are admission fees for spectators ($7-15 pp, depending on the meet), little things you can send down to the floor (flowers, pins, candy, etc), leos, tshirts and other items for sale, and of course concession food.

Depending on the venue and whether the gym is providing concessions or the venue is, the price for food at the meet can vary widely (e.g. at a meet where the venue had their own concessions bottles of water were $3!)

 

[bookworm]

I agree with those saying not to stay at the cheapest place out there....back in the day , we started staying at Embassy Suites, with another family , and we'd get the 2 double beds, the pullout in the front suite ( which is a separate room, so nice if you are sharing)..so that's accommodation for 6 people...a fridge and microwave in the room. The embassy has a great cooked to order breakfast ( included) and I'm sure you could snag a yogurt or cereal for the road/ later as well. In the evening, they have a drinks and snack time and depending which one you're at, I've had nachos and pizza to chips and veggies and dip...all included. One of the Embassy suites I frequent even has free laundry!

So even if the rate was say $160...which unless you're in a big city it probably won't be, and you share, that's about 90 bucks a nite ( with tax) and your breakfast and snacks are taken care of.

And the set up of a hotel is just much safer than the motel set ups that open onto a parking lot... I stayed in one in 2005 with my daughter in PA and we were so scared shi*less by the other clientele there ( that we could hear screaming at each other) , that we fled in the middle of the night and checked into a hotel at 2 in the morning! Lesson learned...I was a gym mom with her little gym girl and doing it on the cheap, but I never put us in that terrifying position again.

 

[BachFlyer]

We operate on a tight budget, too, always. We try to stay at best western. I have never had a bad experience, they always have free hot breakfast, and a microwave and often a fridge. Free breakfast is always worth it, for the extra $10-15 bucks the nicer hotel costs, you feed 3-4 ppl for less than fast food, and You can always grab a fruit or yogurt for the road. but if you absolutely can't do that I second the idea of bringing your microwave along if it's small, or an electric frying pan. Usually the best westerns are less than the host hotels (usually under $100) and sometimes $65-$80 if you stay about 10-20 miles outside of whatever city you are visiting. A lot of them have pools too. Just make sure to account for parking if the actual meet site is in a downtown area. If you pay in advance at Some hotels (non refundable) then it's usually about $10 less. AAA members get good rates too. I have started booking through hotels.com, though, because you get a free night after 10 nights and we travel a lot.

 

[OzZee]

Also think spending that little more for hotel facilities is worth it.
But if not find a local supermarket and grab rolls, salad, sliced cheese, cold meats. It's one night so would do for all meals without getting too bored.

 

[munchkin3]

Hotel/motel with a kitchenette is a must! Nowadays there are many with very reasonable rates......you don't want to get too cheap or else it's more of a nightmare! The kid has to sleep well and feel safe! lol

Food is half of all our travel expenses......we also do a lot of camping, but over the years this has become just as expensive as staying at a Homewood....
Also, remember most Hiltons (including all sub brands) have a good discount with USAG as they are a sponsor.

 

[Musicmama]

Well, we waited too long to stay at the preferred hotel and all the others were a lot more. We're having money issues right now that were unforeseen and should be resolved by February so hopefully staying at the budget hotel will be a one-time deal!

Unfortunately her meet is extremely early on Friday morning and then we're staying for the college meet on Sunday so we have to stay the three nights. Any other meet and we would only be staying the one night so it wouldn't be as big of a deal to find a cheap hotel.

This will be her second meet. The first one is exactly one week beforehand so I didn't want to wait until then to figure everything out!

We haven't had much time to adjust financially to gymnastics. I hadn't realized that she would progress as quickly as she has or that she had as many skills as she had when I started her in the beginning rec class at the beginning of the school year. The last several months have been overwhelming to say the least.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

I agree next time on trying to stay somewhere with at least a refrigerator/microwave in the room, it really does open up many options. But since you already booked this may help....

For breakfast options...if you can pack a toaster, peanut butter toast with fruit and yogurt would be a good breakfast option. Or maybe protein bars with fruit and yogurt or a muffin?

Best of luck to you! I agree the costs can get up there, we have pets we have to board when we go out of town and that always kills us! =(

 

[my4buffaloes]

For food I would go to the grocery store at your location. We frequently make a meal for the family at a grocery store for $20 or less - for 6 people. This summer my dd and I went to a camp for 4 days. We ate breakfast at the hotel for $13 the first day. That night I went to the grocery store and bought breakfast food for both of us for 3 mornings for $13. Cereal cups and milk boxes. Yogurts. Muffins, a container of raspberries. It was delicious and cheap.

 

[my4buffaloes]

Well, we waited too long to stay at the preferred hotel and all the others were a lot more. We're having money issues right now that were unforeseen and should be resolved by February so hopefully staying at the budget hotel will be a one-time deal!

Unfortunately her meet is extremely early on Friday morning and then we're staying for the college meet on Sunday so we have to stay the three nights. Any other meet and we would only be staying the one night so it wouldn't be as big of a deal to find a cheap hotel.

This will be her second meet. The first one is exactly one week beforehand so I didn't want to wait until then to figure everything out!

We haven't had much time to adjust financially to gymnastics. I hadn't realized that she would progress as quickly as she has or that she had as many skills as she had when I started her in the beginning rec class at the beginning of the school year. The last several months have been overwhelming to say the least.

This year will be expensive then since it snuck up on you. But once you do it for a year you will then know what to plan for. Planning is key. I try very hard to fundraise and build up my team fund all year so that when meet fees and new leotards are needed the money is there. You will figure it out I am sure. I would seriously consider not staying for the college meet though if money really is that tight. Good luck!

 

[Musicmama]

I think it'll be easier once I actually know some of the other gym parents. I don't recognize people (the part of my brain that's supposed to remember faces doesn't work) so I might need to rely on my dd to let me know who everyone is

The food suggestions are very helpful! Especially to just generally think as though we're camping and to get meals at grocery stores.

I'm thinking I need to go ahead and book the hotels for the next couple meets after this one.

Oh, and it's a well-rated Motel 6. So, inexpensive but I've never had a bad experience at those. The only ones I've felt nervous about staying at were the ones that weren't a chain. Those seedy local ones. Ugh! Did that once and never again!

 

[Musicmama]

How far ahead is it generally wise to book hotels for meets?