Save Money, Honey

Last month I wrote an article for Shape.com about simple ways to save money on your honeymoon. Since I just went on mine in December, I had a few tricks up my sleeve. Here's a little excerpt from the article (click here for more tips!).

Honeymoons are the perfect excuse to completely indulge in the royal treatment. But eating at the most expensive restaurants and getting pampered 24/7 may be a bad idea if it means living off of canned food upon returning home to make up for it. Luckily, there are simple ways to cut back without feeling like you're missing out. Pass on room service for breakfast. Instead, head to the hotel gift shop or, better yet, a local grocery store and stock up on fruit or healthy breakfast bars that you can pop in your beach bag and eat poolside. If you both forgo a room service breakfast for seven days, you'll save hundreds of dollars ... much better used at the spa!



Restaurants that cater to tourists (especially honeymooners) are known for jacking up their prices. While you'll definitely want to hit up a few fabulously overpriced restaurants to celebrate your "I dos," be sure to also talk with locals to get the scoop on hot spots off the beaten path. From Caribbean reggae bars to Hawaiian fish shacks, getting a taste of the culture is fun and way more affordable than those white-tablecloth meals.

Since you'll be spending a lot of money on wining and dining, do your own "happy hour" (notice our classy plastic cups in the picture above) before dinner to relax and unwind. Pick up a bottle of wine and sip as you watch the sunset on your terrace before going out. Your vino will probably cost half the amount it would to have cocktails at the hotel bar.

Finally, rent a car to avoid dropping serious moolah on cabs if you'll be on the go a lot.

But don't drive yourself crazy counting your cash. Honeymoons are a once in a lifetime experience ... so splurge a little!

How do you save big bucks on vaca?