The gas pump at the Maxton exit clicked off at 11.8 gallons, $34.10, and I wrote it on the front of a plain white envelope before Wes had the cap screwed back on. That envelope rode on the dashboard all weekend. It was the first trip of our new rule, one cheap weekend a month paid out of the trip account, and I wanted every receipt in one place so I couldn't fool myself later.
We left Friday morning, February 28. Neither of us works Fridays, which is the whole reason this plan can work. June went to Tonya's in Pembroke with her bowl, her blanket and a bag of dog food, and we pointed the CR-V east on US-74 toward Wilmington, a little over two hours with one stop.
A free couch and the price of being a good guest
My brother Darren rents a small house in Wilmington and has a couch that folds out into something close to a bed. That couch is why this trip came in so low. A beach motel in early March isn't expensive, but free is cheaper, and Darren likes the company more than he lets on.
Free lodging still costs something if you do it right. I stopped at a grocery store on the way in and bought what we needed to cook him supper Friday night: chicken, rice, a bag of salad, a pound cake and coffee for the morning. That came to $49. Saturday we took him out for shrimp, which I'll get to. My rule is that the host should come out ahead on the weekend, or at least even.
Saturday morning we ate biscuits at a little place near his house for $22 and drove down to Kure Beach. In March the beach town is mostly locals walking dogs and men fishing off the pier in heavy jackets. The wind came straight off the ocean and the water was the color of a nickel. I loved it. We walked south along the sand until my ears hurt and then walked back.
Fort Fisher on a cold, bright afternoon
Fort Fisher sits just past Kure Beach at the end of the island. The state historic site has earthwork mounds you can walk around and a visitor center, and there was no admission charge when we went. We put $5 in the donation box because it felt wrong not to. Past that, the recreation area has a long, empty beach and a path out toward the rocks where the river meets the ocean. We walked it slowly. Wes read every single sign, which is the price of traveling with him, and I sat on a bench in the sun and didn't mind at all.
We spent maybe four hours down there and paid nothing but the donation. That is the kind of afternoon this whole plan is built on.
For supper we went to a fish shack on the way back toward Wilmington, the kind with paper on the tables and hushpuppies that come before you order. Three shrimp plates, sweet tea and a tip came to $58. Darren tried to pay. I had the envelope, and I won.
Sunday we parked downtown for an hour, $8, and walked the riverfront before the wind picked up. Coffee and a couple of pastries plus snacks for the road were $19 across the weekend. On the way home I bought a jar of local honey for Mr. Earl next door, $7, because he'd taken in our mail. A bag of boiled peanuts and two gas station coffees outside Whiteville finished it off at $10.
What our first trip cost
Round trip with the driving around Wilmington and down the island, we put about 250 miles on the car. At 31 miles a gallon that's a little over 8 gallons, so the $34 fill-up more than covered it. I count the whole fill-up anyway. I'd rather a trip look a few dollars too expensive than too cheap.
- Gas: $34
- Groceries to cook supper at Darren's: $49
- Shrimp supper for three: $58
- Saturday breakfast: $22
- Coffee, pastries and road snacks: $19
- Downtown parking: $8
- Fort Fisher donation: $5
- Honey for Mr. Earl: $7
- Boiled peanuts and coffee on the way home: $10
- Total: $212
That's $212 for three days at the coast, and the trip account had $500 in it from January and February, so we came home with money left over for April. I know a couch weekend isn't something we can count on every month. Darren has his own life, and we won't wear out the welcome. But for a first try at this, it showed us something we needed to see: the beach in March is quiet, the walks are free, and the money mostly goes where we choose to put it.
Wes's verdict on the drive home was short. "We should've been doing this for years." I wrote that on the back of the envelope, too.
