Two rows of okra and nobody home to pick it
The okra came in all at once while we were away. Pickling, freezing and the bags we left on my mother's porch in Laurinburg.…
The hurricane-season kit that lives in our trunk
Water, a phone charger, a paper map and copies of our documents. The kit we keep in the CR-V from June through November, and its c…
Our cheapest trip yet: $74 at Lake Waccamaw
One night at a state park campsite, a cooler of food from home and 90 miles round trip. A summer overnight that cost less than a t…
What our credit card and car policy covered on a rental
Before picking up the rental I called both. What each one covered, the counter add-on we turned down and the one gap we found.…
Rental car or our own car: the real cost per mile
Our Beaufort rental was $164 for three days. Comparing that with gas, tires and wear on our own CR-V for the same 560-mile trip.…
Two days in Beaufort, South Carolina in a rental car
Live oaks, a waterfront park and Hunting Island's beach. The mid-May trip that almost didn't happen, and what it cost in the end.…
Splitting a Myrtle Beach condo with another couple
Two couples, a two-bedroom condo on the south end and $94 a night per couple. How we split the money and chores and stayed friends…
A wheel bearing went out the week of our trip
A hum on Tuesday and a trip to Beaufort, South Carolina on Friday. The $486 repair, and why we rented a car instead of waiting.…
What the house costs us while we're gone for three days
Thermostat settings, the water heater, unplugged electronics and the well pump. What a weekend away really saves on our electric b…