For summer vacation, the hubs and I wanted to take the boy to the beach and do it on a budget. Not cheap, but not insane.

Two years ago, we rented an amazing condo in North Myrtle Beach from friends. The two bedroom, two bath property featured a full kitchen, WiFi, screened porches, and indoor and outdoor pools and one hot tub. It was a two-block walk to the beach with a then-2 year old and all of his gear. At 4, he doesn’t require as much stuff.

For this trip, we stayed in North Carolina and opted for the Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores, where I attended a Writing and Yoga Retreat in May 2013. As a past guest, I could book at Trinity Center (one must be a past guest to book). TC is owned by the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina and offers cabin-style rooms, a cafeteria, shared common rooms and a five-minute walk to the Atlantic Ocean.

There were drawbacks: you have to book it two weeks before; no WiFi; no personal kitchen or hot tub; mosquitoes; outdated housing; and you have to be a prior guest. TC offers dining options will a full cafeteria-style dining room and is progressive in options (vegan, gluten free, allergies). The coffee is darn good, too.

My goal? To spend less this year than we did two years ago. Realistic? I don’t know. Prices have gone up (food, gas) and wages haven’t. Did I have a workable plan? Nah. This was a wing-it operation. And in my head, I wanted to spend about what we did for housing alone in 2012. Did I mention unrealistic?

In 2012, we went in July, which is peak season. Our condo price was a flat $550 due to a wonderful friends and family discount. In 2014, we went the first week of August, and the rate was $70 a night; or $280. It was still peak season, but that rate was a bargain given the proximity to the ocean – a 5-minute walk through the woods and under the highway. We drove a lot of places, but all were on the island, so even though we were in a Ford Escape, we used less gas than the NMB trip in a Ford Fusion.

For entertainment off the sand, we opted for day trips to the nearby (2 miles) N.C. Aquarium at PKS and quick drives to Morehead City, Fort Macon, and two trips to Beaufort.

• N.C. Aquarium: This is one of the nicest aquariums I have visited (I grew up going to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor offering). Great value, loads of cool stuff for the kid to do and a cafeteria/Dairy Queen if you’re jonesing for a Blizzard.
• Morehead City: Great for shopping/window shopping. Check out the Beaufort Olive Oil Company (free samples, kid friendly). And grab a cone at Happy Cow when it opens in May. Ample parking.
• Fort Macon State Park: Pack a picnic and go check it out. The history, the views … awesome. Plenty of parking and clean bathrooms.
• Beaufort: We visited the (free) N.C. Maritime Museum during a monsoon. So, pack rain gear because the sky was clear when we headed from TC to Beaufort. My running shoes have not recovered … Our 4 year old enjoyed the free treasure map activity (get a map, find and mark the clues, get a prize) and didn’t beg for too many treasures from the gift shop. The Queen Anne’s Revenge exhibit was interactive and educational (and enjoyable). As it was pouring, this was a great place to spend a few hours. After the museum, we wandered down Front Street. Parking is metered and you’ll hunt if it’s peak season. There is parking at the museum (limited).
• Pirate Invasion: We didn’t know it was happening until the day before and we’re very glad we drove back for this. We (and a few thousand mates) had a great time storming the town and hearing the cannons fire. The museum offered even-more kid-friendly activities and there was so much to do. We bought the boy a sword, eye patch and scarf at the historical society (lots cheaper than the vendors outside, and they had a bathroom …). Parking is tight. I recommend nabbing a spot along a residential street. Plan your visit, too. They offer pirate school, and that might be on tap for next year. There’s also a 5k run (not free).

So which will we pick for the future? Probably both. I suspect we will alternate NMB and PKS. But when we go to NMB, we won’t eat out as much and we’ll plan activities that are more geared to sitting in the sand or at the pool. NMB is 2 hours, 40 minutes; PKS is 3 hours; 20 minutes.

For groceries in 2012, we hit Harris Teeter, Kroger and Lowes Foods. We brought home a lot of the food we bought because we ate out liberally. This trip, we hit Food Lion at Atlantic Beach and loaded up on water (beach water tastes weird to me), fresh fruit, gluten-free breads, crackers, deli meats, cheese and snacks (and milk, adult bevs). We packed picnic lunches and ate out for dinner and ice cream. We also fixed breakfast in the TC’s common room (I made gluten free pancakes and we brought them with us). We ate all of what we bought or brought on this trip; nothing wasted. Food has gone up in price … Sigh.

Our first meal was at the Crab’s Claw in Atlantic Beach. It was too expensive for what was served, but the server and staff were nice and the view of the ocean was spectacular. Our favorite eatery was the Crab Shack and I would drive back today to eat there. The view was awesome, the staff was friendly and accommodating (gluten free, 4 yo). We had two dinners there and pizza at Michaelangelo’s in Atlantic Beach (same plaza as Food Lion).

Which did I prefer? PKS. But if I want a condo, it will cost a lot more in NC. And my wallet won’t like it.

Here’s a breakdown of my crazy budget, not factoring the mileage (noted above and we had more day trips to NMB at greater distances):