Frugal Fieldtrip: Camping in Death Valley National Park

Spent 2 days and 2 nights camping in Death Valley National Park, California with my two girlfriends. Did a vlog money diary of my frugal travels. Watch it below!

Here is a more detailed breakdown and itinerary of our entire trip.

Friday

4 PM - The Drive

We hit the road from Los Angeles, California and embarked on the 5-hour drive to Death Valley National Park. To pass the time we started asking the 36 Questions That Lead to Love (NYT Article). Now we’re basically in love haha.

8 PM - Pit Stop

Finally getting hungry for dinner, we pulled over for a quick pit stop. I got a sandwich and mac & cheese from Panera Bread, $12.05. Then we fueled up at a gas station $33.24/3= $11.08.

9 PM - We Made It!

After a long a$$ drive we made it to the park. Both Emily & I are America the Beautiful Annual Passholders, so national park entrance fees are $FREE.99. Definitely a deal if you do more than 3 a year.

We quickly set up camp and hit the hay since we had an early start in the morning planned for tomorrow. During the night we could hear coyotes howling at the full moon. One sounded like it was maybe a few feet outside of our tent.

Saturday

5:30 A.M. - Riiiiise & Shine

We got up super early this morning to watch the sunrise a Zabriski Point. It was a quick 0.4 miles to get from the parking lot to the lookout. SO beautiful–I highly recommend it! It was amazing watching the colors of the landscape change over 40 minutes. And as a “Do it for the Gram” kinda gal, I recommend you get pics of you/your group before the sun fully rises otherwise the lighting is pretty harsh.

7 AM - Zabriskie Point > Badlands Loop > Golden Canyon Trail > Gower Gulch Loop (6.1 miles)

After chugging coffee we started our first hike of the day, which totaled about 6.1 miles. The elevation wasn’t too bad so even though it was long I wasn’t dying. My favorite part was seeing the Red Cathedrals and Zabriskie Point from the back. The only major downside was coming back up the Gower Gulch Loop which was essential trekking through loose gravel and very uncomfortable.

12 PM - Lunch O’Clock

Post morning hike, we headed back to our campsite for check-in and to make Turkey Sandwiches. Split between two people, the total cost was ~$10.

1 PM - Artists Drive

We refilled our water bottles and headed out on an afternoon drive to Artist’s Palette, a mountainous spot with very colorful rocks! We only stopped at the second overlook, which was more scenic and colorful.

2 PM - Desolation Canyon (3.6 miles)

One of my favorite hikes of the trip took us up into a rocky slot canyon. At the top the views were amazing. I recommend trekking up the sandy slope to a little bit higher outcrop of rocks to get a good view of the valley. It was gorgeous! We ate a few snacks at the top (Hike snacks for the whole trip, ~$6) before heading back out.

4 PM - Badwater Basin (2 miles)

For our last stop of the day, we went to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the western hemisphere at 279 feet below sea level. The white salt flats made ornate patterns on the ground and made the perfect backdrop to watch the sunset over the mountains.

6 PM - Dinner & S’Mores

Of course what would camping be without a campfire and s’mores. We got some firewood & a lighter at the Furnace Creek General store ($11/3=$3.67). We cooked sausages and veggies and tater tots over the campfire and ended the night with the classic marshmallow treat, ~$12. (Camp food expenses are divided by 2, since our other friend is doing Whole 30 and brought her own meals.) We watched the full moon come out, which made it hard to see the stars, and were in bed by an early 8:30 PM.

SUNDAY

8 AM - Breakfast Tacos

I slept soundly for almost 12 hours and woke up the sorest I’ve been in a long, long time. Probably should work out more. I proceeded to whip up my favorite camp food, bacon and egg breakfast tacos, ~$10. We even had some leftover tots and onions we threw in from the last night.

After that we broke down the camp and packed up the car so we could head out for the day.

10:30 AM - Visitor’s Center

I collect national park pins everywhere, so I got a Death Valley one. While checking out, I saw a person with a passport book. You can get them stamped at visitors centers for each park you go to which I though was a more economical thing to collect and to stop spending money on these pins, which I really never know where to put, $16.11. You’re supposed to buy the stickers that go in them too, but I don’t think I’m going to do that since that would defeat the purpose of this book. I think honestly I could make a better printable to do this, but I’m not sure if they’ll only stamp the official passport book. Need to look into this.

11 AM - Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes (2 mi)

We drove out west to the large sand dunes of Mesquite Flats. It went from dry seas to the Saharan desert. I could just picture camels crossing the sand as Aladdin and Jasmine came flying by. Afterwards we stopped for our second fuel up of the trip, $39.03/3= $13.01.

12:30 PM - Darwin Falls (2 mi)

Before making our way out of the park, we drove to the western edge to see a waterfall. In stark contrast to the barren valley, this little hike down to a waterfall was lush and green. It’s crazy how quickly the landscape can change! We stopped at the waterfall to eat some snacks before heading home.

5:30 PM - In N Out

We finished the last of the 36 Questions that Lead to Love as we made the 5 hour drive home. Of course, no California road trip is complete without a stop at In N Out for some burgers and animal fries, $8.84. I dropped off the girls in Pasadena and by 8 PM I was back at home. The perfect quick weekend getaway.

See you on the next frugal fieldtrip!

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Secondhand Haul: All the clothes I thrifted in 2019

Took a peek into my closet at all the things I thrifted in 2019. In 2019 I only bought from secondhand stores. In total I spent about $195 in clothes this year, which isn’t a lot, but of the all the secondhand things I bought, I only really wear 3 very often, and about half I regret buying and have already listed and sold some things on my Poshmark.

Top: Leon Max Official silk cream blouse, $15, Buffalo Exchange SM

Bottoms: Gap mustard linen pants, $12, Buffalo Exchange SM

These were my first purchases of the year. I still wear them both but don’t necessarily love.

Bert Newman Petite teal green wool coat, $9, Salvation Army SF Mission

I thought this coat was a bit extra but glad I listened to my gut and bough it anyway. I actually wear it all the time…even over tees! I feel FANCY AF.

Not sure if it’s every weekend but I went to Salvation Army SF Mission on a Sunday and all the clothes were 50% off! I’ve been meaning to go back, but now that I’m doing no buy 2020, that’ll have to wait.

Top: Duluth Trading Co. leather satchel/backpack, $7.50, Community Thrift Store SF

It converts to a backpack and is really great quality, but I just never use it. :(

Bottom: Woven basket purse, $7, 5th Avenue Family Thrift Mart, SOLD on Poshmark for $18

Found this at a little mom & pop thrift store by my parent’s house. Loved how unique of a woven purse it was. I used it once but it’s hard to pack for vacations and I never go to the beach in LA. So figured it was better use as cash in my pocket.

Vintage black blouse with pearl buttons, $5, Love the City Thrift Store

This little thrift shop is nearby and is honestly mostly junk, but you can fill a paper shopping bag to the brim for only $10. If you’re lucky enough to find enough stuff to fill it, it’s totes worth it.

Vintage white blouse, $25, Woo Vintage Clothing Canada

I thought the collar on this was so interesting, but probably overpaid for this. I think I need to stop thrifting in other countries because I always really want to just buy something to buy something from there…v dangerous.

DKNY black mom jeans, $4.50, Salvation Army SF Mission

Wear these all the time and honestly one of my best purchases sheerly for the amount of wear it gets.

White leather belt, $4, NCJWLA Thrift Shop

Black leather belt, $2.50, YWCA Thrift Store

Love thrifting belts! Didn’t have a white one or a thicker band before, so these were acceptable purchases!

Vintage olive linen safari shorts, $20, Chicago Omotesando

I was so intent on thrifting and buying something while in Japan. But this is def one of my worst purchases, it makes my butt look HUGEEEE.

Navy utility coverall jumpsuit, $15, Love the City Thrift Store

This was also a dumb buy. I really wanted coveralls but this required a lot of hemming and alterations, which I initially planned on doing, but of course never did. I wore it once and was asked if I was a car mechanic or going to fix a plane HAH. It’s called FASHUN, okay?!

Christian Dior slip skirt, $3.50, Salvation Army SF Mission, SOLD for $50 on Depop

One of my best flips! I thought maybe I’d wear since slip skirts are in but it’s a true slip, elastic waistband and all, plus it’s not very flattering on. Def better as money in my pocket.

Leather and suede black purse, $6.50, Community Thrift Store SF

In writing this post, I realize I should just not buy bags because every single one of them I don’t really end up using/liking very much.

Silk cheetah print pajama set, $5, Love the City Thrift Store

I LOVE this and have worn it a few times but the silk is kind of deteriorating at the seams, which is so sad. Hoping my mom can work her magic to give it more life!

Black sparkly sheer high-low dress, $5.30, Texas Thrift

I’m honestly not sure what possessed me to buy this. I genuinely thought it was funky and cute. The responses I’ve gotten range from “that’s something you’d wear to a middle school dance in the early 2000s” to “that’s downright UGLY.” I still like it for its weirdness, but will probably just wear for a classic witch costume next year haha.

Texas Thrift was amazing though and truly Texas sized. It was a lot to rummage through and I wish I had more time there, but maybe a good thing I didn’t considering this is the result of my efforts HAHA.

Silk black button down with mother of pearl buttons, $12, NCJWLA Thrift Shop

Overpriced and too large on me. This was bought after a long afternoon of thrifting and I just wanted to buy something.

If you reached the bottom congrats! As you can see I really don’t care for half of the stuff I bought. If anything strikes your fancy though, check me out on Poshmark!

xo,

Catie

December 2019 Savings Rate

UPDATE: Took a closer look at my accounts and earned $1,895 in dividends last month, making my actual savings rate 22.22%.

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The first post of 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ and it may be a little alarming to some (read: most). 😳 I’m happy though because it was my CHOICE to not work in December and I took the whole month off! 😎

Despite my abysmal savings rate, my overall net worth GREW. 📈 The trifecta of compound interest, investing, and a good market y’all. ✨ MAGIC

Here’s how my December expenses panned out…

Savings: $7,586.33

Even though I had no income, I had a lot of cash left in my checking from the previous two months high earnings.

I added more to my Emergency Fund because I decided I wanted to have not just 5 months of living expenses, but enough money to cover my whopping high $8,500 health insurance deductible. That means my new e-fund goal is $23,000. It’s currently at $17,000.

401k: $0

HSA: $0

Roth IRA: $0 – Maxed for 2019

Checking: $0

Emergency HYSA: $1,050.00

Travel HYSA: $600.00

Big Event HYSA: $600.00

Brokerage: $1,200.00

Income: $2,964.11

Just look at that sad ZERO paycheck. Ah well! I’m really enjoying get a taste of FIRE life.

UPDATE: As mentioned above, a few of my investments paid out their annual dividends, so I made way more this December than anticipated. In fact, it was enough to cover my expenses for the month and put my savings rate above 0%! If this doesn’t convince you about the power of FIRE and investing, I don’t know what will.

💰 Paycheck: $0

👕 Resale: $176.60

👩‍💻Freelance: $0.00

💵 Cash back: $117.90

📈Interest: $28.53

🎁 Gifts: $782.00

📈Dividends: $1,859.08

Expenses: $2,305.57

As anticipated my major expense category that was out of whack was Gifts and Shopping (Black Friday).

Work category is also exceptionally high because I ended up buying the millennialmoneyhoney.com domain and Squarespace plan as a present to myself on Black Friday. I figured it was a good investment!

As for shopping, that expense was due to the art I got custom framed. It’s a family heirloom plus I got a great Black Friday deal, soo I’d say that was worth it.

🏡 House: $950.00

💡 Utilities: $48.84

🚕 Transportation: $20.17

🥦Groceries: $0.00

🍽 Food: $177.61

🍹Drinks: $81.62

🛍 Shopping: $114.83

💻 Work: $230.29

🎥 Entertainment: $13.20

✈️ Travel: $33.86

🚙 Car: $0.00

🏥 Health: $213.00

🎁 Gifts.: $422.15

Misc.: $0.00

So now that my FIRE December is over, I’m back on the job market. Anyone looking for a visual/brand designer? 🙇🏻‍♀️ I’m available for hire!

xo, Catie

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