Candlelight concert

One of my absolute favorite things to do is travel. I love to explore and see the sights our spacious world offers. I like to visit anywhere from highly populated cities to cozy and compact towns. Either way, the experience is still gained, and my thoughts are expanded. Life is travel! If you mix that with my love for music, you end up at an amazing candlelight concert. The vibes were vibing. The musicians were full of energy and very talented.

If you're new here, I am a financial coach and owner of Monetelligence w/ Bre brand, which helps promote financial literacy and create growth. So, my trips align with my bottom line: find fun even while budgeting.

Budgeting: allow or provide a particular amount of money in a budget

Come explore this fun event and experience a slice of this small city. Okay, let’s have some fun within your budget!! I have an easy and helpful financial planning read if you need some tips on creating a budget. Let’s build your budget

 Reminder everyone has a different forecast for their money and individual needs. If you need a 1 v 1 session or want to join upcoming group events subscribe to my monthly newsletter to stay current. I can't wait to meet you! 

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Georgetown TX

 I traveled to this small city of less than 100,000 people. The night's highlight was Southwestern University at the Alma Thomas Fine Arts Center. It could be because I am a college girly, but I love to take on events through colleges and nonprofits. This also means that these events cost much less, which is perfect for most budgets.

I ventured through the city since I wanted to explore and burn time.  The city was lively and bustling with visitors and locals. Before arriving at the event, I visited downtown the historical part of the city, and with all the Victorian architecture and things to see I enjoyed the little time I had.        

Now it's time to have a concert. We partied in groups of three. The tickets totaled 62.00 and did not include the charge of 5.00 for a cup of wine. This adventure was 77 dollars for three adults and there was a time to be had. After entering the college, the hall was lined with luminous LED candles that lit the space and added a certain ambiance. We waited in a seated area where we enjoyed wine and good chats. The seating area featured artwork from attending students. So beautiful.

We entered the theater once we had our fill of pink Moscato and white Zinfandel. The stage placed the performers in the middle with Candles closing them in. It was such a high-vibrational night.

The theme of the night was Beyonce's hit songs. The lineup included “Drunk in Love”, “Say My Name”, “Halo”, “Love on Top” and many more. You can tell which were the crowds’ favorites since the audience started booming once all the faves played. The musicians introduced each song with small talk and crowd interactions. They played with grace and energy.

Come explore a fun and exciting concert, orchestra style. 

If you couldn’t guess from the video, one of my favorite songs played was “Say My Name”. The crowd agreed as some sang along, and others hummed.

After the performance, the crowd had an opportunity to take pictures in front of the beautiful setup. We snapped some photos and

Plot Twist

Okay, it wouldn’t be a trip with Bre if there wasn’t something and every trip has its ups and downs. This was the down.

Remember before entering the concert, we were allowed to purchase wine, sip, sit, and chat. I decided on the sweet wine pink Moscato. Now the glass of Moscato just so happened to be warm since the school says the chilled bottles were already sold out.  I decided to drink it anyway, and it went down a bit harsh but did its job. During the concert, I felt amazing, relaxed and energized. By the time I hit the Benz parked in the school lot, I struggled to pop the door open. My friend offered to drive, and we all piled in. We had an hour and a half drive back home and every minute became increasingly difficult.

I began to feel woozy and nauseated. Mind you I hadn’t eaten in 24 hours and then I drank warm Moscato, and something did not sit well. I began to sweat and become overwhelmed. As soon as we hit my city limits I couldn’t hold in my nausea, and we had to pull over for me to release all the liquid contents of my tummy. I was drenched in sweat and exhaustion, my group assisted with napkins and wipes.

The next morning was Sunday, and I had a late start. That did not stop me from creating my Sunday financial reset using my budget plan tips. Let’s build your budget

Takeaway

I had an amazing time in Georgetown aside from the sickness. The Victorian architecture was beautiful and overall, this event cost me 25.00 in total and was a perfect event to fit into my budget.

No matter your personality or lifestyle you can always find fun engagements within your budget.  As a financial coach and accountant, I hold firm to money management tools and tips to keep more money in my pocket than out. Follow me on Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram to get money insights.

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Let's chat. Have you ever been to Georgetown??? Share below in the comments.

Stay sweet friends.

-Bre 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jackpot I won vacationing to Lake Charles, LA.

 

 

Lake Charles Jackpot

One of my absolute favorite things to do is travel. I love to explore and see the sights our spacious world offers. I like to visit anywhere from highly populated cities to cozy and compact towns. Either way, the experience is still gained, and my thoughts expanded. Life is travel!

You may already know from my blogs, that I am a financial coach in these business streets and use every opportunity to build and keep financial freedom. I will give you tools, tips, and tricks to make traveling on a budget a reality. I am a busy mom of six, a student, and a careerist, I am constantly searching for the next big idea, especially with travel.  I continue to remove barriers and help promote financial literacy by using my experience with personal finances to bring you to a place where you can still enjoy life while being economical. I follow my principles no matter where I visit, while I still indulge in the culture by tasting local foods and treats; exploring landscapes, and recreations; and shopping for cool trinkets or clothing.

Okay so let me tell you….

Lake Charles, LA On a budget!

The birthday honoree decided the theme for our getaway was a gold and nude brown scheme met with classy casino wear and good vibes. For this trip, we celebrated a friend's birthday in a lottery casino-style manner. I road-tripped to beautiful Lake Charles, Louisiana, hoping to win big.

Since I am a knowledgeable coach and future certified public accountant, I always plan with cost in mind. Even when traveling in a group, I am selected to plan every financial detail from the stay, food, and shopping activities, which I enjoy having the honor.  

My budget for a group of 4 was 400 each or 1600 dollars. For myself, I aimed to spend 300 or less since I’m not a big gambler, so I thought. The birthday honoree had a separate budget of 1000 dollars.

Here's a Good luck money Tree!!

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Transportation

The group all lived near the south of Texas, so plane tickets would have cost 267 each round trip, totaling 1068.  So, to save on travel we packed and filled up the Benz and headed out. This outbound road trip took only 5 hours with 1 stop in between in Houston TX with an overall cost of 100.00.

Then we finally made it! We made it in on Friday at 10 PM CST. Lake Charles was beautiful it was a small city surrounded by sparkling lakes, which housed less than 100,000 residents. The city was quiet with the casinos and bars full.

Sleep

We at once checked into our 3-bedroom Airbnb apartment which cost 65 dollars a night and included cleaning fees totaling 199.00. This means our stay was nearly 50.00 each. Not bad coach Bre. I did the math, so you don’t have to worry about it. At this point, we have spent 300 dollars and a savings of 700 thus far.

 

Experiences and things to do

 

Lake Charles was a nice place to relax and unwind, from the beautiful gleaming scenery to the lively casino life. Upon first arriving the weather was nice and warm, with no cool breeze. The city was also very industrialized from steel bridges to chemical industrial activities like refineries and chemical plants.

 So, for recreation, we decided to spend the morning visiting the lakeside of Lake Charles. The lakes were full of visitors lined along the sandy shore, with umbrellas and beach towels providing ultimate relaxation. The lake was free and open to the public. So, we enjoyed an activity at a low cost, counting the mimosas, pistachios, and sunscreen that’s a 20-dollar adventure. I am on a roll y’all. We are up to 320 dollars so far. 

The L’Auberge

 

Standing on the Lake was a fun and exciting casino and resort, the L’Auberge, which is open 24 hours every day. The views were amazing, and the drinks and play were top-notch. Upon entering we searched for the bar to grab a pre-gambling bonus. We were met with a drink of choice. I decided on a Peach Martini and while we waited for the bartender to mix greatness, I played a game stationed at the bar.

 

With a martini in hand, I spent time playing coin slots and wheel play games. Since I am always on a budget I started with 40 dollars. I was on fire, my 40 landed me 86 dollars quickly. Then I began to lose as I started switching games and machines. By then my group had all had their own stories of loss except for the birthday girl. She started with 200 on the machine and won all her money plus an additional 100. Woot, my girl won 300 dollars, not bad friend.  

 

Brunch

After our morning Visit to the lake and the casino, we decided to grab brunch. We stopped at a little eatery called Biscuits&Jamz.

This was the perfect brunch spot with fresh seafood with a Cajun twist. The dishes cost a little more than local places but were well worth it. The average dish ran anywhere from 10-20 dollars per person.

Going around the table: I enjoyed the Salmon Croquette eggs benedict. The hollandaise sauce with the salmon was the perfect combo of delicious. The birthday girl enjoyed the local's favorite, shrimp and grits. The others ate chicken and waffles, and the fish shrimp and grits dish.

Our Brunch tab was 80.00 including the 5.00 tip. We are at 400 spent or 100 each so far.

 

Shopping

After brunch, we headed to explore more of the city. We aimed to see what shopping was offered. In a small shopping center, there was a live sale for shoes. We popped in to find that the deals on shoes were up to 75 % off and just perfect for my budget.

We scoured the shoe store and found the cutest matching brown open-toe-strap sandals originally priced at 36 dollars each and 11.29 each at the register.  Overall, we spent 66 dollars in the shoe store for 4 pairs of shoes and 2 totes.

Next door we visited a local store to grab deodorant and flushable wipes but ended up shopping for home office supplies to decorate my office space. The prices were affordable and offered plenty of options. I spent 15 dollars on a few good items, including a nice Lake Charles emblem. After shopping our trips tab was 500 dollars and 166 dollars for my budget.

After shopping and a visit to a local park for a walk, we headed to a seafood spot called Seafood Palace. We went with one item in mind: the fried crabs. The crab was just one highlight of the menu, and this place was popular because the line was out the door. Most orders seemed to be the fried crab, so we tried some. We spent about 10 each, grabbed our to-go order, and headed to the Airbnb apartment to eat, relax, and nap off the crabs, mimosas, and martinis. After about an hour we headed to grab drinks on Ryan Street which housed a few different bars and grills.

The Horseshoe Casino- Cesar

After drinks, we decided to try our luck, so we headed to another casino. This time we went to a Cesars: The Horseshoe casino and resort. Upon arriving the first noticeable thing was the large picture of Gordan Ramsey draped along the side. Then we found that the Gordan Ramsey steakhouse was located in the resort. We were unable to try the menu since it was after hours, and the restaurant was closed.

 

 

I again stuck with my budget I started with 40 dollars. I tried different machines making sure not to stay on any machine I was losing at. The first 20 dollars flew by, so I sat down at a fun slot-style character game, with a mini jackpot of 220 dollars, to slow my pace. I instantly began to win slowly at first then gradually higher as I bid more. I rose to 98 and I thought “This is nearly 100 dollars when I only played 20.00 should I take it now?”.

 

The group surrounded me and started to insert their casino slips. The birthday girl had 6 slips and said “Here. Then you’ll have 100. Now play 2 more spins then cash out”.  I thought okay, so I spun and lost, the last spin won! Not only did I land on a large payout, but the machine gave me 10 automatic free spins, and I won on all those spins. So, the machine was just spinning and paying, then the machine began to siren off to alert that the jackpot had been hit. I won the mini jackpot and It was such an amazing feeling to win. Overall, I walked away with 340 dollars, so I won the 40 I spent plus 300 dollars.

Since I had only spent 210 dollars so far, that also means my entire trip was funded by my win at the Horseshoe Casino.

 

Wow, I love travel.

Homebound

 Before we headed out, we started with a walk along the lake. We filled up and headed back to Southeast Texas. 

Overall the travel was amazing, and we won 450 dollars as a group from the casino. We didn't spend nearly as much as we expected and I actually walked away with a free trip and good vibes,

I am the burden of proof that traveling on a budget is still fun and puts you at ease with your finances. 

Remember follow me on Instagram to keep up with my travels.

Casinos to visit

1.      Horseshoe- Cesar - 100 Westlake Ave, Westlake, LA 70669

2.      L’auberge- 777 Avenue L'Auberge, Lake Charles, LA 70601

3.      The Golden Nugget- 2550 Golden Nugget Blvd, Lake Charles, LA 70601

 Here's a list of restaurants I recommend you try on your trip. Let me know your experience in the comments.

1.      Seafood Palace-2218 Enterprise Blvd, Lake Charles, LA 70601

2.      Biscuits&Jamz-1620 N Simmons St Ste B, Lake Charles, La 70601

3.      Gordan Ramsey Steakhouse- Located inside The Horseshoe casino. Tell me how it is in the comments.

4.       Luna Bar and grill- 719 Ryan St, Lake Charles, LA 70601

Stay sweet

-Bre

 

Traveling on a budget. Next stop Houston, Texas!!

  

 

 

Life is travel! Travel for life! One of my absolute favorite things to do is travel. I love to visit the sights that our spacious world has to offer. I like to travel anywhere from fast paced, densely populated cities to cozy and compact towns. Either way, the experience is still gained, and my thoughts expanded. I have visited many separate places, but my recent travels landed me in Houston Texas.  

Houston is in the southeastern part of Texas. Being the fourth most populous city in the nation, with its population reaching 2.4 million. This easily makes Houston the largest city in the southern U.S. and Texas. Houston is gleaming with diverse cultures and plenty of adventures and recreational spots. There are so many exciting things to see and do in Houston, I will detail a few budgets friendly ideas from my recent trip.  

 

 

 

 

You may know from reading my blogs, I am a personal finance coach and travel enthusiast. I use every opportunity to inspire others to create and support financial freedom. Even though I am always looking to grow with my clients and within my profession, I am also a fun, free-spirited mom, student, and careerist, and I am constantly searching for the next big idea, especially with travel. I continue to remove barriers and help promote financial literacy by using my experience with personal finances to bring you to a grounded place where you can still enjoy life while being economical. While on your financial journey I will give you tools, tips, and tricks to make traveling on a budget fun and worry free.  

When traveling and depending on the location, my budget is higher in some travels and lower in others. Regardless, I follow my principles no matter where I visit, while I still indulge in the culture by tasting local foods and treats; exploring landscapes, and recreations; and shopping for cool trinkets or clothing. When going on a trip I plan for fun and relaxation, but also my expenses and daily budget. I always create a map or money plan to guide me through my traveling. Using my principles I can always find the best deals, entertainment and food in any city.  

This trip was a lower-budget trip since it was a last-minute travel. I also had a major trip within the next few weeks. So, I had to save more on this trip for my future venture. This trip started as a business venture for me to network and push my financial products but once networking had ended, why not spend the remaining of the weekend kicking back and taking in the vibes? 

 

I stayed at Wyndham nestled in the heart of food and recreational events. The hotel was unfortunately in an area where construction was being carried out on the back street, but it did not affect my route and I saved on the cost of the hotel because of this. I opted to book at a hotel that provided breakfast and Wyndham does, which saved me the cost of meals. When seeking the best deals for hotel stays, I always compare different sites that can apply different discounts.  

 

Let’s think about it:  

The hotel on a discounted site was 35 dollars cheaper than Wyndham's site, and the perks included breakfast and free parking. For me that's a triple savings: parking saved 5$, meals saved 35$ and stay was discounted 35$. I saved 75 dollars from my plan in total for the three. Cha-ching! 

 

Even though I was provided breakfast every morning of my 2 night's stay, I did have to make room in my budget to enjoy some local fare and freshly mixed sea vegetables.   

1. The Lava Lounge – This restaurant was trendy and popular. From the hookah service to the fresh Mediterranean dishes and bursting with flavor. We enjoyed an appetizer called Shawarma fries. This dish was French fries topped with Mediterranean salad, some type of garlic sauce and a house blend. There was a sharable portion, and we enjoyed the speedy service.
2. Red Claws Crab Shack Seafood & Hot Chicken- Seafood is always necessary to my pallet so we found a gem, this seafood and hot chicken shack was a perfect spot to get some fresh oysters and delicious margaritas at a reasonable price. This place was the perfect dinner spot and end to our Saturday evening. 
3. Gringos Mexican Kitchen- This restaurant was a lunch stop before I headed back to my city 2 hours away. The main highlight was the inexpensive dishes like the seafood enchiladas and the to-go margaritas. Our meal came with complimentary chips and salsa and was a delicious fare. 
   
   
   
4. Power by Sea Moss- IYKYK. The power of sea moss is a small business found in the Northwest area of Houston. This store featured different flavors of Sea Moss and bully drinks. Sea Moss is a dietary supplement that is mixed to become a gel/ jelly consistency. Sea moss is a superfood that holds vitamins and minerals, which is used to enhance your immune system, gives your body a clean energy boost and supports your gut with probiotics.   
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No matter what prompts you to visit beautiful Houston; relaxation, sightseeing and parks are enough to keep anyone engaged. The environment in Houston will keep your vibrations high and keep you centered.  

 

 

 

 

Now this trip was a last-minute, spur of the moment trip so I had to make do with my budget. I aimed to experience Houston without breaking the bank. Here’s a few free adventures that I experienced in Houton. 

 

1. Cullinan Park- I started my mornings with walks at a local park located near the Imperial sugar factory. At first glance this park was quiet and overran by white fuzzy caterpillars but as we progressed towards the boardwalk style path we ran in 2 unexpected giants. Eeeek. Can You guess where they are? What a beautiful sight it was to experience the lily pads dancing in the light breeze and the many birds calling friends.  
   
   
   
2. Abortorium- This place was amazing, there was plenty of space for kids to play and explore the world around them. All the play equipment embodied the facts of animal and insect life. The life size spider web was the best part, because who doesn't want to be “Spooderman” sometimes? Even though the events were free, parking and ice cream did cost at a separate charge. Overall, I spent 10$ 5/parking and 5 for ice cream.  
3. Waterwall- Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park is a multi-story sculpture fountain, located in the Uptown district of Houston. This adventure was a perfect end to my stay, since this sight was a cost-free experience and a relaxing encounter.

These adventures saved me from my original plan, but Instead I opted for low cost and free outings, that saved me 50$. Cha-ching! 

 

Experiencing Houston was an unforgettable experience from the food to the sights. I displayed control over my finances and saved a total of [blank] dollars. Travel does not have to put you in a financial slump, you can enjoy your experience on a budget and have an amazing time. I was able to save an overall of 125$ for my trip and have an amazing time in Houston. The locals were friendly, the food was fair priced, and the vibes were met. 

 

Remember to hold your coins hostage because coins add up to dollars and then to financial freedom. Keep traveling and reaching towards financial growth.  

 

Until we talk again friend, Farewell! 

 

Stay Sweet 

-Bre