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!!

If you need more than luck, let's have a 1-1 session to discuss a travel budget plan to fit your upcoming trip. 

Book Now

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