It's Not A Bender, It's A Lifestyle.

Oh hi. Yeah, guess it's been a minute. The April trip happened, as I suppose you've figured out by now. I didn't die, as you may have suspected, but nearly every $100 bill I took with me did. It was bad. This trip itself was fine, nothing really out of the ordinary. But the gambling was an all-timer. Lost $5K+. Yep. But not going to dwell. I stayed within the gambling budget, I'm recovered from it, I'm over it. I'm getting good at getting over bad gambling trips. So, on to the next. Back to Vegas again in mid August. Just a 4-nighter, over a weekend. Friday-Monday out Tuesday. Got another great deal in the same room at Bellagio, the Resort Tower King, less than $75 all in. Would be $1575 with no MGM Rewards. Crazy. Flights locked, PTO approved, it's a done deal.  I'll fill in the deets as we get closer but I'm kinda Vegas-averse right now in terms of hype or interest, so look for more as we get into July.

In one week I will be tits deep in Vegas. Everything is in place. I'll hit my number for the save plus a little, probably about $5500. It will leave me skint until my next paycheck but at least I won't have to massacre the CC like on past trips. Hopefully I'll hit at least something in the first couple days to take the cash pressure off. Hitting at least one four aces and a handpay on the trip will be all I really need. That way I can come back with a couple grand and pay that forward to a summer trip. Fingers crossed. If not I'm going to try not to stress. It's a gambling budget for a reason. I scored some good devil's dandruff for the trip, and will have some shroom gummies too, so I'll be able to alter reality at will during the festivities. Always makes things more groovy. Sports will be in order to some extent over the week, there are SF Giants games every day, and Masters Sunday is the day I arrive. Something to watch while waiting to get into my room....

All the amazing April savings I will luxuriate in on my April trip, happening in April. -5 nights at Freddie's Bellagio in a Resort Tower King: All in price $253, would be...unknown! The Resort Tower King is no longer available to book as of 4/2. Closest is probably the Strip View Spa King at $2285 all in, though my room would probably be more, but we'll give the unwashed masses a break. Call it a $2000 even price break from rack rate. -$50/$50 FP/RC as part of the booking package, $100 value. -$100 RC for getting to Gold last year, plus $30 in standard accrued RC, $130 value. -$157 in Slot Dollars, $157 value. $2387 in savings from a non-MGM'er. I fought hard to get to Gold again for this year and it's for trips like this. Having literally a positive comp to cash outlay ratio for an elevated room in a 5-Star is insane for a low roller like me. My overhead is basically a one-way flight in. Is gud. 10 days.

I got a new car. And oh yeah, Vegas is close. Subaru kept bugging me about the lease equity in my Crosstrek. I only had about $6K left on my lease, and they knew they could sell it for literally MORE than the purchase price I agreed to lease it on. I resisted them for a while. I don't need a new car, I hardly drive as it is and the 'Trek was fine as a commuter. I had the upper hand in the negotiation, so I used it. I gave them a number, told them no down, no drive off for a new WRX. I thought it was a long shot... ...but they met it. And I drove off with 120+ more HP than I had driven in with. Model, year and color in the pic above. I'm proper happy with it, so much more fun to drive and it makes the commute far more bearable. I never looked forward to driving the 'Trek. This thing...oh yeah. AND I'm saving myself over $120/month on the lease payment. I robbed a Subaru dealership, and I'm not proud. $4 dollars more a month on insurance. Yes I take on more and ...

 ...new. Boring pre-game on this trip. Same room, same flights, same steak...same. Good same. I think I've more or less perfected the art of Vegas at this point. Do the room algorithm, book the flights, get a food or two set up then sit back and wait. This will be trip # 54 all time so I guess it's to be expected that I have this down by now. Still could get a Cosmo suite for $100 less than Bellagio but the fact that Cosmo doesn't do mobile check in and that their bell desk is hellish on a Sunday means - Bellagio. It's fine. The room is good and I won't spend much time in the resort anyway, aside from trying to escape. Life is same also. Still stuck in the shitty job, just trying to keep my head above water and looking for an out. Job market is tough , especially now that Cheeto Man is now fucking the whole country up. No one could have predicted that, though. The money is good and I'm essentially unfireable so I can afford to be picky (or to build up enough sav...

All set for pre-birthday Vegasness. Flights booked, room locked in, Gold MGM assured, even a food rezzy locked down. 2 1/2 months out and I have nothing to plan. I haz a sad, but a good sad. Bellagio will be the base of operations, a good one. This room was pretty bomb when I stayed in it a couple years ago and it's been remodeled since then so it should be posh. More than enough room for little big me. Across the street from most of the things I love in Vegas, so it's a great home base, no endless cabbing. Added a seat on Alaska for the in, so it should be no issues with getting on/off and stowing the bag. It's an early flight but that gets me there to maximize day one and hopefully I can check in soon after arrival. Out is unchanged and fine. Not too early and gets me home by around 2:30p if all goes well, so I can find parking here. I imagine I'll just drop coin on SFO onsite parking again like last time, it was expensive but convenient. I loved my filet so much last...

Well having not shit the financial bed (by the skin of my teeth) over Xmas, next Vegas can be confidently planned. The next will be a premature birthday trip. The week of my Bday is prohibitively expensive for some reason, probably some convention or other, so I am going the week before. Another 5-day journey. The PTO is already approved, so April 13-18th it is. Bellagio will be the muse. Now that I'm MGM Gold again I was able to lock in 5 nights there in a Resort Tower King (nice, big, non-standard room) for a tick over $250. Un. Beat. Able. Not even going to look at anything else. As chronicled here ad nauseum, I'm not a Bellagio "guy", but the price/nice/location ratio is not going to be beat anywhere. Flights are a mixed bag. In on Alaska arriving around 8:30a (hope that room's ready!), out on Frontier (ugh) leaving at about 11:30a. Got a bag and a seat on Frontier so it shouldn't be too awful. Total about $200 for both flights. Early in to maximize the 1...

Rode 2024 out on the wings of a Desert Eagle. Or something. Flights:  Both on time, no issues. TSA a POC on both days, despite Xmasness. Room: Aria Stay Well King, stayed well bored. Nothing whatsoever different from a normal room aside from a loud ass air filter that was a good white noise machine. Nothing bad happened, predictably fine. Drinking: Yes. Food: Not much of it, 3 "good" meals, one at Kyu at FB which sucked in food and service, one at Jean George which was a transcendent steak and one at Blue Ribbon which was great pork chop. Not much else eaten. Gambling: Absolute ass all trip until literally 12 hours before I had to be at the airport, hit $3K at Gem bar at Aria. Was down to about $500 of my budget. Could have come home busted, instead have a nest egg for April. Would like to have hit something earlier to enjoy it a bit more, but eh. Also made MGM Gold, which was the goal so all around pos. Body: Hung in OK, never felt destroyed or mentally beat. Slept OK. Over...