COUPON QUEEN: How to plan a frugal weekend trip

A few of my girlfriends and I were looking for a weekend away. We had talked about it for a few months, but as life got busy, our planning always went on the back burner. We had the weekend date decided, but we had yet to plan much else. That is until two weeks ago. Here's how we put together a quick, easy and frugal trip that cost us well under $200 per person. Keep it local We could have hopped on a quick flight to Florida or taken a train to Chicago, but we wanted to stay close by, and honestly, we didn't want that to take up a big part of our budget. We chose Columbus as our destination as it checked all of our boxes. We wanted a place within a three-hour drive that had a walkable city and offered a little nightlife. Keeping it local allowed us to carpool together to enjoy each other's company and split the gas money. Choose perks There are many hotels in Greater Columbus, and I've stayed at quite a few. I always look for perks such as complimentary breakfast and pools, so the Drury Hotel was perfect for this trip. Not only do they offer the options mentioned above, but their popular Kickback evening event offers snacks, cocktails and soda for all guests. This is served daily from 5:30-7 p.m., and while food items can vary by day and location, while we were there, they offered salad, soup and nachos both nights while also offering tacos on one evening and pulled pork sandwiches and macaroni and cheese the next. This and the complimentary full breakfast took care of most of our meals. This may not work for everyone, but we are all pretty laid back and love the cheap option. Free fun There is a lot to do in Columbus, from museums to festivals to parks and trails. I usually scope these out before any trip, but we couldn't decide what to do before we went. Instead of paying for activities this time, we explored the city. We had great weather and walked everywhere. There was an Anime conference in town, so we enjoyed people-watching, poking into stores and grabbing a small snack at an area restaurant. One of the most memorable things we did was grab the card game Phase 10 and play together for hours in the hotel lobby. It was a simple yet meaningful way to spend our time, just a few friends enjoying each other's company, not worrying about cooking a meal, making a bed or honestly making any plans. We wanted a simple weekend, and that's what we got. Planning a quick weekend on a budget can be fun and memorable without costing a fortune. It doesn't have to be fancy or even filled with activities. Sometimes planning just an evening away to reconnect is all you need to recharge. Traveling doesn't have to be expensive for lasting memories to be made. This week's deal Buy 2 Axe Body Wash $5.99 eachLess buy 1, get 1 50 percent off saleClip the $6/2 Axe digital manufacturer's coupon on the Walgreens app or onlineFinal cost $3 total — just $1.50 each! Rachel Krych is passionate about helping others spend less and save more. In addition to her weekly column, she has a blog, Couponing With Rachel, which earns her compensation from Google for ads it places there, and from entertainment marketers whose promotional codes she touts. She doesn't write about entertainment in her column. Email her at couponingwithrachel@hotmail.com.