2 websites for free/inexpensive lodging:

http://www.couchsurfing.com/ You can offer your couch for a traveler or take someone up on their offer of a couch to sleep on -- free!

craigslist.org Check under "Housing" - "sublets/temporary." We found a furnished 2- bedroom condo in the Chicago area for our family of four that's less than half the cost of a cheap hotel room.

Happy travels!

There's always our National Parks -- vacations pre-paid from our hard-at-work tax dollars! Camping in the outdoors won't cost a lot -- a night in the Grand Canyon will be less than $25 (but you might want to wait for the fall or spring weather for that one!)

We like to take the train to the beach - it runs half price on summer weekends - we pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the break from the inland heat... costs a little less then driving when you consider the price of parking and then there's the bonus: relaxing on the train home - no traffic!

My plan is simple. For the four days I don't have to do anything, the phone goes straight to voicemail, the e-mail stays off, and sit in a kiddie pool next to a stack of magazines I never finished reading.

Westgate Resorts offers a 99.00 4days/3nights accommodations at Disney's back door with plenty to do at the resort. You have to go to a timeshare presentation for a couple of hours but it's well worth it. Use code 9009150400

Try to find new books to read, from the library..try to get caught up in world news, by looking online...try to help someone else, a little bit goes a long way. I think it is always satisfying when you make other people smile:)

Take a driving tour of the U.S. to visit old friends. You get to rekindle old relationships and find free places to stay. If you have a hybrid car, even better!