Labor Day weekendZac and I recently took advantage of a rare moment of serenity for our crowded city. Many San Franciscans flocked to Burning Man, and a major bridge was shut down for the entire Labor Day weekend. We decided to be tourists in our own town, partly to avoid traffic hassles, but mostly because we wanted to save money.

The final tally on my expense tracker shows that staying in town wasn’t a significantly frugal choice. In fact, we’re going to have to cut back for the rest of the month to stay on budget. Let’s say hypothetically that we were able to put together a Labor Day weekend escape for a total of $500 (including accommodations, transportation and expenses). Compared to the $375 that we actually spent by staying in town, our total savings in disposable income only added up to 25%. How could two frugal guys end up spending so much?

A ballgame; a night at the club; a BBQ and a few meals out added up to a memorable Labor Day weekend, and some serious money.

Before I got in the habit of tracking expenses, I always had a feeling that holiday weekends were expensive whether I stayed in town or went away. Now I have numbers to back my suspicions. I’m starting to wonder if everyone has trouble staying frugal on long weekends.

Granted, I see that we packed in activities that we usually spread across weeks or a month all into one weekend. Had we gone into the weekend with a spending cap, we certainly would have more money in the bank today. But would we have been as satisfied with how we spent the fleeting days of summer? Probably not.

Readers, what would you do? Do you believe holiday weekends are a money drain one way or another? What would you do to make a long holiday weekend more frugal but still fun?