Chic, Comfortable Travel Clothes on a Dime

My family and I went to Disney over Spring break. It is always hard to judge what to wear to a place like Disney, especially in the winter/spring months. Since I am a seasoned Disney traveler, I know two things that are a must: pack for warm and cold weather, this means layers; and wear comfortable shoes!!! You do a lot of walking and standing.

I watched the weather report leading up to our trip and discovered that it was going to be in the mid-70's to mid-80's almost everyday and sunny. The evenings were going to be around 60. Then, my husband informed me that he bought 5 day passes to the Disney parks so I knew we would be walking a lot. With that information in mind, this is what I came up with.

Anything made out of jean material is a great way to go. For my plane trip to and from Orlando, I wore the same pair of jeans, a thin, long-sleeved shirt and a light-weight, navy double-stiched Fresh Produce Jacket which I bought last year at Marshall's for $10. I wore a pair of peds from the Dollar Store and a new pair of Sketchers, which was my most expensive clothing item: $50 from Kohl's Department Store. This is the first time I went to Disney without a pair of running shoes.

Let me explain: I have been to Disney at least 10 times in my life so I know that comfortable shoes are a must. I am also a runner, so I always have to pack my running gear when we go on a trips. About 4 months ago I hurt my knee and have not been able to run, so I was determined not to have to pack bulky running shoes. Plus, running shoes are great for running but they are such a fashion faux pas! I was determined to find something that I could wear with capris, jeans, shorts, without compromising style and comfort. Sketchers seemed to be my answer.

My Daughter and I with Goofey. I'm wearing my new jean capris, my Sketchers and carrying my XO backpack

We were going from a Friday to a Friday. My jeans outfit took care of my Fridays, so that left 6 days of outfits. I am a practical person and I hate having to carry a lot when we fly, so I determined that I needed 6 short-sleeved shirts (one for each day we were there) one skirt, 2 jean capris and one dress capris. It turned out that I had everything I needed for my trip except for a second pair of capri jeans.

I made a trip to Macy's and found a wonderful, stretch jean capri by Levis for $38. They were so comfortable I wore them 3 times.

Our hotel had a pool, so I packed 2 swims suits one cover up and a pair of slides. The second swimsuit is imperative, because no one likes putting on a wet suit.

I packed 2 pairs of pajamas, a pair of slippers and of course undergarments. I hate walking on hotel floors in my naked feet, which is why slippers are a must!

I took one handbag. I bought a pink XOXO backpack that I bought from Marshall's 3-4 years ago for $5 for a Hilton Head trip. I have used that backpack for every trip we have made since then because it is easy to carry things in, it is small and it is stylish. I have decided though that it might be time to retire it if I can't clean it. It is starting to look soiled from all our vacations. I guess it is time for me to start shopping for a replacement at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. They carry great handbags, including designer ones such as Coach, Dooney and Bourke, Le Sport Sak, Liz, and the list goes on.

I should mention that we stayed in a place that had a washer and dryer, so I knew I could pack light. My family and I managed to stick to one suitcase per person. My kids brought their back packs for their mp3 players and other things that they were going to use while on the plane. I had my purse (back pack) and the rest fit in my suitcase.

I also learned over the years that packing extra jewelry is a waste of time and space. Also, if it is fine jewelry, you have to worry about how to store it safely in your hotel room. My solution to this problem is to stick to gold jewelry. Gold goes with almost anything. I wore a pair of 14k gold hoop earrings, a 14k gold 16" necklace and of course my wedding and engagement ring, which I never take off.

Create and Edit Websites with Open Source Software

I discovered open source software and portable apps about 3 years ago when I made it my mission to learn how to create websites. I had a limited budget, so I started with editing html and css by source code. In my opinion, this is the best way to start out because it forces you to learn the code, but once you know how to manipulate the codes, it is more efficient to use a software for editing existing web pages.

I started pricing web authoring software such as Dreamweaver and Frontpage and decided my budget could not handle it. That's when I started asking around and found out about free-open source software.

I started out using NVU and switched to Kompozer. They are very similar, but from what I understand Kompozer is NVU with fewer bugs. Both programs have a wysiwyg and the icons are similar to Microsoft Word, so there is some commonality between the programs, however, I am embarrassed to say I struggled a bit with the programs initially. Don't let this discourage you because these programs are capable of doing a lot. Have patience and you will figure it out over time. With a littler web surfing, you can find free tutorials on how to use the program. I found The Site Wizard web site offered some good information.

As I got better designing websites, I found that I needed a decent photo editor. Again, I didn't have the resources to buy Photoshop. It was and still is a little too pricey for my budget, but I eventually discovered Gimp an excellent photo editor. Gimp is another open-source software free to the public. Rumor has it that it mimics Photoshop. I am still learning how to use many of its features, but I am getting better with it. You can find a Gimp tutorial on their website.

There are also wonderful open source portable apps. I downloaded Firefox, Kompozer (a web authoring tool and Gimp). There is an office suite that can be downloaded too, plus many more that I have not had the opportunity to try out.

I don't have a lap top, so when I am visiting family members, I bring along my flash drive with my portable apps. I can update any website using Kompozer I can upload any file to my websites using Fireftp which is an add-on for Firefox, and I can view all my email securely because I view it through the Firefox program on my flash drive. I can also edit photos on the fly with my portable Gimp.

Isn't it wonderful that we have such gifted and generous programmers who spend their time creating amazing programs and offering it to the public for free?

I had been on a limited budget for a while and I did not have the disposable income to buy comparable computer programs for my computer. Having these resources available to me at no cost has been a life saver.

In return, I volunteer my web design skills to a non-profit, catholic school where my children attend and to a small, yoga studio whose resources are limited.

There are many ways that we can show our appreciation for the open-source software that is available to the public. We can give monetary donation to open source or buy some of their wonderful, creative products such as t-shirts, we can volunteer our programming services, or we can give back to our community by volunteering our skills.

Keep spreading the spirit of generosity and knowledge. We all benefit from it!!