Frugal Las Vegas, the Sequel

I love days like today.  That's because this afternoon I am flying out to Vegas for six days.  Just two months ago I vacationed there with my partner; this trip it's just me, as I am attending the AAII Investor Conference.  The keynote speaker is Joel Greenblatt, author of The Little Book that Beats the Market among other titles.  I'm excited because that was one of the few books I actually bought new when it came out.

Our last trip I budgeted $2,000, but the actual amount was only $1,350. That was for two of us for 9 days.  My goal is to spend less than $1,250 on this trip.  That might not sound like a frugal goal until you consider nearly half of that was for my flight and registration fee for the conference.

Here is how I am budgeting my spending:

Round Trip airfare : $261

Conference Fee:  $295
Parking at Airport : $0 (I'm being dropped off)
Baggage fees : $0 (flying Southwest)
Rental Car for 6 days: $125
Gasoline : $40
3.5 star Hotel off the Strip : 2 nights for $0 (comp based on the gambling I did in 2010 at the mystery shopping conference)
2.5 star Hotel off the Strip: 2 nights for $52
2.5 star Boutique Hotel in Vegas: 2 nights for $59

Food : $60 (budgeting $10 per day for 6 days)
Souvenirs : $20 (just in case)
Other uncategorized : $38 (this is my "cushion" for unexpected expenses)
Gambling: $300

Total Budget : $1,250

Most people would stay at the same hotel, but I jump around to save money.  I really don't mind that because it makes the vacation seem longer for some reason.