I consider myself frugal, not
cheap. I’ll happily spend a pretty penny if its something that I believe is
worthwhile. My goal is not to eliminate all spending, it’s to reduce the amount
I’m spending on things that aren’t important to me and replace it with things
that are important to me. As far as entertainment goes, I’ll happily spend a
small fortune at Walt Disney World because it really is the happiest place on
earth, but I detest spending money on work lunches, and things that aren’t
worth their price. You can see how we used this method to save $23,537.00 last year by
clicking here.
With that being said, I’ll let you
in on my two favorite things in Northern Virginia .
While neither are cheap, I think they’re frugal because they are well worth the
cost to me. They’re unique, a ton of fun and a great experience.
1.
Top Golf:
Top Golf is completely unique.
There are two locations in the Unites States and there is no similar experience
available. This is great for everyone from children to avid golfers. Each golf
ball is chipped and assigned to you. There are several games to play and the
computer registers where your ball lands giving you information such as targets
hit and distance the ball traveled. My favorite game there combines darts and
golf. The grounds have colored targets scattered around at different distances.
Each target is sectioned into different zones. When you hit your ball, it
measures where the ball hits the target and gives you a point value based on
where you have hit. Jon’s a golfer and he can consistently hit the back
targets, I’m more of a mini golfer. But the game is fun for both of us, because
I can use a putter and hit the center of the closest target with consistency
and beat Jon if he goes after the higher value targets and misses a few times.
Besides the fun of the actual
game, they have a few bonus features. Their food is outstanding. It’s one of my
favorite places to eat in Northern Virginia .
They bring the food straight to the bays for you. They also have a selection of
draft beers. The food they serve is far from the chicken finger type fare I was
expecting. On my last visit, I had a buffalo chicken wrap with sweet potato
fries and freshly made donut holes that came with injectable chocolate and
raspberry filling. The filling came to the table in plungers that you could
fill your own donuts. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.
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They also have very high powered
heaters that blow directly on you if you turn them on. They are open all winter
and you can play in two feet of snow (the bays are covered) wearing a tee
shirt, without feeling even a little bit chilly. They have mini golf at the
facility if you would rather try that. They also have a night scene with a bar,
patio tables, outdoor lighting, and free games of corn hole.
Each game costs about $4.80 depending on the
time you play and if you’re eligible for discounts (military, ladies night).
2.
Fish Pedicures at
Yvonne’s Day Spa:
This is one of the neatest
experiences I’ve ever had. When Yvonne’s started offering fish pedicures
several years ago, they were completely unique. No one else in the United States United
States
When you walk in, you are seated
on a cushioned bench seat with long fish tanks at your feet. The tubs are
filled with dr. fish of all sizes. You place your feet in the tanks and the
fish attack you. There’s no other way to say it. The fish go nuts trying to eat
the dead skin on your feet. The larger fish will actually muscle their way
between your toes to get more dead skin. Gross, right? It doesn’t hurt, they
don’t eat any healthy skin, just the dead skin. It’s a unique sensation that
would be hard to describe to someone who hasn’t done it. I can’t really think
of a time when I felt something similar. Everyone that I’ve ever went with for
the first time has cried, but not because it hurts or because they’re upset. As
I said, it’s hard to describe.
Once you’ve sat in the tanks for
as long as you have purchased (normally 15 or 30 minutes), you get moved to a
standard pedicure chair. At this point a very normal pedicure takes place
complete with a hot water foot bath. Your feet will be baby smooth and your
toes will look great. It’s pretty pricey at $65.00 for 30 minutes in the tanks and a standard
pedicure. However, I think it’s well
worth the cost if your going infrequently to bring out of town friends or just
to have the experience.
They do also have full body tank
baths, but if you ask me there are some places that fish should never, ever be.
If you’re in the area, you should
check these places out and let me know if I’m missing other unique area
experiences.
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