by Anthony Megna

Created on: December 22, 2009   Last Updated: December 23, 2009

So you finally made it to Las Vegas! What a town, a place that truly never sleeps. It's an exciting place, full of all sorts of restaurants, but you're on a budget. So, where to go.....

The thing about Vegas is that the competition is fierce between the hotels and casinos. Especially when the economy is in a recession, these places have to work that much harder to win over the competition, and retain their customers as well as bring new ones in. That's the good news. You, the budget conscious traveler benefits because of this competition. 

Almost every hotel has a variety of restaurants within their property, and if you're willing to look hard enough, you should find a deal. For example: If you are willing to travel off of the Las Vegas strip, then there are a couple of hotels/casinos in the Summerlin section of Las Vegas that offer really good food bargains.

There is a hotel/casino called the Suncoast that offers virtually their full coffee shop menu between midnight and 8:am for ridiculously low prices. Steak and eggs for under 5 bucks! How about your standard breakfast of 2 eggs any style, with toast, hash browns and all the coffee you can drink for under 2 bucks! Fantastic, and I've eaten there and it is delicious. As fresh as any food you've tasted, and they don't skimp, either.

The Rampart at the Marriot in the west side of Vegas, also in Summerlin has coffee shop specials as well. In fact this establishment is right next to the Suncoast, so you can walk to it if you wish. They have a senior citizen special, with full meals of all types of American fare for under 8 bucks! 

Some are under 5 dollars, but they are for the senior citizens only. They also have midnight specials as well for reasonable prices.

You can always take a trip downtown for serious bargain hunting in the food department. Binions offers some nice specials, and their coffee shop has a hamsteak that is larger than the plate! When Benny Binion was alive, he had a farm up in Montana where he imported all of his meat from. So he used to sometimes give away the store for his customers.

Unfortunately, he has been gone for some time, but his famous coffee shop is still there, and still serving up some glorious and delicious entrees for cheap prices!

The key about Vegas is to take advantage of their slot promotions. It's slots that drive the business, so sign up for their slot card and all of your meals will be at a discount. This goes for pretty much all of the casinos, and they won't charge you a tax either! So take advantage of this promotion, as it has healthy payoffs for your budget. And speaking of budgets, the best way to stay on your budget is to divide the number of days you are in town by the number of dollars that you have, and STICK TO IT! 

That means not taking all your money with you, because there are just too many temptations in this town. If you don't believe me, the next time you come check out all of the ATM machines located all over the place. Why do you think they are more numerous than cocktail waitresses?

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