Most affordable, low-key Texas beach retreat EVER

So, a few summers ago my boyfriend and I decided we needed a mini-vacation ASAP. Considering we were both dead broke and weren’t sure how to finance our trip, we had to get creative. First, we chose a quaint, quiet beach (Mustang Island, on the Gulf Coast: check). Next, we filled up the tank of a borrowed SUV and packed a cooler with all of the snacks I already had in my cupboard and fridge (sustenance: check). We also brought popcorn from home that we popped in the 7-11 microwave while we bought beer! (By far, the cheapest and most strange way I’ve ever cooked food on vacation.) For the next two days we ate pre-cooked Asian pot stickers, crackers and cheese, veggie sandwiches, fruit and cereal. On the second day we indulged in a HUGE Mexican breakfast of huevos rancheros, papas, refried beans and fruit at a little Mexican diner on the beach. We pulled the car behind a massive beach house (abandoned during the off-season) and backed it up right onto the beach. We arranged blankets, sleeping bags and loads of pillows in the back of the SUV and slept comfortably above the sand for the night. For $65, including gas, it’s the most unconventional, DIY trip to the beach I’ve ever had. You definitely don’t have to shell out beaucoup bucks to hit the beach in Texas…