But in regard to secondhand shopping, you would love the shops of SF and the surrounding areas. We are absolutely swimming in high-quality, very cheap secondhand goods, with all the wealthy folks around us tossing stuff out. So a person on low income, or getting rich slowly, could do well. I do it for myself, friends, and family, including friends abroad. It can be very, very addicting.

The car can be a secondhand scrapheap, and in fact, most probably, that is your best bet here.

I tried the big secondhand stores around the Portland area and found the selection very satisfactory. Also, people expect less for services, e.g. car repair, than we would pay in SF. Meals, etc. also seemed cheaper.

Anyway, carry on and good luck! Contact me if you would like a halfprice city or Napa tour!

If elected president my first act will be to ban all tipping! I know, many professions rely on tips, but the wasted mental effort spent trying to evaluate service and decipher etiquette drives me crazy. I hate the idea of ‘only’ tipping 10% for crap service. If it’s going to be expected, just roll it into the total. I see it as more of a tax on those with guilty consciences.

One of my fondest memories of visiting Japan was when we stayed at a fancy hotel in Kyoto. Once we checked in, a friendly woman loaded our luggage onto a cart, took it to our room, unloaded it, and politely showed us how everything worked. She then refused a tip twice, insisting that she was just doing her job.

We save up till we have the money we plan to spend on vacation, add a little for cushion and off we go, no worries.

Try to relax and lay off the percentages and enjoy! Yale Bloor said it right, you can’t take it with you and as long as you are not being insane then lighten up!

A quick search for people willing to let you stay with them (for free) in the SF-area turned up over 100 results.

In Providence, I tip the valets $5 when they deliver my car — but that’s a free service, and even that voluntary $5 is cheaper than I’d pay if I parked somewhere less convenient. It hadn’t occurred to me to tip someone after having paid $64 to park my car for two days. In retrospect, I probably would have given him a $10; I wouldn’t calculate a percentage of the parking bill, because it’s irrelevant to his job how long my car sat in a garage, but I would have doubled my usual tip because working as a valet in Manhattan isn’t like crossing the street to fetch my car on Federal Hill.

PS — For what it’s worth, I tip $5 because I asked a friend of a friend who works as a valet at several upscale Boston restaurants, and that’s what he said is the usual tip. It seemed reasonable.

I love SF, this is my first summer in 5 years without a trip down there, I may have to fix that

Take a cruise in the bay. But don’t use the big touristy ferrys. They are a rip (unless you just HAVE to go to the rock). Just down the warf there are some private boats that will take you out and around the bay for $10.

I’m not sure how much the “Legion of Honor” art museum costs to get in, but it’s worth it. It’s a pretty underrated museum, it has a great collection, so if you are into art, I’d check that out.

The beach is a beach. So it’s both A. Free and B. the beach. Enough said.

As far as food goes, some of the best food in the city is at the cheap family places. I’d stay out of any place that looks expensive.

Hope you enjoy the city, I sure did in my time there. The cable cars will make you cringe, but you have to ride them atleast once!

I’ve never heard of charging for hotel parking period. I’ve paid substantially less than $32 for a night in a hotel. Though the room, admittedly, wasn’t much larger than a parking space.

So far I love San Francisco. It’s a great place. I could see myself living here. I love how cosmopolitan it feels. Portland’s a great city, and I’m glad to have grown up there, but it’s a small city, and somewhat provincial despite its laid-back character. San Francisco feels like a city of the world. “It feels European,” I told my sister-in-law, though I confided I’d never actually been to Europe. There are all sorts of people, all sorts of languages. Traffic is crazy. It’s bizarre.

Amberlynn, I do have a book addiction, you’re right. I don’t have a set budget for City Lights, but since I’m not shopping (the women in the group want to go to Union Square — while they’re there I’ll listen to personal finance podasts, heh) for anything else, I feel okay spending some money on comics-related books and on old personal finance books. (I’ve decided I want to start collecting classic personal finance books, volumes from the 1800s - 1950s.)

So far we’re just doing touristy things. That’ll probably be true through Sunday. Monday to Wednesday (and maybe Thursday), Kris and I will have locals to show us around and will surely see some non-tourist attractions.

More later as time allows.

Personally, I have to be careful what snacks I pack for road trips (I’ve done MANY). Buying something when you stop to use a bathroom is like a tip - and after I visited Italy where you DO tip to use a toilet, I though ‘Nobody deserves a tip more than the person who cleans the toilet!’

I had a similar question about tipping my first time in New Jersey. I’d never lived in a state where you don’t pump your own gas, which means if someone else pumps, you tip. I drove by every gas station looking for a self-serve station, and finally gave up. (Learned later it’s like Oregon, you don’t pump your own anywhere.) I tipped the guy, but I had no idea if it was the right thing to do, or how much was right. (Noted: no need to tip in states where full-serve is state law.)

I also had trouble on a road trip finding a place to camp overnight where there was no fee. A travelling “hick” myself, I’d never paid to camp before. We finally did find a free place, but I was nervous because I wasn’t sure camping was even legal there.

Happy travels! Even if driving ends up more expensive, a drive along the Pacific Coast is a must-do. The view is worth the money.

In the end I pissed and moaned to priceline for not arranging that as part of the price or at least giving a warning…(I’m sure there is in the standard policy that you agree to by booking, but who has time to read that lengthy garbage). Priceline didn’t give a crap and I just had to suck it up. In the end I just had to learn what I could…..DON’T USE PRICELINE if you don’t want to pay exorbitant fees. Use a orbitz, expedia or travelocity and call before you book.

One tip: the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market is beautiful and very much a tourist destination, but it’s also probably the most expensive farmer’s market in the area, if not the country. The Alemany Farmer’s Market (100 Alemany Blvd, in the southern part of the city) has many of the *same* vendors selling the *same* stuff at dramatically cheaper prices. Browse at the Ferry Plaza but buy at Alemany.

And one more: get outta Union Square! It’s most expensive in the areas where most of the tourists are, and many of the great deals are elsewhere. Hop on the N Judah Muni train towards the beach (outbound), head to the end of the line, and enjoy a beer and a (somewhat reasonable) meal at the Beach Chalet while watching the sunset. Or, walk there through Golden Gate Park, which has lots of free, fun places to visit (try the arboretum and the bison paddock).

Have fun.

Whatever you do, don’t get stuck needing to fill up in Weed, CA. Until the recent run-up in prices, the most expensive gas I had ever bought was in Weed.