1. register to become a member on couchsurfing.com and you’ll never again have to pay for a hotel room. you can actually check the world for people who have an extra couch for you to surf. i’ve done it multiple times (i’m a teacher so I’m frugal) and have never had a problem with ‘weirdos.’ in fact, i’ve met some lifelong friends using the site. best part about it? it’s free

2. try to stay in west palm or jupiter…that way you can go to games in jupiter (cardinals and marlins), port st. lucie (mets) and fort lauderdale (orioles). don’t forget that this is probably the last year that the orioles will be in fort lauderdale.

3. get your plane ticket on priceline (this site always seems to have the cheapest tickets) and be sure that you choose west palm as your destination. west palm is usually cheaper than fort lauderdale (though I can’t confirm that).

4. if you do decide to stay in a hotel, try to avoid one that’s near the beach (they seem to be more expensive).

in jupiter go to the square grouper (but avoid the garlic wings). i’ve lived in fort lauderdale most of my life and have been attending spring training games since 1982. email me at psugator02@yahoo.com if you need anything else.

I dont have any info on cheap stuff, but if you’ll have transportation, I’d recommend visiting as many of the parks as you can. Also, if you want to see a home Yankees game (Tampa) or BoSox game (Ft Myers), get your tickets in advance because, believe it or not, those games sell out, even in early spring.

Have fun!