Things nowadays cost more than ever. Maybe you're sacrificing a summer vacation or some wild Alaskan adventure because the budget isn't stretching as far.

CBS 11's Mitch Sego gets some home cooking in this week's Get Out as he takes 20 dollars and turns it into a full afternoon in downtown Anchorage.

The way prices are shooting up, a lot of us are into penny-pinching these days. So CBS 11 News went on a mission: make an afternoon of it in downtown Anchorage with only 20 bucks.

The first order of business was lunch. We knew just the place.

    Feta, barbecue sauce, a tad bit of ketchup and Dijon mustard with onions...um, that's a winning combo, right
    Susan Robb of the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau
    there.

If you pass up on Mike's reindeer hotdogs you've made a big mistake. The hotdog stand is right in front of a free attraction, the Land Management Museum. It is a great place to learn more about Alaska's lands and animals. And if you're feeling tired, you can come in, sit back and enjoy a movie.

But don't sit too long because the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail awaits, as does a tour of Anchorage's early years. For just three bucks, the Oscar Anderson House reveals a way of life that's long gone.

We started out with twenty and at this point we found that we were down to 13 dollars; so we knew we had some more touring to do.

We took advantage of a free, self-guided walking tour. You can pick up the map at most gift shops. Speaking of shops, there are stores galore and lots of other free spots. We even found a free trolley ride.

Have you ever wondered how an ulu is made? We found out at the Ulu Factory.

All of the activities that we found are just the tip of the iceberg. So if getting out of town is getting too expensive,

grab a twenty-dollar bill and head downtown!

"You don't have to spend a lot of money. We've got tons of festivals and special events that are happening throughout the summer, as well as just our businesses downtown. And they all combine to be a really great experience," said Susan Robb of the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau.

A good place to start in downtown is at the Visitors Bureau cabin on Fourth Avenue. They've got lots of low-cost or free ideas that you could spend days seeing. For more information, click below:

If you have any ideas for the Get Out series that you'd like to share, you can give me a call on the Get Out Hotline at 273-3151.