Time and money are two things most of us never have in abundance. When it comes to getting outside, these two factors weigh heavily on most people’s ability to get out there and have fun. Few outdoors enthusiasts have entire weekends free to go off gallivanting in the woods, and even fewer have the resources to afford the gas, food and lodging expenditures associated with a weekend mini-road trip.

Armed with the right amount of enthusiasm and resourcefulness, however, even the most time-pressed pre-med can cut the time and trim the costs of any adventure. And the best place to start saving time and money is at the start of your outing: your campsite.

Many of you are no doubt in shock that people actually pay to go camping. But, like everything else in life, nature has a price tag. There’s a good chance that wherever your outdoors travels take you, you’ll end up paying someone to use their land to sleep on. Flat ground and running water are amenities not to be taken lightly outside of city limits. However, generations of dirt-bag climbers, skiers, hikers, etc. have mastered free camping to its highest art form and have left behind their wisdom for you to follow. Below are just some of many tried and true methods of saving time and money via stealth camping, or camping on the cheap.

Car Bivy:

This tactic is best for a late departure, when classes, homework or a job keep you on campus until late Friday night. It’s quick and easy: Just pull your car off the road, get in the back, and close your eyes. The only thing you need to be careful with is location. Make sure you are parked completely off the road and are in a lightly traveled area. No one wants to be lulled to sleep by cars whizzing by at 70 mph. Rest stops, although tempting, are not your friends. Most East Coast rest stops do not allow you to spend the night, and you will be hassled by the cops. Take my word — avoid them if you need anything more significant than a nap.

BLM Land:

This tactic is best employed for a Fall or Spring Break trip, when you’re planning on being in one spot for a few days or more. It takes some planning but can pay off big, saving you upwards of $10 per night. The key word is BLM: The Bureau of Land Management controls more than 250 million acres of land and usually doesn’t charge a dime for you to camp there. Just don’t expect much in the way of amenities: Paved roads are a plus at this point. And a word of caution: Check online to make sure the BLM land you’re planning on using isn’t leased to a private landowner; no one wants to be caught squatting on Farmer Joe’s alfalfa field.

Wal-Mart:

The grand-daddy of camping on the cheap, Wal-Mart is fairly liberal with the use of its parking lots, making its stores a haven for truckers, R.V.s and broke college kids. With over 4,000 store locations across the U.S., there’s bound to be a few along the way to your destination. And no, there’s no expectation that you buy anything. Certainly beats the price of a motel or the inconvenience of the side of a noisy highway any day.

I’ve tried all of these techniques and more for squeaking out a few more days of a road trip, saving enough money to pay for gas to get home, or helping to pinch pennies for the next vital piece of outdoors gear. While in no way a glorious means of living, stealth camping helps you go further on less and leaves you with a fatter wallet for the next outdoor adventure.

So, next time you head out, be a derelict: Sleep in your backseat or pitch a tent in a Walmart parking lot. You probably won’t bag any ladies, but you might get closer to bagging that next peak.