I once heard it said that the road to happiness is paved with low expectations.  I like to apply that principle in selecting a cheap hotel.  The thing with cheap hotels is that they're not only inexpensive, but they're clearly rated with very few stars by third-party agencies.  So it's not like there should be any surprises.  And that's exactly how I go into the situation.  If I'm paying $50 for a two star motel in a dumpy little town, I should expect a fairly old room, maybe some slightly dirty carpeting, a small bathroom, and scratchy towels.  And since I've done this a few times, this is unsurprisingly what I've found.  The cost and quality of the hotel really has no effect on my sleep and my shower; I'm not there to hang out in the room all day.  Thus the value of low expectations. #travel