MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — You used to be a cheap date, a weekend fling who didn't care that my budget was tight and my wallet thin.

But I heard you'd changed with a multimillion-dollar makeover that is turning this blue-collar ski town into the Aspen of the West.

And so I headed up U.S. Highway 395 to see whether a penny-pinching weekend skier was still welcome in Mammoth Lakes, Southern California's favorite winter sports getaway.

When I arrived in mid-November, the European-style pedestrian Village at Mammoth teemed with noise, shoppers and light.

Before the facelift, Mammoth was known for its rustic charms: a hodgepodge of hotels and mom-and-pop eateries. But that didn't bother the skiers and snowboarders. Thanks to an average of 33 feet of snow and 300 days of sunshine each year, the experience usually was good.

The resort took a transformative step this summer when Mammoth Mountain teamed with Patina Restaurant Group in an effort to improve its dining experience. Then, last month, Horizon Air began nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to the Mammoth Yosemite Airport.

The question: Can a family on a budget still have a good time at the new and improved Mammoth Lakes?

PLAN AHEAD, AND WITH A LITTLE RESEARCH AND COUPONS, A VISIT TO THE RESORT WON’T BREAK THE BUDGET

Despite the economic crisis, surveys suggest Americans will not forgo vacation plans, but merely spend less.

Staying near the lifts in Mammoth Lakes is expensive, but with legwork, you still can find a few bargains. Room rates typically skyrocket in peak snow season, between Thanksgiving and mid-April, but if you can schedule your vacation before or after that period, you can save a bundle.

I found a bargain early in the season at the 1849 Condos, (800 421-1849, www.1849condos.com) within walking distance of the lifts at Canyon Lodge a ski hub. By using the kitchen in the condo to prepare our breakfasts — cereal, milk, coffee and pastries bought at the local supermarket — we also saved at least $30 to $40 each day on restaurant costs.

Even less expensive: On the drive up, I noticed that hotel rates advertised on the marquees in Bishop were nearly half the cost of lodging in Mammoth Lakes. Although it's 42 miles south of Mammoth Lakes along U.S. 395, Bishop has much to offer visitors, including Erick Schat's Bakkery (763 N. Main St.), the ideal place to stock up on apple strudel and sheepherder bread, and Jack's Restaurant & Bakery (437 N. Main St.), where the omelets are huge and tasty and the fishing advice is free.

Another money-saving idea for Mammoth Lakes: Package deals that include free lift tickets for each hotel guest. These deals, offered by the resort (www.mammothmountain.com), can cut your lodging costs by at least half, if you meet the restrictions. For example, Mammoth Mountain is offering a January midweek package that starts at $119 a night, with a two-night minimum.

FOOD

Although there's no such thing as a free lunch, you can find some inexpensive eats in Mammoth Lakes.

I stopped at the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center (2510 Main St.) and picked up a coupon book for local restaurants and shops. (Before my trip, I also printed out several coupons from the city's tourism Web site, www.visitmammoth.com/coupons.)

Less expensive: Our first night in town, we used a 20-percent-off coupon for a large pizza at John's Pizza Works (3499 Main St.). The food was decent and the atmosphere festive, with TV football games and arcade machines seemingly on all sides. The coupon book also includes discounts for coffee shops, sandwich joints and a Thai restaurant. And who can say no to a dollar-off coupon for a Ben & Jerry's hot fudge sundae?

Even less expensive: Salsa's (588 Old Mammoth Road), where tacos cost $1.75 each, and Hot Chicks Rotisserie (452 Old Mammoth Road), where a family of three can feast on a whole chicken with two side dishes for $18.95.

Rock bottom: The supermarkets in town also get lots of skier and snowboarding business, judging by the number of people I saw in the resort parking lot munching on sandwiches and chips.

EQUIPMENT

Skiers and snowboarders have several options for saving when renting skis or snowboarding equipment.

The rental shop at the resort offers a standard ski rental package for $34 a day. But I found a coupon at the welcome center for 20 percent off a rental package at the Ski Renter, a small shop at California Highway 203 and Old Mammoth Road. With the coupon, I paid $20 a day for skis, boots and poles for me and $12 for the same package for Isabella.

The coupon book also includes discounts for several other shops around town,

including bicycle rentals.

LIFE TICKETS

During the peak ski period — Nov. 25 to April 20 — lift tickets at Mammoth Mountain sell for $83 per day for adults, $62 for youths 13 to 18, and $41 for seniors (65 years and older) and children.

Less expensive: You can shave off 5 percent by buying your lift tickets online (www.mammothmountain.com) in advance or by purchasing multiple-day tickets or a season pass.

Even less expensive: Before Nov. 25 and after April 20, the rates drop to $69 for adults, $51 for youths, and $34 for seniors and children. So if the weather cooperates, you can ski early or late in the season and save a few bucks.

WEEKDAY RATES

In January, Mammoth Mountain will offer tickets Mondays through Thursdays for $57 for adults, $43 for youth, and $28 for seniors and children. (Horizon Air will also offer midweek flights in January for $79 each way, about $20 less than the usual fare.)

Rock bottom: Mammoth Mountain is, obviously, the big dog in town but you can visit the quieter, less-crowded June Mountain, about 20 miles north of Mammoth. It offers daily lift tickets for weekends and weekdays for $64 for adults, $58 for young adults (19 to 23), $48 for youths (13 to 18), and $32 for children and senior citizens (65 and older). And college students can get a big break this year at June Mountain by paying $125 for a one-year pass. The only catch is that you have to prove you are taking at least 12 units of college courses in the current semester.

FAMILY FUN

Our lift tickets gave us free access to the new gondola that takes riders from the main lodge to the 11,053-foot peak. (If you don't have a lift ticket or a pass, a ride on the gondola sells for $21 for adults. Kids ride free with a paying adult.) At the Sierra Interpretive Center at the summit, we admired the range of peaks to the west. We also watched daredevil skiers launch from the steepest slopes over the gnarliest moguls, the wind spraying gusts of snow in their faces.

Less expensive: Buy a plastic sled in the hardware store at Lone Pine for $6. Along the side of California 203, between Mammoth Lakes and the main lodge, are several snow-covered hills, ideal spots for sledding. For nearly two hours, we slid down the hills, pummeled each other with snowballs and, basically, acted like kids.

Rock bottom: Visit the Hot Creek Geological Site, near the Mammoth Yosemite Airport. The steam and boiling water are the result of water seeping into a chamber of hot magma 3 miles beneath the Earth's surface. But don't even think about swimming. The unpredictable water temperatures have burned and even killed several swimmers over the years. It's a free and fascinating geology lesson.

If you want to immerse yourself, head to Wild Willy's, the hot spring just west of the airport where we hiked along a wooden boardwalk to an open meadow. Hot spring water gurgles out of a fissure in the ground down to a 3-foot-deep pool — about the size of a large hot tub — that was lined with rocks and concrete.

The magma-heated water drained tension and aches from my muscles. A cool breeze rustled the meadow grass. The only sound, besides our laughter, was the rippling of hot spring water.