June 9, 2011 Part Two

If you are scheduling a vacation soon here are some tips on ways to save!!!!!!!!!!

WAYS TO SAVE ON TRAVEL EXPENSES

$$  CHECK TRAVEL WEBSITES ON TUESDAYS FOR NEW UPDATED PRICING

Each Tuesday, sites like Expedia (the one I usually use) update their pricing, but they also change their deals too. So, if you are on the website and see a great deal on, let's say Thursday, remember that you only have until Monday night to decide whether you are going to book or not. Some deals may last another week, but I wouldn't take the chance.

I was once researching a vacation to Myrtle Beach and there was a great rate on a 2 or 3 BR condo. Once the rates switched on Tuesday, that was the end of the deal.

$$  CHECK AIRLINE WEBSITES ON WEDNESDAYS

Airline websites usually update once a week as well. Never book a flight on the weekend, the prices are way higher! Also, when booking your flight, use a site that let's you search a few days before and a few days after your selected date.

For example: Let's say you wanted to fly down to Florida on a Friday morning. If you check other days that week first, you might find that you can save over $100 if you fly on let's say, Tuesday or Thursday instead.

$$  TRAVEL DURING DISCOUNT SEASONS

You may not realize it, but there are discount or "value" seasons at campgrounds and even Disney World!

For example, campground rates in the Adirondacks increase after Memorial Day, so if you get some great weather in the middle of May, take a last minute weekend trip to a campground. Once the "summer" comes, you will see a rate hike of atleast $50-$100/nt depending on where you are staying.

Also, places like Disney have "value" seasons. Usually they have one value season in the first part of the year, sometime between the middle of January and the end of March, and then another value season later in the year, right around the time that the kids go back to school. Right now they are doing a promotion - If you book a package anytime from the middle of August to late September, you will receive a FREE dining package! This will save you hundreds of dollars!!! It might actually make it worth your while to stay AT the Disney park, rather than off of it! :-)

$$  USE YOUR DISCOUNT MEMBERSHIPS

You may not ever even think of it, but before you book your trip, call or inquire with the hotel, airline, or cruise line, etc. and ask if they offer any discounts. Sometimes places offer discounts for senior citizens, students, families with small children (like children eat FREE, etc.) or military or corporate discounts.

Other discounts may be offered to members of: AAA, AARP, certain employers, or members of certain clubs, like BJ's Wholesale Club.

$$  COMPARE YOUR ONLINE RATE WITH THE HOTEL DIRECTLY

Before you go ahead and book something on a site like expedia.com, try to call the hotel directly and ask them if they can offer a lower rate than the website. In certain cases, this may not work, but it's worth a try. Or the company may be able to offer you a lower rate at a hotel nearby.

For example, I was researching hotel rates for La Quinta Inn down in the NYC/NJ area. On expedia.com, the rate was fairly low, but when I checked the rate on the actual hotel website (here, using my AAA discount), I got an even lower rate!

$$  TRAVEL CLOSE TO HOME

Gasoline is one of the biggest costs when traveling! Save your gas money for food or entertainment instead. Or, just keep it in the bank. Try visiting the state's website to explore things to do close to home. Or, try typing your search into Google. There are lots of posts and great suggestions on places to visit. Example: Try searching in Google : "Cheap Beach Vacations on the East Coast" or "State Parks NYS".

$$  CHECK EBAY OR REDWEEK.COM OR VRBO.COM

These sites offer condos and rentals at discounted prices (best for big families or lots of friends taking a trip). Also, eBay and Redweek offer last minute timeshare weeks that people are looking to sell at LOW prices. Plus, many of them have the number to the rental management company or the person who is selling the week. Try to call them and haggle them down!

$$  STAY OFF THE PARK

Sometimes it's cheaper (esp when going to Disney World!) to stay off of the park! Save big on meals and souveniers when you buy them a cheap local shops/restaurants.

ANOTHER GOOD IDEA IS TO GET YOUR OWN KITCHEN.....

If you are staying for a while, or have a big family to feed, try to find a place that offers a small kitchenette, or a full size kitchen with dining table. The room might cost a bit more per night ($10+ more) but calculate your estimated expenses and you will probably find a big savings by going this route!

$$  DON'T INCLUDE YOUR INFANT WHEN MAKING YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION

When using a site like expedia.com, if you tell the computer that you have an extra child (even though it's an infant sleeping in a crib), the computer will want you to book a room with atleast two beds. In reality, you need one nice big bed with enough room for a crib/pack-n-play.

Most places don't charge extra for an infant or toddler anyways, so including this extra child will up your room price and only limit you to certain rooms (double rooms). Before you book without your child, make a call to your hotel and let them know that you will be bringing an infant and if you need to schedule for a crib or extra pull out bed at that time you can. (You might have to pay extra for this, so atleast you can save on the room!)

$$  TRY A BEACH VACATION

Reasons to try a beach vacation include:

-There are usually no fees for beach access/use
-At some beaches, you can bring your pets
-Fun all day for all ages
-Bring your own lunch/cooler to save big on lunches and snacks
-Low cost activities like: flying kites, sand castle building, volleyball and fishing

$$  CHECK TRIPADVISOR.COM BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY RESERVATIONS

TripAdvisor.com has great reviews and REAL pictures on hotels everywhere! REAL pictures taken by REAL people and REAL reviews. This way, you can see a picture of a moldy bathroom and decide for YOURSELF that maybe that hotel really wasn't right for you anyway.. LOL

There are also helpful reviews on different LOCATIONS. Example, type in North Myrtle Beach, SC... and you will get great reviews on cheap attractions or good places to eat!

$$  CHECK GASBUDDY.COM BEFORE YOU DRIVE AWAY

Gasbuddy.com is great! Put in your starting destination and then put in your ending destination and the computer will give you exact gas prices AT REAL GAS STATIONS and exact gas prices FOR YOUR CAR depending on how many mpg your car gets. This way, you have no surprises at the pump. It will even tell you how many gallons you will need!

Plus this way, if you figure your total gas bill to be $200 roundtrip and suddenly gas buddy tells you that it will actually be $300 roundtrip, you can recalculate your trip or decide whether you really want to spend that money ahead of time!

$$  USE COUPONS ON YOUR TRIP!

--Check weekly circulars and coupon inserts the week before you leave. Matchups are usually posted on couponing blogs on Thursdays or Fridays, so if you are leaving early in the week for your vacation, you will have a few days to gather some coupons to buy groceries later at the store.

--Check to see if you can find/buy any coupon/discount books for your destination. These will include money off at golf courses, restaurants and maybe even dinner shows!

--When you get where you are going, ask the locals for suggestions on cheap eats around town!! You might find BETTER food at a BETTER price!

$$  PLAN A BUDGET AND STICK TO IT

If you are eating in at your condo or at your campground, make your list for the grocery store ahead of time, this way, your meals are planned out and you don't "overbuy".

If you are going somewhere like a theme park or Disney, set a budget ahead of time for things like snacks and souveniers. Give each person $10 or $20 a day and they can decide how to spend the money, but once it's gone it's GONE. (You won't charge up cards or empty your account and get a surprise at the end)

Set a budget for each person's meal - say $15 pp including drink at a restaurant. You won't order a bunch of extras and again, each person can decide how they want to spend their money. If someone wants steak, they might have to drink water instead of ordering a beer!

$$  TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR CREDIT CARD REWARDS

Start several months or a year in advance.

Buy items with your credit cards, earn the reward points, and then pay them off immediately!

You will receive the points, with little or no interest.

In the end, you might be able to get a gas card, or gift card for a restaurant for FREE!!

$$  TAKE THE TIMESHARE TOUR

The dreadful timeshare tour. :-(  
(There is usually only a certain group of people that qualify for these anyways)

Look on the bright side: Spend 45-90minutes of your time listening to someone talk about gorgeous, new condos - you can even take a tour of these places - and receive a dinner or entertainment gift certificate for FREE !! You might even be able to score some park tickets!

(Make sure you can get the free tickets whether you buy something or not before you take the tour)

$$  CHECK BLOGS AND WEBSITES

There are soo many blogs and websites out there pouring out great tips and tricks to saving $$$$$. There are websites that actually list cheap meals at Disney! They will list for you the cheapest eats around Disney, then you decide what you want, make the reservation at the specific place and ENJOY saving!!

$$ NEGOTIATE

Many times hotels or condo owners will negotiate the prices of their places, especially if it's last minute and they have no one else interested. Save big this way!

$$  BECOME A RETURN CUSTOMER

Some hotels, cruise lines, or parks will give you discounts if you frequent them!

Also, think ahead - if you are going to visit a place 2 or 3 times in a year, check on the price of the season pass or yearly ticket.

$$  HAVE KIDS? BUY GIFTS/SOUVENIERS AHEAD OF TIME

If you have small children going to somewhere like Disney with you... buy some gifts ahead! You can find small Mickey Mouse gifts or stuffed animals at WalMart or even on sale at the Disney store at home! Buy her a princess shirt at home for $10 instead of paying $25++ at the park. Just hide it and pull it out as a surprise on the trip!

$$  DON'T HIT UP YOUR SAVINGS ACCOUNT OR CREDIT CARD FOR EXTRA $$$$$$

Think about your purchases twice before you go ahead and swipe your card. Or, try walking around for an hour before you buy something. This will get your mind off of the item and give you some time to really think about whether you want it or not. Would you really pay $10 for a Mickey Mouse pen if you were at home? I don't think so. Will you regret this later when you get your bill? Or when you see your account empty?

Give each person a budget -- even kids! Give them $10 or $20 (whatever you can afford) each day and when it's gone -- ITS GONE! Then, they can make their own choices on how they want to spend it.

$$  SHOULD I RENT A LARGER PLACE WHEN I HAVE MULTIPLE FAMILIES/PEOPLE?

Maybe. Here's the deal...

EXAMPLE: MYTRLE BEACH, SC

Many times, it is cheaper to rent a larger space and share it amongst 12-16+ people.

EXAMPLE: DISNEY WORLD, FL

If you stay ON the Disney park, it is cheaper for each family to get their OWN room. Check the prices yourself.

$$  GO TO THE SPA BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Don't spend double the $$ on a massage or a pedicure because you "forgot" to get one at home before you left! Plan ahead and spend half the money at home the day before you leave!

$$  CHECK ALL OF YOUR TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS

Before you book anything anyway consider these options:

**Driving your own car
Puts miles on your car, car maintenance before/after the trip, can your car accomodate all people going, gas to and from whereever you are going, tolls, snacks, food, etc.

**Flying on a plane
Higher cost, might be too much $$ for a large family, hard/expensive to take extra children/pets, waiting time at connection points, Passport needed?

**Train/Bus
Might be too much $$ for a large family, what will you do for a car once you get where you are going?, does the train/bus schedule coordinate with your trip schedule?

**Rentals (Renting a larger car/van, etc.)
Expensive! Unless you are only driving within your state or a neighboring state, the fees will increase and you will pay for mileage! Tolls, snacks, food, and gas!

CHECK GAS BUDDY!

$$ RESEARCH AHEAD

Don't spend half your morning at Disney World researching cheap entertainment. Make a list ahead of time and ideas for each day of the week. Then each day just check items off your list.

You can also use online discount codes and printable coupons to receive extra $$ off admission prices to certain places, or you can buy advance tickets for a discounted price!

$$  STAY FLEXIBLE

Do you really need to fly out of Syracuse airport, or can you deal with flying out of Albany if it saved you $$?  Weigh your options and then book.

$$  LEAVE YOUR PETS @ HOME!

Sometimes hotels charge big $$ to bring the pet along, or it can limit your hotel options down to almost none. Unless you are going somewhere where you KNOW you can bring the pet EVERYWHERE, don't bring them in the first place, as most attractions or restaurants won't let you bring them in either... AND YOUR PET DOESN'T WANT TO SIT IN THE CAR THE WHOLE VACATION!

$$  TRY A HOUSE/RENTAL SWAP

There are websites where you can offer up your house or rental for a week in exchange for someone else's. The vacation could be nearly FREE for both parties!

$$  SCHEDULE YOUR CAR MAINTENANCE BEFOREHAND

The last thing you want to do is mess with car repairs on the way to/from your vacation so spend the money upfront and reassure yourself that you won't have to pay towing or costly repairs later.

$$  BEFORE YOU RESERVE A HOTEL, CHECK FOR FEES!

One hotel might book at $50 per night, but then charge you $10 per night to park and $10 in hotel fees, etc.

Another hotel might charge you $65 per night, but charge no extra fees.

Sometimes you can book a nicer hotel for less than it would cost you in the end for a dumpy hotel!

$$  BOOK YOUR HOTEL ON A SEPERATE CREDIT CARD

Some hotels place holds on your cards for possible damages or extra charges you might accrue while visiting them. Make sure your trip money is AVAILABLE AND SAFE! The last thing you want to do is get down to your vacation spot and realize that the hotel has put a hold on all of your spending money!!!

$$  SEND BIG PACKAGES AHEAD

Save on airline fees by sending your big packages ahead (ex. stroller, pet cage, carseat, etc.)

Some places like Disney will accept large packages a few days ahead for you and have it delivered to your room before you even get there!

$$  KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SPENDING!!!!

Each night, ask for a current bill from your resort, check your credit card statement, or simply keep a list of what you have spent throughout the day. Write down briefly what you have purchased and the cost of the item. Add up the total and see how you are doing. If you need to take it easy one day, you will know it! .. and you won't get a big bill at the end of your stay! No bad surprises at the end!!

$$  TAKE YOUR OWN PICTURES

Don't buy the $30.00 picture that the park offers, unless you really love it! Take other great pictures yourself, or ask a passerby to take one of your whole family. Would you really pay $30 for one picture at home? NO

$$  BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLES/DRINKS/SNACKS

Okay. It's vacation, and you want to eat out and have fun. But for snacks and drinks, bring a small cooler of your own and you will save big. Some places charged upwards of $3-$5 just for a soda or a water bottle. Bring your own refillable bottles or juice boxes, maybe even some granola bars, etc. in a cooler to grab from.

$$ SAVE FOR YOUR TRIP AHEAD, DON'T PAY FOR IT LATER

When you are paying for items with cash or your debit card, you are more aware of what you are spending!



HOPE THIS HELPS GUYS! :-)

June 9, 2011

Haven't gotten any great grocery deals lately, but I did do some shopping at Macy's yesterday and I will share the results of that trip with you now!

Right now a bunch of the women's clothing is 70% off at Macy's. PLUS take an extra 20% off when you use your Macy's card, or in my case I had received some coupons for $10 off a purchase of $30 or more when I used my Macy's credit card.

A lot of you are probably looking to save and the last thing you want to do is sign up for a credit card, but here's the deal with Macy's. Sign up for the credit card, receive 20% off the day that you sign up. Then, each month you are mailed coupons for 20% off or like I said $10 off $30 or more. Plus, once a year you receive a birthday coupon for $10 off $30 or more as well!

On top of all this, you can sign up for Macy's Rewards. It's a free program and the clerk will scan your free keytag each time you purchase something. After 5 visits to the store, you will receive a $$ dollar amount of rewards, good on ANYTHING in the store! (Use it just like cash)

For example, one time I received $11 in Macy's cash to use on anything. I combined that with one of my $10 off coupons and I got over $30 worth of stuff for around $9bucks!!! :-)

Plus, every once in a while, you will receive a free chocolate bar, or package of pretzels, etc. This is random and you may or may not receive these.

After you are done purchasing your items with your Macy's card, pay the balance off immediately in the store, so you don't build up interest charges. This way, you are receiving the discounts and great rewards, without all the interest and hassle!


Yesterday I was in store looking to find some great deals on a few new shirts for work. (I will be starting to work again soon!) I was just skimming through the clearance racks and found some great deals. On top of that I had two $10 off $30 or more coupons that I was going to use. I broke my purchases up into two different transactions to receive the best discount.

Transaction #1:

*Knitwear Originally: $58.00
I paid: $11.40

*Sweater Orignially: $48.00
I paid: $10.40

Altogether, after my discounts I paid $22.84, including tax.


SAVINGS: $84.20 just on two sweaters!! :-)

Transaction #2:

*AGB Top Originally: $44.00
I paid: $4.60

*INC Sportswear Originally: $20.50
I paid: $4.92

*Karen Scott Shirt Originally: $24.00
I paid: $4.20

*Jones Sweater Originally: $99.00
I paid: $9.85

After discounts, I paid $24.69, including tax.

SAVINGS: $163.93!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT! :-)


PLUS ON TOP OF SAVING ALMOST $250 ON THESE CLOTHES, I EARNED ALMOST $2.00 IN MACY'S CASH THAT I WILL RECEIVE AT A LATER DATE! :-)


HOPE YOU ALL CAN GRAB SOME GREAT DEALS LIKE THIS!


HAPPY SHOPPING!

June 6, 2011

Hi All!!

Can't believe I haven't done a post in a while, but I am back at it finally!

I have been getting some great deals the past couple of days and you all should still be able to grab some of them!

I will start with Walgreens from today:

I bought:

*1 Quaker Instant Oatmeal variety pack
*1 Half Gallon Milk
*1 2-Liter Pepsi
*1 SOBE Life water

I used a $4 and a $2 Register Reward that I received a few weeks ago.

Subtotal:
$.57cents!!!

Total with tax: $.74 cents!!

What a great deal!!


************************************************************************

What I grabbed today at Target:
(some of these aren't great deals, but we needed some groceries)

I bought:

*1 large jug of lemonade
*1 package of frozen saus links
*1 package of frozen grill-ready Tyson chicken **Q
*1 package of Oscar Mayer bacon **Target Q
*Vlasic Pickles **Q
*Vlasic Peppers **Q
*2 boxes Mac & Cheese
*Minute Brown Rice **Q - Peelie on the box
*Motts large applesauce
*Hunts pudding cups
*2 packages of frozen corn
*2 Banquet pot pies
*1 box of Peppridge Farm garlic bread
*Eggs
*1 package of Provolone cheese
*2 18 oz. bottles of Suave lotion **Q + **Target Q
*Revlon nail polish **Q + **Target Q
*Rimmel Eye Shadow **Q + **Target Q
*Zantac 75mg **Q + **Target Q
*Citrate **Target Q

Subtotal for all before Q: around $53

Subtotal after Q: $31.78
Including tax: $32.60

TOTAL SAVINGS: $21.43

LIKE I SAID THIS WAS NOT A GREAT SHOPPING TRIP, BUT I HAD TO GRAB SOME THINGS FOR OUR REFRIDGE.... ON SOME OF THESE ITEMS THOUGH, I GOT THEM FOR NEXT TO NOTHING WHEN I STACKED THE TARGET COUPONS WITH THE MANUFACTURER QS.

FOR WHICH SPECIFIC COUPONS I USED, LEAVE A COMMENT AND I WILL ANSWER.

THIS IS JUST TO SHOW YOU EVEN WHEN YOU ARE PICKING UP A FEW ITEMS AT THE STORE, YOU CAN STILL SAVE MORE THAN A THIRD JUST USING COUPONS!


(I USED A GIFT CARD FOR THIS PURCHASE FROM A RETURN I MADE, SO REALLY I HAD NO OOP EXPENSE!)


:-)


******************************************************************

NOW I CAN SHARE SOME GREAT DEALS THAT I GOT AT RITE AID SUNDAY:

I BOUGHT:

*2 Veet Gel Cream 6.78oz.
*2 bottles Dial Complete Pump Handsoap 7.5oz.
(These were B1G1 FREE) (Limit 1 per person)

Q I used:

-$3 off $15 or more survey coupon
-$2 off Veet in-ad Q
-$3 off Veet printable Q (x2)
-$1 off Nonprescription purchase (Rite Aid VValues)
-$1 off Veet (Rite Aid VValues)

Total including tax: $3.51

Total savings for 4 items: $17.63!

(BUT WAIT!!! IT GETS EVEN BETTER!!)

I NOTICED THAT THE VEET PRODUCTS RANG UP 6.02 ON MY RECEIPT, BUT THE TAG ON THE SHELF SAID 4.49. WHEN I WENT BACK LATER IN THE DAY, I BROUGHT THIS TO THEIR ATTENTION AND THEY REFUNDED ME OVER $3!!!!

SO REALLY, I PAID NEXT TO NOTHING FOR THESE 4 EXPENSIVE ITEMS! :-)

I ALSO RECEIVED A $5 UP REWARD FROM THE VEET PUCHASE AND A $2UP FROM THE SOAP!!! SO THIS TRANSACTION WAS ACTUALLY A MONEYMAKER!!!

************************************************************************

LATER THAT DAY AT RITE AID:

I bought:

*1 M&Ms milk chocolate candy tube (for the baby)
*1 Hershey's w/ Almonds bar
*1 Hershey's special dark bar
*2 Gallon Milk (for baby)
*1 carton of eggs
*16 packages of Orbit gum
*1 Covergirl mascara (on 75% off)
*1 Revlon eyeliner (on 75% off)

I used:

*B1G1 Free Hershey's coupon
*$3 off $15 or more survey Q
*1.00 off Covergirl Q
*2.00 off Revlon Q
*8 $1.00 off Orbit gum Q
*$7.00 UP rewards that I earned in my last transaction

Subtotal: $1.12
W/ Tax: $2.69!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAVINGS: $44.66!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOO HOOOOOOO! :-)

23 items for less than $3 yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!


I KNOW I WASN'T TOO SPECIFIC ABOUT THE Q'S THAT I USED THIS WEEK, BUT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN ANY SPECIFIC DEAL, LET ME KNOW AND I CAN FIND OUT EXACTLY WHERE THE Q CAME FROM!


ENJOY!