Saving Summer Vacation Dollars

Summer is here and everyone wants to go on vacation. A recent article in USA Today highlighted how credit cards finance many vacations. The younger the adult, the more likely he or she will charge the trip unaware it will take over two years to pay off a two-week vacation. My first thought was who takes a two-week vacation.

It helps if you save for a vacation even if it is only twenty dollars a week. Twenty dollars each week for a year adds up to $1040 plus interest. It’s better to have a budget before you plan your vacation so you don’t overspend. A co-worker confided she spent $10,000 on a Disneyworld Vacation.

When my daughter was five, she had a primo Disneyworld vacation because we had relatives who worked there then, but we did not spend $10,000 dollars, I doubt if we even spent $2,000 for a family of five. We booked a travel package that included airfare, hotel, and car rental. Years later, I asked my daughter if she remember the vacation, she didn't. Sigh. 

Ironically, she did remember the low budget mini golf, kayaking, and even Girl Scout camp. Keep this in mind, when planning your trip. Standing in long lines on hot pavements in massive crowds doesn't always result in magical memories.

How do you get around the high price of vacation? Here are a few things I learned the hard way.

*Contact airlines and hotels directly. You usually get the same or better price than through a third party such as a discount travel site. The travel sites can mess up your room and don’t come through when your flight is changed or canceled.

*Take advantage of discounts such as booking through the week, flying at off times, vacationing off- season.

*Driving to a popular tourist destination, then book slightly out of the area. Prices will be lower and it be a calmer atmosphere too.

* There is no rule you have to stay two weeks or even a week. Cut down your vacation time into chunks of 3, 4, or 5 days. Consider your travel time too.

* Take advantage of hotels that offer free breakfast.

*Eat two meals a day with an evening snack. We always have a late lunch to beat dinner price upswing, but indulge in appetizers or snacks for the evening.

*Transportation may be your most expensive item. Try to be flexible with your travel time when flying, which can result in a better price. Big cities offer reliable public transit. Never underestimate walking when possible.

*Car rental can be a gamble because they hike prices for events, holidays, and weekends. Sign up for a loyalty program. Take advantage of AAA or AARP discounts. Book during a weekday and lock in prices. Flying in, check to make sure your rental car agency is at the airport.

*Read travel reviews. Often people feel tricked because they didn’t know their hotel was located next to a strip club. People do complain in reviews, but consider if what they’re complaining about is an issue for you. The woman who complained that the hotel ran out of wheat toast one morning was not a problem for me.

*Plan ahead & pack appropriately. Having to buy toothbrush, socks, even a swimsuit is an unexpected expense.

*Make time to relax. Our hotel had outside tables and chairs. Often sitting outside and discussing what we did provided us with a much-needed break. Families with young children might consider camping because the YogiBear campgrounds have constant activities for the children.

*Allow for some impulsive decisions. While walking on Pier 39 in San Francisco, we took a short cruise around the bay for $10 per person.

*Google free things to do in wherever you are going. You’d be surprised there are dozens of free things. Some will depend on the season.

If you can’t afford a vacation, consider a staycation. There is plenty to do in your local area. Don’t think so? Check out your state’s local festivals or go on Groupon. You’ll be surprised. Never discount the county 4-H fair either.

The best thing about taking a vacation you can afford is that you’ll only pay for it once, but you’ll remember it forever unless you're my daughter.

Restaurant Savings Review

Recently, I couldn’t help notice that the price of eating out keeps going up. The average dinner for two at a chain restaurant such as O’Charley’s, Applebee’s or The Olive Garden hovers around $30-$40 depending on what time you go. With this in mind, I have tried to take advantage of coupons and savings.

Applebee’s- if you want to take advantage of their happy hour prices then you will be dining very late. You used to get discounted drinks and appetizers during happy hour. Now, you only get CERTAIN appetizers discounted 8-10pm. The same salsa and chips you get free at the Mexican restaurant is one of your discounted appetizers.

Burger King- puts out booklets of coupons with one meal being free if you buy a similar meal. Current survey has BK in front of McDonalds as far as flavor.

Groupons are a good deal. I have never had anyone refuse one at a restaurant. Usually they are for about half off the normal price. Sometimes they are for a set meal.

KFC-I noticed that you get less chicken pieces in a bucket for what looks like a savings. They are good about honoring coupons they print in the paper. Used one recently for buy one meal, get one free.

La Hacienda (Mexican Restaurant)-offers you phone coupons on your smart phone. Warning no one in the restaurant is aware how to type it in yet. Instead of getting 20% off our $40 dinner as the coupon stated. We receive $4 off.

Logans-in your Sunday coupon section, you find Logan coupons for about 25% off your meal or buy dinner, get one free on certain days. They do honor these coupons. (This may seem like a no brainer, but if you read on you find out not everyone honors their coupons.)

Paneras-remember when using your Panera’s card resulted in rewards? As a frequent customer, I can’t remember the last time I receive anything for using my card. The company has definitely cut back on this policy. The prices have sneaked up too. A recent lunch for one person was nine dollars and some change.

Restaurant.com- using restaurant coupons from restaurant.com is still a good deal, but pay attention to restaurant requirements.  Individual restaurants put requirements on the use. One local restaurant would only allow us to use it on a Sunday morning and if only 4-6 people were in the party. Our coupon was never used.

Subway is notorious for not honoring their coupons. Their reason is that stores are individually owned and each owner decides. Ask first, if you're unsure. Still, it is hard to beat a foot long sub for $6 that can easily be two meals.

Many restaurants offer daily deals too. The Irish pub, Claddagh, offers buy one, get one free Fish and Chips on Mondays.

You might be up for an extra discount too. I remember when my son joined the National Guard; he asked everywhere he went if they had a military discount. Most restaurants do. They have senior prices too. A few even honor AAA memberships. Listen for special advertisements. Sometimes the special at Red Lobster, really is the best deal on the menu.

Eating out is never a bargain, but you can always try for the best deal. Remember to tip your server because that is part of your expense too.

Online Savings Club Memberships: Are they worth the money?

Maybe you heard on the radio an advertisement how you could save thousands on your groceries, get free gas, even get rebates on your utilities. All you had to do was join this savings club by calling all their 800 hundred number now. Does it work, and if so how?

I joined. I was listening to my favorite local radio station and figured they would not place a bogus ad. I am showing my innocence here. Not everyone meets someone great from the dating ads they advertise, nor does everyone’s husband love them better after the plastic surgery they also advertise.

When I called the number, a fast talking operator immediately took my credit card number. Instead of joining a club I was joining six with a monthly charge of ten to thirty dollars. I would spend almost $120 a month to be part of these savings plans, but I had one month free, and all that free gas they mentioned.

First you had to buy the gas, send in your certificate, with your gas receipt, and they would send you five dollars back once a month if everything went right. I had certificates never honored. I had letters sent back telling me I didn’t fill out the certificate out right, which was odd since I always followed instructions. In a year, I got back about $15, that’s it. I had to stay a member of at least one club to receive this benefit—it cost me $20 to be a member…not so free gas.

One of the clubs was Leisure Time travel club. What a rip-off I could get better deals using Travelocity or even calling hotels direct and asking for Internet specials. I dropped this one immediately.

The Smart Savers club was for local dining and recreation options. They featured places I didn’t want to go to. Many of the places were dives, and the recreation was mainly golf. I could also get better deals using restaurant.com and groupon.com to go places I wanted to visit.

The next club was for coupons called Grocery Savers. This was one more straight forward you picked your coupons, you paid 10% of the face value of your coupon and  shipping. I found the coupons were almost on the expiration date so you had to use them all immediately if not you lost your money. This club had no monthly charge.

The club I stayed in the longest was one that offered to pay my utilities or at least $100. You were also able to buy $50 gift cards from Wal-mart or Petsmart for 20% off. They also paid a percentage of your car repair bill. You had to prove your bill was a legitimate result of a breakdown as opposed to maintenance. I lost a tire and a rim to a pothole. They paid about $90 on the bill. They changed their name, but I believe you can now find them on hip2save.com

So in the end, are the clubs worth the money? Usually not, since you can get the same services free elsewhere. I did use a couple of the clubs, but take in consideration for the $90 I got back, I spent $240 in monthly fees. In the end, I was only paying for the repair myself with almost 200% interest tacked on.

Saving on Christmas Shopping

Most people are starting to think about Christmas shopping now and that’s their first mistake. It is no wonder they pay too much, get caught in traffic lot chaos, and often don’t get what they want. I try to keep my eyes and ears open all year long. Sure, I do go out on Black Friday, but there is an art to that too.

Know who you are buying for their wants and dislikes, plus how much you are willing to spend. Put money into envelopes to keep you from spending more. Knowing you have only thirty dollars to spend on someone including tax will keep you from plunking down the credit card and charging 49.95. To keep that from happening, try lay-away. I know K-mart offers it, and I've heard Marshalls does too. Ask your favorite retailer. Lay-away allows you to pick out items and pay a little bit on them weekly. It allows you to stay in your budget and hides items up to a week before Christmas.

Adults are sometimes easier to shop for because they have likes that don’t change. My sister collects Gone with The Wind ornaments. The best time to buy these is AFTER Christmas when Hallmark stores halve their original price. It also depends on the store, some will go as lowest as 75% off. I always keep my eyes open at flea markets and yard sales where collectibles often come up for sale.

Christmas can be a time of restocking items like socks, mufflers, gloves, and underwear. Underwear and sock are usually on sale in August for the start of school. Many stores will highlight gloves and hats, but amazingly the best buys I’ve gotten on gloves and wool socks is Menards, especially on Black Friday.

Looking for candles, check out your local Krogers. Those big glass bottle candles that run as much as thirty dollars at department stores can retail as cheaply as $3.50 at Krogers. This is a seasonal deal so make sure to stock up. Another good place for candles is Kohls, which often has several scents discounted.

Did you get coupons in the mail? Check them out carefully. I usually get a Bath & Body coupon for $10 off $30 purchase THAT can be used on Black Friday. Often many retailers will you send you a coupon where you get $10 off something, but when you get in the store nothing you pick out is applicable. I go through plenty of J.C.Penney’s coupons that advertise get $10 off any $25 purchase. I get these off the Internet. They are always good for clothes. If you want a particular coupon or coupon code, google it.

Read the coupons carefully because you have to spend so much money and use it before it expires. Newsflash: DSW and Bed, Bath, and Beyond allow me to use expired coupons all the time. Bed, Bath and Beyond puts out some amazing coupons and I solicit them from my relatives. I may have five coupons that allow me to get $5 off any item if I spend $15. I have used two coupons at once. I think two is pushing it before the people behind me riot.

Don’t buy it if you were not planning on buying someone a present. Most people don’t like feeling obligated to give you a gift because you bought them a gift. People you might avoid gifting is co-workers, casual acquaintances, someone you went out with a few times. If you feel you must give them something. Make it small. You can bake them cookies too.

Assemble your own gift baskets. You don’t really want the prepackaged fruit baskets because often the bruises on fruit is hidden. I buy baskets at yard sales all year long. Places like the Dollar Tree and Goodwill is another source. Often you can make the basket portion out of a useful item like a mixing bowl, dog dish, or an oversized coffee mug depending on the theme. You can buy several nice gourmet teas, nuts, candies, even imported jams at Big Lots. By making your own basket, you can include what your recipient would really like.

Shopping with Ebay. Beware of falling into a bidding war. First price what you want off Ebay to get a feel for the actual price. Look for 100% rating, then free shipping. I often watch items and do not bid on them until the last minute only bidding exactly what I am willing to pay. Be careful to bid on only one copy of the item at a time.

Catalog shopping-every company that ships delicious edibles has sent me a catalog already. Most promise a free item, sometimes two, one even three, if I order anything. Because I’ve used the companies before I know their items. I will order the free known item for relatives knowing they’ll like it. I will often buy one item only and have it shipped to me. The purpose of this item can be as a gift for someone who gave me a surprise gift that I didn’t plan for or it is my contribution to a pitch-in that I didn’t plan for either.

Groupon-this year I’ve been using Groupon for Christmas shopping. So far, I’ve purchased headphones, tea, items from the Body Shop, and photo shoot for less than 50% of original prices. You have to signup for daily reminders at Groupon.com

A last great gift, especially for grandparents, is photos. I have made a number of photo gifts using my local Walgreens. I wait until they have a 40% off sale. I have made some items FREE because I am on the mailing list which alerts you to free items. I also use Shutterfly, an online service because it seems to be the easiest to use with the best results. They are always having some type of sale, never pay full price. You can always scrapbook an album of a special event too.

As for Black Friday, that’s another blog.

Paint the Town Red for Half Price

Who doesn’t like a weekend on the town, on even a night? Only problem is that it can cost plenty. One new way that can take the bite out of painting the town red is social entertainment sites including Groupon, LivingSocial and Bloomspot. These sites offer 50% off better deals on local dining, events, even travel destination resorts. There is also restaurant.com that deals only with restaurants. How do these sites work and are they as good as they sound?

First of all, you need to go online and sign up for email alerts. It is as simple as going to: www.groupon.com. The site sends daily postings of what promos are going on in your area. The company, which offers the promotion has to sell so many coupons/certificates before the offer is valid. It is usually a small number like 20 or 40. The seller also caps the number of certificates sold to not lose money too. That’s why a daily email is helpful because a deal you might want can be gone by the time you even decide to see what offers are out there.

There are all sorts of things advertised such as golf outings, dinner, merchandise, even pole dancing. You won’t like everything. I’ve been using it for about a year now and it has saved me hundreds of dollars. It has also opened my eyes to different things to do in the area I never knew about from ghost walks to mystery dinner theatre. Things I wouldn’t have tried unless they were deeply discounted.

The certificates are relatively simple to use. Depending on if you purchase an online item you type in the promo code and your item is sent to you. If you are going to attend something then you print out your certificate. If your event requires reservations, it if up to you to still make them.

Restaurant.com works about the same way, except it is only for restaurants. You usually buy gift certificates for $25 or $50 depending on how expensive the restaurant is. These certificates can be as low as $2 or $10 depending on the special they are running. I’ve used these several times without trouble, but make sure you read the small print. Some restaurants will not let you use them on holidays or weekends. The usual amount you are expected to spend to use the coupon is $38 and you should still tip the server based on actual bill. Your $40 bill might end up costing you $17, not including the tip.

It all sounds good. What do you need to watch out for? I would always call first before driving to a restaurant with a restaurant.com certificate. I have found that restaurants who were trying to drive business to their place by using promos close suddenly. I have also had restaurant owners tell me they quit honoring restaurant.com certificates because it cost them too much. This has only happened twice out of dozens of uses.

As for Groupon.com, I had a concert I bought tickets for cancel at the last minute. I received a full refund from groupon. I did have one restaurant go out of business that I never was able to use my certificate for and receive a full refund on that (much better results than restaurant.com.) I had one company Picaboo photos that advertised for a calendar and photo books at a reduced price, but failed to honor it. Groupon refunded money as soon as I contacted them.

Groupon.com has saved me tons of money on going out. I’ve also used them to buy Christmas gifts greatly reduced. As for the other sites like Living Social and Bloomspot, I haven’t tried them yet since they’ve never have anything I am interested in, but they might have something you like. Give them a look.