http://www.aboutsavingyourmoney.com

@ Karen- I had no idea that different IP addresses would give different prices for airline tickets! But, I shouldn’t be surprised that they track that…I figured out a few months ago that if I was thinking about buying something on Amazon (and as I made my decision I kept going back to the site to look at that product) the price would slowly start to go down. It hasn’t happened on every product, but I’ve definitely noticed it on some items.

For instance, I bought my Kill-A-Watt from Amazon, and I thought about that purchase for 4 or 5 days. I kept going to check it out at Amazon, and noticed the price kept creeping down just a bit, almost like they were enticing me to buy. But, I’ve been thinking of purchasing a Vermicompost bin by Can-O-Worms, which is a hefty $130, and that price hasn’t budged yet.

Thanks for that great tip on IP addresses though; I’m definitely going to try that (using my husband’s computer as well as my own) next time I fly!

We have just added your latest post “How To Save Money On Vacation | The Greenest Dollar” to our Directory of Pets . You can check the inclusion of the post here . We are delighted to invite you to submit all your future posts to the directory and get a huge base of visitors to your website.

Warm Regards

Vaca-tion.info Team

http://www.vaca-tion.info

I travel moderately with my kids (for sporting events) and I’ve learned to travel frugally over the years. If I’m flying, I always bring extra foods, my own travel blanket and pillow, water bottle, carry on board as much as the guidelines allow, pack a toiletry bag (w/ sample sized liquid bottles) on a carry on, divide the clothes among different bags (in case one gets lost), AND use Priceline for bidding on airline tickets and hotels. (I’ve gotten more than 70% off on four star hotels!!)
I also pack unread magazines that have accumulated for weeks (or months) at home to read on the plane and recycle them. And of course, there are books on my iPhone to listen to – Kindle in your case – but trips are great for mindless reading of magazines while knitting or crocheting. And I’m not tempted at airports from buying the glossies.

I also have found that checking airline prices at different times of the day (3AM vs. 3PM), few days apart also lowers the ticket prices. Using different computers with different IP addresses also give you different prices.

Hope that adds a little more to the great suggestions given by Diane.
Happy and Safe Travels!

karen

Another thing with those cards, if you want them even ‘prettier’, take along a card set that accommodates the photo; a nice envelope comes with each card, and then you’ve got even more room to write. I pre-stamp at least a 12-pack of those type of cards, and use those for those who I want to write just a bit more to.

I have 5 children; 4 boys and a daughter – the youngest is 39; oldest is 49. I ‘created’ some real travelers by taking them not only on vacations, but on business meetings and conventions. As youngsters, they learned the joy of traveling and also are competent in getting the most from their vacations and business adventures since 3 of the 5 also travel a great deal in their line of work.

A bit off the subject somewhat, but my oldest son was the guy who gave the idea to Honda (since he owns 2 dealerships), to create a car that would accommodate pets during their travels. He got the idea because his wife’s dog is suffering with arthritis, and they’ve had to revamp their Honda SUV, so it would allow her dog to be ‘loaded and unloaded’ more easily as well as a comfortable cushioned area to travel in. He designed it for their car; then gave the idea to Honda, and now Honda is offering it as an option on their SUV’s.

He recently came to visit; broke his reading glasses while visiting, and I reminded him that if you need reading glasses, always pack 2 or 3 of those inexpensive ‘readers’, and keep your prescription ones safe. He laughed as I handed over a ‘spare pair’ I had in my purse, and he flew home with them. So, add that to your list – it’s hard to read a map or menu if your glasses are suddenly lost or broken. Take a spare pair – low cost ‘readers’, or definitely if you have to use only prescription, don’t leave home without an extra pair.

As I said, I enjoy your blog; it’s on my rss feed, and I save the articles that I find very helpful. No one is ever too young or too old to learn something valuable…………

@ Diane- Wow, those are some great tips! I LOVED your postcard idea; I’m definitely going to try that on my next trip. That’s so much more personal than just buying a mass produced postcard! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your knowledge; there are some great tips here, and I know that I and other readers will definitely benefit from them!

And, thanks so much for reading!

One thing I remember to do, is first determine the budget and then one more thing. We’re often gone two or three months at a time; we know that if we were home, there would be groceries; incidentals, and of course heating/air conditioning/lighting, etc. So, I also figure what we will SAVE while we’re away, by turning down the thermostat; incorporating the normal grocery and supply costs, into the money for the meals while traveling, and it helps add a bit to the total allowance. As an example, we live in the desert; went north in the summer, and saved $180/month just on the air conditioning costs for 3 months, so that’s $540 we didn’t spend on the a.c., and we added that to our ‘fun money’.

Of course when you’re driving, you have the option of shopping for your favorite foods; beverage, and when we do that we buy ‘goodies’ for the evening meal rather than eating out. We usually stay where there’s a Continental breakfast; we grab an extra banana for the room and then we eat lunch out at a nice restaurant for much less than the same meal at dinner.

We’ve done our share of flying; loved your remarks and tips on that. I thought I was the only person who used to end up drinking my water from the bottle while waiting to board; passing through the security and refilling it at the water fountain.

And long before they charged for bags, we did the back-pack and always shipped our clothes to our destination point if it was possible. Normally this was when we were visiting family or friends who could receive the items. We used UPS (still do), and be sure you make a RETURN LABEL, so when you’re heading back home, you can repack the clothes; take them to UPS and have a ‘ready label’ handy (be sure to put in a roll of packing tape in the clothing box too).

When the gas prices a nominal, we use the motor-home. When the trip is too costly because of the gas, we use the SUV – we turn down one seat, and make a ‘single bed’, so we can alternate driving ‘straight through’ for 24 hours, and then treat ourselves to a hotel room every other night until we reach our destination.

We always have the car serviced and inspected before we leave; we carry a portable charger so we don’t end up stalled with a dead battery. We add road service and increase our coverage on our insurance when traveling, then scale back when we know we’re going to be local.

On the road, we have our food and if we do stop, we split a meal; a drink, and snack from our supply. We avoid the trinkets and tourist gimmicks; instead of post cards, we take the pictures – have them printed on 4×6 at a drug store, and use them to mail to friends. Our pictures run 10 to 25 cents a piece; the ones you buy usually start at $1.00 each.

We cut down on clothing such as taking a large garbage bag instead of a rain coat in the event we get caught in a quick shower. Using the bag means saving space and if you don’t use it, it’s a good laundry bag. We choose clothes that don’t wrinkle easily; none that show ‘spots’ if we spill, and ones that can be washed and dried quickly – no wrinkles, and while we’re driving we wear loose-fitting clothes to stay comfortable.

We always make sure we have dollar bills and quarters for the toll roads – don’t want to get caught short, or have to break a big bill at the toll gate.

We keep just one credit card for traveling only. We set the money aside for the trip into a savings account that earns interest. We pay off the entire bill, and the interest earned helps reduce the credit balance.

Always carry copies of important documents that you might need to refer to – copies, not originals – slip them in a large zip plastic bag to protect them.

We make certain any prescriptions are filled before we leave, and make sure we can fill them at the same drug store (usually Walgreens), while we’re away.

A roll of paper towels and a plastic trash bag is always ‘up front’ – for spills, etc. We carry an squeeze bottle of 90% water and equal parts of dish liquid and rubbing alcohol for quick clean-ups of hands. We carry a neutral scent of spray, to quickly freshen us so we smell ‘clean’ if we have to make a stop and haven’t showered recently.

We make a package up of stamps; envelopes and paper with pens to write letters or take notes.

Of course we stop our mail service unless we’re gone for 3 or 4 months; then we put in a change of address to where we’re going to stay so our bills are forwarded; we pay them, and then change the address at a post office 3 days before we expect to return home.

Both my husband and I also traveled for over 20 years in our careers; again, we learned the in and out of traveling efficiently and economically even when our company paid the tab.

I hope you have a great time in Seattle; I’m from Kalamazoo and lived in Seattle for 3 years. Seattle is such a beautiful city, but it can be expensive, so I imagine you’ve done your home-work on that.

Another little trick is letting people use our home (we live in a resort area) while we’re gone; they pay a small sum compared to the hotel costs, so our vacant home is making money for us while we’re gone.

Have fun – enjoy your blog…………….