I so badly want to take a vacation. For those of you who don't know or don't know me at all, I had the wonderful chance to go on vacation this summer and it was fantastic. We took a Carnival Cruise and had a wonderful time! We went to Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; Roatan, Honduras; and Costa Maya, Mexico. So today we are going to discuss traveling and all of the amazing ways to save on a vacation.
Let us start with booking the vacation.
Little Story Time: My parents are getting ready for a vacation to San Fran and Napa Valley, CA next week. And when my dad was booking the flights, I mentioned to him that I am sure he wouldn't have to pay full price for a ticket. And guess what? My mother-given ability to be frugal made this true. On Facebook, that very same day, Southwest Airlines had a customer appreciation deal of up to 50%- yes, 50% off tickets! Timing couldn't have been more perfect and he booked same day and saved about $300 beautiful dollars.
So let me just say this: Bargain hunt- and do it like it is going out of style. These days, airlines and hotels are willing to give discounts, because a half price seat brings more money than an empty seat and the same is for hotels.
For our cruise- I watched the company website and checked on the price maybe once a week. Because of doing this, the price dipped and I called for a price adjustment and it was granted. I also kept an eye out on another website (retailmenot.com) for coupons for our excursions and was able to find ten percent off. Though 10% doesn't seem like a whole lot, we saved about $40 a person. That was enough to cover our hotel room for the night before we left.
For a hotel- My boyfriend and I went to Charleston this summer to visit my brother who is in the Air Force. We were able to stay in the hotel on base luckily and that only cost us $40 a night. But on our way home, we decided to stay the night in Charlotte, Nc. We waited until late to start calling hotels because we theorized they would be more likely to feel the need to fill the room for the night. The rate at the hotel we stayed in I believe was $200 a night. Then I asked for a discount. $160. Then I said- I think we are looking for something a little less because we will be getting in late. Booked for $112- Manager's special.
Just asking can go a long way and kindness can go even further.
Have you ever saved big on a vacation? I'd love to hear from you and how you did it!
Happy Savings
Kales
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Wedding
Hello,
Sorry for my absences (to the one person other than myself who seems to be reading this), but these past few weeks have been craziness. I have still been recovering from pneumonia and studying for midterms- yikes! AND I was in a wedding- which is going to be our topic of discussion today. The wedding was beautiful, it was for my friend Megan and her new husband Ryan who recently returned home safely from Afghanistan. He is also my boyfriend's brother, so we are exceptionally grateful for his safe return. So let us discuss her beautiful wedding that she put together! She definitely was smart with her money and when my sister had her wedding, she too was smart. So lets discuss some fabulous ideas for saving money when hosting large groups of people.
Megan's husband's return was delayed by about a week and because of this, she lost her venue- but lucky for her, she had just moved into a beautiful home (at no additional cost) with lots of land and a long driveway. So this became the new venue for her wedding and it was beautiful! She bought white lights and strung them around the driveway, under tents and over the dance floor. It looked gorgeous!
TIP #1: White lights are something you probably have on hand for the holidays- and if you don't someone you know does! always try to borrow- and always always always send a thank you note for what you use.
TIP # 2: Find out who you can rent tents from- where Megan lives, she was able to find a fire station that rented her all her tables, chairs and tents at the cost of a donation!!! Schools and churches also have these sometimes and sometimes you may have family who has some you can borrow!
She decorated her tables with purple table clothes and beautiful lanterns with flowers twisting all around them, not only did this serve as a nice center piece but also as a table weight for the occasional breeze and as additional lighting as the darkness set in. She made these her self and though probably time consuming, she did an excellent job and I thought they were gorgeous.
TIP #3: She was able to find purple table clothes at the dollar store for $1.00 a piece! It served as a nice decoration and also for an easy clean up at the end of the night.
All of her loving family supplied to the food that was amazing! They did however have the shredded pork and chicken catered, which in my personal opinion was very smart- it could have taken a lot of time to do that, and it allowed people a little extra time to enjoy themselves. Having a loving family is crucial to a wedding. My sister was really lucky to have an aunt who not only hosted a reception site- but did not make my sister lift a finger! It also was a beautiful wedding done on a budget. Family made food and family members DJ'ed at both parties.
Tip #4: If a family offers to help with a service you need during this stressful time- accept. You will be happy you did.
Tip #5: DO NOT SKIP on nice plates- by this I mean- do not buy the paper plates that food will leak through- buy the very thick paper or inexpensive plastic plates- people spent a lot of time getting ready and possibly buying a new outfit for your wedding- care enough to not let something leak on them. These can be found at a party store or at a superstore.
Tip #6: Find websites that former brides are selling items they don't need any longer- one of these items I would first recommend- Chair covers. My cousin recently got married and I told Megan she was looking to sell these and Megan was able to purchase them gently used from my cousin- who also bought them gently used. Chair covers are used for one night and then they take up a ton of room to store them. You might as well make some money back on the investment if you purchase these.
Hope this helps.
Kales
Sorry for my absences (to the one person other than myself who seems to be reading this), but these past few weeks have been craziness. I have still been recovering from pneumonia and studying for midterms- yikes! AND I was in a wedding- which is going to be our topic of discussion today. The wedding was beautiful, it was for my friend Megan and her new husband Ryan who recently returned home safely from Afghanistan. He is also my boyfriend's brother, so we are exceptionally grateful for his safe return. So let us discuss her beautiful wedding that she put together! She definitely was smart with her money and when my sister had her wedding, she too was smart. So lets discuss some fabulous ideas for saving money when hosting large groups of people.
Megan's husband's return was delayed by about a week and because of this, she lost her venue- but lucky for her, she had just moved into a beautiful home (at no additional cost) with lots of land and a long driveway. So this became the new venue for her wedding and it was beautiful! She bought white lights and strung them around the driveway, under tents and over the dance floor. It looked gorgeous!
TIP #1: White lights are something you probably have on hand for the holidays- and if you don't someone you know does! always try to borrow- and always always always send a thank you note for what you use.
TIP # 2: Find out who you can rent tents from- where Megan lives, she was able to find a fire station that rented her all her tables, chairs and tents at the cost of a donation!!! Schools and churches also have these sometimes and sometimes you may have family who has some you can borrow!
She decorated her tables with purple table clothes and beautiful lanterns with flowers twisting all around them, not only did this serve as a nice center piece but also as a table weight for the occasional breeze and as additional lighting as the darkness set in. She made these her self and though probably time consuming, she did an excellent job and I thought they were gorgeous.
TIP #3: She was able to find purple table clothes at the dollar store for $1.00 a piece! It served as a nice decoration and also for an easy clean up at the end of the night.
All of her loving family supplied to the food that was amazing! They did however have the shredded pork and chicken catered, which in my personal opinion was very smart- it could have taken a lot of time to do that, and it allowed people a little extra time to enjoy themselves. Having a loving family is crucial to a wedding. My sister was really lucky to have an aunt who not only hosted a reception site- but did not make my sister lift a finger! It also was a beautiful wedding done on a budget. Family made food and family members DJ'ed at both parties.
Tip #4: If a family offers to help with a service you need during this stressful time- accept. You will be happy you did.
Tip #5: DO NOT SKIP on nice plates- by this I mean- do not buy the paper plates that food will leak through- buy the very thick paper or inexpensive plastic plates- people spent a lot of time getting ready and possibly buying a new outfit for your wedding- care enough to not let something leak on them. These can be found at a party store or at a superstore.
Tip #6: Find websites that former brides are selling items they don't need any longer- one of these items I would first recommend- Chair covers. My cousin recently got married and I told Megan she was looking to sell these and Megan was able to purchase them gently used from my cousin- who also bought them gently used. Chair covers are used for one night and then they take up a ton of room to store them. You might as well make some money back on the investment if you purchase these.
Hope this helps.
Kales
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