Save Money on Vacations

Yes frugal people like to take vacations too and of course we want to save money. BUT- I do not want to be one of the people kidnapped for a timeshare tour just to get a free buffet. I want my vacation time to be relaxing and for me. I don't want to have to work for my dinner ;)

These are money saving vacation tips....

Check travel sites (like expedia) for deals on hotels but compare prices with the hotel website before you book anything. You really never know which will offer the better deal. I have found the best price from both sides, travel sites and the hotel itself.

Make sure you get a hotel with the free continental breakfast. It's free food right? The continental breakfast at some hotels is better than others, but make sure you get a hotel that offers free breakfast- then make sure to eat it every morning!

Get a room with a refrigerator. Stock it with drinks (preferably the drinks you bought on sale and brought with you). Don't waste your money in the vending machines.

Same as above (save your money from the vending machine monster)- think candy and chips, especially if you have kids.

Before you go, check the Internet for coupons or online specials. I think this is hit or miss. I certainly don't plan my vacation around what places in the city have coupons. But it is nice to find a coupon for somewhere I want to go. I'm finding more places that have "book online" or "purchase online" discounts and savings.

When you get to your destination (or you can call ahead of time) check with your hotel to see if any nearby restaurants offer a discount because you are staying with them. It's actually more common than you think.

If your traveling by car, this is one of the times I would recommend buying the big W gift card for gas (as talked about here in Unusual Ways to Save Money ). Save .03 a gallon. That adds up when your going a long way. And those big W stores are just everywhere.

Pack a picnic lunch for one day of the trip. No one wants to eat our free breakfast every morning and sandwiches everyday while we're on vacation. Sandwiches everyday on vacation would suck! If you have kids- make it fun. Find a spot and actually picnic, bring a basket and a blanket. It makes eating sandwiches more fun. It can be relaxing and you, as the parent, save money on lunch that day.

Aside from coupons and deals, make sure to check the Internet to see what free stuff is available where ever you are visiting. I am cheap, but I have to say that when I go on vacation I don't want to go to another science museum, just because it's free. If your gonna do free stuff, make sure it's fun (to you anyway)- otherwise it just becomes a waste of time.

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Save Money on Clothes

By Saving Money on clothes I mean buying them, not how to make them last longer. Even those of us who are frugal like a new (and I do mean brand new, not used) outfit occasionally.
Let me start this post with a few things from my life that make saving money on clothing important to me.

1- I can NOT get out a stain to save my life. I just can't. I'm not any good at it. Please no advice on the matter, I've tried it all. It comes down to one thing very simple- I am not organized enough to soak/treat/prewash or whatever needs to be done to get the stain out. By the time I do laundry, the stain is set. This being said, I don't spend alot of money on clothes because you just never know when something will get ruined.

2- In line with #1, my husband works in a restaurant. Aside from the "stuff" he gets on his clothes (that I can't get out), he is prone to bleach stains. He is a manager so he has to dress nice, but I refuse to pay $50 for a pair of slacks that could very well have a bleach spot on them the first day he wears them.

3- I'm cheap. I want to look nice. I want my family to look nice. I refuse to pay alot of money for something as unimportant as a shirt or a pair of pants. There are children in this world that are hungry and have NO clothes and there are people in our country who pay $200 for a shirt. Does that really make sense?

Ok- Glad I got all that out!

Now, because I am cheap (or frugal if you prefer) I am all for shopping at thrift stores. I have read about, and even seen on TV, places that have thrift stores where you can get (good stuff)shirts for .25 or pants for $1.00. We don't have anything like that here. Our thrift store (goodwill) has shirts and pants for about $5 each. It doesn't matter what brand or even how good of shape it's in, it's all the same price- about $5. I think $5 is to much for a used shirt.
I know people who shop this thrift store all the time. They don't have alot of money so they go here to get a good deal. I don't see how $5 for a used shirt is a good deal.
I go to places like Marshalls, TJMaxx, and Ross. This is where I get 90% of our clothes. You can buy a new, name brand shirt like they sell in department stores for about half the price. Even that's to much for me (I told you I was cheap). I shop the sale racks. I can get my husband name brand works shirts- new- for about $5, same as I would spend at goodwill for a used shirt. The people I know who shop goodwill but don't go to these discount stores say they don't like to dig- don't you have to dig at a thrift store? Doesn't make since to me.

As with most anything- there are exceptions to my goodwill rule, because I do shop there too. You can save money on clothes (good clothes) at a thrift store. Goodwill has sale days. About twice a month they have a day where all pants are $2 each. Since my husband is just gonna stain them with grease and bleach, $2 is a GREAT price for pants. But I am picky about what I buy at goodwill. I want it to be as new as possible. Even if he is just going to get stains all over it, I want it to look new before he does :)

So that's my BIG secret on how to save money on clothes. Shop sale racks at discount stores. Not such a secret is it? I am truly surprised at how many people do not go to these stores, but instead will go to a thrift store or a yard sale to get clothes. If you haven't been in one lately, you really need to check it out and save yourself some money next time you need a new outfit!

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Save Money on Pet Supplies

Animals lovers pay attention: Lets save money on pet supplies!

I think, taking care of pets has gotten down right expensive. Don't get me wrong, I love animals. I love my pets. We have 3 dogs and 2 cats. In this tough economy, sometimes it's hard to take care of the kids, much less the pets.
I have been tweaking my ways to save money on pet supplies for a while. Some of these I have been doing for years, others I have only started.

1. Cook your Pet's Food. I mentioned this in my earlier post Unusual Ways To Save Money , but since this post is about pets I thought I should mention it again. I have been cooking our Dog's food for a while. It really is better for them and they love it. I have only recently started experimenting with cooking food for the cats. The cats are so much more picky. It's been hit or miss with the cat food. Some recipes they like some they don't. I think I'll get it eventually.

2. Use natural Flea repellents. With 2 kids, a flea problem is not something I want. Having 5 animals, I have to be careful. I've used the cheaper flea drop stuff that just doesn't work. The stuff you get from the vet (advantage?) works great, but it's expensive- epically with this many pets. And, I didn't think it was possible- our 2 oldest dogs seem to have become immune to the vet stuff (after about 5 years). It doesn't work anymore. So I've been trying the natural (read home made) flea repellent ideas I've found on the Internet: apple cider vinegar and garlic. So far, so good. I put the vinegar in their water and crush up the garlic in their food. No fleas! And I'm saving a ton of money.

3. Who Buys Pet Toys? You? I haven't bought a pet toy in years. Our 2 big dogs can chew through anything- even the hardest, toughest dog toys. Now I give them my daughter's old stuffed animals- they tear them apart, I throw the remains away. They get excited each time they get a new one. The little dog we have will keep a toy forever (at least someone in this house does). If you don't have a kid to pass on stuffed animals to your dogs, check with friends and neighbors, but you can always pick them up at yard sales for about .25 or less.
Then there is the cats. Their attention span with toys last about 15 minutes- then they forget about what ever toy it is that they just got. The cats like to play with straws. Actually, they love it. Hey, straws are cheap.

4. Ok, I'll be honest I don't do this next one but I have found directions for how to on the Internet. Make your own cat littler. They use newspaper. If your interested, you'll have to search for the directions. This would fall under my idea of when time is money. My time is money and I don't think cat litter is to expensive that I have to make it. But I wanted to include it.... Just in case.

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