Archive for February, 2010

Cheap Airfare Isn’t So Complicated

February 24th, 2010

You want to get away but you don’t want to spend the bucks? Well here are some tips to get the best travel deals you can.

There are tons of travel search websites out there but I find the best to be www.kayak.com. This site searches through all of the other ones – Orbitz, Travelocity, etc. – to find the best deal for you. Usually this is the best option.

However, another site called ITASoftware.com allows you to re-route your flight to see if there may be a faster way to get to your destination, often through another city via layover. The catch is, you can’t book flights through this site, so you’ll have to go back to kayak.com.

But as I mentioned last week, it’s often much cheaper to book a flight on a Tuesday or Wednesday because the airline companies have a harder time filling these flights than a Friday or Sunday flight. This also means that if you buy your ticket on a Tuesday or Wednesday, it will be cheaper because people tend to wait till the weekends to think about future plans. Airlines know this.

Also, continue to check online. If your travel dates are a few months away, which is the best way to buy tickets, then maybe waiting a week can make a difference in the price. Usually though, the earlier the better.

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Cheap, Shmeap. Deals Can’t Be Beat.

February 18th, 2010

Deals. How to find them? You can be like granny, with a scissors and a magnifying glass, leafing through the weekly specials…or you can be internet savvy and type in “deals” to the old search engine followed by what kind of deals you’re looking for.

I’ve been called frugal, parsimonious, and hell, even cheap once or twice, which I resent deeply, because I care only about not wasting money. I love spending it when it comes time to, but for the most part, if I can save a few bucks, I will. Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to shopping. Sometimes it’s just more practical to wait until the holiday sale to buy that big screen TV or that new shirt you’ve been wanting. Other times, it depends on really searching around for the lowest price on what you want.

Airline tickets, for example. Few people know that airlines have trouble filling up flights that leave and return on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Thus, to fly on these days usually reduces ticket prices by about twenty to thirty dollars, and sometimes even more. Reading blogs and articles can help you discover certain tidbits like this to be more thrifty when you’re going to shop.

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Discount Flowers Online

February 15th, 2010

I  have five sisters and I always send each one of them flowers on their birthdays . This can get pretty pricey, but I know that if I didn’t– or even worse, left out a sister– I’d get an earful at our next family gathering.

Luckily, I discovered FlowerShopDeals.com and can plan on saving a lot of time and money this year.

This amazing flower shop search engine allows you to compare prices on the internet’s cheapest flowers, read reviews, and find the best promotions. You can even search by online flower retailer, by flower type, color and occasion. They even have a handy flower resource section where you can find information on flowers by birth month, the meanings of certain flowers, and advice for picking out the right flowers for your special someone.

So the next time you need to send flowers, check out FlowerShopDeals.com before you spend an arm and leg at your local florist.

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Love on a Budget: Valentine’s Day Bargains

February 9th, 2010

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, but a lot of people are still scrambling to find affordable, romantic activities to celebrate the holiday. To help you out, we’ve assembled a list of cheap meal ideas. That’s amore!

The chain gang. When it comes to getting deals from chain restaurants, Valentine’s Day is a goldmine. For example, you and your date can enjoy three courses each at Ruby Tuesday for only $19.99 a pop. That might even leave a little extra for cocktails!

Classy fast food. Believe it or not, you can make a reservation at select White Castle burger joints to receive top-notch service at the restaurant’s regular prices. Just don’t tell Harold and Kumar.

A restaurant-free experience. For an easy Valentine’s Day—or to give yourself time to focus on more pressing matters— we recommend picking up a precooked meal at your local supermarket. After all, do you really want the food to be the evening’s main attraction?

Of course, Valentine’s Day is about more than just a shared romantic meal. If you want to shower your special someone with presents, start for cheap at the bouquet sale at ProFlowers.com. For the next two days, you can enter VDAY25 at checkout to take 25% off orders of $29.99 and higher. Some even come with stuffed animals and chocolate!

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