Finding Discounts on Summer Vacations

Have you started planning your summer vacation yet? I know. It’s still April, but here in the Dallas area, school will be out in about a month. By then, the good deals may be taken. Even if you’re not planning to travel until the beginning of August or just planning a weekend getaway, now is the time to look for deals.

The Internet has a wealth of resources for finding great deals on just about anything. Travel sites are no exception. But how do you find them and how do you know which ones are reputable? Here are a few resources to get you started.

Social couponing websites often offer extreme discounts on travel destinations. These coupons are great if you are flexible on dates or don’t have a specific destination in mind. Simply choose a destination already on sale. If you have a specific destination in mind, go to these websites and sign up for e-mails for deals in specific regions. If you plan to vacation in Boston, sign up for entertainment and dining deals in Boston and start planning your trip around the daily deals you receive. Some good sites to start with are groupon.com and livingsocial.com/escapes.

Memberships can pay off. AAA offers last minute vacation deals as much as 70 percent off the regular price. To make the deal sweeter, AAA offers a low price guarantee. If you find a cheaper rate for the exact itinerary within 24 hours, AAA will match it.

Wholesale warehouses like Costco offer exclusive benefits on vacations around the world, cruises and more. They also offer great deals on rental cars.

If you still plan to wait until the last minute, there are lots of websites that cater to your needs. These sites often buy the last few seats on an airplane or the last few cabins on a cruise at a fraction of the regular cost and can sell them much cheaper than the airlines and cruise lines would. Check out some of these sites:

Travelzoo.com
Lastminute.com
Moments-notice.com
Laterooms.com

And, for last minute deals specific to Disney destinations, check out mousesavers.com.

Where do you turn for big discounts on vacations? Please post a comment and continue the conversation so all NCU members can benefit.

Reading Your Receipts Can Really Pay Off

Do you ever read the receipts you get after you buy something? I mean really read the stuff at the bottom of your receipt below the purchase total? Many stores used to use that space to print their return policies. These days, they are making it worth our while to read further down and are willing to reward us for giving our feedback about their products, services, food or whatever they sell.

I admit that I’m not a big survey taker, but I’m willing to give Starbucks a few minutes of my time for a guaranteed free beverage. I don’t go to Starbucks often, but three times in the last year I have been randomly selected to fill out an online survey in exchange for a free tall beverage. When I finished the survey, I received a validation code that I had to write on my previous receipt and bring back to Starbucks. Each time, my tall drink was upgraded to a grande free of charge.

I have friends who have received free cookies from Subway, free fries from various fast food establishments and more. Stores like Target, Home Depot and Wal-mart frequently have offers on their receipts for a chance to win thousands of dollars in store gift cards for completing an online survey. Obviously there’s no guarantee you’ll win, but one thing is for sure. You certainly  have no chance of winning if you don’t enter the sweepstakes, fill out the online survey or do whatever else they are asking you to do in exchange for a chance to earn something free. Is a possible $5,000 Target gift card worth a few minutes of your time? That’s like getting a year’s worth of groceries free. If you shop there often, that’s more opportunities to possibly win.

Here’s what I do. I have a basket by my computer where I keep my receipts. When I have a spare minute, I grab my stack of these kinds of receipts. Often, the survey will tell you upfront how long it should take you. If it’s just a minute or two, I’m usually in. If it’s five minutes or more, I generally shut the survey down and throw the receipt away. I am impatient by nature, and I lose interest in any survey much longer than that. You may be different, depending on what’s at stake.

Take a look at your receipt next time you buy something or eat out – anywhere -- and see if there’s an opportunity to earn something free. Just pay attention to the date. Many require that you leave feedback within a certain time frame. 

Friendships Can Save You Time and Money

I have a confession to make. I hate house cleaning. I hate it so much, that I rarely do it. Apparently, I’m not alone. On a recent Facebook post, I learned that several of my friends are in the same predicament. As we commented back and forth, one of my friends came up with a fabulous idea. Why not get together and help clean each other’s houses? If we had three or four people cleaning one house, it might not seem like such a chore. It also would save money, because we wouldn’t feel the need to hire a cleaning crew. We haven’t done this yet, but we are seriously considering it.

That got me to thinking about what else friends could do to save money while spending time together. Here are some ideas I came up with.

Dinner Club and Recipe Swap

Pick one or two recipes and either divide the ingredients among each person in the group or have each person chip in a small amount of money and let one person do the shopping. Gather at one person’s house once a week or however often is best for you, and cook the recipe together. Divide up the portions among each person, and your family has one or two meals to try for a very small amount of money and time.

Shoe/Clothing Swap

Tired of your wardrobe but don’t really want to fork out the money for something new? Gather your friends together for a shoe or clothing swap. Have everyone who plans to attend let you know in advance what sizes they will be bringing so those planning to attend know if it is worth their while to be there. Divide clothing by sizes and let everyone “shop” for free.

Toy Swap

This is similar to a clothing swap. Instead of sizes, you’ll want to know the age level and gender preference of toys people will be bringing,

These types of swap activities can be temporary or permanent. Perhaps you are tired of your wardrobe, but you have certain pieces you know you’ll want to wear again. In that case, set guidelines. Perhaps your group will meet every six weeks or two months to return the items to the original owner. Just know that not everyone takes care of your items the way you would. If it’s something you just cant’ part with, you may want to keep that one in your closet.

What are some things you do with friends to save time and money. Comment here so all NCU members can benefit from your ideas.

 

Don’t Skimp on Your Insurance – Any Kind of Insurance

The Dallas area experienced more than a dozen tornadoes in one day this week. For many families, the process of rebuilding their lives is about to begin. If you had no damage and weathered the storm without incident, first thank your lucky stars. Second, use this opportunity to revisit your insurance policies and ensure you are adequately covered for those unexpected situations.

Let’s be honest. Nobody expects to lose their home in a tornado. It’s supposed to happen to someone else. If it happens to you, is your homeowners insurance policy enough to rebuild? Many homeowners make a critical mistake when purchasing homeowners insurance. They insure their house based on what they paid for it, not on what it would cost to replace it. Spend the extra money to insure the replacement cost of your home. It adds almost nothing to the cost of your policy, but makes a huge difference if your home is destroyed by a storm, tornado or something else. If you have expensive jewelry, antiques, etc., insure them separately with riders or add-ons to your policy, to insure you get the full replacement value for them if they are lost, stolen or destroyed.

Renters insurance is often overlooked and is so important, especially to people renting apartments. A kitchen fire in one apartment spreads fast and can destroy an entire complex. Renters insurance costs very little and will replace all your belongings so you’re not out thousands of dollars of your own money for clothing, furniture, appliances, etc.

If you don’t have life insurance, consider getting some. Life insurance is a little different than others because you’re not insuring stuff. You are paying on a policy that will take care of your loved ones when you die – whether it is of old age or young and unexpectedly. Life insurance is a little more flexible than insuring stuff, because you can choose the amount of coverage you want. Choose enough to take care of your spouse and our children, and be sure they are listed as beneficiaries on your policy. If you can’t afford whole life insurance, opt for term life insurance.

Of course, most of us have auto insurance. If you don’t, you should, if for no other reason than to protect yourself from people who don’t. If someone with no insurance damages or totals your car, you are covered by your own policy. If your car is stolen, you are covered. If your car is new, get GAP insurance, too. That pays what your auto insurance policy doesn’t, so you can pay off your loan and still get another vehicle.

It is okay, in fact, it’s even wise to shop around for the best deal on any type of insurance. Just be sure you’re not skimping  to save buck. This is one of the few times when spending a few more dollars could make a big impact when you really need it.