If you were on that Virgin America flight from New York to San Francisco yesterday, you must have nearly tripped right over me. That’s right, you HAD to see me, because there I was, literally front and center in my first class seat that I paid a total of… drum roll please… $160. That’s right, the gal cutting up her steak with real silverware and sipping a mimosa from a real glass (oh, the good life…) got there on less than most people pay to take a family of four out to dinner. You don’t even want to know what I paid for my FABULOUS hotel room. (You do…? Try FREE.) My biggest secret is simple. I sign up for points and know how to use them.
At www.points.com you can track, redeem, earn and for the first time ever – trade – your points with other people to upgrade your travel, take trips, even shop. So start now, round ‘em up, top ‘em off, and even get some donated to you! Most people have no idea they can track, trade, swap.
- Know when to go! Bingtravel.com
Bing Travel uses science and technology to help you make informed decisions about when to travel and where to stay. Bing’s Price Predictor actually calculates whether the lowest fare for a trip is predicted to rise, drop or stay the same over the next seven days. That means you can make sure no one else on your trip paid less than you! (Boy, that bugs me when I’m on a plane talking with the person next me and find out they spend half of what I did – DOH!) We’ve all been there – you’re booking a flight, and finally buy your ticket only to find out the fare went down $100 the same week! There is also a Hotel Rate Indicator – a color-coded rating system that indicates whether or not the current rate for a specific hotel is a deal by comparing historical data. COOL!
- craigslist.org
You probably already know about craigslist – the online classified service. But do you know that it lists some of the biggest deals in the world when it comes to finding discount hotels, house-swaps, condos, even airfare travel vouchers? During the last year, my family and friends have saved an estimated $40,000 on airfare, hotels and overall vacations using this online classified service. It does, however, require patience and haggling skills! And as always, buyer beware. Make sure you do your homework and check out every deal to make sure it's real.
- Craigspal.com:
Craigspal.com lets you narrow down a craigslist search by setting specific parameters and automating searches. It provides a way to keep track of your craigslist searches and have the searches done for you and delivered right to you. Once logged in, all your information and results are pulled up and downloaded. Every search you do is saved under your member account for future use. CraigsPal also gives you the option to receive text and email notifications.
- Hotel and resort deals: kayak.com/private sales
This is one of many travel/private sale program offers that give you access to exclusive hotel deals for anyone signed up to Kayak (you can sign up for free). You can get discounts of up to 50% off on exclusive hotels including the Mondrian in L.A., and the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort in St. Maarten and many more. Kayak posts new deals every Thursday. They are available for up to one week or until sold out. Properties are hand selected by kayak travel experts based on search trends. It offers outstanding properties at great values including locations that are really hot right now, so even trendy travel can be affordable. It’s super easy to use. The company is planning to add deals on air travel and packages soon. So now you can travel like a rock-star, even when you’re poor as dirt.
- Dining: google the happy hour specials in your town!
In this case, the early bird catches the bargain buzz! Happy hours can be classy affairs. And a good place for dinner, too. McCormick and Schmick’s dinner menu may boast the pricey surf and turf, but go during their happy hour and you can get Kobe beef sliders or salmon cakes for less than $5 (and a cheeseburger and fries for only $2.95). Swanky restaurants of all stripes are embracing happy hours now, often with heavily discounted entrees and half-off drinks.
Last But Not Least… There’s an App For That:
If you’re really a live large for less gal, then you MUST have a smartphone and know how to use it. That way, you can access money saving apps 24/7. Here’s just the tip of the iceberg for these apps:
- Drink for free. My Open Bar is exactly what it sounds like: a site that finds you places to get soused without reaching for your wallet.
- Find the cheapest gas in your area by consulting GasBuddy.
- For local deals galore, check out groupons. You never know when your Quizno’s sandwich might just be a dollar or two less.
Jennifer Jolly is a popular mommy-blogger and TV personality with more than half a million subscribers across several outlets. Over the last two years, she has delivered more than 700 TV and radio segments on popular consumer technology trends as the "Mobile Mom" and "Frugal Mom." She was a TV reporter and anchor for 12-years. Since becoming a Consumer Lifestyle Expert, she has worked on segments for Fox & Friends, The Early Show, Today Show and CNN American Morning and many more. She is also a regular contributor to ABC’s Nationally Syndicated,View From the Bay and guest columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.
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