Can You Save Money With Hotwire?

The answer is "YES"!

In my family we are Disney freaks and have the Disney Vacation Club, so we use our DVC points for accommodations on most of our vacationing. It is a great deal - but that is another post for another day!

Recently we had the honor of attending the wedding of my best friend's son. It was about 500 miles away, so of course we stayed the weekend. It also gave me the chance to visit with my friend and her family!

We live on a tight budget, so we had to carefully plan the trip. My friend had talked with hotels close to her home and found out the best rate. We needed 2 rooms because my son and his family were also going. Since my friend was not reserving over 10 rooms, she could not get the best "bulk" rate the hotels offered. Don't get me wrong, the price was better than the advertised rate, and better than I could get booking online. I just thought I could get a better price...

I spent one evening scouring the web trying to find a discount code or something that would help. Then my husband (smart man he is) recommended I check on Hotwire.com or Priceline.com.

So, we used Hotwire.com and put in our date and location. We knew the "star" rating of the hotel and the part of town. Hotwire.com lets you narrow your search by several things, including the rating and general location. You don't know the name of the hotel until after you book a room, but you do know the amenities, customer reviews, and which hotels are normally in the star rating category.

As it turns out, we found the same hotel and same type room as my friend was quoted. But - the rate was over 30% less than the best rate we could get otherwise! That sold me!

Hotwire.com has discount prices on hotels, rental cars, airfare, cruises and vacation packages. It might not always be your best bet, but it sure is worth checking out. Just remember - you won't know the exact hotel until you book, and booking requires a non-refundable payment.

Remember - Learning to be thrifty, to create a budget, and live by your budget is one of the most valuable money skills you can have!

Janet

Save on Books

At our home we have an avid reader. My 15 year old daughter. She likes many kinds of books and prefers to read them the old fashioned way - not with a Kindle or other electronic reader.

As thrifty living people, we come up with ideas to keep her reading current books. First of all, we use the public library. She also swaps books with friends. Some of the books, she wants to keep, so we invest wisely by buying the hard cover copy.

For books that she is going to read once and not planning to keep, we shop a local book resale store. She takes good care of the books she reads and we resale them after she is through with them. Works out good for us and the store!

Keep up your thrifty living!

Thrifty411.com

Great site! BeatThat!

I just found this cool new site, BeatThat! Here's the info from their "about" page. Check them out for the best deals on the internet.
Janet

"BeatThat! is committed to providing an open, transparent view into the world of online shopping - so that shoppers online can feel comfortable that they've found the very best deals from stores they know a lot about - and the site guarantees that it has the lowest prices for its products, or you'll be paid for alerting the site to a better deal!"

Have a great day!

Janet

Thrifty Deal of the Day

There is a Red-Tag sale going on at Geeks.com.

Check it out:





Have a great day!
Janet

Thrifty Entertainment

Having fun does not always have to be expensive.

If you have children, spend time planning activities with them.

Check your local newspaper for cultural and social events. Many local events are free or low cost. You can also find information about things going on in your area at CitySearch.com.

Some other ideas:

1. Go to a movie during the matinee hours.
2. Have a family game night and play board games, puzzles, or cards.
3. Learn a craft that you can share with your children such as clay, crochet, cross stitch, or woodcrafts.
4. Your local library offers more than books! Check them for videos and games.

Check out http://www.thrifty411.com/ for more on being thrifty and frugal.

Janet