Florida Driver's License driver license renewal is going up to $48 on Sept 1, 2009. Currently, it's $20. You can renew up to 18 months in advance, so check yours to see if you can renew early before the increase date.
http://www.flhsmv.gov/realid/
Fly to Los Angeles from these cities on Allegiant Air and pay $15 each leg plus taxes, fees, etc.:
Bellingham, Wash.
McAllen, Texas
Northwest Arkansas (XNA)
Billings, Mont.
Medford, Ore.
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Des Moines, Iowa
Missoula, Mont.
Springfield, Mo.
Fargo, N.D.
Monterey, Calif.
Wichita, Kan.
Grand Junction, Colo.
From OrlandoSentinel.com:
"Next year everyone will be able to come to a Walt Disney World's theme parks on their birthdays and get in free.
"That's the cornerstone of the 2009 national promotional campaign, 'What will you celebrate?' announced today by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Anyone showing up with a valid ID including proof of birthdate will get a free ticket on that day in 2009 for one of the theme parks at Disney World or at Disneyland in California."
Ever want to know what nights restaurants have kids eat free deals? This site lists common chain restaurants and what night is best to bring the kiddos.
You'll need even more cash for your next Disney trip. The park adds $4 a person to prices on Sunday.
Is your hotel helping itself to your bank account after you've left? Apparently this is happening more and more ...
South America and Asia are the new Europe -- at least when it comes to college students backpacking it on a budget.
From About.com: Spa Week is coming up April 14-20, 2008. Enjoy $50 spa treatments in 21 markets in the U.S. and Canada, including New York City, Los Angeles and Toronto.
Don't have time or money for a full cruise? Here are some deals on mini-cruises.
Looking to rent a timeshare instead of owning? Check out these Timeshare User Group's classified section.
Skybus has started to sell plane tickets for travel between March 7-May 31, 2008. The new low-fare carrier offers 10 seats for $10 on each flight. Here are the current destinations:
Columbus, OH to/from:
Boston (Portsmouth)
Chattanooga
Ft. Lauderdale
Greensboro**
Gulfport-Biloxi/New Orleans Area
Hartford/Springfield
Jacksonville/Daytona Beach
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Milwaukee
New York/Stewart
Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers
Richmond
S.F./Bay Area
Greensboro,** NC to/from:
Boston (Portsmouth)
Columbus
Ft. Lauderdale
Gulfport-Biloxi/New Orleans Area
Hartford/Springfield
Jacksonville/Daytona Beach
Los Angeles
New York/Stewart
Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers
Boston, MA (Portsmouth) to/from:
Columbus
Greensboro**
Jacksonville/Daytona Beach
Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers
After the $10 seats sell out, you can still get fares for around $35 to $45 on many flights.
A Columbus, Ohio, startup carrier called Skybus is offering 10 seats for $10 each on each of its flights starting next month. Industry experts are keeping a close eye on the public's response. If it catches on, it could apply pressure to other carriers to offer even more extreme savings. Skybus current flies to nine airports in the United States, and any extra service you want (checking bags, soft drinks, etc.) will be additional. Their regular fares will be low-cost as well—$40 or $50 before taxes.
Looking for a free place to crash? Here are two websites that serve as networks for folks looking for free places to spend the night around the world:
CouchSurfing.com
GlobalFreeloaders.com
Has anyone used these services?
I received an email from a Cheap Ways to Tie the Knot reader named Esteban last night. His girlfriend bought him the book as they plan on getting engaged and having a wedding in Hawaii. “We are thinking of having our wedding in Kona, Hawaii because her parents currently have a condo and live part of the year there,” he wrote. “She also has some sentimental reasons for wanting it there. I want it to be wherever she'll be happy, and Hawaii is pretty awesome. It would be outdoors, with the ocean behind us. We are going to be on a budget and we still need to research but $5,000 would be ideal. I currently live in Dallas, TX, and my girlfriend is moving here in some months. She is in Hawaii right now and is trying to find out as much information as possible.”
He asked what advice I could post on the site about “cheap ways to get married somewhere that's far away and still be on a budget.” One of his main concerns was the cost for friends and family members to get there.
In addition to my advice in this post, please post your ideas for Esteban and others to check out!
Everyone knows it's expensive to eat out ... but one can expect to spend around $40 a person when eating a decent meal in NYC, which is 20 percent higher than the national average. Zagat's annual dining survey released on Wednesday said prices have raised 5 percent in the city for most restaurants, with some rising 15 percent since last year. This was the biggest percentage hike in years, but it's still a deal compared with meals in Tokyo ($75), London ($72) and Paris ($67).
No matter where you vacation, make sure you do your homework. Don’t stay at a hotel you haven’t read reviews for. Websites like www.traveladvisor.com post reviews of hotels and vacations from people around the world. Additionally, when looking at the website for a hotel, make sure it shows pictures of the accommodations and not just the perfectly manicured lawn and pool.
While we’re on the subject of travel, here’s an article with tips to save cash while visiting the notoriously expensive Key West.
Some tips:
• “Lodging is cheaper just north of the city in spots such as Big Pine Key, and you won't have to deal with the congestion. (You can leave your rental car at the Park N' Ride on Grinnell and Caroline streets all day for $13 and ride the free shuttle downtown.)”
• “Save on bike rental costs by finding accommodations that lend guests bikes for free.”
• “Check the Web sites of Key West's museums before you go; some have admission discounts you can print out.”
If you're thinking about visiting New York this year, think quick. Hotel room rates will drop significantly in January and February as holiday visitors clear out, according to this CNN report. Hotel rates soared over the holidays; even Days Inn's rooms were going for $229 on New Year's Eve. But if you travel in the next few weeks, you can score a three-star hotel room for $160 a night. The article warns that the rates won't last, as New York has now recovered from the depression of rates after Sept. 11.
And of course, you can always use Priceline.com if you don't have a specific hotel in mind you want to use. My husband and I did this for our anniversary last year and stayed at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando for $100 a night. Not a bad way to go for a luxury hotel.
Walt Disney World tix have gone up. The basic one-day, one-park adult ticket now costs $63 before tax (it used to be $59.75). A child under 10 is $52 for a one-day pass. For Florida residents, a one-day adult ticket costs $56.70, up from $53.75.
There are discount ticket shops in the area if you want to drive around and find one before entering the park. Also, warehouse stores like Costco offer packaged tickets to theme parks, sports and recreational attractions like zoos, spas, and movie theaters as well. They have a listing for Disneyland tix. A four day pass for southern California residents is $119.
Priceline.com has announced some upgrades and changes to their website. One of their new offerings is called PriceBreakers. The PriceBreakers page or email newsletter lists their best and lowest last-minute travel deals each day. It includes cruises, flights, hotel and other package deals.
My husband and I have little change containers on our nightstands. Each day we dump our loose change we gathered during the day (we always pay with bills and never spend the change). The change collects until we have a trip planned. We use the money we saved to board our pet at the kennel. This way we don't feel the extra financial blow. It's a fun way to save.
You can try it by:
1. Use cash instead of your ATM card for every purchase.
2. Use only bills to pay for your purchases and keep your change (avoid vending machines at work!).
3. Designate a convenient location or two to store the change as it piles up.
4. Purpose the money toward a goal (a night on the town, new clothes, traveling, gifts, home improvement) and assign it a timeline (three months, your next trip, friends' birthdays, etc.)
5. Take your change to a coin-counting machine at a local grocery store (We use Coinstar, www.coinstar.com, which charges 8.9 cents per dollar counted unless you opt for a gift card) or roll the coins and take it to the bank if you have the time—we sure don't.
6. Enjoy the fruits of your labor! (We'll always shocked by how much money we've saved.)
A co-worker of mine is getting married tonight. I spoke with him yesterday about where his family is staying while in town for the wedding. He said his apartment complex has a “guest suite” they rented out for his parents. Just $70 a night and it’s a whole furnished apartment with a big screen TV to boot. Not a bad way to ride. He also said he found out that the apartment (and many other apartments) will rent out empty apartments for cheaper than a local hotel room if you ask (a little Google search on the topic turns up that this is a common practice outside the U.S. already). My co-worker said he plans to try out this tip on their first post-honeymoon vacation.