Last month, while we were in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, we stayed in a lovely cabin rather than a hotel. It made it so nice because there were 10 of us and we were all able to stay in the same cabin, spend quality time together, and share the expense. It was more relaxing than a hotel too, mainly because it has more of a feel of being at home. There was a full kitchen and family room as well as a game room with a pool table. Several family members even got together to fix breakfast on several mornings, giving us all a great start to our day. Getting a cabin as a vacation rental was certainly the way to go.
One of our next group vacations will probably be to the beaches of Florida. My niece lives in Florida, but she shares her place with a roommate and I seriously doubt that they would want all of us dropping in on them at the same time. Not to mention, we’d need more bathrooms! We will definitely be looking at Vacation Home Rentals through vacationhomerentals.com to find vacation rentals by owner. By renting directly from the owner, we eliminate the rental agency and save money plus we get the benefit of staying in comfortable surroundings. At Vacation Home Rentals, it’s super easy to find Orlando vacation homes in Florida’s most popular destination. Saving money on accommodations allows us to spend more money on dining out or other fun things while we’re on vacation.
The website is very easy to use and even has a section for last minute deals. Of course, vacation home rentals are available all over the world, so we’ll be using them anytime we go on vacation.
My husband recently experienced having invalid charges on his credit card, the one he always uses strictly for business travel. He discovered the problem when he attempted to buy airline tickets through an online travel service and his card was not accepted. Turns out, the bank the card is issued through had frozen his account due to suspicious charges, over $600 worth, that took place in eastern Europe. Since my husband had forgotten to update his phone number on the account after we relocated, the bank was unable to notify him. It’s all been straightened out now and he’s not being held responsible for those charges, but it’s very scary how easily someone can get an account number.
We’re lucky that it only got that far. There is always the very real threat of identity theft.
Did you know that you can get a free copy of your credit report annually? It’s a great idea to monitor your credit and not wait until something bad happens. Don’t be fooled either by companies touting to give you a free credit report, but the only way you can get it is by signing up and paying for one of their services. I don’t know about you, but that’s not free to me. New York Times bestselling author, Bob Sullivan, wrote an article on this very topic warning consumers about freecreditreport.com. This company, owned by Experian, offers “free” credit reports, but makes you pay a monthly service fee for their identity theft protection in order to get them.
If I’m going to pay anyone for identity theft protection, it’s going to be lifelock, who not only promises a real solution, they guarantee it. So, don’t be confused by all those singing commercials using an actor to play the part of someone who’s identity was supposedly stolen. Make smart decisions and choices when it comes to protecting your identity.
Last week I spent several hours online trying to find a round trip airfare for my mom who needed immediate flights for departure. We were both on our computers searching the web for the best deal and, after a long morning of searching, we did manage to find her good flights at reasonable fairs. I think she was even able to use a Travelocity promotion code to get an even better deal, so, I think she did all right.
I find that I’m always looking for coupons to use both online and in stores. I can use www.savings.com to find pretty much any coupon available. I’ve found and used grocery coupons, free item coupons and free shipping codes. Today I even managed to find an electronics coupon that I used to buy a pair of micro-sd cards for mine and my daughter’s cell phones. She’s going to be so happy!
I read some place that if you’re buying something from an online retailer and, at checkout, there is a place to type in a “promotion code”, then more than likely there is a promotion code available, it’s all a matter of finding it. If you do a search for a coupon, it will bring probably bring up hundreds of sites, many of them are outdated or expired. If you want current coupons and coupon codes, use www.savings.com
There’s really never been a better time to use coupons, after all, who doesn’t like saving money?
Well, that’s about the silliest video I’ve seen in quite some time. I’m not sure I understood the plot, but obviously, the main characters, the Sproutwells, are vegetables. If I understood correctly, they live along side humans. Carrots are supposed to help with intelligence, so I think I’d be a carrot in the Sproutwell family, maybe bring something smart to the story.
This video is appearing on YouTube now and is definitely one of a kind. Feel free to watch and if you like, embed the code on your own site. Perhaps episode #2 (if there is an episode #2) will help explain what’s going on here.
Flowers, they are beautiful and I could never get tired of looking at them. I’ve always wished I was a better gardener so that I might have a beautiful flower garden in my own yard.
There are times when we want to send flowers to someone else, birthdays, anniversaries and funerals to name a few. Why oh why do they have to be so expensive? To send a decent, but not huge, flower arrangement to my uncle’s funeral, the cost is $90! My sister even called a local florist so we didn’t have to pay wire fees. It’s absoluetly crazy.
Truth is, maybe we’d all buy a lot more flowers for inside our homes if they just weren’t so expensive.
I am so thankful that sewing has provided me an outlet for my creativity and, I’ve been able to earn some money from selling what I create. I’ve also been blessed to have discovered blogging, another outlet for another type of creativity, writing. On occasion, I’ve even been fortunate enough to get paid for my writing. Yes, the internet has opened up new ways for me and many others to earn money.
What about you? Do you enjoy working for yourself? Do you have an area of expertise that you want to put to work? If you answered yes, you should consider freelance work, a great option for making money online. At FreelanceNation.com, you can find 119 city-specific freelance job boards. These job boards are where companies can post freelance work and freelancers can find jobs. Recruiters also use these freelance job boards to look for qualified candidates. There are 28 job categories to choose from, something for just about everyone.
FreelanceNation.com is much more than just a job board, it’s a host of resources for any freelancer. Resources include tax prep, accounting, legal, and insurance resources among others. Freelancers create a profile, an online resume, for companies can find out what you do best. Businesses can post projects. This is a win-win for both. So, if you’re looking for freelance jobs or you’re a business looking for creative staffing, be sure to check it out.
I went to the optometrist the end of June, had my eye exam and ordered a pair of prescription eyeglasses. The new eyeglasses arrived two weeks later, but were incorrectly tinted. I had to send them back to have the tinting corrected. Finally, this past Monday, I received the correctly tinted prescription sunglasses. It’s been a frustrating and expensive process. My insurance paid a large portion of the cost, but I still had to pay over $150 out of pocket. While my frames were expensive, they were far from being the most expensive. I actually tried on a frame that was priced at $660! I put those back in a hurry!
I wish I had known about ZenniOptical.com when I was shopping for my eyeglasses a month ago. I could have saved a lot of money. They sell prescription glasses online for as little as $8. They can sell their eyewear so inexpensively because they only sell frames that they manufacture themselves and they sell directly to the consumer, no middleman. Staff members of the The Clark Howard Show, a radio talk show, have tried the service and are recommending ZenniOptical.com.
I checked Zenni Optical and found a pair of glasses very similar to what I bought. These however, were significantly cheaper, only $29.95.
I need to update my regular, everyday prescription lenses, so I will be shopping at ZenniOptical.com for those. I can’t afford another pair from the optometrist.
I helped my mom book her airline ticket to Seattle the other day. We were looking at several different online travel sites as well as directly through the airline sites and the one thing that struck me was the huge range in ticket prices. To fly from Indianapolis to Seattle, round trip coach fare, the ticket prices started at $425 (which is what my mom wound up paying) and went up to over $1,800. The one thing that I have to remind myself of is, no matter what price you’re paying for your airline ticket, unless you’re willing to pay for first class service, your ticket buys you a seat on the airplane and basically nothing more. Now we even have to pay extra to take luggage with us on most airlines.
It hasn’t always been this way. Airline travel used to come with all kinds of perks to make every passenger feel comfortable, in every class of service. Not only did our luggage get checked without additional fees, passengers used to get meal service (and it was edible and not just a piece of bread). In flight service may have included movies, magazines, and even playing cards. To make the trip even more enjoyable, pillows and blankets were passed out to any passenger who wanted them. Of course, all of these services have gone away. Now, passengers feel lucky if they get offered something to drink and if their luggage arrives as scheduled.
As my mom began to plan what to pack, I reminded her to take what she needs to be comfortable on her 4 hour flight. Security has knocked out some of the things we used to do to occupy ourselves in flight, such as hand sewing. She can still take reading materials though and can buy some bottled water to have with her once she’s gone through the security check point. I like to travel with my own pillow, but carrying that with you can be cumbersome. I suggest the Cabin Cuddler as a great alternative.
The Cabin Cuddler is not only a lighweight travel blanket, but it’s also a pillow. Both the blanket, with its foot pocket and shoulder warmer, and pillow come in convenient micro-fleece tote bag that make it convenient to carry and keeps your blanket and pillow clean. The tote bag handles hang easily on any standard luggage to make it easy to carry through the airport with you. Of course, an airplane isn’t the only place the Cabin Cuddler can be useful. My sister would love one in her car and I could use one right here at home, especially in the winter months.
Anyway, my mom arrived safely in Seattle yesterday and her luggage arrived with her. So, all is good. Now, let’s just hope it’s all as smooth on the return trip!
As you know, I’ve just returned from 2 weeks of a road trip that took me from Dallas, through Tennesse and Kentucky and then on to Atlanta before returning home. The temperatures at home were in the 90’s when I left and weren’t too much different in all of the areas we visited. Upon returning home on Saturday, Dallas has been 100+ degrees every day. I just have to say, I have been thankful every day that our van has good air conditioning.
Our van is 8 years old though, so before I ever left home, my husband took the van to the shop and had everything checked out, including the air conditioning compressor. If we had needed any parts for the a/c, I would hope that our service center would utilize www.discountacparts.com, where they carry parts for all makes and models of vehicles. Plus, they warranty all of their parts and ship for free. Thankfully, other than some coolant, we didn’t need any auto a/c parts and the a/c compressor was running just fine.
If you find your vehicle needs any a/c parts, you may want to give discountacparts.com a visit.
After spending two weeks on the road and away from home, I have plenty of things to tackle around here. I’ve been tackling laundry, a couple of loads a day, since Sunday and am washing the bedding today. I finished unloading our van yesterday. Yes, it’s unloaded. Now I need to put everything away. I managed to unpack my suitcases on Saturday night, but everything else is still waiting to be put away. This includes all of my sewing items, fabrics, products, etc. I also have spent the last couple of days tackling the mound of mail that was waiting for me. I’ve got everything sorted and most of what is left requires some sort of action. Some will need a phone call to be made, some need forms filled out and sent in.
Finally, I would be sharing more photos, but I still need to download all the pictures from the trip. Most of the photos are on my new camera which requires me to connect a cord to the computer in order to download. (For some reason, my computer won’t recognize the memory card).
