I Would Spend an Extra $100 Bucks

I was reading Clever Dude's blog today and saw a guest post by Donnie Gamble entitled What Would You Do with an Extra $100 Bucks? He is suggesting that you should invest it wisely - save it. What would you do with it?

I know what I'd do with "found money" - put it in our Travel Fund. I guess that is saving for the short term, albeit "very" short term. (We are usually going on a trip at least every 6 months if not sooner.) In fact, we're putting our "extra" income (i.e. Craig's List and yard sale profits, credit card cash-back rewards, etc.) in the travel budget now.

So, why do we do spend it on travel rather than save it for the long term or put it towards paying down debt? Well, our budget is set up so that we are plowing quite a bit towards long term savings goals as well as retirement of debt. But we still want to do fun stuff -- but that means we have to come up with extra cash.

We do have a small amount ($100 per month) in the budget for travel expenses, but the two of us won't get too far on $1200 for the year. Mind you, that money is supposed to cover everything from transportation (gas for the car, airline tickets, etc.) and food to attractions and lodging. Even using a travel budget and a lot of cost saving measures, one of our long weekends for a marathon can run (no pun intended!) several hundred dollars to more than $1000, if we are flying.

So, we use extra money to fund traveling, which we love to do. It makes us work harder to find those bonus dollars. It also helps us keep our main savings goals as the priorities with much larger amounts budgeted for them than for travel. So, I don't find putting found money towards fun stuff to be frivolous at all.

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Traveling with a Budget

Believe it or not, I've never been too good with a budget. I think I'm too much of a literal thinker to make it work. Variable expenses (i.e. electric bill, water bill) frustrate me. It's high one month and low another month. Even grocery shopping is like that. Sometimes I want to stock up on a sale item, but that puts me over budget. I understand the concept. I've even had others explain it to me. But it's just never worked for me.

However, there is one budget that I actually like: our travel budget.

My husband and I take 2 to 4 trips a year for him to run marathons. He has a goal to run one in every state! It's a great way to see the country. This past Saturday, he just completed his 24th marathon (23 states plus DC). This time we were in Newport, RI. He only has a handful of states left east of the Mississippi, which means the cost of these ventures is going to start to really increase (when we add in airfare for two). But marathon trips are our "thing," and we have written the expense into our monthly savings plan.

We put a small amount of our paychecks toward our Travel Fund. Then, we beef it up with a variety of other sources (i.e. proceeds from yard sales/Craig's List sales, credit card cash back bonuses, savings account interest). It's a really good plan.

Then, before a trip, we think about all of the things we want to do while we are gone. We include budget line items for lodging, gas, tolls, airfare, car rental, food, admission fees to attractions, souvenirs, race entry fee, etc. Of course, I have a spreadsheet for our travel budget. I print it out, fill in the actual spending as we go and track our progress.

Thanks to a drop in gas prices, we did extremely well with our budget on our trip to Newport. We are leaving the leftover money from this trip in our savings account to put towards a future trip. Maybe this kind of budget works for me because it's over just a short period of time...

The budget actually helped us "live large" on this most recent trip without feeling guilty. I think it's because we had a complete understanding of what we spent and what we still had.

Michael's treat after a marathon is always a big steak dinner. This post-race celebration was no different. However, we were in the Ocean State, so we had to get some seafood too. We went for the $35 surf and turf -- filet minon and half of a lobster! We budgeted a decent amount for the steak dinner, but our big dinner choice put us $15 over the limit. No problem! We knew we still had money in the budget. We weren't looking to use up every penny just because it was there. However, this was a great way to treat ourselves -- guilt-free! And what a great dinner it was!

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Vacationing with Coupons

I really enjoy traveling and going on vacation. A big reason why I work so hard at saving money is so that I can ensure I have some earmarked for fun stuff (i.e. vacation)! I've written about some of my saving tips for the road and a lot of them stem back to using coupons either while planning the trip or during the trip. I never take a vacation from coupons -- I vacation with coupons! (After all, it's never too soon to start saving up for the next trip.)

So, I was excited yesterday when I got my weekly email on travel tips from the Washington Post Post Points program. Christina Talcott from the Post's Travel section offered up some websites for nearby places to which DC area readers may be vacationing or taking day trips. Here are the links:

Baltimore Area Convention and Visitors Association's Deals & Discounts

My Richmond Region Rewards

Sunny Day Guide - Virginia Beach Coupons

Ocean City, MD Coupon Book
This book costs $15, so look at the list of coupons and businesses to make sure that it will be useful to you.

That last one sounds similar to the Entertainment Book. They have deal going right now where if you order your 2009 Entertainment Book, they'll give you this year's edition for free. Or you can just buy the 2008 book for any city (assuming they haven't sold out) for $9.99. They offer coupon books for a lot of popular vacation destinations. I just noticed that our honeymoon destination city has an Entertainment Book! Hmmm...let me go look into that...

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Making Your Own Passport Photo

I saw an interesting tip on Bankrate.com's Frugal Sense tip contest this month entitled Create Passport Photo for Pennies. Since I will need to renew my passport that expires this summer, I checked out ePassportPhoto.com as listed in the tip. It seems like it would work and would save me some money.

I just looked on the U.S. Postal Service website in the section about applying for a passport. It looks like making your own photo is legitimate. I might have to give it a try!

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DC Summer Concert Series

As I've mentioned many times before, there are a lot free or low cost things to do in Washington, DC. With the price of gas being so high, this summer you may have to look towards taking local vacations or vacations to places that have a lot of free attractions and entertainment (because you use up most of your budget just getting there). Of course, DC is a natural choice.

If you live in the DC area or are making plans to be here between now and September, you should check out the Summer Concert Series webpage from the National Capital Region of the National Park Service. Most of the live entertainment that they list there are free, and most of them are great for people of all ages. (For example, I'm not sure how a two-year-old would feel about Hamlet.)

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Saving on Hotels - Priceline

Yesterday, I talked about how styles can determine what kind of lodging accommodations you may choose. For me, it boils down to the fact that I want a nice hotel room, but I don't want to pay the price (and neither does Michael, who is fine with a simple motel). We've figured out how to make us both happy: Priceline.

When we are planning a trip, Michael will find the nearest Motel 6 and tell me the rate. If he's afraid hotels in the area may fill quickly, he will reserve a room (just in case) that can be cancelled without a penalty. Then, I begin my work on Priceline.

When using Priceline for hotels, I always look at the options that are available in the different geographic areas they offer before bidding. Especially in major cities, almost all of the downtown properties charge $10+ per night for parking. So, if it works with our itinerary, I’ll pick a suburban or airport property and drive a few extra miles in order to get free hotel parking. Saving on parking helps our travel budget. Even with the very high price of gas now, a few extra miles of gas isn't going to make paying for city parking a better deal.

Also, I try to bid on 2.5 star hotels instead of 3 or 4 stars hotels. I like to stay in the nicest places possible for the lowest price possible. However, if you get a full-service/luxury hotel (3+ stars), you usually don’t get free breakfast like at the 2.5 star hotels, which we've still found to be very nice accommodations. The 2.5 star hotels are often extended-stay properties, which means they usually have bigger rooms and include a microwave, refrigerator, and sometimes even a range and/or oven.

Having free breakfast, a microwave, and a refrigerator helps cut down on dining-out costs. We can bring leftovers back to the hotel from restaurants that usually serve large portions to eat for lunch or dinner the next day.

Once I decide on the area and star level on which I want to bid, I will take the Motel 6 rate that Michael found and cut it in half. That's my first bid on Priceline. It's normally a ridiculously low price that isn't accepted for a 2.5 or 3 star hotel. If we don't get a room with that bid, I'll keep increasing the amount by $5/night until I reach the price of the Motel 6. If we think we'll get breakfast with the Priceline room, sometimes we'll bid up to $10/night more than Motel 6 (a 1 star motel). We've stayed at Marriott, Residence Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn for less than or about equal to a Motel 6. That makes us both happy!

Don't forget that when you bid on Priceline that if they accept a rate, you've bought that room -- no cancellations or changes. Be certain before you bid.

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Saving on Hotels - What's Your Style?

Saving on lodging when traveling is going to vary depending on your style and what you want and need in your accommodations.

I have a friend Whit who avoids hotels/motels whenever possible. She and her husband would much prefer camping for a whole variety of reasons, including the low nightly rates. I'm all about saving money, but regardless of the low cost, camping is definitely not my style! I need a bed, climate control, a shower, electricity, a flush toilet, a sink, four walls, a ceiling, and a floor. I really could go on and on about this subject, but let me just say that the one time I went camping (because I made a promise to Whit that I would try it), it rained and was hot. I kept thinking, I'm ready to go in now. But there was no "in" -- we were camping! So, I sat there praying, Dear Lord, I'm so grateful that I'm not homeless. Please bless those who are. I was being sincere.

Regardless of my need for some basics in lodging, Whit will argue that hotels are a waste of money. For her lifestyle, that is true -- but I need to blow dry my hair! (If you ever were to see my air-dried hair, you would understand that this is a need and not just a want.) Whit will also remind me of what I've told her from my days as a housekeeping manager at a lovely AAA Four Diamond hotel: don't walk on the carpet with your bare feet; don't drink out of the glasses in the bathroom; and whatever you do, don't let the bedspread or blanket touch your skin. I know, I know. But I can still avoid those things and feel the room rate is worth it.

Michael, on the other hand, is a Motel 6 guy. He shares the same philosophy with Whit that spending a lot on hotels is ridiculous. So, he has found that Motel 6 has a great low rate in cities of all sizes across the country. They provide the very basics (exactly what I listed above as my needs -- and nothing more) and are consistent in their quality ("it'll do").

When I started traveling with him (for him to run marathons in different states), I learned about Motel 6 being his lodging of choice. Knowing that I'm a pretty frugal person, Michael was surprised to learn that I wasn't very excited about the accommodations. But I worked at a AAA Four Diamond hotel for 4 years! -- I really enjoy a nice hotel (despite the aforementioned issues which I'm sure are industry-wide). Yes, a motel would meet my needs, but I want more: interior hallways, a pretty room with little amenities, a beautiful lobby. It makes coming back to the room after a long day of sightseeing or cheering on runners at a marathon a nice experience.

So, Michael and I discovered we had clashing ideas on lodging styles. I had a remedy for this problem (I didn't want to stay in a motel, and we didn't want to pay high prices for a hotel): Priceline! Tomorrow, I'll share with you some tips on using Priceline that we use to make us both happy.

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Free Tour of Europe (in DC)

Once again, if you live in or are planning to visit Washington, DC this weekend, there is another great free event in store: EU Open House! On Saturday, May 3, 26 of the European embassies are opening their doors for free programs, food, tours, lectures, music, and more. The open house is running from 10 AM - 3 PM. They are offering free shuttle service from some of the Metro stations to the embassies that aren't Metro accessible.

I've been wanting to go to this event for several years, but this is the first year I'm available to go. I can't wait! I love Europe -- and a free visit close to home, while not the same, should be fun. With all of the food and drink samples being offered, maybe we can even manage to make lunch out of it! :-)

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Which Car is Less Expensive to Drive?

When planning a recent long-distance trip, Michael and I were trying to decide which car we should take -- his or mine? He assumed my little compact sedan would get better gas mileage than his full-size sedan. I thought that was probably true, but I do like seeing the proof in the numbers.

I used AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator to find out the real answer. I was surprised to learn that on the same trip, it would only cost $8.06 more in gas (total - round trip) to take his car than mine. So, if we needed more space or find his car to be more comfortable, it would be fine to take his car. Of course, I realize that this calculator is only factoring the price of gas and not which car may cost more to maintain. But it is a helpful tool in budgeting a good estimated cost of gasoline for a road trip.

In addition to helping you decide between which car to use (assuming your traveling partners also have cars and you have a choice of which one to take) and helping you to budget for gas for a trip, this calculator may help you decide between two different cars to buy. Plug in the numbers for a city/area to which you make frequent trips (maybe for an annual vacation or to visit family or friends). Try it with the two different cars that you are considering to buy. It may help you understand the big picture better than the miles-per-gallon listed on the car.

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WalkingTown, DC Spring Edition 2008

If you live in the Washington, DC area or happen to be visiting this coming weekend (April 26-27), Cultural Tourism DC is hosting their bi-annual free walking tours! Michael and I have gone on a few of these tours in the past and really enjoyed them. It's a great way to get some exercise and learn more about the city -- for free! They offer 80 tours, so you are bound to find one or two with a topic that interests you and that fits into your schedule. In addition to walking tours, they offer a few bike tours too.

Check out the list of tours here!

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Free: White House Spring Garden Tours

As I'm sure I've said before, one of my favorite things about living in the Washington, DC area is that there are so many fabulous things to do for free! If you live here or live within reasonable driving distance, take advantage of these great things and have fun (while you are saving on the cost of entertainment). If you don't live here, DC is an awesome place for an affordable, fun vacation. You could really fill your days with all sorts of free activities.

What I consider to be one of the coolest free things is coming up next weekend: the White House Spring Garden Tours! This year it is being held on Saturday, April 12, and Sunday, April 13. It's free, but you do have to get timed entry tickets for everyone (including small children).

The inside of the White House is definitely a terrific (free) tour. But to me, the gardens are special because they are just as famous as the interior (i.e. Rose Garden). After spending a lot of time as a tourist on the outside of the iron fence, it's interesting to see what's in the President's yard. You get to see some hidden areas like the Children's Garden and the tennis court. You can also see the outside of the Oval Office! None of these things are on the regular White House (interior) tour.

Michael and I have gone on the Spring Garden Tour as well as the Fall Garden Tour. Both times, we've gone on a Sunday and went to worship service at St. John's Church across from the White House in the morning before the tour. It's known as "The Church of the Presidents" and is where every president since James Madison has attended on occasion or a regular basis. The President wasn't there either time we went, but it was still really cool to go to a service there.

Here are some pictures I've taken at the White House and St. John's Church when we've gone for a garden tour:

St. John's Church Jacqueline Kennedy Garden

Rose Garden Oval Office

View from the South Lawn

Bush Twins' Hand Prints in the Children's Garden (done when their grandfather was president)

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Smallest Hotel Room in Manhattan

This morning on Good Morning America they did a segment on the smallest hotel room in Manhattan. It's called the Pod Hotel, and GMA was reporting that their 70 square-foot single room is the cheapest room in the area. This teeny tiny room on the East Side has a twin bed, a sink, a 15" flat screen TV, and iPod docking station on a desk -- and a shared bathroom. It goes for $95/night, plus $16.21 in tax. That's insane! Of course, they did say that the average room is more than $260/night...so depending how you look at it, maybe it is a deal.

Granted, it was a couple of years ago, but Michael and I went to NYC and stayed at a 3-star Crowne Plaza for $106. I got it with an $80 bid on Priceline, plus taxes and booking fee. Seeing that a room at that same Crowne Plaza is going for $153/night if you book it out right on a weekend this April, I'm sure you could get an $80 bid accepted now. Okay, okay - it was in Queens near LaGuardia Airport, but it was for a room for two and was very spacious. Most importantly, it had it's own bathroom! Even when you calculate in commuting cost to Manhattan, it's going to be about the same price as the single at the Pod. To me, it would definitely be worth the travel time to be more comfortable in the room -- even if it's for nothing more than sleeping.

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Restaurant Deals When Traveling

I mentioned yesterday that we do some planning in advance of traveling partly as a way to stretch our vacation budget a little further. In addition to looking on the Internet and in tourist magazines for restaurant coupons, I will usually look to see if I can find a restaurant on Restaurant.com that interests us in the place where we are visiting. If you aren't familiar with Restaurant.com, you can buy a $25 gift certificate for a restaurant for $10 (or less if you can find a coupon code -- CouponMom.com usually has one).

We've had this work well for us two times -- in Hartford, CT and Oklahoma City, OK. I found a restaurant that looked good that offered a Restaurant.com certificate. I bought it and then printed directions to that place from our hotel. (We don't travel with a computer or a printer, so we have to do this in advance.) We'd never been to either of these cities, much less the restaurants, so it was done completely based on their websites and the fact they offered Restaurant.com certificates. Both places turned out to be pretty good.

Following the same steps, we've also had this not work out two times. The first time was in the Outer Banks, NC. It turned out that the restaurant was kind of like a bakery, and they no longer served dinner (and we would have never spent $25 on lunch at a bakery for two people). The other time it happened was in Waynesville, NC. The restaurant was permanently closed. There was no indication of these issues on Restaurant.com or the restaurants' websites. The good news is that I didn't lose the certificates. I just emailed customer service at Restaurant.com before the 90 day exchange period ended, and they issued me a credit that I could use for a certificate at a different restaurant with which they are partners. So, we didn't get those particular deals on the trips, but we also didn't lose anything either. It's worth a try again the next time we are going somewhere that has Restaurant.com restaurants.

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Free & Low-Cost Activities on the Road

Today Coupon Mom had a post on her blog about a website called Free-Attractions.com on which you can find things to do for free in all 50 states. That's new to me. I'll have to keep it in mind when we start traveling again in the fall.

Michael and I have taken lots of trips together and are always on the look out for fun, interesting, and free (or at least, low cost) things to do. He's a master at searching the Internet for great attractions to visit during our travels. We also always request for the local and state visitors' centers to send us their packets of information before we go. (Their contact info is easily found by doing a quick Internet search.) We get free maps, brochures, and magazines about the area we are going to visit. They often include coupons for attractions and restaurants too. We usually plan several months in advance so that we have time to scour the brochures, tourist magazines, and websites to find the best things to do -- and to see if we can get a deal.

We love to experience a bit of local life when we go somewhere. Often those types of things are free. Here are just a few of the things we've done over the past few years: In Milwaukee we visited the Miller Brewing Plant and took their free tour. In Oklahoma City we, city folks, actually really enjoyed sitting in on cattle auctions at the Stockyards -- also free. In Kentucky we went on a couple of tours of distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail -- of course, they were free. We always make a point to take the free capitol building tours when we are in a state capital. We also got a great view of Hartford, CT by going to the top of the Travellers Tower -- which has an observation deck that is open to the public for free May through October.

Use your resources and do some research before you go. You can find a lot things to do for little or no money!

PSA: do plan to have a designated driver if you are visiting a brewing plant or distillery. Some of them (i.e. Miller's and Jim Beam) will give visitors who are of legal drinking age several full-size samples!

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Save on Parking Fees When Traveling

When I'm looking to book a hotel, I always look at the options that are available in different parts of the area in which we want to stay before making the reservation. I look to see if any of the hotels charge for parking. Especially in major cities, almost all of the downtown properties charge $10+ per night for parking. So, if it works with our itinerary, I’ll pick a suburban or airport property and drive a few extra miles in order to get free parking at the hotel.

Sure, we might have to still pay for daily parking when we get into the city, but not always. Many places offer free parking on weekends or at least on Sundays. Regardless, daily parking is almost always less expensive than overnight parking. Plus, just because we stay in the downtown area, it doesn't mean that every place we want to visit is within walking distance of the hotel. So, we'd have to pay daily parking anyway if we move the car from the hotel. And even with the high price of gas now, driving a little extra distance is usually cheaper than the hotel parking fee. Depending on the city, safe and reliable public transportation may be available from nearby a hotel that is farther away. That may be another more economical way to get around than staying downtown and incurring the overnight parking fee.

It's worth checking into what the parking charges will be before making a reservation. Especially if you are staying more than one night, those fees can really run up your hotel bill.

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Saving on Rental Cars

In the last couple of years, Michael and I have had reason to get a rental car twice while on vacation. Like I've mentioned recently in Saving on Airfare and Saving More on Airfare - Priceline, we like to shop for the best travel deals. Both times that we've rented a car, we've found the best deal by far was through the Entertainment Book.

Here's an example from when we went to Milwaukee in May 2006:
Company: National
Type of car: compact (the smallest size eligible for this coupon)
Coupon from Entertainment Book: 1 free weekend day, in addition to the Entertainment Book discount
Price per day with all taxes & discount/coupon: $9.59/day

At the time I was looking to book this car, Priceline said said that no company would probably accept a $10/day bid (and that's before taxes & fees)!

Here's an example from when we went to Oklahoma City in April 2007:
Company: Alamo
Type of car: compact (the smallest size eligible for this coupon)
Coupon from Entertainment Book: $20 off a 4 day rental, in addition to the Entertainment Book discount
Savings over booking directly through Alamo.com: $43 (or 36%)

It's definitely worth taking a look at the Entertainment Book discounts and coupons before you book your next rental car reservation!

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Saving More on Airfare - Priceline

As I mentioned last week in Saving on Airfare, I recently got a good deal on tickets to my honeymoon destination. Beyond the good deal, I was also able to use a coupon for American Airlines that was in the Entertainment Book and get some extra money back from Discover Card's current 5% Cashback Bonus program.

Coupon Mom just picked up my tips for one of her blog posts today. (Thanks, Stephanie!) And in that post, she also mentioned that Priceline will give a contribution to your Upromise college savings account when you book a reservation. I love Priceline!...and I love that they are a Upromise partner! But why, you ask, didn't I use them for my honeymoon flight reservations?

There is a potential drawback to bidding for your airfare on Priceline: flight times. Their website states, "Domestic flights are scheduled to depart anytime between 6am and 10pm unless your city pairs require off-peak travel. International flights can depart anytime on your travel dates." In the case of this part of the honeymoon, we aren't going to be gone a full week, and we want to see, do, and relax as much as we can. So, for this trip, we opted not to go the Priceline route for fear that we'd arrive late and have to leave early, which would cut into our already short vacation. The savings wasn't worth the risk.

However, we have bid on airfare on Priceline in the past. Here are some of what I think are their great benefits (pulled from their website): "Your flights will be confirmed for the dates and airports you agree to. Your flights will have a maximum of one stop each way, unless you agree to two connections each way. If you have a connection, your layover time will never be longer than three hours for domestic flights. You will never be put on a red-eye or off-peak flight unless you agree to one. You will know the total amount of your purchase before completing your transaction."

So, if arrival and departure times and the carrier aren't important to you, Priceline is a great option.

Here's an example from a trip we took last spring:
For the flights we took, the airline website was offering $330 (total price with fees and taxes). Kayak.com found the best deal on these flights to be $321 (total price). Our winning bid on Priceline was $263 (total price). That was a 18% savings over the lowest fare we could find. At the time, Priceline was offering a 1% contribution to a Upromise account, which meant another $2.63 in savings for me. Currently, Priceline is offering a 2% contribution to your Upromise account when booking through them -- so check it out, travel, and save!

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Saving on Airfare

Last weekend Michael and I decided to book the airfare for our honeymoon. Michael had looked on the usual sites like Kayak.com to figure out what the best deal was. However, he also took the time to figure out which carriers service both our home airport and the one in our vacation destination. Then, just to be sure we had the best deal, he looked at the websites of those airlines. Guess what? He found a lower deal than Kayak told him was available!

I was really glad that he took the time to figure this out. However, I will always try to stretch beyond the lowest deal and see what kind of extras I can get on top of that, like Upromise credit or an extra cashback bonus through Discover Card's ShopDiscover program. They aren't partners with American, so no deal there. But then, I flipped open my Entertainment Book and found American Airlines in the index! They had a coupon code for an additional 5% off any airfare worldwide that is $150 or more for up to 6 passengers.

Yippee! The coupon code worked, and we saved an additional $25.80. The Entertainment Book is awesome! (Incidentally, you can get it at a great discount this time of year.)

And actually I got another deal by using my Discover Card. They are offering 5% cashback (on top of the usual incentive) in their Get More program this quarter for travel purchases up to $800. Fantastic!

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Finding Good (and Affordable) Restaurants in NYC

I just read this week's PostPoints Travel Tip of the Week entitled A Bite of the Big Apple by Scott Vogel of The Washington Post. He writes about Restaurant Weeks coming up in New York City January 21-25 and January 28-February 1. For the types of restaurants that participate and the number of courses that you get, it's a good deal. Vogel sites the latest Zagat Survey which says the average price of dinner in NYC is $39.46. (Wow - I wonder if that's just the meal or if it includes a drink, tax, and tip.)

Reading that article reminded me of when I was in the Big Apple for 3 nights this past June for work. I was staying in Times Square where I knew there would definitely be no shortage of restaurants. Before I went (because I figured I wouldn't have Internet access while I was there), I turned to Upromise to find out which restaurants near the hotel would give me some money towards college savings. There were 98 Upromise restaurants within 1 mile of my hotel! So, I sorted them by distance (low to high) and printed out the information on ones that were within a half mile of the hotel. When I arrive in New York, I was prepared with a list of dining options, complete with a description, price range, location, Upromise member ratings, and Zagat review, if the restaurant had been on their survey.

The first night I decided to try the Roxy Delicatessen. Like most restaurants on Broadway in or near Times Square, it's kind of a tourist trap. It was okay, but it would have been much better if they offered smaller sandwiches (and lower prices). I really didn't need a pound (literally!) of pastrami. With a soft drink, tax, and tip, that sandwich dinner was $19.20. And to think, Upromise said that the prices at the Roxy Deli were fair compared to Manhattan standards! However, I did get 8% of that total for college savings in my Upromise account.

The next night I met a friend who now lives in Brooklyn. We ate at one of her favorite Thai restaurants in Manhattan. (Note: this wasn't on the Upromise list, but it didn't matter because I had my friend to guide me to good eats this night.) It was a place called Klong. I got a great entree and a martini (plus tax and tip) for $17.00. Mind you, this seemed to be off the beaten path, so I guess prices weren't as high as in the tourist areas.

My last night in New York, I referred back to my Upromise list. This time I decided to head a few blocks off of Broadway to a little Italian restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called Pietrasanta. It got good reviews from Upromise members and Zagat, and I was going to earn 8% for college savings. I guess I was hungry earlier than the usual crowd in NYC because I was the first one in the restaurant. (That made me a little nervous until the restaurant filled up soon after I got there.) Arriving early, I got a great seat by the window. This meal was awesome -- real Italian food! I think I just got an entree (with water to drink), and it cost $19.24. I wished I had gone there the first night instead of to Roxy's because for the same price it was a much, much better value. With a great local place like that, it made me wonder why people would eat at the Olive Garden in Times Square.

The moral of this story is when you are traveling, ask locals where they eat. You'll probably find some of the best restaurants in terms of food and price that way. If that's not an option for you, at least step out of the tourist areas to dine. Again, you'll probably get better food at a better price.

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Saving on the Road

Michael and I just got back from our first wedding planning trip to NC. Just like my parents did when I was a kid, I stocked a little cooler with cans of Coke, bottles of water, and some snacks. Having those things on hand saved us from picking up expensive convenience store items.

The cooler stash also helped us save when we stopped for lunch. Yesterday, two fountain drinks at Burger King would have cost us $2.35. Instead, I got a 12-pack of Coke several weeks ago on sale at Harris Teeter for $2.03 (which includes tax). So, that's about 17 cents per can!

If we take one road trip per month between now and the wedding and stop to eat going down and coming home, at this savings rate on drinks with our fast food meals, we would save $32. For basically no inconvenience (just a little planning before hitting the road), we could feed another person or two at the reception. Since coupons for wedding vendors either don't exist or are very rare, I'll take these other savings as they come!

Even if you aren't taking road trips, think about how this could add up if you like to have a soft drink at work for lunch every day! (Of course, if you can drink good tap or filtered water instead for free, all the better.)

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