Stay home on weekends: Traveling mid-week is always cheaper because hotels usually hike up their rates Thursday through Saturday night. Try to plan your trip for Sunday to Wednesday when the prices are more affordable.

Pick up the phone: I love looking for hotel deals online, but I find that I get a much better price when I pick up the phone and call the hotel to inquire about better rates. Sometimes, hotels don’t advertise special deals and packages on their website.

Don’t stay at a home: If you’re taking an extended trip, booking a studio or small apartment can be quite a bit more affordable than a hotel room. Plus, sometimes, they’re a lot nicer!

What are your favorite tips and tricks for saving money on your accommodations when you travel?

I walked around the park a with a big, goofy smile on my face all afternoon long. The day definitely brought out the kid in me!

One of the reasons that I don’t typically like theme parks is because they are overpriced and crowded. I don’t like spending my hard earned money on overpriced entertainment and food, and I’m impatient so long lines really annoy me.

But, did you know that there is a time of year when it’s less crowded and often cheaper to go to a theme park? Well, it turns out that in September theme parks are practically abandoned when kids return to school, so the parks and surrounding hotels practically give things away. Even better, the weather is still nice and there are very few lines. Sweet!

• Check out brand new hotels. This might sound counterintuitive, but recently opened hotels typically reduce their rates to attract customers. Check out hotelchatter.com, a daily webzine, for information about the latest bargains.
• Take the bus. I’m serious! If booking a plane ticket is too expensive, consider taking the bus to your destination. New “premium” bus companies, like the Bolt Bus, combine low prices with amenities such as free wi-fi. I often take the Bolt Bus to New York City. It costs me just $30 roundtrip and I take advantage the wi-fi on the bus.
• Go where the deals take you. If you want to go somewhere next weekend, try farecompare.com/dealfinder, a ticketing and travel-advice website. Just choose your departure city, the month, and how much you want to spend. The site will show you where you can fly in that price range.
• Book your flight midweek. Airlines often announce sales on Tuesday morning, so be sure to jump on those deals before they’re snapped up.

What are your favorite tips and tricks for saving money on travel?

The Fastest Way to Freeze (and Retrieve) Ground Meat

Fill a zippered plastic bag with raw meat, press it flat, and seal. Score the meat into equal sections by pressing a chopstick over the bag, tic-tac-toe–style, then freeze the grid flat. The next time you need ground beef, simply break off enough for your recipe.

Genius, right?

What are your favorite tips and tricks for freezing leftovers and bulk items?

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered this week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 77!

77. elisa, on August 19th, 2010 at 12:35 pm Said:

I love junior mints….

Congrats, Elise! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize!

Here are my favorite tips and tricks for stretching every last grocery dollar:

Poke around the fridge

The first thing I do in my meal-planning process is take stock of what I already have in my kitchen. I take the time to move things around in the refrigerator and scour the cabinets to see what I have on hand. Most of the time, I am surprised by what I find—a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, a can of pinto beans, a half-used bag of coffee… you get the idea. Instead of buying these items again or letting them go to waste, I incorporate them into the coming week’s menu.

Consider my schedule

Before I visit the grocery store, I look at my calendar as well as my husband’s for the upcoming week and create meals around when we will be home for dinner. We typically plan a meal for each night at home and make sure to take into account meals with lots of leftovers—like casseroles or homemade pizza. I keep in mind that Fridays and Saturdays are usually “wing it” nights because we’ll often end up going out to dinner or meeting friends for appetizers and drinks, so I don’t buy extra food for those nights.

Don’t be afraid of bruised produce

I always check out the reduced produce area with the hope of finding some good deals. Usually, this produce has a single bump or bruise that can easily be cut off. But, I only buy produce that I plan to use right away or have something in mind for. It’s not worth buying damaged produce if I don’t end up using it. Lately, I’ve been buying a bunch of bananas that I immediately peel and freeze for smoothies.

Stock up on staples

Sure, you’ve heard of the “make a list and stick to it” tip when grocery shopping. It’s a great piece advice, and I usually keep it in mind. However, I also make sure to stock up on my favorite products when they go on sale. My husband and I plow through peanut butter and oatmeal like it’s our job, so when they go on sale, I make sure to buy them even if we haven’t run out yet. I know that we’ll use these items at some point, so I might as well stock up and save a little money.

Use Reusable Bags

Most stores will take $0.05 or $0.10 off your bill for each reusable bags that you use for your grocery shopping. In addition to benefiting the environment, I’m saving money. Saving just $0.20 is usually enough to splurge on some of my favorite foods. If you always forget your reusable bags at home, try leaving them in your car. I leave all of my reusable bags in the backseat of my car, so I never forget to bring them to the grocery store.

What items do you “splurge” on at the grocery store? What are you favorite tips for saving money on other items?

Expensive: Instant oatmeal

More affordable: Quaker Oats

Instant oatmeal is great in a hurry, but buying a huge canister of Quaker Oats (NuVal score: 57) is a much more cost-effective option. If you compare unit price on the two items, it’s much more economical to purchase the quick oats. For an on-the-go option, I portion out 1/2 cup of quick oats, put them in a Tupperware container, and add hot water when I get to my destination. Plus, instant packets are often packed full of added sugars. Quaker Apple Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal, for instance, scores just a 25 on the NuVal scale.

Expensive: Fresh berries

More affordable: Frozen berries

Fresh berries are often very expensive, especially when they are out of season. Frozen berries cost much less and they’re just as nutritious for you. Plus, with frozen berries, you don’t have to worry about eating them before they go bad. Throwing away rotten food is like wasting money!

Expensive: Vegetable chips

More affordable: Kale chips

As a salty snack, homemade kale chips are a great swap to expensive veggie chips. Plus, kale scores a 99 on the NuVal scale! While they do require some prep work, kale chips are incredibly easy to make. Just spray washed kale with cooking spray, season with sea salt, and bake at 450° for about 12 minutes. They taste just like potato chips!

Expensive: Fresh salmon fillet

More affordable: Canned salmon

We all know we should eat more fish, as it is rich in omega-3s, but buying fresh fish is not always friendly on my wallet. Instead, I swap fresh salmon for Canned Bumble Bee Wild Alaska Pink Salmon (NuVal score: 70), which is much less expensive, and I am still able to get those healthy omega-3s in my diet.

Expensive: Larabars

More affordable: Nuts and dried fruit

Larabars are one of my favorites snacks, but buying them every week definitely takes a toll on my budget. Instead, I eat dried fruit, like dates (NuVal score: 91) and prunes (NuVal score: 91), and nuts, like almonds (NuVal score: 81) and walnuts (NuVal score: 82), and save my Larabars for a special treat.

I love decorating my home, but I don’t love the sometimes high prices that go along with it. $1,000 for a chair? $100 for a simple frame? I don’t have that kind of money, so I bargain shop for home decor and other pieces at discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Target. I almost always find what I am looking for at a much cheaper price.

Here are some more of my favorite tips and tricks for decorating on the cheap:

Buy “damaged” accessories

I always check home stores for “scratch-and-dent” accessories. Usually, all they need is a little touch-up paint or TLC. Sometimes, I just turn the damaged part to the wall so you can’t see it. No one will ever know!

Make your own artwork

For less than $50, I bought a couple of canvases, paint, and brushes from a discount art store and made my own “abstract” art for the walls of my living room. It looks really cool and cost much less than store-bought artwork.

Use Craigslist

I love to buy furniture from Craigslist. Usually, I have something in mind before I start looking through the ads online. It might not happen right away, but after a month or two of searching, I usually find what I want.

Check out yard sales and estate sales

Craigslist is also a great resource for finding yard sales in your area. It’s also helpful to get a preview of what’s for sale, so you don’t waste your time traveling around to different yard sales. You can also sign up for estatesales.net to get notifications of tag sales, estate sales, and auctions in your area.

Offer to pay cash

One time, my husband and I were looking around a small furniture store. We came across a bookshelf that we loved, but we didn’t want to shell out full price for it. After chatting with the shop owner about the price, he offered to give us a 15% discount if we paid cash instead of using a credit card. It was a done deal after that!

Shop consignment stores

In addition to selling clothing and accessories, many consignment stores also sell furnture and home accessories for a fraction of the price.

Buy from hotel surplus stores.

I haven’t done this one yet, but a friend told me about an amazing marble table that she bought from a local hotel for less than $100! Just Google “hotel surplus” for more info and where to buy.

• Consignment Shopping 101
• Consignment Shopping 101: Part 1
• Consignment Shopping 101: Part 2
• Consignment Shopping 101: Part 3

Ok, now that you know all about consignment shopping, here’s the final post in my series: where to sell you stuff.

(source)

There are thousands and thousands of consignment shops around the country. A quick Google search will likely turn up a bunch in your area. There are a number of consignment store chains that might be near you as well. Feel free to check out their websites to see if they have a location near you.

• Second Time Around
• Buffalo Exchange
• Plato’s Closet
• Turn Style

Happy consignment store stopping!

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s overnight oats giveaway! Here’s your winner: 341!

341. Kristy, on July 16th, 2010 at 6:14 am Said:

One of my favorites for breakfast, oatmeal made with pure apple juice and cinnamon, delicious!!!

Congrats, Kristy! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

• Consignment Shopping 101
• Consignment Shopping 101: Part 1

Now that you know the basics of what consignment stores are all about, let’s talk about selling your stuff!

As you can probably imagine, some items sell better than others at consignment stores, such as designer brands, trendy pieces, and in-season items. If you want to make sure your stuff sells, here are some tips to keep in mind:

• Make an appointment: Consignment store usually require that you make an appointment to bring in your things. Typically, it’s not difficult to find a time that works, but sometimes these stores book many weeks an advance. Make sure that you plan appropriately to get your items in store before the current season passes. Some store also have drop-in hours. Just make sure you call ahead!
• Be selective: Most consignment store only accept items in very good condition. The newer, the better! When you bring your stuff, be sure to take a look at the clothing already sold in the store; it’ll give you an idea of what the store accepts (i.e. designer brands, accessories, men’s clothing, housewares, etc.).
• Prep your clothing: Make sure all of your items have been cleaned, ironed, etc. You want them looking new!
• Pick in-season items: Try to consign your clothing at the beginning of the upcoming season (or just before it starts). There’s a better chance that your clothing will sell at the beginning of the summer, for instance, than at the end, right before the cold weather arrives.

Trading Up Downtown Giveaway

Thanks to everyone who entered last week’s giveaway! Here’s your winner: 7

7. andi, on July 1st, 2010 at 10:38 am Said:

I love making pasta salad, so I’ll have to try your suggestions here! I also make a yummy chocolate ‘cake’ – layers of chocolate graham crackers and chocolate pudding, topped with whipped cream and let sit for a few hours to allow the pudding to soak into the crackers. it’s very light and perfect for summer!

Congrats, Andi! Please email me at thaupert@nuval.com with your full name and mailing address to claim your prize.

Consignments store shopping is actually pretty trendy now-a-days. I see new shops popping up all over the place– even in “high fashion” locations like Newbury Street in Boston. In this economy it’s no surprise that these stores are doing so well!

Since Trading Up Downtown is all about saving money (and looking good while doing it! ), I thought it would be fun to have a consignment store shopping series on the blog. Be sure to check back over the next few weeks for tips, tricks, and other info for strategically shopping at consignment stores.