We’re frugal in many ways. It’s because we’re frugal that we can spend money on things we enjoy. That .45 I save by hanging a load of towels may not seem like much, but multiply it by forty loads a month. The pennies quickly add up. If you’re not subscribed to MaryAnn’s Frugal Blog, do your wallet a favor and have it delivered to your e-mail. Following the frugal tips will leave you money to spend on the things you actually enjoy.
One of those things for us is hotels. I love to get away for the weekend, whether it’s with Paul, one of the kids, my mom, alone, or with the whole gang. It’s a chance to be removed from all the tiny little pressures that add up. For me, something as minor as having someone ELSE pick up the towels off the bathroom floor is a great feeling. I’d rather pay an extra $20 and stay in a nice hotel rather than save the $20 and not feel pampered. But we ARE on a budget.
One way we’re able to stay at nice hotels is by mystery shopping them. These aren’t as much vacations for me as they are for Paul, but they’re still a nice experience and usually include room service or dinner. Another way is through Priceline and Bidding for Travel. Because we stay at hotels half a dozen times a year or more, we are on most of their mailing lists and rewards programs. I get many emails with promotions, but are they worth it?
I would never simply book a room by promotional code without checking it against other offers. It may very well be the best offer, but oftentimes it’s not. Recently I received a code for Stay for Breakfast at a hotel we like. The problem is, the rate was $40 more than the rack rate (and I never pay rack rate). We’re big eaters, but it’s highly doubtful we’d eat $40 worth of breakfast. The way to make best use of the offers is to find ones that save you money you’d be spending anyway, and then stack them.
Paul’s running another marathon in a couple of weeks, and we needed a place to stay the night before and the night of the race. Because we couldn’t take a chance on getting a hotel far away from the race, Bidding For Travel was out. But I’d just gotten an email with special rates for Marriott. Ouch. Very expensive in the Seattle area. But one of the offers looked interesting. Summer for Families included an in-room movie, large pizza, soft drinks, and free internet access. That’s about $40 worth of added services. The rate was ~$150. Still pretty steep.
I was able to get a second night free certificate from a friend who couldn’t use it before expiration. (If you don’t have a friend that travels frequently, some online auction sites have them.) For $150, we’re getting two nights, two pizzas, two movies, internet access, and soft drinks. Hard to beat for a category 4 hotel!
Live frugally so that you may ENJOY those areas where you choose to splurge.