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Fourteen travel tips for infrequent fliers
I don’t fly often. In many ways, I’m very thankful for this.
As an infrequent flier, though, I am vulnerable to being taken advantage of. People who fly every month or even every week have parts of their travel routine down to a science. I’ve traveled with fliers who not only have the basics down, but have the nuances of particular airports down so well that they just breeze through.
This is like anything else: The more you practice deliberately, the better you become.
Rules change all the time
I’m sure you’ve gotten a number of notices from various online services saying that continued use of their service requires you to accept new terms and conditions, or adherence under a new privacy policy.
Whether we read them or not, understand them or not, these change the rules of the business relationship.
Amazon listens! (and what we can learn)
We do a lot of shopping through Amazon. We love the convenience of our Amazon Prime membership, and even made the decision to get an Amazon rewards card.
Amazon is a great place to save some money, easily. Amazon more or less singlehandedly gave rise to the term showrooming.
We save even more on some of our staple foods with subscribe and save — automatic delivery of the same item at set intervals. We have a few more items that we’re looking to put on that list, which could increase the discount we get on the entire order.
Work shirts for a breakfast sandwich
Clothes can say many different things. Such as: “I’m quietly confident.” Or: “I’m hip and stylish.” Or even: “I’m utterly tacky.”
Regardless of the specifics, all clothes say: “I’m not naked.” This is largely what I demand of my clothing, and it’s largely what everyone else demands of my clothing as well.
My wife has a few more criteria than I do about my clothing, one of which is that the color of said clothing shouldn’t make me look naked. Because that’s nearly as bad as actually being naked. (If you can picture Slim Goodbody’s evil doppelganger Fat Badbody, then you get the point.)
Aside from actual nakedness or faux nakedness, though, I’m brand-agnostic as long as it fits reasonably well.
And if the clothes come from a thrift store, so much the better!
Simple clothing needs make for small clothing bills
Pay up front, or in installments?
“Pay on the installment plan. Don’t pay now; pay later. Five easy payments of $39.95.”
When businesses offer to split up the payments in a large purchase, it usually brings them more business. If the pain of buying (the cost) is lower, or appears to be lower, more people will buy.
Businesses, of course, don’t offer this out of the kindness of their hearts. They want extra money. Paying through installments almost always costs more — either through payment fees, or through interest.
Most installment loans are expensive
My wife and I haven’t gone into many retail furniture stores together, but I remember one visit in particular. Within twenty seconds of entering the store, we were greeted by a salesman who told us about the specials going on.
I don’t remember the brand, or even the amount, but I do remember that he quoted the amount per month. We didn’t spend a whole lot more time in there after he did that.
Stay-at-home spouse: Good bargain for whom?
In lots of cases, especially in high-cost-of-living areas, having a family with both parents working is a necessity.
But along with the extra income come extra stress, financial and otherwise. On the financial side, there is child care, and a host of other services that get done what needs getting done. On the non-financial side, it’s just more hectic: more fitting in errands, more eating out or fast food, more running around.
My wife of twelve years has been stay-at-home for the entire time we’ve been married. A couple of nights ago she forwarded this article and asked me what I thought about it. I encourage you to check it out. The premise that I took away was not only should stay-at-home spouses not feel guilty for being stay-at-home, they should recognize that their staying at home is a gift for the working spouse.
Will your medical and dental providers be in-network next year?
Today I had the pleasure of paying a visit to the dentist to have him look at a tooth that failed last night. These kinds of visits will be regular occurrences for the rest of my life, because I’m a dental cripple.
The dental office graciously made room in their schedule for me, and built up the tooth in preparation for having a crown put on. Since my appointment was short-notice, it took a bit longer to get in and out than if I had scheduled it a few weeks in advance. When they called me this morning, they asked me to be patient as they fit me in, so I knew going in that it would take a bit. Overall, though, they really did bend over backwards (and have for years!)
Networks come and go
Don’t bargain with your passion
At FinCon14, I handed out a lot of business cards. Over and over again I spoke about what Mighty Bargain Hunter is about.
Eventually, my bumper sticker came down to this: Good Deals in Context.
This site is more than just a few more percent off at Kohl’s (check rebate). (Though that’s not a bad thing, is it?)
It’s about all of the bargains and trades we make in life, from big to small.
Self-improvement is a wise bargain to make …
Being frugal with attention
Frugality, by definition, deals with the economical uses of resources. This includes not only money, but also time, and anything else that can be consumed or used.
Closely related to being careful with how we use our time, we also need to be careful with how we use our attention. We have evermore bright-and-shinys competing for our eyeballs and our process cycles, and we’re expected by society to keep on top of things. One task, one project, one relationship blurs into another, and we get to make sense out of the blur.
Close calls because of divided attention
Ridiculously cheap bus travel from select locations
This past weekend at FinCon14 was a loooong-overdue reunion with the money media community. Great times, great talks, great eats … and great music!
One of the very first people who greeted me at FinCon14 this past weekend was Crystal from Budgeting In The Fun Stuff. She was sporting some spunky blue highlights and was every bit as friendly and gregarious as I remember her from three years ago.
After a small bit of chat she told me about her travel from Texas with Megabus.
Looks great for relatively nearby travel
At the time I was talking with her, I failed to remember that Louisiana actually borders Texas, so her six-hour bus ride was from a neighboring state.
Ten infrequent expenses that nail you
With just about anything, the more you do it, the better you get at it. Consistent, deliberate practice has a way of wringing out inefficiencies and avoiding landmines.
However, for some activities, there just isn’t the opportunity for most people to practice. Or, the activities are once- or twice-in-a-lifetime events.
Businesses that cater to these kinds of infrequent events capitalize on the inexperience of the buyers. I hesitate from saying that these businesses “take advantage of” their customers or “rip them off,” because I don’t really blame them for doing so. Strike when the iron is hot.
But just by being aware that the business owners are licking their chops as you walk into the shop, you know to prepare a bit.
Here are ten types of infrequent expenses where it pays to learn as much as you can beforehand about what you’re getting into:
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