One Clear Dot

I don’t like to pay retail. I look for sales on food, often going into supermarkets to buy their loss leaders. I buy a lot of items online, where I can obtain coupons for free shipping, deep discounts, and a way around local sales taxes. I wait for big ticket purchases until the price is right, rarely buying on impulse. And, when I am planning a trip I plan as far ahead as possible and put the time into finding the absolute best deals on cheap tickets for airfare and hotels.

I just cannot justify paying top price for much of anything these days. Gas prices are up. Property taxes are on the rise. The real estate market is still in a deep and terrible place. My daughter is getting older and I have to weigh the pros and cons of private Christian school versus the local public schools (and Florida is not exactly renowned for having great public schools). Heck, even dairy and produce is skyrocketing is price. And let’s not even talk about what is happening to the value of the American dollar!

Our household belongs to Sam’s Club. We don’t go there too terribly often, but there are various products they carry that we can buy in bulk and end up saving a considerable amount of money. Some of their over-the-counter medications are much cheaper when you buy the huge packets – also, personal care items and meats. I buy wisely and I make the membership work for me.

Along the same lines as membership department stores is the concept for cFares. It is a California-based membership travel site that offers both a free Gold membership and a reasonably prices annual Platinum membership. In both cases, you have access to surprisingly low fares on flights. If you doubt the price difference, you can opt to have their search engine compare their rates with those offered by Orbitz, Hotwire, or Cheapoair for the same flight. That’s transparent marketing at its best.

One exciting feature of their Platinum membership is the ability to access their beta cAgent program, where you name your own price. If you have a little time to plan ahead on your travel, this service can save you a bundle in the end. The Platinum membership comes with a risk-free guarantee. You can try it for 30 days and if you feel their fares are not the best; cFares will refund your membership fee.

We shop around for so many of our purchases, saving money whwenr we can. It seems silly to pay full price for travel.

Posted on January 16th, 2008 by onecleardot
Filed under: Travel