"God will forgive me. It's his job."Heinrich Heine
|
| |
College Savings Plans
College Savings PlansSo you have just carried your newborn into the house for the first time, placed him or her down into the freshly-purchased crib that you just obtained, and watched him or her drift into their first sleep under your roof. Now it's time ...
Outsourced Email Offers Reliability, Savings and Scalability
There are many reasons to consider outsourcing your organization's email versus keeping it in-house. Not only can outsourcing save time and money, it also offers greater security and reliability. For both small business owners and IT managers, moving to ...
Rearrange Your Affairs For Maximum Tax Savings
One way to maximize your business profits is by reducing your taxes.Frequently, income and other taxes could be lowered significantly if only the taxpayer were willing to plan ahead. By taking some simple steps to rearrange your affairs, you could save a ...
|
|
|
| |
Most vacationers travel during peak travel times, but if you're looking to save money this year, make your travel plans for September.
For the most part, vacation sites come in two flavors:
1. Beautiful in the summer, but intolerable in the winter
2. Beautiful in the winter, but intolerable in the summer
The northeast, where I live, falls under the first category. The summers are absoutely beautiful with beach-lovers traveling to the coast and tourists coming to shop in the quaint New England towns. Summer is always busy, but by the time that first snowfall comes the beaches are closed and many of the shops have closed their doors.
The frugal vacationer travels in between the summer months and the cold winter. Not only can you usually find cheaper flights and cheaper gas during this time, you'll also find other great reasons to travel during the off-peak season.
Less Traffic
Sitting in traffic for hours on end is not the way anyone wants to spend their vacation; we do enough of that commuting to work! In fact, road rage has been known to ruin a vacation or two. Traveling during the off-peak season means there are less people on the road and less people in between you and where you want to go. The less vacation time you spend sitting in your car, the better.
Beautiful Weather
People usually think that the weather changes immediately after Labor Day, but this is not the case! For instance, Newport, RI has an average high temperature of 71 degrees in the month of September, according to weather.com. Now, this may not be ideal beach weather, but you can certainly enjoy the shops, bars, and many other events that Newport has to offer.
Discounts
Many businesses based in beach towns offer specials or have sales immediately after Labor Day. They have already made all the money they are going to make for the summer, and they are now in "stay busy mode" where they are desperate for your business. Do yourself a favor and get their goods while the price is cheap! The best deals can usually be found at stores that will close for the winter and don't want extra inventory, or activities such as tours or excursions where the owners are trying to squeeze in as much business as possible before the snow sets in.
Downside to Off-Peak Travel
Unfortunately, there is a downside to traveling in the off-peak months. Several businesses close immediately after Labor Day, so if you are travling somewhere to see something in particular be sure that it will be open when you get there.
Overall, I believe the benefits of off-peak travel outweigh the drawbacks. Next time you're planning that vacation during the peak travel months, stop and think if it would be just as nice if you left a couple months later. Your wallet will thank you for it!
About the Author
Chris Cole is an online financial advisor in his spare time and a software developer by trade. He lives in Newport, RI with his wife and daughter. His company, sayyessoftware, maintains Manage Your Dollars and Newport Nightlife.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Union says it offered savings for city budget (The Toledo Blade)
The leader of a labor union representing Toledo city employees yesterday labeled Mayor Carty Finkbeiner's 2009 budget misleading and accused the mayor of "fudging the numbers" in the spending plan. Alan Cox, president of American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 2058, also said Mayor Finkbeiner turned a deaf ear to his savings ideas and then claimed that none of the ...
Bank of Taiwan lowers deposit, savings rates (Reuters via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
TAIPEI, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Bank of Taiwan, the island's largest commercial bank, said on Thursday it was lowering its savings and deposit rates by 12 to 50 basis points, after the central bank cut rates by 50 basis points in a snap meeting.
U.S. ‘Irresponsible’ to Blame Savings for Crisis, Xinhua Says (Bloomberg)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- The view expressed by some U.S. officials that high savings rates in China and oil exporting nations helped trigger the global financial crisis is “irresponsible and untenable,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary late yesterday.
Interest rates cut: Where can I find the best savings rates? (Daily Telegraph)
Savings rates are set to fall again but savers can still find accounts paying more than 5pc.
Philly region among cities seeing savings from public transit (The Mercury)
Philadelphia is No. 5 in the nation among cities who are seeing a savings from the use of public transportation, according to a press release.
|
