Discover Your Bliss

Best time to book a flight

The best time to book a flight is at 12:01am Wednesday morning in the timezone  where the airline is based.  Pick up the phone to book instead of booking online.  

One more cool travel point to ponder! 

Are you hip to Where's Cool?

I'm making no bones about this - I found it in my Budget Travel:

"Like a hipper, budget-minded version of Yelp, Where's Cool is a network of in-the-know friends who will point you to surprising spots in just about any city." 

It's true - it's like having a "cool" buddy that tells you about the best place to eat, shop and hang out. 

I love the site's tag line:  A budget travel community your mom wouldn't find useful. 

What's cool about "Where's Cool" is the local travel aspect.  You can explore your home city as if you were visiting it for the first time. 

You might also want to remember "Where's Cool" the next time you travel outside of the United States - since the international community is growing and finding hip and interesting budget travel spots with your passport is always "cool."

Where's cool in your life?  If you had to list your top ten cool things - what would they be?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Secondhand furnishings on the internet

By now, most people have heard of eBay and Craigslist as internet shopping mega-sites for secondhand furnishings. 

Surprise, surprise - a few more secondhand places have sprung up on the internet that might be the next place you find that golden deal:

Kijiji - looks like eBay, functions like Craigslist (free local classified site) 

V & M - allows you to search visually

Lushpad - structure of eBay without the bidding

1st Dibs - beautifully restored designer furniture from the nation's elite

Fyndes - about two dozen dealers of antiques and vintage furniture offer their used wares

Former Furniture - showroom designs and interior decorators' custom work - as well as - previously owned items

Even though many of the items might be a bit on the high end, price doesn't prevent you from using these sites as inspiration and guides for your own style. 

What inspiration can you gather without spending a dime?  What is your signature secondhand item of possession or desire? 

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Expand your toolbox (without buying another tool)

Sometimes you need a hammer.  And sometimes you need a rubber mallet.

I found the coolest tip to make a hammer do double duty as both!  Which means you won't have to buy a rubber mallet and can expand your tool box by saving money and space!

First off - why would you need a rubber mallet?  Some jobs - like putting the lid back on a paint can - benefit from a rubber mallet.  Plus, you can use force and be gentle at the same time (with a rubber mallet).  Just remember that rubber mallets are NOT to be used on people or animals!

Let's get to the magic. 

First, you need a hammer.  If you don't have a hammer, then this project might be a bit tricky. 

If you have a standard hammer (the size), then you will need to purchase a 3/4- or 1 inch rubber tip called a boot (they are usually used on furniture legs and are available at hardware stores).

Now slip the rubber boot onto the hammer head and presto - you now have an instant mallet.  Pretty cool, huh? 

What other "instant" magic can you create out of your ordinary household objects?  What's the value of finding another use for an object?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and discoveries. 

Back to school savings - for anyone

A quick bargaining tip for anyone wanting to save money right now:  go back to school.

Okay, so you don't have to go to school or be returning to school to save money. 

Since we're in the middle of the "back to school" season - there are a lot of bargains to be had - all you have to do is know the ropes. 

Think back to that school supply list from your grade school days.  Just in case you didn't have this:  at the beginning of each school year, students were issued a school supply list and that often included items for the classroom like boxes of tissue and bars of soap (in addition to pencils, crayons, etc.). 

Many of the items on that list are currently at amazingly low prices and there are some real bargains to be had. 

For example, right now Target is selling special back-to-school packs of Puffs - 4 boxes for $3.29 - that's 82 cents a box!  That's a savings of $1.92!  Needless to say, I bought several "back to school" packs to use throughout the year. 

Office supplies are also at bargain basement prices as well - so keep your eyes peeled for special bargains popping up to save you mega bucks.

Comforters, towels and storage units fall into the college category - so don't forget to walk through that section as well for mega bargains.  What bliss. 

How does discovering bargains in new areas?  What are the benefits of removing the back to school labels to include yourself?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Save money by the day and hour

By paying attention to the day and time - you might save some money. 

For instance - the car wash place near me offers an early bird special Monday-Thursday before 10:30am.  The special is $8.95 for the regular $10.95 car wash.  Plus, the place also offers a punch card that will give you your tenth car wash for free.

 

Some restaurants will offer a "happy hour" menu on certain days or at particular times.  If you're willing to eat a late lunch or early dinner, then you might save some quick cash that can be used on future outings. 

Spas often get into the action on off days and times - yet they might not post their specials - you may have to ask. 

It never hurts to ask if there are discounts on particular days or at particular times.  Even if you are told - no - then you still might be able to score a better deal. 

If you happen to walk into an empty spa on a Wednesday morning, then you could be in a position to ask for a deal - since they obviously don't have any other offers for business at that moment. 

Be kind and gracious and you might be surprised at the outcome. 

What does it feel like to ask for a discount?  What's the most important thing you need to do in order for you to ask for a discount from a place of freedom.

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries.  

Need insurance? Look no further

If you're needing insurance, here's a few tools that might make things a bit easier.

Ins Web helps to compare insurance quotes.

Insure does roughly the same thing. 

It might be a good idea to run quotes on both sites to see what you get...and there's always the real-live human way of calling someone and speaking to an agent (if you live in California, I know several kick-butt agents that are helpful and can save you money).

What kind of insurance do you need in your life?  What part of you is most important...important enough to insure?

I'd love to hear your comments and thoughts.

Free how-to videos

Want to learn how to fix something and don't know where to turn?  What about learning to do something you've always wanted to do? 

Never fear, free how-to videos are here.

Check out Monkey See to find expert-lead videos on a variety of subjects.

The Home Depot also provides how-to videos for both home and garden projects. 

I've also found never-ending how-to videos on YouTube as well. 

Let you imagination be your guide - there's a never-ending resource for what you'd like to do out there - all you have to do is look.

What's something you'd like to learn how to do?  What's stopping you from learning something new?

I'd love to hear your comments and discoveries. 

Save money on your cell phone, credit cards and gas

Would you like to find out how to save money on your cell phone bill, credit cards and gas - for free?  Welcome to BillShrink.com.

BillShrink is a free cost-savings tool that continuously works to save you money
on your everyday expenses.  All you have to do is answer a few questions about your usage, where you live, etc. and Bill Shrink will do the rest - searching cell phone carriers, credit card companies and gas prices for the perfect fit for you.

In many cases, you don't have to switch carriers - it matches your habits to what you need so you're not paying for a bunch of extra services you never use. 

True, it might be more beneficial for you to switch carries or cards and Bill Shrink will show you all of your options. 

Bill Shrink is a free service that also continues to give you updates on newer plans and options that can continue to save you money after your initial search. 

They've also got a good blog with money-saving tips. 

How can you use only what you need?  How does cutting out what you don't use support you overall? 

I'd love to hear your comments and experiences.

Should I rent or buy?

I found this cool site that let's you "play" with the idea of renting verses buying a home. 

Go to homefair.com and click on "Rent vs. Buy" and a finance calculator comes up and you can plug in your answers. 

If you don't know how to answer a specific question, then just click on the question mark and it will give your more information so you can continue to plug in your figures. 

Knowing this information might make you feel more secure in your decision, although you should also consult with a good mortgage broker.  If anyone needs a good one - I know one that rocks! 

What are the pros/cons of renting verses buying?  What are your goals in life and how does renting or buying support those goals?

I'd love to hear your comments and insights.