A New Year’s challenge for you
First of all, thank you for your support. For a new blog, The Deal Mommy has generated more traffic and interest than I could have hoped for. I really appreciate it!
And now to the challenge: in 2012, I challenge you to think a little differently.
Instead of just assuming:
- “I can’t afford to travel”, or
- “it’s not worth the trouble to register for this promotion”, or
- “Why bother charging my cable bill, it’s just a pain to do”, or
- “I’ll just rent the beach house in the Outer Banks because it’s what we do every summer and it’s too expensive to fly anywhere”, or
- “I can’t decide about that now”, or whatever assumptions you make.
I challenge you to challenge your assumptions with a real information.
I can’t afford to travel: This is the biggest one I want to challenge. I’m not saying everyone can afford a round the world trip, but even an overnight in a cabin in a state park can change your attitude, and those can be had for less than $50. Camping isn’t my thing, but I have friends who love it, and that’s close to free! The bottom line is that you can do what you choose with your leisure time, it’s just a matter of making the effort. And of course I’m here to help by sharing whatever great finds I see!
It’s not worth the trouble to fill out a form: See my recent post about how Radisson just paid me $146 to take my kids to Baltimore for the night and tell me how it wasn’t worth my effort to fill out a five second form. I was frankly amazed more readers didn’t get in on that promotion! Not to worry, I’ll be sure to share more great promotions as they come down the pike.
Why bother charging my cable bill, it’s just a pain to do: I’ve earned enough loyalty points from credit card companies this year to send Deal Dad and the Deal Kids to see his parents, with enough left over to send me to Europe. Anyone can earn at least one free ticket a year by just charging the bills you already pay…auto insurance, medical, cell phone, cable, the list goes on and on. You are throwing away money by not charging these expenses! Just pay the credit card company instead of paying the bill and it costs you nothing.
I’ll just rent the beach house in the Outer Banks because it’s what we do every summer and it’s too expensive to fly anywhere: The entire Deal family flew to Antigua, Guatemala last summer and spent two weeks in a two bedroom condo for less the cost of the average August beach condo rental. We did it using a combination of points promotions (Delta had one early last year that allowed us to pay $160 each for our plane tickets) and traveling to an “off the radar” destination (our condo in Guatemala in a luxury hotel was $500 a week). You try finding a beach condo for two weeks in August for $1620! I’m not against traditions, just stagnation. If you wish your family could do something else but think you can’t afford it, just think a little harder. Of course, I’m here to help!
I can’t decide about that now: Rush has a song that includes the line “If you choose not to decide, you still have have made a choice”. Indecision kills more travel dreams than any other weapon. The best deals are available for a few days at most, and often a few hours. If you see something you can make work for you, GRAB IT.
In short, I’m challenging you to stretch your limits and just consider the possibilities before rejecting a seemingly crazy idea out of hand. Who’s with me?
Original publish date Dec. 31, 2011
There will never be another 22 (or 32, or 42)! A response to Lucky, and a challenge for you!
Lucky at One Mile at A Time has a thought provoking post today about taking risks. He’s 22 and at that “should I leave my hometown” crossroads we all faced at one point. You can see my immediate reaction in the comments, but I wanted to expand his question to including making the choice to take any risk.
In the 10 months my blog has been live, I’ve met (literally and virtually) many great people, and because my content varies from travel deals to parenting stuff (with a little Village People in between) the people this blog reaches vary from 22 year olds like Lucky to Moms who just like good deals, to Grandmas who may be ready to spread their wings a bit. I’d be curious to hear your “risk taking” dilemmas, but here’s are the three I hear most often:
- “I can’t afford to travel”,
- “I’ll just go where we always go because it’s too expensive to fly anywhere”
- “I can’t decide about that now”.
There will never be another 22. That’s what I told Lucky, and that’s what I’m telling you. But here’s the thing…it’s not just true at 22. It’s true at every age. Waiting to (travel, move, change jobs, etc. etc. ) until (we have more money, the kids are older, etc. etc. etc.) means leaving opportunities behind. We all have limits…money when we are younger, kids (and still money) when we are parenting, then possibly health (and still money!) when we are older.
The decisions you make today shape who you will be tomorrow…and who your kids will be the day after. The Deal Kids accept a lot of idiosyncrasies about their Deal Mommy. Deal Kid actually rolled his eyes when I told him about our last minute Montreal trip and don’t get the kids started about the pallet buying phase where 1000 lbs of groceries would show up on our front stoop! But the one thing I’m most proud of is that they’ve seen their Mom take risks…and sometimes fail, then take more risks!
Rush, in their song Freewill, sing the line I have adopted as my motto: “If you choose not to decide, you still have have made a choice”. Indecision kills more dreams than any other weapon. There will never be another today. What have you done to further your progress on your dreams?
In short, I’m challenging you to stretch your limits and just consider the possibilities before rejecting a seemingly crazy idea out of hand. Who’s with me?
Original publish date Oct. 18, 2012.
In the Weeds
Greetings from the weeds of Mommyland…day 4 of a sick kid. Just a garden-variety virus I’m assured, but one that has kicked Deal Girl’s butt. No matter how mellow of a parent you are, a fever of 104 sends your heart racing…and Deal Girl has a flair for the dramatic fevers.
And while I certainly want her to get better, I’m not minding the forced slowdown. Not minding un-ironically rocking the Vinylmation Snuggie, not minding the Charlie Brown Specials marathon, not minding the sudden and intense need for “Mommy”. At 7, Deal Girl races toward tweenhood after her brother and most days is too cool for “Mommy”. I’m “Mom”, 1/2 of the time with an eye-roll in her voice.
I’m prone to bristling by day 4 of such confinement, but this time am sailing through. After 11 years, Deal Dad and I have learned that the best way I can Mom in the weeds is to have a full tank of energy, which I get from solo travel. And between Beaches Moms and Italy, I’m pretty topped up.
Now if this is the 1st sign of a repeat of the winter of 2010-11 in the making, well, just don’t tell me!
Nov. 2014
Embracing the Suck
Here we are, again. Just when I thought last winter was as bad as it could get, the kids have had 4 full school days in the last 2 weeks. And at least eight more weeks of winter await.
But this year I have a new strategy: Embracing the Suck. Borrowed from military spouse (and friend) Kim, I’m leaning into the season just expecting that the kids will be home every. single. day. That way any day they go to school is a bonus!
I’m leaning into the season knowing the lack of sun sends me into a stupor. Instead of cursing my lack of energy, I’m embracing the long winter’s nap. Deal Dad asked me yesterday if he had married a bear.
So this year I’m leaning in so I won’t have to use an escape hatch. Sure, I’ll take a couple of long weekends with the kids, but nothing so drastic as a 21 hour trip to Mexico City. Helps that I’ve got an Amazing Asian Camp Mom in Japan and Vietnam to plan.
But ask me again in six weeks how all the leaning in is going. If you can wake me.
MacGyvering: The Secret To Travel Deal Success
Chasing the Points had a fun post recently about how successful travel hackers lean towards the entrepreneurial. I’ll go a step further and introduce you to my hero: Angus MacGyver. MacGyvering is the skill travel hackers all share.
For you millennials and Gen Z out there, MacGyver was a pre-CSI super spy/mystery solver/hero of all trades. His special quality was the ability to take ordinary objects and “MacGyver” them into something life-savingly spectacular. His toolkit included paper clips, salt packets, and duct tape.
Hence my favorite term: “MacGyvering”. I use MacGyver as a verb to describe the skills in the travel hacker’s toolkit, which while not including duct tape, often contains items just as disparate and odd to the untrained eye.
A recent example, Camp Mom Spring Break 2015, MacGyver style:
- Alamo has a terrific one-way deal driving cars home from Florida after April 1st.
- This deal stacks beautifully with Daily Getaways and together they make my rental car as low as $5/Day.
- To get to Florida, the best tickets fly into Jacksonville, $64/one way from DCA on March 31. Tickets go up from there to $112.
- The tickets are on American Airlines so are $0 out of pocket Amex Platinum’s $200 airline credit.
However, the drive out deal doesn’t work from Jacksonville AND doesn’t start till April 1, which doesn’t give us much time on the ground before we have to turn around and come back.
Here’s where normal folks might give up, and here’s where MacGyvering comes in:
Most car rentals in Florida allow one way drop-off for no extra charge. We can fly into Jacksonville on the 31st, pick up a rental car for $40 (1/2 of crazy high spring break price of $80 with a Daily Getaway cert), and trade it on the 1st for a $9.99 car in another Florida city.
Spring Break, MacGyvered.
This is but one tiny example of what successful travel hackers do everyday. It’s just how we think: when faced with an obstacle we pull out the duct tape and make magic.
True Deal Mommy Confession: I Bought a Plus Size Bikini
Here we go.
Swimsuit season.
Some cliches exist for a reason, and most women I know see buying a swimsuit as a chore at best and more likely their own personal Everest. I know I do. Especially because plus size swimsuits tend to come in 2 styles: “just cover it up” or “body size spanx”. The former, not flattering on ANYONE. The latter? $200-and vise-grip uncomfortable.
Not this year. No, I haven’t lost all sense of reality. I’m a Mom in her 40s of who hasn’t lost her 8 year old’s baby weight. But with that age comes wisdom-and for me, balls. So this year when I saw the suit above endorsed by fashionista Nicolette Mason (who is must follow, BTW) in Marie Claire, I thought “that’s so cute!”, not reflexively “not gonna go there”.
Flash forward to today at Target when I had a rare block of time alone to shop. I grabbed the suit in question-along with a one piece to compare- and braved the dressing room.
And you know what? The world didn’t end! The bikini WAS cute. Not “I’m gonna model it on the blog” cute (I’m brave, not masochistic) but take off my cover-up at the pool cute. Come out of the dressing room and ask the clerk cute. Even more surprising, it was MORE comfortable and flattering than the one piece (which again felt like a giant rubber band). And it’s under $50.
No, wearing a bikini is not a huge deal in the scheme of things. But sometimes you have to celebrate the little milestones- and encourage others to join you on the journey.
March 2015 (Ed. note: I still wear bikinis.)
5 Life Lessons from Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb are my favorite Disney characters, and they’re now making a new movie for Disney+ . Like Angus MacGyver, they have much to teach us about both travel and life. Let’s review life lessons from Phineas and Ferb:
5 Life Lessons from Phineas and Ferb:
- Life is short. 104 Days of Summer Vacation, to be Exact. You have to find a good way to spend it. No one else is gonna do it for you. That continent isn’t gonna paint itself! You’re not guaranteed tomorrow, as I learned the hard way recently.
- It’s not the talkers who get stuff done. They’re too busy getting stuff done! Or as I tell the Deal Kids often, “Less talk. More do”. Consider that Ferb says maybe 10 words every other episode, but he’s the brains behind the entire operation. And Perry? He doesn’t say a word!
- Don’t build a self-destruct button into your -inator. How many times has Dr. Doof come this close to taking over the tri-state area before being bamboozled by his own self-destruct button? How many times have you talked yourself out of a great idea? Indecision kills more dreams than any other weapon.
- Think in terms of the possible, not the easy. Or even better, make the impossible possible. If you only work with the obvious options, you won’t get out of your neighborhood or off of your couch. For instance: two years ago writing a book seemed nuts. Today I’m polishing up the second edition of Disney World Hacks and the first edition hit #1 in category on Amazon.
- When in Doubt, Sing. Above all, the best Phineas and Ferb moments come accompanied with their own theme music. Lately I’ve been humming this little ditty.
Sometimes a One Night Trip is All You Need
We save up for those big family trips: I know I saved up for a year to have enough miles for Camp Mom Asia. But sometimes you just NEED to get away-and a day is all you have. I was reminded recently that sometimes one night trips are all you need to completely reset your mindset.
Recently Deal Dad has been killing it at work…and it’s been killing him. So when I had a one night business trip to Disney World (yea, I have trouble typing that with a straight face), he came along. And it was so remarkable to watch the stress melt away minute by minute. It was mostly gone by the time we boarded the plane…
and ALL gone three hours later with Moscow Mule in hand at the Grand Floridian. The next day I came home with an entirely different Deal Dad than the one I left with.
I get that you all don’t have free trips to Disney drop in your lap (I usually don’t, either), but many of you DO collect miles and points that give you flexibility to cash them in case of emergency. And sometimes I define “emergency” as using your Vinylmation Snuggie as clothing. So last year I cashed in my own miles for a sanity run to Mexico City. And that one night did indeed save me from an endless winter.
April 2015
WWMGD?
I’ve seen a lot of angst in the points and miles blogosphere lately. With few exceptions most “State of the Union” posts I’ve seen carry a tinge of Chicken Little.
You won’t see me joining in the doom and gloom (and it’s not just because I’m over the moon after interviewing Jeff Probst) . While the Bluebird may have migrated south and we may no longer get Served, the nature of travel hacking is adaptation. I recently gave an interview on travel hacking where I described it as MacGyvering: using a dash of salt, a paper clip and a wad of used chewing gum to make magic.
So whenever I’m inclined to throw a pity party, I ask myself “What would MacGyver do?”
Well, for one thing, he wouldn’t whine about a lack of supplies in his toolkit. He wouldn’t blame someone else. And he certainly wouldn’t give up.
He’d survey his options, make a plan, and get to work.
And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing quietly over here for almost five years, it’s what we do at Family Travel for Real Life, and it’s what I’ll keep on doing.
Traveling more. For Less.
Isn’t that why we’re here in the first place?
So what if it took me 3 different miles programs to get 4 of us on the same first class flights to Japan? We still spent a month in suites for less than $5000 all in.
So what if we chose Etoiling (new verb meaning choosing value over status?) over Vendoming? I think we got the better end of the deal:
March 2016
4 No-Brainer to-dos to travel more for less in 2013
Travel more, Work less! Pretty simple, huh?
Simple, yes, but even the simple may seem out of reach. In the interests of keeping it easy, here are four seriously no-brainer things even infrequent travelers can do TODAY that can stretch your budget so that you can work less and travel more.
Experienced points junkies feel free to skip to the comments to enter for the free T-shirt!
1. Join Twitter and follow The Deal Mommy. I discuss in this post detailed reasons why you need to be on Twitter if you want the absolute best travel deals, but the bottom line is the best sales don’t even have time to get posted…by the time I write them up, they’re gone! On Twitter, I can simply re-tweet and you’ll get the info in real time.
2. Auto-pay your bills on your credit cards. I’m not recommending you get into debt, but most of your bills can earn you miles! Cable bill? Charge it! Cell phone bill? Car Insurance? Medical Bills? Charge those too! You may be amazed what bills you pay can be taken online, and there’s the added bonus of saving time as your bills are paid automatically. You are literally refusing free money by not doing this! The Points Blogs are all abuzz about Prepaid cards and how they are allowing you to pay even things like your mortgage with credit. I’m holding off recommending for everyone until the cards are widely available enough that people stop feeling the need to talk in code when they find Vanilla Reloads, but watch this space!
3. Pull your calendar out NOW and commit to when you want to travel in 2013. The school calendars are already out for both this year and next and the airlines have already released not only summer seats, but most have also released Thanksgiving and Christmas as well. This may be a change for others in your life and you may get pushback, but I repeat one of my core values: If you want nothing to happen, do nothing. You don’t even have to choose where yet, but by putting the dates firm on the calendar you announce to the world your intentions. People do what matters. If travel matters to you, travel. Period.
4. Pick a program and a credit card that matches that program. If you’re not a super-frequent traveler, you’ll get the most benefit by consolidating your hotel stays as much as you can. Airlines require 25k in annual flights, so it may make more sense for you to be a free agent if you fly less than 3x a year.
If you’re only getting one credit card, I’d suggest the Chase Ultimate Rewards Visa, because it has a strong list of transfer partners (United, Hyatt), a shopping portal with frequent bonuses, and a 40,000 point signup bonus coupled with a low $95 annual fee (waived the 1st year). I have many others including the AMEX Platinum, but if you’re just getting one I’d currently start with the Chase UR.
Update: A reader pointed out that I forgot to post MY travel resolution!
My travel resolution is to not hold out for the “big trip” but to savor the 3-5 day getaways just as much. I’ve really bristled at the school calendar and in 2013 I vow to make it my friend.
