You know who you are…
- When you fill up your 44oz fountain drink, you suck down the first six ounces and then top ‘er off again before you take it up to the register. You do this every. single. time.
- You’re not content to buy the practically new bicycle at the garage sale for the $50 it has posted on it. You offer $30 and don’t even smirk.
- You’ve participated in the Wal-Mart rental program – where you purchase something you intend only to use for a brief period of time and then shamelessly return it… something like a 42″ TV.
Hi there, kindred spirit. You and I have a lot in common. When I was 13 years-old, I bought a board game at Shopko on clearance for $6 and then rode my bike to return it to ZCMI for a $26 in-store credit. I got myself some rear-view sunglasses and a Black Hills gold necklace. (You stop your laughing! It was 1992 and we all know that the early 90s were practically the 80s).
I’ll admit that I did feel a little guilty when I pulled off that dubious stunt. My ability to see behind me and the shiny chain around my turtle-neck did help me get over it quickly, though.
Today, my exploits are less guilt-evoking and no longer fashion-centered. Because travel is somewhat of an addiction for me, it’s flights and hotel nights that I’m scouting for deals on. What I’m telling you is that you’ve found the right spot if you want to apply that same voracious value vigor that we share when it comes to travel. Sheldon and I are passionate about sharing travel tips – particularly the kind that help people do amazing things for little to nothing.
I’ve already told you how Nicole and I booked two tickets to Italy this fall for $81 a ticket. Somehow that’s just not enough for me and my 1.8 million remaining frequent flyer miles and points are burning a hole in my pocket. It used to be enough just to have one trip on the horizon. Now it seems I need two.
Right now I’m weighing a few potential options. I figured I’d throw them out there and see what any of you might have to say. Here’s what I’m evaluating and how I’d make it happen:
Las Vegas Getaway: This is the easiest and probably the most likely. I’d do this trip on Allegiant Air, just like I talked about in this post. It would be a weekend deal and cost me very little out of pocket with the $440 reimbursement from the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard that we have already met the spending requirement on.- Guys trip to Cuba: When Nicole sees this, I’m going to be in some trouble, but I’ve just got this hankering to see Cuba before it becomes less intriguing. If I were to do this, I’d use 35k Delta Miles to get to Cancun or Cozumel and take a cheap flight from there.
- American History Tour: Fresh off the Independence Day holiday, I am, of course, again reminded of just what an incredible history we have here in this country. We put together this amazing tour with Starwood Points that makes for a cheap vacation with free hotels. I’d book my flights on Southwest with Rapid Rewards points (for now Chase is still offering the 50k RR points). Honestly, I can’t tell you when I could realistically fit this in, but when has that ever stopped me from wanderlusting? I’ve been to DC and to some great sites in the Boston area, but Philadelphia continues to escape me. I can’t allow this to continue.
American History Tour
I’m not sure what we’ll wind up doing, but the best part about all this is that I can sit here and daydream of three amazing vacations I could do for less than $200-500 out of pocket! It’s the kind of thing that just makes me smile.
I want you to smile, too. Comment below and tell us where you’d like to go and we’ll help you make it happen. Also, if you have some clever tightwad stories, I want to hear them, too.
Thanks for wanderlusting with us, cheapskate!
