I have traveled over 1,000,000 miles in my life and have been on planes, trains, and automobiles on almost every continent on the globe.  With that much time on the road, I long ago imposed a simple rule on myself: buy cheap, disposable luggage.  Luggage always gets beaten up, lost, stolen, run over, rained on, and generally neglected.  So spending a ton of money on bags to hold my belongings is not something I was going to sign up for.

But recently, I met the love of my life, and we are now a happily married couple.  So even though I still have to travel, now frequently I will have a partner in my travels. I have a simple rule when it comes to my wife, she should have the best.  So to make packing simpler, we decided to buy a new piece of luggage that could hold both of our travel clothing needs, and we decided to go with a less disposable piece.  We spent an afternoon shopping for various items, with luggage being one of the items.

At the Rockingham Mall in Salem, New Hampshire, we found a Macy’s.  In their luggage section, we had about 50 large luggaage pieces from a  variety of manufacturers to choose from.  So we practiced rolling them around, zippering and unzippering, and generally simulating using them.  After about 30 minutes of playing we decided on a grey Samsonite 29″ Spinner Upright. It was big and deep and had four easy-rolling wheels on the bottom.   It was on sale for the price of $220.

In the coming weeks, my beautiful bride and I are going to be doing a three week trip to California and Hawaii.  We will be excited to see how our luggage does.

There are always ways to cut costs when you go shopping for practically anything. The key is to know how to find bargains and to learn how to make every dollar and every cent count for a lot. Read on for some shopping suggestions that can save you money, time and energy.

-When you are writing up a grocery list of items that you need to purchase, flip through the sale flyers for your local stores. Compare prices in the flyers and jot down items that are the best prices. If the stores are in different areas of your community, go to one shopping mall for some of the items on your list one day and go to the other stores the following day.

-If there are stores that are reasonably close, combine your errands with your exercise for the day. If you only need a few items at the store, then bring a shopping bag or backpack with you and walk both ways.

-If possible, shop for clothing and the accompanying accessories in the off-season when prices tend to be lower. Another option is to wait for the sales that happen at the end of every season. Buy a swimsuit for next year at the end of the summer season, and you will pay a great deal less than if you wait to buy it the following spring!

-Don’t turn up your nose at second hand shops or thrift stores. These stores have much to offer in terms of clothing, furniture, household items, etc. It is not unheard of to find items at these stores that are practically brand new. For example, if you have spent a fortune decorating your home you might decide to decorate the recreation room, the extra bedroom or your children’s playroom with items purchased at thrift stores. No one has to know where you bought your stuff!

-Refrain from using credit cards, debit cards or checks whenever possible. Instead use cash. Why? Cash is much more difficult to part with it because you can easily see how much you have spent. If you buy with cash, then you are less likely to waste your money on things you do not really need.

-When fruits and vegetables are in-season they are cheaper. This is when you should stock up. Freeze a good portion so that you will still have lots to choose from when the prices start to rise!

Want a great place to shop with excellent prices, a plethora of stores, and tons of name brands? One of the best places in the sunny state of Florida is the Prime Outlets shopping center located in Ellenton. It is located just off of Interstate-75, and close to Bradenton, St. Pete, Tampa and Sarasota.

The entire shopping center houses over one hundred thirty stores and includes some of the biggest name brands: Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, Stuart Weitzman, KB Toys, Aeropostale and many more. The shopping center is located outdoors, so you can get that great exercise you need. It is even covered along all the major walkways, so you can remain sheltered in the rain or shaded from the sun.

With exception to some of the more expensive stores, almost everything is priced cheap compared to normal malls; some of the stores even have wholesale prices. It is great for those back to school wardrobe visits, updating a personal wardrobe, or even picking up some much needed household items. My significant other enjoys visiting Kirkland’s, they sell excellent name brand decorative items for the house at pretty cheap prices.

The outlet is open Monday through Saturday 10am-9pm, and on Sunday 10am-7pm. It is closed, however, on all the major holidays. So, the next time you’re looking for something to do and the weather outside is beautiful, why not take a trip to the Ellenton shopping center with some friends and family?

Whenever we go shopping with our kids we try to give them the opportunity to buy something. It is never a big dollar figure thing, but allowing them to make their own decisions serves multiple purposes:

• The kids stay engaged during the day because they know they will get something
• The kids learn how to work with a budget

This past weekend, we went with two of our kids to the 75th Annual Craftsmen’s Fair in New Hampshire. The fair is a sprawling array of artisans demonstrating their crafts and offering them for sale. There are glassblowers, blacksmiths, painters, and sculptors working in every medium you can imagine.

Now a craft fair may not sound like a great day for kids, so we employed our strategy and told them they could each spend $20 on a craft of his or her choice. After looking at the hundreds of exhibits, the kids decided on pieces of hand-sculptured pewter from Walker Boyle. Our daughter chose two horse figurines and our son chose an eagle talon talisman. Mr. Boyle was friendly and accommodating to the kids, which made the entire transaction fun.

Each child hit the $20 mark exactly and left the fair happy as larks making it a great day for the whole family.

When I went to college, I set off with a Mickey Mouse comforter, three garbage bags full of clothes and bedding, a boxful of school supplies and a shoebox filled with my favorite CDs and cassettes. Computers were still optional, and cell phones still looked like giant bricks. Now people going off to college have to decide what kind of computer to take and how to furnish or decorate their dorm rooms. Here are a few hints to help you shop for your dorm room décor:

1. Choose a bedspread that is washable! This, above all else will save you tons of money. Your bed is going to be the central piece of furniture in your dorm room. You will sleep in it, sit on it, lounge on it and your friends will crowd onto it. It is incredibly easy to trash a bedspread when four friends are trying to find a comfortable way to sit on a twin bed at the same time. Take a bedspread that is easily washable and hides dirt well. You can always dress it up with fun pillows and throw blankets later.

2. You can never have enough space savers—those drawers that fit under the bed and are made by Rubbermaid—get a couple of them. It might seem superfluous now, but as the semester wears on, you’ll be glad you have a way to store your things that involves more than simply tossing them under the bed and pulling them back out at the end of the year.

3. Don’t worry so much about intricate decorations. A couple of posters and some photos will work fine. As the year goes on, you’ll be taking more photos and finding more wall art that you’ll want to put up. Buying your art throughout the year is easier on your budget and saves valuable packing space.

Earlier this week I walked into my local Fred Meyer and was, well, assaulted is a harsh word but it’s the best way to describe the experience, with the start of the “Back to School” season. Is it me, or does “back to school” start earlier every year?

There were notebooks, binders, writing utensils, backpacks—just about everything a person could need if he were heading back to the classroom in the fall—and a few extra things as well. Since when does a student need an mp3 player for school (or am I just old)?

One of the best parts about back to school season is that there is no rule that says you need to be a student to partake of the school supply sale prices. Is your office running low on pens? Stock up! Do you need more printer paper for your personal printer? Get a few reams of it now to save money! Go a little crazy and buy enough Post-it notes to last you a few months (somehow Post-it notes always disappear more quickly than you think they will).

Back to school sales are also a great time to stock up on art supplies. Markers, crayons, construction paper—it goes on sale as well. Sketch pads, pastels, paint—it’s all available at bargain basement prices.

When I was a kid I loved the back to school season because, well, I loved going to school…and I was the kid who spent her allowance on loose leaf paper and fancy pens. As an adult I love the back to school season because I can stock my home office for the next twelve months for a fraction of the price that it would cost me at any other time of the year. I save money, my office is stocked and the stores still turn a profit. Everybody wins!

The weather is still sweltering, and the last thing you probably want to think about is shoving your feet back into regular shoes, but in just eight short weeks, it will be autumn and you know what that means: boot season will be back. Fall is the best time for shorter skirts and higher boots, but if you haven’t gone boot shopping here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Not everything that looks fabulous in pictures will look fabulous on you. Boots are like any other piece of clothing, and in this case, your calves are the body part that will decide whether or not a certain style of boot looks good on you.

2. Pay attention to the size and shape of your calves as they will play as much of a role in your boot selection as the size of your feet. Just because your feet fit into the shoe part of the boot doesn’t mean that your calves are the right fit for the boot’s leg. Some boots will be too tight, and others will be too loose.

3. Make sure the boot gives you some ankle support but does not cut off your circulation. For some reason many boot manufacturers tend to make the ankles of their boots extra narrow. While this can help keep the boot in place, it also can do a great deal of damage if the boot is too tight.

4. Take your environment into consideration when you choose which knee high boots are right for you. If you spend a lot of time traveling from one place to another, choose knee high boots that are comfortable in which to walk. If you spend a great deal of time outside, buy boots that will stand up to all types of weather, like leather or rubber.

Once again, it is time for that family vacation! Every summer families pack up and hit the road for what is supposed to be a fun and carefree family vacation. Usually these vacations end up being stressful and expensive. This year the traditional family vacation stands to be even more expensive! Gas prices, the price of food and lodging - prices have exploded!

This year, why not do everything you can to save money? Here are a few hints to help:

1. Cars get better gas mileage if they don’t do a lot of stopping and starting and, while lonely roads and scenic routes are certainly fun to explore, if you are headed somewhere specific, you should take the highway—cars get better gas mileage on the highway.

2. Pack a cooler full of food and drinks, and keep it somewhere reachable. Count your blessings if you own a car that gives you trunk access through the car’s back seat! Packing your own food and drinks will cut down on the money you would spend at a restaurant or convenience store and will keep you from making lots of stops.

3. If you are traveling with younger kids, invest in a portable DVD player. When younger kids get bored, they tend to get loud and whiny—this could mean a lot of extra stops at rest stops for some running around or last minute entertainment. If you keep your kids occupied, you’ll make much better time!

4. An inexpensive digital camera can save you a lot of money on film and development costs. If you’ve brought your computer with you, you can download the photos as you take them!

It’s amazing how the little money savers, when used in conjunction with each other, can save you quite a bit of money!

With the weather heating up many of us start paying visits to the local community swimming pool. Swimming pools are a great way to cool off and have fun during the hot summer months, and they can be a great source of exercise! Of course, not everybody has the time to spend the day at the community pool and some people don’t like the noise and crowds that are associated with public swimming pools, but if you can’t afford an in-ground swimming pool, what other option is there?

An above ground swimming pool!

Above ground swimming pools are cheaper than in-ground swimming pools, and they are available in a number of sizes and styles. Here are a few tips to help you get a great deal on your above ground swimming pool this summer:

1. Plan for the space you have available to you. Your yard might not accommodate a large swimming pool for “real” swimming, but a smaller, “keep cool” sized pool might be a perfect fit! Decide what you want to use the pool for and then pick the one that fits the best in your yard.

2. Look for pools that come with accessories included. You will want a pool cover to keep debris out of the water at night. You also should have a pump system for the pool to keep algae from forming and making the water in the pool unsafe.

3. If you can afford them, you might want to invest in some solar panels or other sort of heating device. Water that feels a little cold on your hands will probably feel shockingly cold to the rest of your body, and the more time your pool spends in the shade, the colder the water will be. Water that is too cold can be dangerous. Small solar panels and inexpensive heaters can keep the water cool and manageable at the same time.

Summertime is rampant with weddings, and you know what that means: it’s time to figure out what kind of wedding gift giver you want to be.

While registering for gifts has exploded in popularity in recent years, there are still some couples who find the idea of registering for presents to be tacky—almost like begging. For the gift giver, this can present something of a headache. How can you make sure that you won’t be giving the happy couple the same photo album that everyone else gives them?

The type of gift you give at a wedding typically depends on how close you are to the people who are getting married. Obviously if you are very close to them, you have an easier time choosing something that will be personal and unique. But what if you aren’t that close? What then? Here are a few tips to help you make sure that your gift is well received and not one gravy boat of many.

1. Donate to charity in the couple’s name. Do a little research and find out what causes the couple is passionate about, and then, instead of giving them a physical present, tell them that you donated that money to their pet cause. You’re giving to charity, and the couple will be touched that you took the time to help a cause about which they care.

2. Pool your money with other guests to get them a larger gift, like a piece of furniture that you know they need or a weekend getaway that they can use later.

3. When in doubt, gift cards or cash are always good ways to go. It might seem tacky, but it will be far more appreciated by the bride and groom than something they don’t need but feel obligated to keep.