Although the companionship of an animal is priceless, their upkeep costs money, and too many people get involved with pets before realizing they can't actually afford to take proper care of one. Our pounds are overflowing with creatures who were evicted by owners who found themselves in over their financial heads.

But the cold financial facts shouldn't keep you from sharing your love with a four-legged, furry friend. You just have to know how much you should expect to spend. The American Veterinary Medical Association estimated that in 2007, 37.2% of our households kept at least one dog, and 32.4% of us kept at least one cat, making the two animals the most popular domestic pets by far.

The world's an ever-changing place, and that change affects how far your dollar will go on vacation. Lonely Planet's U.S. editor, Robert Reid, contributed to the publisher's newly-released Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011. He visited WalletPop to count down his picks for the places that have developed into the best-value travel destinations for 2011.

The world's an ever-changing place, and that change affects how far your dollar will go on vacation. Lonely Planet's U.S. editor, Robert Reid, contributed to the publisher's newly-released Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2011. He visited WalletPop to count down his picks for the places that have developed into the best-value travel destinations for 2011.


10. Guatemala
One of its principal draws: in-home language schools that cost just $125/week. You stay with a family who teaches you about the country, supplies room and board, and facilitates your Spanish lessons for a few hours a day. All for a mere $20 a night.

9. Japan
Contrary to popular belief, Japan can be done inexpensively. Guesthouses cost just $40 (find some using Robert's tip at this website). For more advice, click here for our "Go for Less" video podcast about Tokyo with his colleague, the author of Lonely Planet Tokyo. The clip playing behind Reid can be watched in full here.

By Alia McMullen

Forget Black Friday. This year's sales are turning into Black November as big-name U.S. retailers slash prices early to win over consumers. The crazy low-price promotions combined with a Canadian dollar trading near parity with the greenback has made November a great month to secure a cross-border bargain before Christmas.

Jeff Schroeder, a popular alum of CBS mainstays The Amazing Race and Big Brother, has just arrived back in America after completing an inspiring challenge to travel all the way Around the World for Free and document it online through videos and photos for a legion of fans who followed his every move. Schroeder left the starting line in New York City in early July, and after 105 days, 13 countries, countless snafus, and indelible connections, he arrived back in Manhattan this week. Schroeder made a beeline for WalletPop.com, where I asked the budget Ulysses how on earth he saw Earth without spending any cash:








Schroeder (wearing the vest his girlfriend, Big Brother 11 winner Jordan Lloyd, bought him when he passed through in Italy) was accompanied by his producer, videographer, and editor Zsolt Luka, or "Z." He accomplished the same journey, except with the added pressure of having to shoot, edit, and upload video segments as they went. While Schroeder worked to figure out the onward path, often graciously accepting hospitality from strangers who soon became friends, Luka and a third production companion, Josh Bolton, uploaded photos and videos of their adventures daily.

After announcing the trip on WalletPop, I followed the team closely as they traveled over the summer and fall. Not everyone has a network TV fan base to draw upon in assembling affordable travels, but one of the lessons of his journey is that you don't have to be famous to make friends. After all, outside of America, Schroeder's an unknown.

You put locks on your doors and codes on your bank account, so when you travel, you should be just as crafty in protecting your money. From "dummy wallets" to a secret weapon that comes with a key, keep your hard-earned cash safe on the road with these tips. Click to watch.

On Monday in Southampton, England, the new Cunard Line ship, the third Queen Elizabeth, was named by the actual Queen Elizabeth. Built for $634 million, it's the third QE to be named for her. I was invited to be one of just 1,600 people to attend the naming ceremony. Watch our first-look video of the lavish interior of this ship, the third in a lineage that goes back to the Great Depression.

Cunard President Peter Shanks introduced the ship by declaring that the new vessel would ease the economy "by easing dollars of out American pockets." Then 85-year-old Queen Elizabeth, wearing royal blue from hat to hem, pushed a button that smashed a bottle of white wine against the side of the ship, proclaiming her as her namesake. It turns out a little Anglophilia can go a long way -- it can even lure middle-class, British-obsessed Americans across an ocean at upscale prices. But could you afford to travel like this? Not long ago, more people could.

I have covered the travel business for more than a decade, and one of the most common questions I'm asked is how to find cheap airline tickets. It's a great question.
There are lots of tricks, but I have narrowed down a few of my favorite websites that, if used step by step, should save you money on air travel. From Hipmunk to Yapta, Airfarewatchdog to Momondo, here are some of the best airfare sites you may not have known about.

WalletPop editor-at-large Jason Cochran interviews a couple of entrepreneurs who've made millions, 99 cents at a time, by selling their unique iPhone apps. Don't be turned off by the names - iFart is one of the apps, for instance - these are true stories of how some, er, creative types are making a buck. Or lots of bucks. Like the $39,000 worth of iFart apps that were downloaded on Christmas Day as new iPhone owners decided they simply had to have it on their phones. Watch this video to find out what led to these extraordinary success stories.

Matt Kepnes did what so many of us dream of doing: He quit his job to travel around the world. But then he took his dream even further. He found a way to make money while he was doing it. Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt, turned a vacation into a job that can bring in up to $9,000 a month.

How does he do it? In our quick interview, he gives tips for making money that can be applied to your own journey through life.






In addition to his main NomadicMatt.com web site, which hosts his blog, Kepnes also runs How to Teach English Overseas and How to Travel and Backpack the World. Does a guy who runs all those sites from the road really have time to enjoy being a tourist? Then again, without a set endpoint to his travels, does it matter how much time it takes to make enough money to keep going for a while?

The World's Longest Yard Sale is the flea market of your fantasies. For four days in August, Highway 127, running through six states, is converted into one 675-mile rummage opportunity. The game: Drive 30 seconds, pull over, browse, buy, get back in car. Repeat until exhausted. Jason Cochran went to rural Tennessee, where the sale was born and where it's still headquartered, to show you what a marathon of bargains looks like.
The idea for the World's Longest Yard Sale started small, in Jamestown, Tenn. It came about in the 1980's as a way of pulling tourists off Interstate 40, which beelines between Nashville and Knoxville, so that they'd spend a little money in the countryside.