cheap posts

A Simple Packing Trick to Avoid Airline Baggage Fees

Filed under: Economizer, Travel, Holidays

There's something strangely satisfying and less stressful about flying with only carry-on luggage.

The first snicker of satisfaction comes when you arrive at the airport with your boarding pass already printed off the internet and breeze past the line of people waiting to check in their bags. The second is knowing that you've avoided paying check-in baggage fees (this is not so much an issue on Canadian airlines, but you really need to watch out for them in the U.S. or on budget airlines around the world -- they hurt. Ouch!) Third is knowing that the airline won't lose your luggage (it's a slim chance, but it does happen.) And fourth is being able to walk straight off the plane, past those waiting for the baggage conveyor belt to start up, and straight out of the airport.

Before you say that there's no way you could fit everything you need into your carry-on, read on.

Tags: airlines, avoid fees, AvoidFees, backpack, baggage fees, BaggageFees, boarding, budget airlines, BudgetAirlines, canada, canadian airlines, CanadianAirlines, cheap, compression sack, CompressionSack, flying, holidays, luggage, march break, MarchBreak, outdoor research, OutdoorResearch, pack, packing, save money, save space, SaveMoney, SaveSpace, simple trick, SimpleTrick, space, space bag, SpaceBag, suitcase, tip, travel, travelling, u.s., vacation

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It's 31¢ Scoop Night at Baskin Robbins

by Reb Stevenson

Filed under: Bargains & Freebies, Bargains, Daily Deal, Food & Drink

Quick! Take a hammer to the piggy bank and head on down to the nearest Baskin Robbins ice cream shop.

Between 5pm and 10pm tonight (Wednesday, April 27), 2.5 oz scoops of hard ice cream and 3 oz soft serve cones are just 31¢ each at all Baskin Robbins shops across Canada. Your treat is for a good cause, too - the event is in aid of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

There's a limit of two scoops per person.

Click here for a list of Baskin Robbins shops.

Tags: baskin robbins, BaskinRobbins, charity, cheap, ice cream, IceCream, scoop

A London Hotel Room For £1

by Reb Stevenson

Filed under: Bargains & Freebies, Bargains, Daily Deal, Travel

If you still love Wills & Kate and all things Britain in spite of the Royal Wedding overkill, you might want to consider a trip to London in the near future.

Here's an incentive: The Hoxton Hotel is offering 500 rooms for £1 each for the time period between May 1 and July 31, 2011. The rate includes breakfast.

The sale, which is only available online through the Hoxton's website, starts on April 14 at noon U.K. time, which means 7 am eastern time and 4 am pacific time. The last £1 sale sold out in 10 minutes, so you've got to be on the ball.

Note that you cannot book more than one room per person.

Tags: 1, cheap, hotel, hoxton hotel, HoxtonHotel, london, sale

$2.99 Clearance Sale on 2011 Calendars

by Reb Stevenson

Filed under: Bargains & Freebies, Bargains, Daily Deal

If the Free Canadian Wildlife Federation Calendar I featured last week doesn't appeal to you, you're bound to find something to see you through the coming year at www.bookcloseouts.com.

The site has reduced all its 2011 calendars to a paltry $2.99 US.

There are 23 calendars in all to choose from, for example:

1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler's Calendar

365 Golf Holes

The 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said

Doodle: A Chalkboard Calendar

Nuns Having Fun

Tags: 2011, book closeouts, BookCloseouts, bookcloseouts.com, calendar, cheap, clearance

Save up to 50% on Gap Outerwear

by Reb Stevenson

Filed under: Bargains & Freebies, Bargains, Daily Deal, Fashion & Trends, Shopping

A message from your mom: put on a jacket!

Your shirt may be cool and all, but frostbite is never fashionable.

If you're not bundled up properly, check out this deal: Gap is currently offering up to 50% off outerwear. In the women's department, some jackets have gone from $118 to $54.99, while over on the men's side some nice down vests that were originally sold for $79.50 are now on sale for $34.99.

Tags: cheap, coat, gap, jacket, men, outerwear, sale, women

The Changing Face of Travel: Free Tours The Latest Fad

by Alia McMullen

Filed under: Fashion & Trends, Saving, Travel

I'm sauntering along a shaded path at the south-east end of Central Park in New York City. There's something intoxicatingly relaxing about this 150-year old city oasis and I soak it in as my guide explains how it took 20,000 men to build the 840 acre landmark. In an attempt to imitate the green spaces of Europe, the workers blasted away rocky outcrops, sculpted the land with soil and planted over 270,000 plants to create one of the most famous parks in the world.

I arrive at the Musical Clock arching whimsically above the path. My guide is telling me about the animals that will dance out of it on the hour and half hour. It is a few minutes to 2pm and I want to see the spectacle, so I switch my guide off and wait. That's right, I switch her off. After all, she's just a walking-tour audio guide I downloaded for free from Central Park's website.

There are hundreds of thousands of audio tours on the internet for just about any destination you can think of. Some are free, such as the Arts and Architecture Tour of Central Park.

Tags: affordable, audio, audio tour, AudioTour, bronx, central park, CentralPark, cheap, china, france, free, hip hop, HipHop, ipod, learn out loud, LearnOutLoud, mp3, new york city, NewYorkCity, nyc, phone, soundwalk, spain, technology, tours, travel, walking, walking tour, WalkingTour, world

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U.S. Real Estate For Canadian Buyers

by Alia McMullen

Filed under: Investing, Loans, Retirement and RRSPs, Taxes, Travel, Real Estate, Your Home

Buying a home is a daunting task, let alone buying one in another country. Yet a good number of Canadians relish the chance to own their little plot of somewhere else, particularly if that plot lies baking beneath the nice warm sun.

The biggest market without question for Canadians seeking overseas property is the United States, and more specifically, Florida and Arizona. The depressed housing market south of the border has opened up more opportunities for Canadians eyeing a piece of the pie and that looks like something set to continue according to a TD Bank survey that shows that more than one-third of Canadian boomers are considering buying real estate there.
The U.S. media has noticed a rise in the number of Canadians buying property, further expanding what is already their biggest foreign ownership group. (Read Five Reasons Why Canadians Are Snapping Up U.S. Real Estate.)

Buying property in the U.S. is not as complicated as many think. The first thing to consider is how to finance the purchase.

Tags: arizona, bank, boomers, broker, buy, canada, cheap, condo, detroit, financing, florida, house, investment, neighbourhood, property, purchase, real estate, RealEstate, rent, state, tax, taxes, u.s., united states, UnitedStates

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From Trash to Flash: Las Vegas Weddings on Any Budget

by Alia McMullen

Filed under: Budgeting & Planning, Weddings

When most people think of getting married in Las Vegas, they think of Elvis, fluorescent lights, drive-thrus, and drunken spur-of-the-moment nuptials. Sure, that stuff happens -- it is Vegas after all. But there's a lot more to the 'wedding capital of the world' than meets the eye. From fun and tacky at just US$40 right up to the royal treatment at $16,000-plus, if you want it at your wedding or vow renewal, you'll find it in Las Vegas. Not only that, but stiff competition makes Vegas a great place to find a good deal on wedding packages, and there's no shortage of entertainment options after the ceremony. Read about eight different wedding packages available and click through our gallery to browse just a few of the hundreds of wedding packages you can find in Sin City.

1) One of the cheapest ways to get married in Vegas is at the original 'Tunnel of Love.' Drive through in your own car and a minister will marry you for just US$40! Originally designed to cater to the handicapped, the drive-thru wedding has become a Vegas novelty and is now so popular that a number of chapels now offer such a service.

2) Marketed as "the cheesy chapel alternative," SimpleVegasWedding.com will marry you in any public space on the strip for just US$99. For US$149, they'll move your ceremony inside your hotel suite or even a limo. Ministers are also on call after hours just in case you get that sudden urge to get hitched at 3am.

3) In the early 1970s, the Graceland Chapel introduced the very first Elvis wedding in Las Vegas. Four decades later the Elvis wedding has grown to be as much a part of the city as blackjack, with almost all wedding chapels getting in on the act. For US$199, Elvis will walk the bride down the isle, perform the service and sing two songs for the happy couple.

Tags: belagio, butler, chapel in the clouds, ChapelInTheClouds, cheap, drive-thru, elvis, flash, fun tacky, FunTacky, graceland chapel, GracelandChapel, las vegas, LasVegas, limo, marriage, package, photos, royal treatment, RoyalTreatment, strip, the grove, TheGrove, tunnel of love, TunnelOfLove, vega chapel, VegaChapel, vip, webcast, wedding

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Nissan Leaf Electric Car Coming To Canada. Will It Save You Cash?

by Alia McMullen

Filed under: Budgeting & Planning, Fashion & Trends, Saving, Technology, Going Green

It's been a long time since a fully electric car has held as much promise as the Nissan Leaf. In fact, the vehicle has been garnering solid reviews and appears so promising that some governments, municipalities and electricity companies are preparing to meet the Leaf's recharging needs, anticipating that it will be the first of many viable electric cars on the market.

The Leaf will be released in Vancouver, Canada toward the end of 2011 and rolled out in other provinces in 2012. Nissan hasn't released an official Canadian price for the vehicle as yet, but the car maker has released figures in U.S. dollars, allowing us to get a rough estimate of how much the electric car will cost consumers. The early verdict looks very positive.

Tags: battery, Canada, car, charge, cheap, cost, efficient, electric, electric car, ElectricCar, environment, fuel, gas, leaf, Lithium Ion, LithiumIon, nissan, ontario, price, rebate, save, united states, UnitedStates, vancouver, vehicle

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Cheap Eats: How to Jazz Up Kraft Dinner

by Alia McMullen

Filed under: Budgeting & Planning, Economizer, Food & Drink, Health, Back to School

Cash-strapped university students and picky adolescent eaters have lived off Kraft Dinner for decades, and the classic macaroni and cheese holds a special place in the hearts of many Canadians. Not only is the little blue and yellow KD box cheap, but it takes just minutes to make and is so simple even a kitchen clown can achieve an edible result.

Despite this, the taste of powdered cheese and pasta can become rather monotonous over time and, if eaten for days on end, it could result in a bit of malnutrition -- I can picture Jamie Oliver inspecting school dinners and cringing at a packet of mac and cheese as I type.

Thankfully, the ways you can jazz up your KD and inject some more goodness are as endless as your imagination. KD has a few fun suggestions on its website, including Chopstix KD, Shipwreck Dinner, and KD Mac & Cheese Hot Dog Skillet. But you don't need a recipe to spice up your KD -- one of the simplest and cheapest ways to turn a KD into a somewhat feast is to add some veggies. Vegetables are among the healthiest and cheapest buys at the supermarket.

Tags: back to school, BackToSchool, cheap, kd, kraft dinner, mac and cheese, MacAndCheese, macaroni and cheese, MacaroniAndCheese, meats, nutrition, quick, recipe, recipes, save money, SaveMoney, students, vegetables