This month and next month are huge travel periods, so if you are going to be traveling do it right and save some money in the process. The more you know the better prepared you’ll be to make the right traveling choices and save yourself some money and hassle.

• Be a Conscious Consumer: If the airline puts you on a different flight and you arrive at your destination between one to two hours after your originally scheduled arrival time (one to four hours for international destinations), the airline is required to pay you an amount equal to the one-way fare to your destination that day, up to $400 maximum and $800 for international travel.

If the airline does not make alternative arrangements for you, the airline is required to compensate you double the amount of the one-way fare to your destination.

• Give Yourself a Gift: Business class fares are affordable this winter! Prices are only about double that of an economy ticket, rather than 3-4 times the economy rate as they usually are. European destinations are the best targets for this tip. (For example, flights to Paris or Frankfurt are roughly $750 in economy and just $1500 in Business Class. Later, business Class seats to Paris jump up to $2200 and $3000 for Frankfurt, while economy tickets remain the same.)

• Try to Travel on Holidays: If you can, travel on actual holidays for less-crowded airports, cheaper fares – instead of the day before or day after. Travelers can expect to pay half or even less to travel.

(For example, flights from NYC to Miami are $450+ leaving the day before Thanksgiving and returning on Sunday or Monday. Traveling on Thanksgiving and returning on Tuesday will only cost you $199). That’s a pretty good savings if you ask me. If you’re not up for traveling on holidays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the cheapest days of the week to travel.

• Opt for Non-stop and Save the hassle: Winter weather and crowded airports make for potential disasters when it comes to catching connecting flights. Avoid the stress and hassle by springing for the nonstop flights. Or, at least avoid layovers in cities known for inclement weather (Denver, Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis). If you must take a flight with a stop, opt for warmer climates like Dallas, Miami or Los Angeles.

• Pack Less: Packing less clothing and doing laundry at the homes of family members will save you lots of hassle at the airport and some cash. Less carry-on luggage can save travelers up to $50 in baggage fees while also avoiding the hassle of hauling around extra luggage. (Note: When searching on Fly.com the results show baggage fees!).

• Avoid Surprise Expense:If you’re traveling with oversized items such as skis, snowboards, or golf clubs, make sure to check airline requirements and fees ahead of time to avoid surprise expenses.

• Check Nearby Airports: Often larger airports due to heavy flow of passengers/aircraft have the most delays and fewest seats available. Search for airfare in smaller nearby airports to get the best deals. From Chicago fly into Washington National or Baltimore to save at least $30 on the cost flights when compared to Dulles.

• Get to Your Desitnation Early: There are often less delays on early morning flights as they are usually the first scheduled flights of the day. The plane is often waiting for several hours and ready to go!

• Use Social Media to Save: Sites such as Fly.com often offer real-time Twitter fare (@Fly_com) and Facebook alerts (www.facebook.com/fly) for flights around the world.

• And just one extra tip, even if things aren’t going right do your best to be polite to airline employees. Being nice can go a long way.

Disclosure: These travel trips have been provided by Fly.com.  Happy and safe travels to you all.

© 2011, Nanette Gomez. All rights reserved.

I’ve been a work at home mom since 2001 just shortly after my first child was born.  I just couldn’t face going back to work and leaving my baby at home.  Fortunately at that point in time I was able to quit my job and do what my body and heart were telling me to do – stay home with my baby.

But I knew I needed to be a financially contributing part or our family and so began my quest to find work at home.  I’ve always thought really highly of companies that support moms and even more so those that help support moms who choose to work from home.

That’s one of the reasons I am really fond of Juice In the City. Juice in the City is a company that is for moms, by moms. And in addition to this they are looking to help local businesses. What is Juice in the City and how does it help local businesses you ask?

Well, I’ll tell you. Juice in the City is a unique daily deals site.   Deals are found by moms within the community so you get deals one mom would recommend to another mom, friend or family. I know I personally trust my other “mom” friends and often go to them for tips, and recommendations on purchases, don’t you? You’ll find some great deals everyday of every week.  Just watch and I’ll tell you all about them.

And honestly who doesn’t love a great deal these days.  In these hard economic times a mom’s got to budget and sometimes it’s a tight budget so we’re always on the look out for ways to save. I can’t pass up a great deal and I’m sure you can’t either.  So, I’ll be sharing some of these great daily deals with you so make sure you are one the look out for them.

I’m really looking forward to sharing the Juice with you.

Disclosure: Just so you know, yes that is my affiliate link in the post.

© 2011, Nanette Gomez. All rights reserved.

Right now, everyone’s mind is on shopping, buying this, buying that.   If you’re ready to shop, think savings too, rewards or cash back.  Of course with all the Black Friday deals both online and in stores and Cyber Monday deals just around the corner I thought I’d let you know about two places I like ’cause they offer cash back, coupons, promotional codes, and even points towards redeemable gift cards. Sounds good doesn’t it?  I mean who doesn’t like to get something back right?

Here are a two ways to get something back when you shop online!

Ebates offers coupons, promo codes and cash back on your purchases and daily they’ve got some really great opportunities to get some pretty high percentages of cash back from tons of stores including eBay!. You’ll have to check it out for yourself but I can almost guarantee you’ll find your favorite stores there.  They also offer a daily double deal of the day, you’ll want to make sure you check that out too.  Gotta love deals huh?   If you’d like to sign up you can do so here at Ebates.com (Yes, that’s my referral link, I’d appreciate it so much if you’d like to use it.) If not you can just go directly to the website.  Here’s just an example of what you’ll get:

Restaurant.com 15.0% Cash Back! Macy’s5.0% Cash Back! Sephora 5.0% Cash Back!

Newegg 2.0% Cash Back! Kmart 4.0% Cash Back! Overstock 1.0%-5.0%Cash Back!

drugstore.com 6.0% Cash Back! Walmart 2.0% Cash Back! Barnes & Noble.com 8.0% Cash Back!

Sears 4.0% Cash Back! Groupon 3.0% Cash Back! Kohl’s 4.0% Cash Back!

JCPenney 6.0% Cash Back! Old Navy 2.0% Cash Back! JCrew 3.0% Cash Back!

And hundreds more stores.

MyPoints gives you points for each dollar spent at various participating online stores and they have a lot to choose from also.  You accumulate points and then can redeem them for gift cards.  I’ve gotten quite a few of them since joining.  You’ll either need to go to their website or get a referral.  I can send you an invite if you’d like just tell me in the comments and make sure you leave an email address when commenting. You don’t need to leave it in the actual comment though.

I like being able to shop at stores that I like, shop online and either earn points towards redeemable gift cards or cash back.  I figure, if I’m going to be shopping, I’m going to be doing in the comfort of my own home and earning something from it.

Do you shop at home or do you hit the stores? Do you use any special sites to shop from?  I know I must be missing some. Share your favorite savings site in the comments.

© 2010 – 2011, Nanette Gomez. All rights reserved.

Kodak (check out their clever ads on my sidebar) and JuiceBoxJungle sponsored me to write this post, and they asked me to talk about the top and/or bottom 3 things I think/worry about as a mom.

This is perfect timing as I’ve had so much on my mind lately, it seems I just can’t think straight.  I’m emotional and “girlie” which I am not typically.  Wow, you wouldn’t believe the week I’ve just been through.  A family member in the hospital, our daughter in the Emergency Room at 4:30 a.m., my son needs a root canal and the company I work for is struggling to survive in these economic hard times.  It’s been an overwhelming week for me to say the least.

And the one thing common in all instances is economic worry.  How can we help my ill family member, how are we going to pay for Princess’ visit to the ER, how are we going to pay for Little Bug’s dental work, doctor visits, vitamins, prescriptions and therapy sessions this week much less after that?

So, you can bet that at least one of the top three things I worry about as a mom, right now, will probably revolve around the need for a more stable economic situation not for ourselves but for our kids.

So here they are (my top three concerns as a mom)

1. How will we pay for Little Bug’s weekly individual and group therapy sessions which he needs so much?
2. Will Little Bug really ever been fully independent?
3. What more can I do to help Little Bug and Princess not only now but also in their future?

I’m trying to make sure we cut down on unnecessary expenses and to me that would include overpaying for products, any product including printer ink!  It’s not something I’ve really concentrated on but have you ever actually calculated how much you spend on printer ink?  You might be surprised. I was and I don’t print a lot of pictures.  Go on, I dare you! Check to see how much you’ve been overpaying.  Just go here and check: Overpayment Calculator

Feeling daring? Check the Overpayment Calculator and come back here and share your results with me

© 2010, Nanette Gomez. All rights reserved.

It never fails, we budget for our groceries, but the bill always ends up being more. We underestimate, run out of things faster than expected and overall, everything is becoming just too darned expensive! To make things a little bit easier, here are 9 simple ways you can start saving money on your groceries.

1. Go with a List: Yes, I know…it’s a pretty obvious suggestion, but it’s amazing how effective it can be. You can purchase only what you need and avoid all the other yummy distractions of the grocery store.

2. Meal Planning: Planning your meals in advance makes it easier to get your list together and ensure you buy only exactly what you need. You can get help with your meal planning at Dine Without Whine AND they actually put your grocery list together for you too.

3. Eat Before You Go: Another classic tip. If you’re hungry, you’ll want to buy (and instantly eat) everything! Have a meal or good snack before you go to avoid impulse purchases.

4. Stock Up on Staple Items When They’re On Sale: If you see ketchup or your family’s favorite sauce on sale, stock up. Or if it’s a certain type of soup or frozen vegetable your family eats all the time, buy a bunch of it. As long as it doesn’t spoil and you have space to store it, you will save money in the long run. The nice thing about this is if you continue to stock up on a variety of items, you’ll have a nice pantry full of food at any given time.

5. Cook from Scratch More Often: Yeah, yeah…it sounds easier said than done, but it doesn’t have to be too complicated. It’s no secret that pre-packaged items and convenience foods come at a premium price. They save you time in preparation, but they eat up your budget and let’s face it, time IS money. Plus, if you’re using Tip #2 and planning your meals, cooking from scratch more often is a whole lot easier.

6. Comparison Shop Before You Leave Home: No, I’m definitely not suggesting you go from store-to-store looking for the best deal. That takes too much time. Check the flyers that come to your door and see who is offering the best deals on what you actually need. If you don’t have any flyers at your door, visit the store website as they generally post flyers online.

7. Use Coupons Sparingly: Sure, coupons offer a great deal, but most coupons you’ll find are for items you don’t really need or use. Resist the urge to think, “Wow, that’s a good deal” and search for coupons based on items you need to purchase instead.

8. Keep the Little Ones At Home: If you have young children that want everything that they see, it’s easy to get into the trap of buying items you don’t need, treats that aren’t healthy and become victim to other grocery store distractions. Keep the kids at home with Daddy (it’s a good bonding opportunity) or a relative. You can even swap grocery store shopping times with your neighbor. Not only will you save money, but you’ll save your sanity too!

9. Make Quick Stops for Fresh Ingredients: This may not be easy if you’re on a tight schedule, but if you can work it in, it can save you a bundle. One of the biggest culprits in grocery budgets gone bad is spoiled food. If your fruits, veggies and other perishable items are always going bad, consider shopping for them more frequently, but in smaller quantities and restrain yourself from buying items you don’t need. If you have any teenaged kids, this would be a great chore for them too.

There you go – 9 ways to save on groceries. But in order to make these tips work, you really need to have a plan in place. You need to know what your family needs and what you’ll be eating. To make your meal planning a whole lot easier, sign up for you 1 ¢ no-risk trial at Dine Without Whine. You and your grocery budget will be glad you did.

photo credit: timsamoff

© 2009, Nanette Gomez. All rights reserved.