When you think about AAA, you probably just think about your car, and how they can help if you get a flat tire, get stuck, or anything else like that.

While that is all very true, AAA can help you get a lot of discounts in other ways. Although I have to admit, sometimes it can be hit or miss.

We have AAA, and every time we are getting ready to book a hotel, we check both the regular rates, as well as AAA rates. Most of the time though, the regular internet rates are lower than AAA rates. I always check, because you never know.

Well, this past week, we were able to use AAA rates for 2 of the hotels we stayed at, one a Courtyard Marriott, and the other a Comfort Inn – both in Canada. Not only did the AAA card get us better rates, but it got us free buffet breakfast at the Marriott that is normally $18 per person per day. Not bad right?

AAA did even more for us this trip. They offer discounts to a lot of attractions as well. We knew that and have used them in the past, and even went to a AAA office in Asheville, NC last year to get a discount to an attraction. Well, we were able to get AAA discounts at both the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and at Howe Caverns, which is about 45 min away from Cooperstown. So we ended up saving quite a bit on our trip due to having the AAA card.

They also offer discounts to theme parks, and even some stores (both in store and online), so it’s defintely something to check out, especially if you already have a AAA card, and hardly use it!

If you like Amazon as much as we do, one thing you’ll know is that you can get free shipping if you spend at least $25.00. That’s great, but sometimes the item you want isn’t quite $25.00, and you don’t want to have to buy something else just to get over the limit. What you might not know, is that Amazon has a program called “Amazon Prime” that will give you free shipping no matter how big or small your order is.

Amazon Prime actually has another benefit as well. Not only does it not matter how small your order is, but your free shipping will be free 2-day shipping! So now not only will you save money on almost everything (since Amazon usually has the lowest prices…) but you’ll also get your items a lot faster, and you won’t have to pay for anything.

This will come in handy if you need to buy something, but need it that week. Before you’d have to either pay more and go to a store nearby, or pay more to have Amazon ship it out sooner. Now you can pay less, and still get it sooner! If you have Amazon Prime and 2-day shipping isn’t good enough, for $3.99 you can get overnight shipping. This is still less than regular shipping for most places.

The best part about Amazon Prime is that right now you can get a free trial. You’ll get 1-month of Amazon Prime for free, where you’ll be able to get free 2-day shipping no matter how small your order is! I recommend trying it. You’ll really enjoy how quickly you’ll get your products!

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m a member of She Speaks, where every once in a while I get to test products, and give my opinions on them.

Well, just a few days ago I got an email from She Speaks offering me the chance to watch a Food Network TV Show (my choice of either an episode of Ask Aida or Cooking for Real). For watching it and filling out a survey, I was able to choose to get a free Food Network Book!

They also had this great offer, which I’ll share with everyone here:

Receive a FREE Rachael Ray 3-Pack DVD with any purchase over $50 at the Food Network Store. Enter coupon code C98278 at checkout. Offer expires 9/15/08.

I thought that was a pretty good deal if you plan on buying anything at the Food Network store in the next few weeks!

I enjoy being a part of research panels like this, since I get to learn about things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I had never seen Cooking for Real before, and I really enjoyed it! Plus, we all know that by cooking at home, you’ll save more money than by going out to eat…and when you find a new recipe to try, it makes it easier for you to want to stay home!

I recently got the book “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois out of the library, and decided to try it. I had tried making bread once before, but it was such a pain and was so time consuming, I didn’t think I would ever try it again. Once I heard about this book though, I knew I had to try it.

First off, there is no kneading, or anything else complicated. It took me less than 5 minutes to mix up the ingredients with a wooden spoon, and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day all I had to do was take some of the dough out of the fridge, let it sit for 40 min, and then cook it. It couldn’t have been easier.

One of the big questions is…was it any good? I was shocked. It tasted REALLY good. I was really excited! I loved having the bread, and to know that I have enough dough for 3 more loaves sitting in my fridge makes me happy!

The next question is – how does the cost compare with buying a loaf of bread at the store? Well, I can’t exactly compare it since this is more of a nice bread you’d get at a bread store instead of a loaf of white bread, but let’s try to compare them anyway. At the store, you can spend anywhere from $1.00 – $4.00 for a loaf of bread. With the ingredients used in this loaf, a plain regular loaf of bread cost me about $0.55 a loaf. Granted, the loaf is a little bit smaller than a regular loaf..but it tasted really great. Plus, you know exactly what is in it since you made it yourself. Which also means you can add additional ingredients if you like a special type of bread.

Also, that was just me buying the ingredients at my local grocery store.  If I decide I’m going to start making bread more (which I probably will), I might get the yeast and flour at Costco, which I’m sure will save me a lot  more money.

One of the things I really liked was the size of the bread. Every single time I buy a loaf of bread, I always end up wasting at least part of it. There is no way 2 of us can go through a whole loaf before it goes bad. Here, I have up to 2 weeks to make and the 4 loaves, and this way it works out perfectly.

I will note that depending on what you have in your house, you will need to buy a few items if you don’t bake often.  You’ll need a pizza peel and a baking stone.  I got both of them together for $15.00 and then 20% off at Bed Bath and Beyond, and it worked well for me.

So from an economical standpoint…is it better to make your own bread, or just buy it? I’d say there really isn’t too much of a difference, especially if you just buy what’s cheapest. But if you like being able to control exactly what is in your bread, and you enjoy making homemade items, then this book is really for you! I really can’t stress enough how easy it was. I look forward to trying a few of the other recipes before I return the book.

SheSpeaks is a company where women can test new products and have an input into what these products become.

Basically, this is how it works. Every so often if you fit a certain profile (different products have different suggested audiences) you’ll get an email asking if you would like to test the product. If you do, they’ll send you the product (for free of course). You get to try the product and keep it. You then report back to them telling them what you liked, as well as what you didn’t like. If you have any suggestions on how it could be better, you let them know that as well.

They also have a forum with other people who like yourself are also testing the product. There you are able to talk about the product as well. They will even sometimes give you coupons that you can give to your friends.

Last week I got a product in the mail to test, so I was really excited. They sent me the EOS Shaving Cream in Island Blue. They have 3 different fragrances: Pomegranate Raspberry, Vanilla Bliss, and Island Blue. They asked which I would prefer to test, and I chose the Island Blue.

I have had the chance to try it a few times, and I really like it. The scent definitely has an “island” type smell, although I can’t really pinpoint what the scent is. I really like it though, and that’s what matters. I also really like the can it came in. It has a pump you press to get it out, which makes it very easy to use with just one hand.

It also came with a bunch of coupons, and while I’ll happily give some to friends, I have to admit I’ll keep a few for myself! I know that it’s sold at Target, as well as online at Drugstore.com.

If it wasn’t for SheSpeaks, I would never have tried it, so I’m glad I got to test the product, and give them my feedback.

Travelzoo is a great website, and an even better newsletter. If you sign up for their newsletter, every Wednesday morning you’ll receive a list of their Top 20 travel deals on the web.

They range from airfare to vacation packages, to cruises, to hotels, and more. The locations vary as well. You’re just as likely to see a deal for a hotel in New York as you are for a cruise in Europe.

Beyond the 20 deals you’ll get via email, they also have their website where you can visit anytime to look for deals.

Personally, what I think this is great for is if your vacation is far off, you haven’t booked it yet, and you’re just seeing if there is anything that comes along. You can check it out every once in a while, and see if something comes up.  That’s also what I use their newsletter for.  You never know when just what you’re looking for will show up.

It’s also great if you want to book a vacation, but don’t know where to go. You’ll be able to see where all the great travel deals are, and choose from there.  They make it nice and easy to search too, so that if you’re looking for a specific type of deal, you don’t have to search through all of the deals.  For example, if you want to search for deals in Orlando, you can just click on “Orlando” and just search there.  It’s not just by location either.  You can search for Romantic vacations, Sports vacations, and more.

If you’re looking to book a vacation, or enjoy seeing what’s out there as far as deals, I’d really recommend signing up for their top 20 deals newsletter.  You’ll really get to see what is out there as far as great deals, and maybe you’ll come across  the perfect deal for your  next vacation.

Orbitz has just announced that they now have Price Assurance when you book your airline tickets through them.

What exactly does that mean? It means that if between the time you book your flight through Orbitz and the time you fly, another customer books your same flight for less, you’ll get the price difference.

I don’t know about you, but considering that prices change so often for flights, this sounds pretty cool. I would have been happier if it said that you’ll get the difference if the price goes down at ALL, but considering that would never happen, this is a pretty close second.

It’s definitely a reason to look at Orbitz before you book your airline tickets. If the price is the same between booking through Orbitz and someone else, you’re better off going with Orbitz since you have a chance to get money back. They say they will refund anywhere between $5.00 and $250.00, so that’s pretty impressive.  You’ll also get the check about 30 days after your trip, so you don’t have to wait all that long to get your money back.

It’s definitely an interesting idea, and will make me continue to check and use Orbitz when I fly.

Every time you look, prices keep going up. At the gas station, grocery store, even the airlines, every time you blink you see higher prices.

No matter what you want to do this summer, it looks like it might cost a little more money than last summer.   The good news is that there are many things you can do to bring the costs down, and still save money.

Here are 7 ways you can still have a fun summer, do a lot, and spend a lot less money.

1. Look for free (or very inexpensive) entertainment.

• You can take the whole family to the movies for free or $1.00.
• Bring lunch with you and have a picnic at a local park. You can spend the whole day there, and not have to spend a time, and everyone will have fun.
• You can go to a minor league baseball game. You can get great seats for under $10.00 a person, sometimes even for about $5.00 each. Many minor league games even have special nights with free stuff for the kids, or even fireworks for even more entertainment.
• Take advantage of your local library. You can rent book, magazines, and DVDs that can keep the whole family entertained for hours…especially on a rainy afternoon!

2. Plan your meals ahead of time.

It’s very easy to decide to go out to eat when it’s hot outside, it’s almost dinner time, and you have no idea what to make.

If you decide ahead of time what you’re going to make for the week, and even make some of it ahead of time (or use a crock pot in the morning), you won’t be so tempted to go out to dinner. This can really save you money (as well as calories!) since eating out usually costs a lot more than anything you can make at home.

3. Eat what is in season.

Now is the best time for local fruits and vegetables. They’ll be cheap, and taste fresh. If you buy fruit and vegetables that are in season where you live, you’ll spend a lot less on groceries than if you buy out of season items that had to be shipped to your local grocery store. Plus, you’ll have nice fresh fruit and veggies that have just been picked, and you’ll even have the benefit of supporting your local economy.

4. Spend less on your vacation.

You don’t have to fly somewhere to have a fun vacation.  Look to travel somewhere that’s nearby. No matter where you live, there are probably many places you can visit that are within a short driving distance that everyone will enjoy. Since you’ll be driving, you can make sure to bring with you breakfast foods as well as snacks and bottled water. This will save you a lot of money as well since you’ll only have to buy lunch and dinner out.

5. Make sure you compare prices.

While this goes for everything else as well, especially use it when you’re planning your vacation. You would be surprised at the difference in prices on the same hotel from one website to another.

Plus, if you’re going somewhere (like a theme park) that has an entrance fee, you can comparison shop to find the best prices on those as well. Consider going to your local AAA or even fast food restaurant to look for those kinds of discounts.

6. Lower your utility bills (as well as gas for your car).

• Dry your clothes outside. It’s beautiful and warm outside. Now is the time to give your dryer a break, and put the clothes outside to get dry.
• If you have air conditioning, still use your fan as well (especially a ceiling fan). You’ll be able to keep your house cooler, and it costs less to run a fan than your air conditioner. You’ll be able to use the A/C less, and still keep your home nice and cool.
• Run your dishwasher and do your laundry at night. In many places, you’ll save money for using electricity at night when it isn’t as hot and there isn’t as much of a demand for it.
• Plan your errands ahead of time. If you know where you need to drive for the week, you can group all of the places that are near each other so you can do them at once. This way you will drive less, and save money on gas.
• You can also use a website like GasBuddy to find the best prices on gas.  Make sure you stop to get gas when you’re in the area for other reasons, or you’ll just be wasting what you’re trying to save money on!

7. Mystery Shop so you can do more for less.

If you want to go out to eat or shop, but don’t want to spend your own money, consider mystery shopping. This way you’ll still be able to go out to eat (or buy things) without breaking the bank this summer. It does require a bit of work, but if you don’t mind describing your experience at a restaurant or retail shop, you can get these things for free. I’ve even seen theme parks as well as hotels being mystery shopped, so who knows how much this could help your budget!

Last weekend I was at my local Border’s looking around, and remembered something. They have a LOT of “bargain” books, as does Barnes & Noble. Both stores usually have an entire section dedicated to bargain books, where they are marked down from their regular price. I’ve noticed it’s usually near the cashier section, but not always.

You might think that all of these books are old and no good, and that’s why they are in the bargain section, but that’s not always true. While searching through them, we found quite a few cookbooks that looked really interesting. At full price, we never would have taken a second glance, but at $3.99 each, we decided to try a few! There were even a few Rachael Ray cookbooks that were there for under $5.00 each.

We found a few books that we liked that were $9.99 each, but we decided to hold off on them. Turns out that we didn’t make the best decision. We got home and searched Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon’s web sites, and they were all selling it for $20+!

While you might not always find something good, it’s definitely worth taking a 1-2 minute walk through when you’re in the store. You never know what type of books you’ll find, and at low prices too!

While on BzzAgent’s website, one of their “Frogs” was for a website called Mint. It claimed to make managing your personal finances easier, so of course I was interested and decided to take a look. On top of that, it’s FREE…and there is no better price than free, so I was convinced to sign up to see how it worked.

It was very easy to sign up and to get my account information entered. I just had to enter in the account info, and it automatically downloaded my info.

While I have only played with it for a little while, I like how you can see exactly where you are spending your money. You can easily track how much you spend on certain things each month, so you can make sure you are spending less in a certain category if that’s what you’re trying to do.

The only part that I’m not thrilled with is that it tries to make “suggestions” on how you can save even more money, which don’t always seem to make sense to me! But if you ignore those, and just use it to easily keep track of all of your finances, it does make it easy to see exactly where your money is going.