Travel Hacking... and Why I Don’t

Travel hacking is the art of collecting credit card bonuses, frequent flier points, and miles to get free flights, hotels, tours, and more.  There are many people busy earning free trips, and googling “Travel Hacking” leads to a gold mine of tips.  It seems like a frugal dream.  Why don’t I jump on that?

Book Review: Meet the Frugalwoods

The one resource you will never get back is time.  Time marches on, whether you’re ready for it to or not.  If you’re unhappy, you can’t expect that you’ll magically find happiness by continuing to do the exact same thing.  Mrs. Frugalwoods learned this lesson the hard way, but shares her insights of her newfound knowledge in a witty, thoughtful story that will likely spare you years of unhappiness and mindless consumerism.

Questions to Ask Your Mentor

A mentor can be a key role for your career development.  Always come to your meetings with your mentor prepared for a conversation.  Be open and honest with your mentor, and always be willing to listen and learn.  Make sure your conversations stay fresh by focusing on the four main types of questions:

Behind the Scenes: Rejection

As you advance in your career, the onus will be on you to call the shots.  Sometimes, that involves rejecting perfectly good applicants from a program they are overqualified for.  In these situations, it’s really important to remember how you felt in the past so that you can help them move forward in the future.

You Should Know Your Love Language

Your deepest relationships will always be the ones where each party feels loved and wanted.  I am a firm believer of “not having to guess” and taking the easy way where possible, and in relationships I’ve found that the easy way is knowing your love languages.

Was It a Frugal Birthday?

I doubt some of my fellow frugal bloggers would call my fancy birthday weekend “frugal,” but rest assured, I finished off my 26th year of life with a splash.

Navigating Negotiation: Airbnb Discounts?

Yes!  A host can send a special offer with a percentage or at a specific dollar amount off of a stay. 

Transmission Failure: Instructions for my Airbnb Guests

There is no way to sugar coat it.  Guests don’t read the house manual provided online, and often they ignore the house rules section, too.  The number one way to combat this is to have instructions in a guidebook at your house (and posted notices as necessary).  Hopefully that gets the point across to the guests who are harder to communicate with than an alien from outer space.

My Hair Nightmare

As I was roaming the aisles aimlessly at Marshall’s, one of my favorite discount home goods stores, I stumbled across a Keratin shampoo and conditioner.  I thought about all the articles I’ve read saying Keratin is great for keeping hair healthy and strong, and the ends of my hair were a bit dry, so I thought it might be worth the $12 per bottle.  Not exactly an expensive experiment, especially since my usual Aussie is $5 per bottle for approximately the same size.  So onward, for science!

Adventures with Engagement Rings

Huge kudos to my partner for nailing my ring.  Having never been engagement ring shopping before, I had no idea of what I wanted.  I like clean lines and delicate details.  I definitely wanted something durable (I’m accident prone, although my partner kindly calls me all-terrain).  Most importantly, I knew that I wanted something custom that represented me.