Okay, just because someone uses coupons doesn’t make them “cheap.” If you ask me, it actually makes them smart. Why pay MORE for the same exact thing that your neighbor just bought, when you can save money simply by adding a tiny little code to a shopping cart? Seems obvious to me. But for this post, I’m looking for cheapskates, not just coupon lovers. Folks who go beyond the term frugal.
I guess I was a semi cheapskate intentionally when I backpacked across Europe for 5 weeks post-college with one of my roommates. We tried to give ourselves a really small daily budget, stayed at as many cheap hostels as we could, took advantage of free meals where we could, etc. Some days we were way under budget (like ht $8 a night bunk beds in the red light district of Amsterdam… Scariest night of my life!), while others we were a bit over (like the night we could not find a hostel anywhere that our train stopped, so we ended up getting lucky in Düsseldorf, Germany by finding a really nice hotel for like $80 or so).
In college, I remember one of our roommates (Let’s call him Matt. Because, well, that was his name.) who was super cheap. He was also an only child and not a big fan of sharing. So we exploited that to no end. When he went shopping, we ate all his grapes and then denied it. We drank his Pepsi regularly and denied it. He finally got so fed up, he literally drew a line on his 2 liter bottle of Pepsi for where he left off the liquid. But uh, we quickly caught on and either drew a new line after we drank it, or watered it down a bit to fill it back up. And yeah, Matt was the kind of guy who literally cut any and all bills down exactly to the penny. Cheap’s a real good word for him.
But that brings me to the point of this cheap post. Now you can be rewarded for your cheapness with the Show Us Your Cheap contest from Cheaptickets.com. By sharing your cheap travel stories, four Grand Prize Winners will score a 5 day, 4 night vacation package (including air, hotel and car rental) for 4 people anywhere in the continental U.S. Pretty sweet if you ask me, just for admitting you’re a cheapskate. The contest ends March 31, 2008 so hurry and enter already. Click here to enter and see the official rules.
And hey, even if you don’t enter (or if you do), I’d love to hear your cheap stories too! If nothing else, it’ll make me feel less cheap. Heh. So go ahead and post your own stories in the comments below!
COUPON TIME:
Since this post’s all about traveling, how could I not offer travel coupons? So here’s a bunch o’ travel codes to help you be a better cheapskate.
$75 off select 3+ night flight & hotel packages at CheapTickets.com
Use promotion code 75AFFCTX.
Valid through: December 31, 2008
To display qualifying hotels, click “I have a promotion code,” enter the above code and look for hotels marked with the icon “COUPON.”
Book a qualifying flight + hotel package by December 31, 2008, for 3 or more nights for travel by December 31, 2008, via CheapTickets and instantly receive $75 off your purchase through the use of the promotion code. Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per purchase. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted. CheapTickets reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion.
$50 off select 3+ night hotels at CheapTickets.com
Use promotion code 50AFFCTX.
Valid through: December 31, 2008
To display qualifying hotels, click “I have a promotion code,” enter the above code and look for hotels marked with the icon “COUPON.”
Book a qualifying hotel by December 31, 2008, for 3 or more nights for travel by December 31, 2008, via CheapTickets and instantly receive $75 off your purchase through the use of the promotion code. Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per purchase. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted. CheapTickets reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion.
Save $150 on 5+ Night Family Vacations at Orbitz.com
Use this link to get the promotion code and all the details.
Valid through: April 15, 2008
Travel must occur before May 30, 2008. You must book your trip by April 15, 2008. To display qualifying vacation packages, click “I have a promotion code.” and enter the promotion code, then look for packages marked with the icon “COUPON.” Limit one discount per hotel room and one promotion code per purchase.
Flight + 4 nights in Hawaii from $522 at Expedia
Travel must be completed by April 15, 2008
Use this link for details. Book by: March 31, 2008
Get up to $25 back on select Eagle Creek products at Magellan’s
Get $5 back when you spend $30
Get $10 back when you spend $50
Get $25 back when you spend $100
Use this link to for details and a list of eligible products.
Valid through: April 30, 2008