Tight economic times means one thing: you need to find ways to save money or cut back. The latter is often the choice for some, but what if you simply cannot stop doing something? Families need to be visited, clothes for children purchased, and food purchased. Some leisure items can be trimmed such as premium cable, magazine subscriptions, sports clubs, etc., but what about the rest of your lifestyle? Is there any room to save?

Fortunately, showing a small piece of plastic can often spell the difference between paying full price for something and receiving a discount, saving money or paying too much for what others are getting for less. Yes, plastic could be the material that keeps your budget intact, spelling the difference between living in the red and living in the black. Please read on to learn about plastic savings and how you can reap similar rewards.

AAA – If you have an auto club membership, that little card can be flashed often to yield savings for you. Book a hotel, reserve a rental car, save on airfare, and even save at several retail locations by showing your AAA card when you make a purchase. Savings can vary widely, but a handful of flashes of your auto club card per year and you’ll more than make up for the membership cost.

AARP – Who says that growing old isn’t advantageous? If you are as young as 50 you can join AARP and do what millions of others have being doing before you: save on mostly everything. Like your auto club card, savings can be had on so many different things as the power of AARP helps to bring down consumer costs.

Supermarket Cards – If you frequent one or two supermarkets, do you have a store card handy to reap all of the rewards? Clipless coupons have replaced store coupons and one way to get the best savings is to sign up for your favorite supermarket’s savings card and use it every time that you shop. Savings come automatically – just show your card before your transaction is totaled and you’ll save money off of your purchases.

Warehouse Clubs – I belong to BJ’s while Costco and Sam’s Club are two other warehouse clubs that offer similar savings. I save about thirty percent off of my purchases and routinely stop by the adjoining gas station for an additional ten cents per gallon savings. The latter means that I save about $150 on gas each year, more than triple the annual warehouse club membership cost alone.

Union or Club Card – If you belong to a union or are a member of some other trade group, your card could result in additional savings for you. Not all discounts are posted, so break out your card before the transaction is totaled to see if savings can come your way.

Even cardless shoppers are finding out that some retailers are in the bargaining mood in a bid to sell slow moving goods. At the very least you can ask and they can say no, but then some will say yes, bringing to you unexpected, but very welcome savings.

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Adv. — Save money on all of your consumer spending by shopping wisely. Visit SayLowerBills.com to find ways to save on health costs, home improvement, travel, entertainment, toys for Christmas, and much more.

Tags: AAA, AARP, clipless coupons, supermarket card, warehouse clubs

They say that membership has its privileges and, in the case of auto club society AAA, it has certainly proven that way for me. Several times over the many years I’ve been a member, I’ve had to call AAA for help and they’ve always responded rapidly with the assistance I needed whether it was a tow, help with a dead battery, or access to a car with keys locked inside.

I also receive a copy of AAA’s regional magazine, a publication that is sent out on a bi-monthly basis. Big on providing vacation information, AAA also keeps its readers informed about their cars, providing tips on how to conserve gas, save money on repairs, and other timely advice.

What I recently have discovered about AAA is that some of their advice can be found right online and you don’t have to be a member to access that information. Perhaps the most helpful advice for travelers today is finding information about gas prices, particularly where the cheapest fuel can be found. Thanks to AAA’s Fuel Finder tool at aaa.com/fuelfinder, that information is readily available.

I like Fuel Finder because I find the information to be accurate and up to date. What it provides is the price of gasoline in any given area, typically three, five or ten miles of a ZIP code. AAA compiles this information based on credit card transactions, providing prices on regular, plus and premium gasoline as well as diesel right online.

Of course, traveling out of your way to get cheaper gas means that you’re expending more fuel, so you want to find stations nearest the roads you are traveling. This can be especially helpful if you are taking a trip, have internet access in your car, and can pull up that information as you drive. I’ve found gas price differences of twenty-five cents or more a gallon, which translates into five dollar per fill up savings for a vehicle with a twenty gallon fuel tank.

I’ve also used GasBuddy.com to find lower prices, but that information is provided by drivers and isn’t always accurate or up to date. Still, having free online tools to help you save money on fill ups is great, savings every consumer can use during these tough economic times.

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Adv. — Save money on all of your consumer spending by shopping wisely. Visit SayLowerBills.com to find ways to save on health costs, home improvement, travel, entertainment, toys for Christmas, and much more.

Tags: AAA, car tips, entertainment, GasBuddy.com, health costs, Home Improvement, shopping, travel

A cool economy could make for some hot vacation deals

High fuel prices and an economy teetering on the brink of recession may not keep people from traveling this summer after all.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) recently shared a report from the Travel Industry Association (TIA) which says that Americans are expected to take more than 327 million leisure trips during June, July and August of 2008. Representing only a slight decline of 1-1.5% over last summer, it is expected that the current economic conditions will create opportunities for vacationers to find bargains when traveling to destinations worldwide.

According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, the average rate for a AAA Three Diamond hotel room in July 2008 is $136 in Honolulu/Waikiki, $259 in Maui, $256 in New York City, $160 in Washington, D.C., $138 in Las Vegas, and $193 in San Francisco, with travel packages offering additional opportunities to save. By combining airfare and hotel stay in one package, vacationers can receive significant savings. In some cases, as outlined below, extras such as transportation from the airport or some meals may also be included.

AAA, which is the largest automotive membership club in the US, is offering a variety of packages this summer including the following:

Hawaii: Five nights in Maui which includes hotel and airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco for only $529*; Chicago, $795*; Denver, $739*; Seattle, $625*; and New York, $799*. AAA prices are per person, based on quad occupancy (two adults and two children under the age of 13) for select dates available August through December.

San Francisco: Package includes a 2-night hotel stay, San Francisco CityPass Sightseeing booklet, and all state and local taxes. Prices start at $209 per person, based on double occupancy, excluding airfare.

Washington, DC: Package includes 4-night hotel stay in Washington, D.C. Prices start at $329 per person, based on double occupancy, excluding airfare.

As with any package, certain restrictions apply. Visit AAA.com for more information and don’t forget to check out special deals being offered through Expedia, Travelocity, Priceline, and other online vacation package companies.

Tags: AAA, air travel, Hawaii, hotels, rental car, San Francisco, save money, vacation, vacation package, vacation travel, Washington DC