Craigslist

Probably at this point, most people are familiar with Craigslist. Last year, we had an awesome success story with using it. I had been wanting to get Little People toys for my two little boys. A building for Little People costs around $40 at Walmart. The people come in a pack and a pack costs about $20. It's the type of toy that's fun to have quite a bit of to play with, but the cost to get enough for my boys to share well with (okay, well that's like 50 million toys . . . but anyway, that's another issue) was too excessive for me to be able to justify.

It occurred to me to check out Craigslist. To my surprise there was a huge listing of different Little People sets all by the same lady! My husband emailed the woman who had listed them and suggested an amount for all of them. She brought up the price a little and said if we took it, it was a deal. (Note: This was back in August some time, so I can't remember the amounts now.) I believe we paid about $40 for the airport, bus, airplane, carnival, carnival rides, a tea time set, and a bunch of people. This is an incredible deal! So this find covered for both our boys' birthdays last year and will do for this year's birthdays too. Hey, and if we're really good at spreading out the presents, maybe we'll make it do for next year too.

Of course, I realize this was a great, lucky find (how likely that there would have been all that great stuff from one lady of just exactly what I wanted?!), but I figure one person's success story can lead to someone else seeking success too . . . and possibly having the good fortune to find it. So my advice is to check out Craigslist when there's something you want.

A few things about Craigslist:

1. It's not necessarily a better price than in stores, but you can often bargain down. A year and a half ago, we compared prices on toddler beds compared to a bed at Walmart and found that what people were posting on there was equivalent to the price at Walmart anyway. We didn't try to bargain, but looking back, we probably should have.

2. You have to take into account the gas money required to get the thing you're purchasing. The woman with the Little People products turned out to work in our city, so I just went to her work and got them from her there. When we were expecting our second baby, we learned about a deal on Craigslist on the double stroller we were interested in. The woman with the stroller lived a distance away. Going to get it might not have been a good deal for us. A friend-- Gordon actually--was regularly commuting past her city on weekends, though, so he met up with her and picked it up for us.

Now, good hunting, and may you have all the Craigslist success that you desire!

Priceline Name Your Own Price

Having two young children, my wife and I tend to cringe at the thought of driving more than a few hours at a time because we know there will be a lot of whining, screaming, and seat kicking. Since we are currently going to school about 16 hours away from both our families, though, we frequently have to make these kinds of trips. For us, the thing that has worked best has been to take about three days to make the trip, whenever our schedules allow. That way we only drive about five or six hours each day, and the rest of the time can be spent walking around with the kids or taking them swimming in the hotel pool. The obvious downside, though, is that we have to pay for two nights in hotels.

The best way I've found to save money on hotels is through Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" feature. There you are able to select what city you're looking at, your dates, and the quality hotel you're looking for (one star to five stars). I've been able to get us rooms in very nice three star hotels for $40 a night. There are a few important things you need to know when bidding, though.

First, you aren't allowed to bid on the same search twice within 24 hours if the only thing you change is the price you're bidding. For example, if you bid $30 for a three star hotel within a certain location and they don't take your bid, you can't bid $35 for the same location and star level again right away; you have to wait 24 hours. If, however, you decide you could settle for a two-and-a-half star hotel, or you're willing to stay in a different area a short distance away, then you can bid again right away.

Second, when you submit your bid, you have to fill in all of your credit card information, and if they accept your bid it is binding. Once you click the button to make your bid there is no turning back, and your card will get charged.

Finally, be aware that if you are used to staying at less expensive hotels, higher quality hotels might charge you for things that you expect to be free. For example, we recently needed to go to D.C., so we decided to drive up Friday, stay the night, then come back home Saturday after we finished what we were doing. I also planned on getting some homework done while we were there on Friday night. I thought we had a great deal, because we got a room at the three-and-a-half star Hyatt-Regency Bethesda with a $50 bid. After Priceline's taxes and fees we paid about $65, which was great for a room that normally goes for close to $200 a night. When we got there, though, we immediately found out that parking was $15 per night. Later, when I tried to do some homework, we found out that internet was $10 a day. Then, when we got up the next morning we found out that even the continental breakfast actually cost $10 per person. We skipped the breakfast and went to McDonalds, which was $15 for the four of us, but we did end up paying for parking and internet, so our final price was around $105. Still a lot better than paying full price at the Hyatt, but not so hot when you consider that there are some two stars that you could probably get for around $4o that include free parking, breakfast, and internet.

In the end, Priceline is a great tool to save money, but learn from my mistake and don't let the temptation for discounted luxury lure you into spending a lot more than you need to.