One Hundred Dollars a Month

Rental cars can be a huge chunk of a vacation budget.  Knowing how to get a good rate frees up money you can actually spend on your vacation.  And, I swear, sometimes the rental car people try to toy with your inexperience.  Knowing how to answer their barrage of questions when you pick up the car can really save you a lot of money.

First, finding a good rate:  Make sure to call around in advance.  If you are a AAA member, they can offer substantial discounts.  Costco members can also get a pretty good discount.  Check where you bank or with your credit card company, a lot of debit cards and credit cards come with travel perks.  Last time I rented a car, I was able to print out a free upgrade coupon from my bank’s website, and add it to the rate discount I had already received.  Make sure to look at weekly rates.  Sometimes, it is cheaper to rent the car “for the week” rather than just 3 days.  This math is frustrating, but true.  When you research daily rates, online or otherwise, make sure to call the company and ask them about fees.  Sometimes, that $20 a day rate you found online can quickly add up to $30 at the desk.  They’ll tack on all sorts of fees:  airport fees, taxes, etc.  The best price isn’t always the one that appears the lowest.  On that note, if you can avoid airport pick-up altogether and go to a rental place in the city you are traveling, you can really rack up some savings.  The airport fees and taxes can get silly.

Next, you can save a lot of money when you get to the actual counter to pick up your rental.  The salesmen and women are notorious for trying to up-sell.  In fact, sometimes I think they incite a level of panic in an inexperienced traveler.  First, the insurance.  If you have personal auto insurance, you are likely covered with a rental car.  Call your insurance agent and make sure before you go on a trip.  Most of the time, it is best to turn down their additional insurance coverage, if you are already covered with your personal insurance.  {Though, be aware, when you turn it down, they will try to scare you into taking it.}

Next, the infamous at the desk upgrade deal.  They ALWAYS have some sort of “deal” that you can only get right there at the desk.  You can upgrade for only $10.00 a day.  $10.00 seems like nothing, so why not, right?  But $10.00 a day can add a substantial amount to your vacation.  I say pass on their up-sell and go out to a nice dinner instead.  Also, decline the GPS.  Unless you are still dealing with a  flip phone, you can probably download a GPS app onto your phone for much less—or better yet, you probably already have one on there.  Finally, fill the gas up yourself.  They will charge you a premium to fill it when you return it.  It’s just not worth it.

Do YOU have any money-saving tips for rental cars?

~Mavis

Even though it was raining outside yesterday, I still had to water the plants in the greenhouse. See that wall of green towards the back of the greenhouse?

That wall, is actually 2 green zebra tomato plants that have gotten totally out of control.

But look, the first green zebra tomato of the season! If you have never grown green zebras before, put them on your seed wish list for next year. They are totally delicious. Plus they look cool in a salad too, which is totally what you are going for if you live in suburbia. The cool factor. 😉

The tri-star strawberries I planted in gutters earlier this season are just beginning to set fruit again. Typically the strawberry plants will produce about twice as much fruit in early summer than in the fall.

But we’ll take what we can get.

Ahh Lemon. My sweet little Meyer lemon tree I planted in January is really starting to look like an actual lemon tree. The only thing is, there are only about a dozen or so fruits left on the tree. I hope all those little lemons can all hang on until January so I’ll be able to harvest them.

Lemon cucumber. Lucy LOVES these!

And last but not least, take a look at this Ancho chili pepper. Isn’t it lovely?  We have 4 of these growing in the greenhouse right now and I’m not sure what I am going to do with them. Well, actually I was thinking about stuffing them with cheese or meat for chiles rellenos like the packet suggested. But I’ve never made them before. What do you think?

Do you cook with chili peppers? Do you have any other suggestions?

~Mavis