Search Results for: blog the big room

Save on Room Service

When was the last time you ordered room service? If you are adhering to a strict travel budget, then splurging on a formal meal to be delivered to and consumed in the privacy of your hotel room may be out of the question. Or is it? Recently, some hotels have been experimenting with a frugal version of room service much to the delight of budget-conscious guests. PUBLIC Chicago, a boutique property in the Windy City, has been garnering headlines for its affordable room service described as “fast food with little human interaction.” The service is called “PUBLIC Express,” though instead … Continue reading →

Can You Afford Room Service?

If you don’t mind forking over $16 for three strips of bacon, then room service may be a no-brainer for your morning, noon or late-night meals. The saying, “If you have to ask price, you can’t afford it,” takes on new meaning when you are traveling.  After all, we have to eat to survive, but we certainly don’t have to opt for the $20 chicken salad sandwich, plus the 18% gratuity tacked on because we’re too lazy to eat somewhere other than our hotel room. With the economy still in the dumpster, can anyone afford the high cost of hotel … Continue reading →

Big Apple Savings

Vacationing in the Big Apple can put a BIG dent in your wallet.  According to a recent travel survey, the average price for a hotel room in the heart of New York City will run you about $300. Not exactly cheap, though the hit to your travel budget could sting a lot more if you stay at luxury four-star chains, such as Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Sheraton properties. So what’s a frugal traveler to do if he wants to visit Manhattan without going broke? Fortunately, there is good news for budget-conscious tourists looking to explore the nation’s most expensive hotel … Continue reading →

Transgender Girl Denied Access to Female Bathroom

If you opened up CNN today like I always do, you probably saw a beautiful, smiling little girl with purple hair wearing a pink dress as one of the main headlines. The only problem is this isn’t a sunny story about Barbies and butterflies.  The story was about how the transgendered little first grader living in Colorado was told by the school system that she could no longer use the girl’s bathroom at school. Coy Mathis, according to her mother, was born with male genitalia, but has always identified with being a girl.  She dresses as a girl and her … Continue reading →

The Bedroom TV

My father just offered to purchase a television for my daughter’s bedroom. I’m still waiting for John Quiñones to pop out of my hall closet because there’s no way my dad’s proposition can be legit. He’s testing me right? Like Quiñones does to all those unsuspecting individuals on “What Would You Do?” A new flat screen TV for my 8-year-old’s bedroom… riiiiight. From a guy who refused to allow me to touch our family’s TV, which didn’t move from its spot in the living room.  The same dad who mandated that an egg timer be set each time me and … Continue reading →

How to Score Big Savings on the Road

  When you are looking for ways to reduce travel expenses start small.  You may be surprised to see that in no time those minor moves can add up to big savings. Here are a few simple money-saving tips to get you started: Stay at a hotel that offers complimentary breakfast, and then take an extra apple, banana, yogurt or granola bar to eat as a mid-afternoon or late-night snack.  It beats spending additional money feeding the vending machine or calling room service when you get hungry later in the day. Bypass big city restaurants and dine at a cheaper … Continue reading →

Little Hands = Big Help

Know how you can save money around the house?  Put your kids to work. Many parents shy away from assigning household jobs to their young children rationalizing that it takes less time and energy if they simply complete the tasks themselves.  Of course, a child is never going to learn how to make a bed, clean a toilet or fold laundry if his parent doesn’t allow him to get hands-on experience and make mistakes along the way.  Most kids learn from their errors, though that’s little consolation to the mom who has to refold an entire basket of clean laundry … Continue reading →

Score Big Bling on Your Next Vacation

Have you ever dreamed of being showered with diamonds? If so, you probably figured the bling would come courtesy of your sweetheart, not a chain hotel. But that’s exactly where you can win a whole lot of sparkle beginning September 28th. Holiday Inn locations in the United Kingdom are celebrating their 60th anniversary by placing real diamonds worth nearly $40,000 under select guests’ pillows. The diamonds will be left in hotel rooms throughout Europe, including Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Belgium and the Netherlands. What’s more, you don’t have to stay more than one night in order to win. As added … Continue reading →

Simplify Your Kitchen and Get the Room You Always Wanted

Creating a simple, organized and calm kitchen may be easier than you think. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and having a place of peace where you can gather with your friends and family to create warm filling meals can change the whole atmosphere of your home. If dread walking into your kitchen now because of the pile of dishes, the stack of mail, the sticky countertops, then know that it doesn’t need to be this way. It all starts with simplifying your kitchen in a number of ways that turns it from just a utility room into … Continue reading →

I’m A Big Kid Now

Potty training. Are there any other words that can make a parent want to throw up their hands in surrender? Some kids are so easy to potty train, they practically come out of the womb wearing Barbie panties, others, we wonder if they are going to school in pull ups. As a single mother diapers are an extra expense, and the sooner you can get rid of them, the easier it is on your wallet. However, being a single mother makes potty training more difficult. Usually your child spends time with people other than just you, and not everyone is … Continue reading →