24/Savvy Food and Travel

We've long been fans of buying perfume "minis" for saving money as rarely does the "value size" of anything really offer any value, so seldomly do we use up monster-portions of beauty products before they've grown rancid or tiresome.  Not only do perfume minis give you the chance to test out a new scent without a lot of financial risk and the flexibility to move on to a new scent once you've outgrown the old, roller ball minis are perfect for travel or giving your scent a boost leaving work for a night on the town.

Call me spoiled, but hotels just aren't good enough for me anymore.  No, sir.  I could be staying at the Ritz in Paris, but as I get (ahem) older, traveling requires a certain amount of creature comforts and unless I can have my own mini-kitchen where I can prepare my own mini-espresso, mini yogurts, and mini-mid-day sandwiches, hotels just don't cut the mustard. 

In all seriousness, an upshot of the recession seems to be that homeowners are getting collectively organized to clear, clean and market available space to would-be vacationers who prefer the intimate touches of a home away from home to impersonal hotels and bedding of dubious cleanliness.  Check out "Europe Without Hotels" from the New York Times yesterday for the hows, whys and wherefores homeowners are making small piles of cash renting out spare space and get inspired to save megabucks staying in someone's tricked out spare room.

(Photo: Victorian Splendor, San Francisco via Airbnb.com)

So you didn't get the upgrade, join the club.  With airlines holding ever-more-dear the magic fairy dust that turns a cheap ticket into a luxe joyride, it seems that those of us who travel on a budget are forever destined to the cold, cramped confines of the steerage coach cabin.

Before you say "moooooo" and resign yourself to a flight from hell —particularly if it's going to be a long one—try some of our heavenly ideas for making yourself feel right at home, even if you are 40,000 miles above it.

Many of our vacations are coming to an end (WAH!), and if you tuned into our guide "Shore Up & Ship Out: How to Secure Your Job Before You Go on Vacation," hopefully you won't have a mountain of work sneering at you as soon as you arrive back in the office.

Home is along the same line, and if you play your cards right, you can breeze into post-vacay life revived and ready to tackle the world.

I won't bore (or scare) you with statistics about how many Americans forego their vacations each year and how great the [fill in the blank, usually the French] have it because we've all heard it before.  The fact is, the economy is still not in great shape and it's hard to drift off from our jobs footloose and fancy free for a vacation when our jobs aren't really all that secure.

And yet, savvistas.  Vacation is vital to a Savvy Girl's well-being.

A lot of savvy friends are planning a "staycation" for their holidays this year in lieu of the allure of exotic destinations and their requisite--and pricey--air tickets, hotels and restaurant meals. While staycations can be a wonderful opportunity to sit back, relax, regroup, and tackle those projects you've been putting off (you know who you are), getting away from it all can be equally rewarding and doesn't have to blow the family budget to be worthwhile.

If you've never had the chance to do a home swap, now is a great time to consider it with many budget-minded vacationers willing to part with their home sweet homes for a week or two, saving everyone hundreds of dollars in lodging and food costs.  Websites like Home Exchange and Luxe Home Swap are perfectly legitimate avenues for meeting prospective candidates (and they're a fun guilty pleasure to browse as well!)

Things to consider before doing a home swap:

• Will cars be included in the swap and does your insurance cover additional drivers?
• Does your home owners or rental insurance policy cover guests in the event of damage/theft/disaster?
• Do you have a friend, relative or neighbor willing to be an emergency contact for your guests?
• Is there somewhere you can store valuables you don't feel comfortable leaving behind?
• Are you in agreement about cleaning before and after your stay?
• Do you have a place for Fifi and Fido to stay or will your guests assume responsibility for your pets?

If you've had an experience with a home swap, we'd love to hear your tips as well!