The Blonde Diaries

Vacation Budget Tips

I find no matter where you go in life, online, etc the biggest dream vacation desires are to have Orlando vacations. I think it’s the lure of going to the theme parks because I really can’t find any other lure. It’s hot, the threat of hurricanes is almost year round, and there is no beach without having to drive at least an hour either east or west. Orlando is completely landlocked. But as you have read I am a huge Disney fan so I definitely can see the strong desire to go. Unfortunately, not everything there is cheap so let’s talk on how you can cheapen up your vacation to a budget friendlier destination. Here are my tips and tricks that I have learned over the years from my Disney vacations:

• You don’t have to stay on site to go to Disney. In fact many people do not. It is much cheaper to stay slightly off property and drive in each day or stay at a hotel that offers free shuttles to the parks. Last time my family and I went we stayed at a timeshare not too far away and were able to have a real breakfast, pack sandwiches for lunch as well as a few snacks for during the day, and just eat one meal at the parks. We felt so much healthier and happier doing this.
• You know those stupid glow sticks they sell at Disney and other theme parks and Mardi Gras parades? You can pick them up from the Dollar Tree or at Academy (yes the sports store) for $1 or less each! It is much cheaper than the marked up park prices. Buy ahead and pack them in your backpack.
• Souvenirs: No matter what you tell yourself you are going to want to buy some or your kiddos will want them. Why not think ahead and prebuy “presents from Tinkerbell or Mickey”? If you are going to Disney watch Disneyshopping.com or the Disney Store and buy things on sale. Then you can leave “gifts” each night for your kiddo to find when they wake up. They will be so excited over what Tink and Mickey leave that they will be less likely to bug you at the parks since they won’t know what they are getting next!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone is having a warm, sunny day and is able to get outside and get some sunlight. Not sure how you are celebrating but I’m doing a totally American thing - watching my court room tv again, getting ready to go to the gym, and then I’m going to celebrate by drinking beer, eating chili cheese dogs, and pineapple. Per Mike, nothing is as American as taking over land where there are things we want like Pineapple. lol I’m going to allow him to tackle cutting that thing up and serving it. I’ll just continue to play online and take my daily surveys. I am going to see if I can talk him into letting me use the Foreman grill to grill the hot dogs rather than boil them. Boiling is nice but it just isn’t the same as seeing those grill marks on my food.

We have a rain prediction in Houston for later this afternoon. I hope it either rains real fast and gets over or it doesn’t rain at all. The Freedom Over Texas concert and fireworks display looks really good and I’d love to be able to watch it on tv tonight. I’m not sure what they will do if it starts to rain as I think it would be nearly impossible to do fireworks in the rain.

Hope you are having a happy and relaxing 4th of July. If you are doing fireworks at your house please remember to be safe and cautious.

Back to School and Your Budget

It is never too early to start thinking ahead to the next important event in your life: holidays, birthdays, weddings, back to school shopping, etc. Most of the time if you can shop ahead and out of season you can find some real bargains and save a chunk of change. One of the most expensive things you may need for back to school shopping is a computer for your student. I find that more and more schools and teachers are trying to incorporate computer usage into the curriculum at younger ages and thus increases the importance of having an up-to-date computer at home with up-to-date software. It always drives me batty when I purchase a new computer and it is missing key software.

If you are in the market for software due to your computer not meeting your specs check out CostCaptain.com. Cost Captain is an authorized Microsoft retailer and offers Office and Windows Vista upgrades at discounted rates for students (including home schoolers!), researchers, professors, teachers, and other academians. All you must do is provide proof of eligibility when you order and the product is yours! All products are guaranteed to be 100% authentic Microsoft licensed software. I’m not sure if you have priced Office 2007 or the Vista upgrade lately but it is outrageous. Cost Captain offers Office 2007 for $129 and the Vista upgrade for just $89. I don’t think you will be able to beat those prices anywhere! If you aren’t sure what you need or what your student will need Cost Captain has friendly customer support agents to guide you in the right direction to help you get Back to school with Microsoft Office 2007 and if that doesn’t work you can pick up gift cards to give your student. It sounds like an A+ type plan to me!

The joy of being on vacation

I just love being on vacation especially during working hours. Why? Because I can catch up on my trash tv. Today, I spend over half the day doing easy chores mixed in with watching all of the daytime court tv shows, family fued, and then Maury. Man there were some interesting people on tv today. The most memorable court tv case of the day was the lawsuit over a man’s amputated leg. Oh yes! You see the man with the amputated leg (knee down only) regained possession of his leg via the police after it was inadvertently auctioned off as part of a smoker - it was inside the smoker being “stored”. Well the guy who won the smoker wanted the leg back since it was “part” of the smoker and therefore his rightful property. Now I realize you maybe wondering a) what the heck is this leg, b) why was anyone trying to preserve it, and c) why would anyone want someone else’s leg. So I’ll answer as best as I can remember:
a) Apparently the poor guy was in an accident a few years ago and had to have his leg below the knee amputated. So the doctor helped preserve it for the guy. So yes it was flesh and bone (don’t worry there were no pics).
b) Well the guy was adamant about wanting to be cremated whole when the time came including this leg piece.
c) Because after the media got ahold of this story the guy was able to build a sort of tourist attraction where he made shirts with logos and was able to charge admission to see this “leg” and “smoker”. Well, without the leg he only had the smoker and it was only worth $3 for adults and $1 for children. Not quite the money maker he was imagining.

So at the end of the day, the man got to keep his own leg but had to pay the other guy $5k but I honestly can’t remember what for. Tomorrow should be another good day. It’s part two of who is my baby daddy on Maury (ie the results show). Can’t wait!

Protect the Ones You Love

It seems like the more and more I stay away from the news and media reports online the happier I am. Then again I can’t seem to stay away from them because I don’t like feeling as if I’m out of the loop on things. It is the perfect catch-22 in my opinion. Lately, the news has been a bit depressing to me. Houston has had an increase in crime lately and just last week a local mini-storage owner found two burglars breaking into his units and confronted them. Luckily for him he had his shotgun on him and well not so lucky for the burglars. Last I heard was that both were in the hospital and expected to make it and the owner didn’t have a scratch on him. I just can’t imagine what it must be like to be either a small business owner who is frequently targeted by criminals nor the police offer who has to deal with these crimes day in and day out. I’m not sure I’d be able to handle it especially after hearing about budget cuts across the country for police departments. The good news is though that you can help protect the ones you love if budget cuts have affected you or you just want to help protect your business owner during working hours. How? Well LA Police Gear sells items such as Blackhawk tactical vests, mace, and tasers to help protect and defend yourself. All items are police grade and are available to purchase online and ship right to your door. If you want to help your loved ones, look into purchasing gear from LA Police Gear, it could save their lives.