Time is running short. You need to prepare now.  I know it seems like Christmas is a long way away.  But, it will not be long until Father Christmas is saddling up his reindeer.  Today is the day to decide to make 2009 a  debt free Christmas.  Bob even has 6 tips for a debt free Christmas.  In fact, you are more likely to get through Christmas without any new consumer debt if you set your Christmas budget now.

Step By Step Guide for Making Your Christmas Budget

1. Make a long list of everyone to whom you want to give a Christmas gift.

Be sure to include the following groups of people:

• Family – aunts, uncles, children, spouse, cousins, siblings, grandparents, and even the stray dog your brother-in-law adopted.  Include everyone you WANT to give a gift to.
• Co-workers – partners, bosses, co-workers, support staff
• Church friends – Bible school teachers, church staff, grandparent figures
• Community friends – neighbors, fellow volunteers, clerk at the grocery store
• Those who provide services – paperboy, mail man, pizza delivery boy, yard worker, pool cleaner, teachers
• Anyone else – feeling jovial?  Put them on the list.

2. Determine how much you can afford to spend on Christmas.

This calculation can be relatively simple.  How much money can you save between now and December 25th? How many of those dollars are you willing to dedicate towards Christmas gifts?

Christmas Spending Rule:

How much you can afford to spend must be an amount you save in CASH.  This is not an ‘if-I-were-rich-I-would-budget-this’ list. This is how much you actually have to give for Christmas.  If the number is low, that is fine.  Christmas is not about financially crippling yourself so someone can have a pair of socks that will go in the trash before January. Christmas is about expressing love and appreciation.  Both of which can be done without money.  Christmas can be enjoyed without money.  Be sure that your budget is reasonable in relationship to your income.  This can be done by making sure your total amount fits within recommended budget percentages.

3. Prioritize your list from step #1.  Make it a short list.

If married, before prioritizing the list, pray that God will give you the patience to work together – not against each other.

You might want to cut out your Great Aunt Sally, but your wife has given her a gift every year for two decades.  She might want to remove a business partner who doesn’t deserve anything, but you want to grease that relationship.  This process could be painful, so prayerfully get on the same page before you start.

At this stage you are just going to separate each name into three groups – paid gift, made gift, no gift. Since you know how much you can afford to give you will have a better sense of how many people can be on your paid gift list.  Knowing your time, available you can limit your made gift list. The others – no gift, but perhaps a Christmas card.

4. Assign and complete necessary preparations.

Paid Gift List:

Beside each name on the paid gift list, assign a budgeted amount.  For example, dad might get $50 and cousin Steve $25.  Be sure that total does not exceed the amount in Step #2.  The only rule here is you cannot overspend that amount on that person.  Here are 8 tips to save money on your Christmas shopping.

Made Gift List:

What will you make?  Cookies and other Christmas treats are a great idea for close friends, neighbors, and colleagues.  For family, a customized card with a picture of the kids will suffice.  Need some guidance?  Here is a list of 50 Personalized Christmas Gift Ideas.

No Gift:

If they made it on your first list you might just send them a personalized card.

Merry Christmas Uncle Joe.  We just wanted to let you know that you are a special part of our family.  Thanks for all the time and attention you give to our kids.  We’re blessed to have an uncle like you.

5. Make the budget work.

Don’t spend more than you budgeted.

If your budget is tight, you will need to capitalize on a free valuable resource – CREATIVITY.  Creativity must be combined with another necessary ingredient – TIME.

Time + Creativity = Awesome Valuable Christmas Presents for a Lower Price

How do you set your Christmas budget?  How soon do you start saving money for Christmas?

Photo by wOOkie.

Craig is a missionary who has spent over ten years working in various forms of Christian ministry. Currently, Craig lives with his family in Papua New Guinea. Relying on his ministry experience and background in Biblical Studies he writes daily personal finance articles from a Christian perspective. You can visit his site at www.MoneyHelpForChristians.com, on Twitter, or you can sign up to receive free daily email updates for his site.

I just popped open my ING Direct account this morning to find this quote…

“There’s no such thing as Saver’s remorse.” -ING Direct

It is pretty clever and generally I think it is true. You could argue that some people are a bit too extreme about saving money that they fail to live today, so that they can have plenty to live on in the future. To me, maintaining this balance has been tricky at times, but a key to doing this whole money management thing the right way.

I want to enjoy life now, while continuing to save for the future, so that I can enjoy life then as well. From the people I meet, I would say the break down goes like this…

• 70% spend it all (or most now) with little thought towards the future.
• 20% have a good balance of saving for the future, while enjoying life today.
• 10% practice extreme frugality without adequately living (IMO) in the “now”.

For the first 90% I don’t think they would have much of a chance of having Saver’s Remorse, but I wonder about the last 10%. I guess it depends what their goals are, but I would be sad if I got to my deathbed and had a full bank account, but I never enjoyed it – either by giving it to bless others, taking a vacation once in a while, or going out to a nice dinner with my wife.

If you are interested in a good story that helped me put this in perspective, read the Mexican Fisherman Story.

Do you think Saver’s Remorse exists? Have you ever had it?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

I have now been using Ebates for a while and with it being completely FREE and incredibly simple, I am still surprised how few of people are taking advantage of it.

In an attempt to show how simple it is, I created a short little video to explain the process…

Basically, merchants pay Ebates to refer customers to them. Ebates then pays a chunk of that back to the shoppers themselves. Win, win, win.

That’s it. It is completely free, only takes a minute or so to sign up and then you can start earning money. I have now received 3 checks from Ebates and while I wish they paid monthly, they do indeed pay out every 3 months like they promised. To sign up just head over to Ebates.com.

Here is how Ebates describes the process:

A few things worth mentioning about Ebates

• The payout percentages vary from 1% to about 25%
• They have a ton of merchants – many well known stores: Best Buy, Walmart, Staples, and really about anything you can imagine
• Some merchants offer cash bonuses for signing up
• Ebates also offers referral bonuses for friends that sign up
• Payment options include Paypal or a paper check
• They also have a toolbar that will tell you if you are on a site that offers a cashback bonus

I signed up for Ebates last year and have added them to my online shopping arsenal along with Amazon Prime and Bing’s Cashback Program. Do you use Ebates? Has your experience been as good as mine?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

If you hate the unpleasant surprise of finding out how much shipping adds to your online shopping order, here are a few suggestions…

FreeShipping.org

This website has all the major stores listed and has coupon and promotion codes that will allow you to get free shipping on your purchase.

Amazon Prime

I have been using Amazon Prime for the last couple years and I love it. Basically you pay $80 a year to Amazon.com in exchange for Free 2-Day shipping on any item that they ship. I buy a whole lot of stuff from Amazon and so it is an easy decision for me. If you are not an avid online shopper it might not be worth it, but it is something worth considering.

Local Store pickup

Many brick-and-mortar retailers offer free shipping if you are willing to pick it up in the store. Walmart, Payless Shoes, REI, and Staples are a just a few of many that offer this service.

Do you have any tips for getting free shipping?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

Sometimes spending a little money today can save a lot of money tomorrow.  Common sayings support this notion: a stitch in time saves nine and don’t be penny smart and pound foolish.  A predictable characteristic of the poor is that decisions are made for today without any regard for tomorrow.  However, there a few fall chores that if completed today will save a lot of trouble and money tomorrow.  By completing these first two tasks you maintain and improve the value of items in which you have already invested a significant amount.  The third item is an opportunity to avoid a potentially dangerous credit trap – Christmas.

Save Money By Completing These Essential Jobs

Winterize the Car

Father Winter is knocking on the door.  You have held him back for long enough, but he is anxious once again to invade your life.  It is time, once again, to winterize your car.

• Be sure your wiper fluid has winter fluid that will not freeze over the winter.
• Check and be prepared to change your tires to more winter friendly tires.
• Put an emergency winter kit in your trunk.  Essential items include a blanket, flashlight, first aid kit, candles, and matches.  You might even want to include some instant toe warmers.
• If you have teenage kids you might consider getting a cheap prepaid phone for their winter outings.
• If you haven’t been to the mechanic for a while you should have a mechanic look over your vehicle so that it does not get stalled on a cold winter night.
• Have your battery checked.  Winters are hard on batteries so you want to be sure you have a good battery.

House Maintenance and Preparation

During the winter you want your house to be two things – warm and cozy.  The following suggestions make that possible.

• Check the position of your trees/tree branches.  If branches hang over your home, the cold weather and the weight of snow could cause them to break.  Fall is a perfect time to remove those branches.  Besides, the branch can create a shade over your house which will encourage mildew growth and even require more energy to heat your house.
• Check your gutters.  Clogged gutters can force water to leak around your house.  When the snow melts (and I promise it will eventually) you want it to go down the proper downspout.
• Remove air-conditioning window units and replace the opening with a well insulated widow.
• Weatherproof doors, windows, and vents.  If you have large gaps around your doors purchase a door strip.  A door sweep will cover gaps between the floor and the door.  For windows you may want to add some caulking.
• Has your heater recently been serviced?  If not, make the call.
• Cover window wells. Your local hardware store will sell plastic covers for your window well.  This will keep the snow from piling up by your window.  This is energy efficient and will also prevent snow from melting and leaking into the window.
• Check outside pipes – make sure that any pipes that are exposed to cold temperatures are insulated.
• Have your pool company prepare your pool for winter.
• Prepare for a winter storm – Flashlight, candles and matches, personal supplies, extra blankets, water (at least a three day supply), non-perishable food, pet supplies, and games to entertain the kids.

Put Christmas on Your Radar

You probably don’t want to think about Christmas yet.  Halloween is coming.  Thanksgiving is looming.  Perhaps you want to get through those holidays before you even entertain the idea of Christmas.  Still, you should start planning today for a Debt-free Christmas.  There are two key advantages to start your Christmas planning early.

Extra Time to Save For a Debt-Free Christmas

There is no away around this.  The more time you have, the more money you can save.  If you habitually enjoy Santa coming in December and the creditors in January, then this is the time to decide to change your Christmas tradition.  How much did you spend on Christmas last year? Take that number and divide it by 2.  That is how much you need to save in November and December to pull off a debt free Christmas.  If the amount is too much you will need to adjust your Christmas spending expectations or find a way to save more money.

Extra Time to Buy Christmas Presents

Here is the magical Christmas formula:

TIME + CREATIVITY = The best possible Christmas present for the lowest possible price

The more time you have to shop and the more time you have to be creative, the more likely you are to get more for less.

My wife and I bought our first Christmas present in July.  We had decided to get some items for my brother and were walking around an outlet mall that was having a 50% off ticketed price of their clearance items.  For $45 we were able to get over $200 worth of gifts.  This would not have been possible if we did not put the early Christmas shopping idea on our radar.  We were also in the right place at the right time.

Just because you decide to spend less for Christmas doesn’t mean anyone needs to get less.  Use the time and creativity head start to get some fantastic gifts at a phenomenal price.

Frugal people will spend money in the short term in order to save in the long term.  Cheap people, however, will not spend money today - even if that means costing more tomorrow.  For example, a frugal person will have her vehicle inspected when it starts making strange noises.  A cheap person will wait until the car completely shuts down (typically resulting in a higher mechanical bill).  Don’t be cheap.  Choose to be frugal by completing some of these necessary tasks.

Photo by dlco4.

Any other fall tasks you want to suggest?

Craig is a missionary who has spent over ten years working in various forms of Christian ministry. Currently, Craig lives with his family in Papua New Guinea. Relying on his ministry experience and background in Biblical Studies he writes daily personal finance articles from a Christian perspective. You can visit his site at www.MoneyHelpForChristians.com, on Twitter, or you can sign up to receive free daily email updates for his site.

Apparently all the talk about the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit being extended and expanded is coming to pass. According to a USA Today article…

“Senators agreed to extend the existing tax credit for first-time home buyers while offering a reduced credit of up to $6,500 to repeat buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years”

Obama seems to be fully behind the extension of the tax credit, so it is will likely be finalized very soon. The proposed bill would extend the current $8000 tax credit for new homebuyers from it’s current end date of November 30th, 2009 to April 30th 2010.

A different type of deadline

Just to clarify, they are discussing changing how the credit deadline works. Currently, you have to close on your home purchase by November 30th to be eligible. But under the new plan…

“The Senate agreement stipulates that buyers must have a sales contract on a house by April 30 to be eligible, but it gives them an additional 60 days to close the purchase. Looked at one way, the effective deadline of the credit under this agreement is actually the end of June.” (USNews)

Rules for current homeowners

As mentioned above, it would also allow current homeowners to get in the game by offering them $6500 if they have been in their current house for at least 5 years.

“The current credit prevents home buyers who have owned a primary residence within the past three years from claiming the credit. The agreement, however, would allow current homeowners to claim up to $6,500 as long as the property they are vacating has been their primary residence for at least five years.”

If you are a current homeowner looking to get in on the $6500, it would likely have an effective date of December 1st, 2009.

Income restrictions

As with the first round of the credit, it is not open to higher-income earners. It is open to higher earners than the first round (originally it was $75,000/single and $150,000/joint). Single filers making more than $125,000 and married couples making $225,000 or more aren’t eligible either. And if you have been eye-balling a million dollar house, that isn’t eligible either.  “Homes that cost more than $800,000 aren’t eligible for the credit.”

A few other points about the credit worth mentioning…

• You can’t use the cash to buy a vacation home. Only primary residences are eligible.
• Also you must be at least 18 years old to be eligible. Doing the research for this article I found a story of a 4 year old that claimed the credit.
• The current tax credit has cost taxpayers about $8 Billion. And BusinessWeek estimates that the new one will cost us $10.8 billion.

So if you are are a current homeowner – is $6500 enough to get you thinking about buying another house?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

4 Steps To Help You Control Your Spending

Budgeting is essentially the process of asking: should I spend my money on this or that?  A person’s income represents the fixed dollars with which they have to spend.  When someone sets their budget they must decided (based on their preferences) what to spend on ‘this’ and what to spend on ‘that’.  The problem is that sometimes people prioritize the wrong things.  They buy ‘this’ when they should have bought ‘that’. Being able to control you is the difference between being frugal instead of cheap.  If you find yourself in a situation where you often buy things you regret then these four steps will help you focus your spending.

Step #1: Take a visual inventory of the stuff already in your home.

Have you ever helped someone move?  If you have you know that a question people often ask while moving is, “How did we get so much stuff (junk)?”  Every item in your home has been purchased with money you labored for.  As you walk around the house look at your items and ask:

• Does this item give me satisfaction?
• Did it end up being as useful as I wished?
• If I had to buy it again would I?
• Do I have more things than I know what to do with?

If you answered negatively more often than not, it is likely that you are having trouble directing your spending towards things you truly care about.  Perhaps you are purchasing impulsively.  Nevertheless, your spending is such that it brings more frustration than satisfaction.

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:20 NIV)

Step #2: Ask your spouse a simple question – “What are some of your favorite memories?”

Our Experiences with Stuff Dulls Over Time

In the book Your Money and Your Brain author Jason Zweig writes:

“We get used to almost anything we are frequently exposed to.  That’s why the money we spend on big purchases gives us such a perishable pleasure.” (bold added.  pg 236)

Zweig goes on to use the example of a new car.  Remember that new car?  It “glistens like a gigantic jewel”.  However, the cycle of auto life requires that within months (or even days) there will be dings and scratches in your fine automobile.  After just a few short months, we are disillusioned because the car is not bringing as much satisfaction as we intended.  So before you know it you are on the market for another new car.  Regarding this tendency Zweig writes:

“Unfortunately, the vision pales by comparison when it collides with reality. … Instead of realizing that big spending will probably never make you happy, you conclude that you simply spent your bundle on the wrong thing.” (pg. 236-237)

Our Experiences with Memories Sharpen Over Time

Spending that brings satisfaction is spending that creates memories.  While some spending is pragmatic and functional (i.e. fridge and stove) we must ultimately remember their function.  I think about great time saving appliances like the dishwasher and the microwave.  That time void has not been filled with activities that create memories; instead it is filled with more activity.  Things like vacations actually leave a sweeter taste (assuming you pay cash!) as the days go by.

“The vacation in your photo album is more pleasant than the one you actually had, and that may skew your memory. … Your memories, then, are not just recollections.  They are also reconstructions” (Jason Zweig,  238).

Why not plan your spending in such a way that you spend a larger percentage of your money on things that are rewarding (like giving) and steer away from spending money on stuff that dulls over time?

Step #3: Have a ‘this’-and-‘that’ face off.

This really is a simple exercise.  It has been observed that hindsight is 20/20 so go ahead and use that clear vision of the past to guide your future spending.  Take a few items in your home and place them side by side and ask, “Right now which item am I happier that I purchased?”  Your answer will help guide your future spending.

Sample A: Luggage

Exhibit A                                                          Exhibit B

These two pictures of luggage have the same purpose – they help haul my useless junk around the world.  So far both of these items have accomplished the task with equal effectiveness.  Any time my junk does not arrive it is typically the fault of an airline, not the luggage itself.  There is one significant difference – cost.  The two bags in Exhibit A cost about $85 and the cost for Exhibit B was $5.  Using my 20/20 perspective I now know what a complete and absolute waste of money to pay $85 for something I can find for $5 at any used clothing store in America.  As a result, I have now decided that I’ll buy all my luggage second hand.

Sample B: The Vacation and the Fridge

You will notice that my fridge (which has only been used for less than three years) is rusting.  I’m finding that the type of a fridge does little to contribute to my spending satisfaction.  In the future I am going to think about functionality without any fancy bells and whistles.

I have a whole slew of vacation pictures I enjoy looking at.  Those great memories grow year after year.  Vacations always provide some special family times.  As a result, I enjoy spending money on vacations because I feel like they contribute something to my life’s satisfaction.

Step #4: Adjust your spending accordingly.

Take what you have learned about yourself and create a future where you spend your money wisely according to your values.  A budget is the best way to help direct your spending.  Don’t keep making bad money choices!  When setting amounts for your budget categories make sure they fit your personal preferences.

A final thought.

Try incorporating your gifts to people into the same evaluation.  I suspect you will find that there is a growing pleasure that comes from giving.

Let me leave you with one final quote from Jason Zweig:

“While the money you spend on acquisitions tend to feel more and more like a mistake as time passes, the money you spend on experiences is apt to grow in value as your memories grow warmer.”

How do you focus your spending to be sure you’re spending money wisely and not wasting too much on perishable stuff?

Craig is a missionary who has spent over ten years working in various forms of Christian ministry. Currently, Craig lives with his family in Papua New Guinea. Relying on his ministry experience and background in Biblical Studies he writes daily personal finance articles from a Christian perspective. You can visit his site at www.MoneyHelpForChristians.com, on Twitter, or you can sign up to receive free daily email updates for his site.

I just got my newest issue of SmartMoney magazine and there was an article that caught my attention. The article talks about some of the common shortcuts that some homebuilders are taking in order to cut costs. Interestingly, from what I have noticed so far, our builder has impressed me in the other direction. As we have been watching it all come together, there have been a few times when I was pleasantly surprised to see their thoroughness in an area and the quality of items used was a bit better than I had expected. That’s not to say they haven’t made some changes to save a few bucks, but I have seen any that were used to our detriment.

10 common cutbacks builders are using

17-foot Double Garage

The recommended width is 20 feet, but some builders knock it down to 17 feet. Apparently the builder can save as much as $8500 by doing this.

Textured walls and ceilings

A textured wall takes less labor to create than a smooth wall. But later on for the homeowner matching the texture will probably be difficult.

Reduced Central Air

Most homeowners probably won’t know until after they have moved in if the AC system is too weak for the house.

Missing water valves

This one is pretty desperate. The valves cost about $35 dollars each and some builders aren’t using any shut-off valves in the plumbing. I am not sure how this isn’t a code violation, but it just seems pretty silly to me.

24 inch stud intervals

Apparently you can frame the walls with 24 inches between the studs rather than the more common 16 inches and not lose any structural integrity. This seems like a good idea and would probably knock thousands off the cost of a home.

Centralized plumbing

Architects probably hate this idea, but builders save money by having all the plumbing stuff as close to each other as possible.

Fixed windows

I didn’t realize that windows that don’t open are that much cheaper. But the article says that builders can save as much as $200 per window.

No gutters

I guess there are parts of the world where this could work but with the 5+ inches of rain we have gotten the last week, I don’t think I would be too excited about that.

Squeezing the lots

There is a builder in Florida that squeezes 20 foot-wide dwellings onto lots that are 27 feet wide. I have always wanted to run and jump from roof to roof like chase scenes in the movies.

Narrower driveways

Some builders save by, “narrowing the driveway from two car widths to one as it approaches the curb.” This just sounds so crazy to me, I think I can picture it, but it looks weird in my head. If anyone has a picture of what this looks like, please let me know – I am curious.

What else have you noticed?

I am going to do a little inspecting around the house this weekend, now that I am armed with a little more knowledge. Do you know of any other cutbacks builders are making to save a few bucks?

Photo by: Stangls

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

I recently wrote about how you can use vinegar to clean your coffeemaker and 8 other ways to use it around the house. Then, I just found this video with a few more great household uses for vinegar. Basically, what I am learning from all this is that vinegar is like duct-tape – in liquid form! Which it makes sense, people have been using it for thousands of years for all these uses and they didn’t have the hundreds of cleaning products that we have today.

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.

My sister’s destination wedding is taking place in a few weeks and until last night we still hadn’t nailed down which car rental company we were going to use. But at about 10:30 pm last night we pulled the trigger and finalized our rental car plans.

I should also mention that while I know there is a skill to be learned when it comes to getting travel deals, I am not particularly skilled in this area. I generally  know how to find good prices on most things I buy, but renting cars is something I haven’t had to do too much of.

What we were looking for in a rental car

• We are going to need the car for a full 7 days
• If we could find a good enough deal on a convertible we would get that. After all November is pretty nice in Florida.
• In-terminal pickup and drop off was much preferred.
• Unlimited miles would probably be best for the amount of driving we will be doing.

So, I started comparing prices just like I normally do and was getting ready to start digging for some coupon codes to see if I could find a little better price and then it happened… I found noticed that Hotwire.com had a “Hot Rate” deal for the car we were looking for. After seeing the prices of all the other car rental car websites, it just didn’t make sense that they were about half the average price of the others.

I called them up to see what the catch was. They explained that the only “catch’ is that I don’t know which rental car company we will be with until after we pay. That’s it? I verified that I would still be able to pick it up and return it in our airport and that we would have unlimited miles. So, with that price, I decided our bargain hunting was finished and would take it.

The prices I compared

As you can see, no one else was even in the ballpark with Hotwire’s “Hot Rate” deal. To be fair, I didn’t use a coupon for most of the other companies, which would have brought their prices down as well, but I would have been pretty surprised to find a 50% off coupon with any of them.

I will be back!

So, I am not sure how often Hotwire has the “Hot Rate” deals running and what the chances are of getting one for your trip, but I will surely make them my first stop when looking for the best price on a rental car in the future. If they don’t have a deal running, I probably would try digging deeper to find car rental discounts or the obvious: just rent a cheaper car!

A great deal

All in all, I am pretty excited because I feel like we pretty much got the cheapest price possible and I didn’t have to spend 4 hours comparing prices. We get to drive a convertible around for a week in Florida for the price of a Chevy Aveo. Now, we just have to pray that we get the model we want. She wants a VW Bug, I want a Mustang. I am guessing we will probably end up with a Sebring just like Michael Scott. Oh well, it is still a great deal and a convertible!

Have you gotten a Hotwire deal before? What other tips do you have to get a cheap rental car?

Bob enjoys dark chocolate, paying off debt, giving, Foosball, loose-leaf tea, helping people succeed, learning, anything God created, playing guitar, doing things the "long" way, Philippians, excellence, Chick-Fil-A, and making his wife smile. He started ChristianPF in 2007 and has been having a blast ever since. Find him on Facebook & Twitter.