Be sure to request the visitor bureau’s information kit (they are free, and every city has one these days!). These info kits often include FREE coupons for tourist sites, shopping, restaurants, and more. Another great option is buying a multi-attraction pass: these are almost always less expensive than buying separate passes for each destination.

If you already know the particular sites you’ll be visiting, research any special exhibits/events, hours, and costs & savings they may have. Many attractions have a “free admission day.” For example, in New York City, Wednesdays at the Bronx Zoo are ‘pay as you wish day’—which can mean up to a $52 savings for a family of four! Also see if these attractions offer discounts for any organizations/demographics you belong to—such as AAA, AARP, senior citizens, military personnel, or students.

If you’ll be spending a few days in a particular city, try buying an “Entertainment” book for your visit (www.entertainment.com). These popular coupon books are city-specific, and are filled with tons of deals. Savings include “buy one, get one free” coupons covering eating establishments, car rentals, hotels, and more—plus great savings on museums, galleries, ‘day trips’ and more. One great thing about the Entertainment book is that their price drops throughout the year—so a book that costs $40 in January may cost $20 by the time your summer vacation rolls around! Even better: lots of the venues are national chains, so you can continue saving money once you return home, too!

And while your local car rental agent might be telling you he’s giving you ‘the best deal,’ you can probably save even more! Try car rental search engines like www.sidestep.com, which offer the lowest rates available with national rental car companies, as well as with smaller, regional companies you probably haven’t heard of—which are usually cheaper, to begin with! The truly savvy shopper will combine these savings with the rental company’s site offers, or those that are often listed in the Entertainment book, too!

Lastly, try “Googling” ‘coupon.’ Many coupon websites allow you to enter the zip code of your destination city, to pick up lots of other local deals.

These are just some of the ways you can save on little items to save big on your next trip! Get creative and you’ll soon be coming up with your own ways to save money when traveling.

For 2010, the good news is that our country’s economy has been in a gradual recovery. While our economy rebounds, fashion pros expect to see a return to classic, upbeat traditional looks. Overall, most fashion experts see strong silhouettes, sophisticated glamour, and subdued colors for the coming year. Here, we’ll look at some of this coming season’s hottest looks.

Back to the future

Some elements from the 19th century will be a hit this year. Called the ‘dandy’ look, a trend that began in Great Britain, this look recalls wealth and aristocracy. This look features bow blouses; slim-cut, cropped jackets; high-waisted jodhpurs (riding pants); ruffles; brooches; fob chains, waistcoats and tailored vests. Combined with a balance of sharp tailoring, this look accentuates the traditional women’s hourglass figure—while being completely fashion-forward.

The sheer look

“See-through” clothing will be a popular trend this spring. This cool, sexy look—used with sheen and sheer fabrics—can be used in either soft or feminine looks, edgy or hardcore styles. Sheer fabrics have been showing up lately everywhere from Hollywood red carpets to NYC nightclubs, and will be one of 2010’s hottest trends. This look can be used creatively—in layers, tight pieces or delicate drapes. Expect to see this look make a major appearance in trendy stores near you.

One-shoulder Apparel

Dresses and tops with one shoulder are a big part of the asymmetric shoulder line look that was hot all last year. A single-shouldered top goes well with everything from denim to gowns. For example, a one-shoulder dress with an asymmetrical form-fitting top is a hot look: sexy yet conservative, it is bold without being tacky. This one-shoulder look accentuates a woman’s shoulders, well-toned arms, and collarbones.
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The leather look

Leather, a longtime favorite for coats and jackets, will extend to other clothing types this year. Expect to see leather dresses, shorts, leggings and other types everywhere this year! For example, a tasteful black leather dress with revealing neckline, and matching leather bandeau, is an exotic, yet tasteful look for any evening party.

Capes aren’t just for superheroes!

Expect to see lots of capes, cloaks and cape-lets this year. No matter the variety, this sleeveless outerwear will be a hot trend in the cold weather. This classic look is based upon the “cocoon” look of the 1920s—with a clear eye to the future.

Beyond the Knee: Trends in boots

Over-the-knee boots are now a must-have item for any fashion victim. From tasteful suedes to futuristic sheens, this look is definitely a hot trend. Meanwhile, traditional leather boots in classic brown or black will ‘take it up a notch’ and right over the knee! These boots also look great in everything from maroon or neutral tones, to brighter colors, as well.

As you begin to clean out last year’s closet, try considering any of these hot trends to give your wardrobe a fresh, updated look.

First, get your local supermarket’s current sales flyer and plan out a weekly menu, based around their sale items.  Then, write out your shopping list based on this menu.  When you do this, not only are you ensuring that you’ll be saving money, you’ll also be making sure that you have enough food to feed your family for the coming week. (There’s more on cutting down visits to the supermarket later.)

Before you ever set foot in a store, create a budget.  Remember that if you don’t know how much you can spend, you’re spending too much!

Whenever you do shop, bring a shopping list.  Going without a list equates to throwing cash away.  As for shopping, keep to the list, and only the list.

Remember to always eat a good meal before you go shopping.  If you go shopping while you’re hungry you’ll be tempted by impulse buys—which are often expensive and unhealthy.

Also, try shopping online.  Tons of items (over 20,000 actually), are available for easy purchase at Amazon.com’s grocery section (that’s right, grocery section.)  The prices are ridiculously low, most items can ship for free, and the products are fresh and high-quality.

We certainly advocate eating as many fresh, nutritious fruits and veggies as possible.  However, frozen vegetables are a healthy and affordable alternative.

While we’re talking veggies, now’s a good time to mention it: cut down on the meat.  Pound for pound, meat is one of the most expensive foods you can buy.  Try having vegetarian meals a few times weekly: pasta, chili, potatoes, and rice dishes are great.  You’ll notice the difference in your budget, and perhaps your waistline, as well.  By cooking vegetarian, you’ll also have the chance to try ethnic meals—like Asian, Indian, or Mexican—and bring some new interesting new flavors to your family’s table.

Furthermore, you can also check your vanity at the supermarket door and try buying store brands.  Today’s store brands are way more than yesteryear’s generic no-label, black-and-white-labeled variety.  In fact, store brands often include the same exact ingredients as the big-name brands, at a steep discount; with the name brands, you’re paying for their advertising.

Perhaps the most important tip we can stress is cutting down on your “one-item” trips…because the truth is, there’s no such thing as a “one-item trip.”  You know the drill: once you get to the store, it’s tough not to pick up that soda you wanted, and then there’s that snack for the kids, and so on.  If you’re consistently going out for errands like these, you’ve probably neglected to place some important items on your weekly shopping list.

Also beware of supermarkets’ tricks.  Usually, you get discounts for buying larger items; however, this is not always the case at the supermarket, particularly with popular items.  For example, $1 for those “100 calorie” snacks that are all the rage now sounds like a deal—until you do the math and realize you’re paying over $10/lb. for junk food.

Speaking of junk food, try to buy as little of it as possible.  Junk food costs a lot relative to other foods, provides zero nutritional value, and could lead to weight gain and health issues.  Along with junk food, avoid frozen dinners and other prepared entrees—they cost too much and are usually not very nutritious.  Lastly, drink more water.  If you’re loading up on sodas or so-called diet or energy drinks you’re burning money.  Drinking water is better for you and cheaper—even if you opt for bottled water.

Now that you’ve read this, the next thing to do is get your local grocer’s flyer and start planning out all the delicious meals you’ll be cooking this week.

The days of dropping off film to be developed, blowing up enlargements and then going to the post office to snail-mail your pictures to the relatives have gone the way of the 8-track and VCR.  Today, a digital camera is the way to instantly share pictures with friends and family anywhere in the world.  These tips will help you make the move into the 21st century.

Figure Out What You Need
After you’ve done some research, figure out exactly what you’ll be doing with your camera to determine the features of a camera you need.  A person making high-quality prints will require different features than someone who is mostly e-mailing and viewing photos online.

Create a Budget
Today’s cameras prices vary greatly depending on make, model, and features. Way too many people spend lots of money on options they never need or do not spend enough and end up with a camera that does not fit their needs. A good rule of thumb: expect to spend anywhere from $200 to $450 for a middle-of-the-road model with a nice array of basic features.

Megapixels vs. Lens Size
Megapixels are a measure of how much fine detail a digital camera can capture.  In general, with more megapixels, you can print larger photos with better image quality.  Most current models offer at least 5 megapixels, which is sufficient for making a sharp 11” x 14” print.  However, overzealous salesmen may tell you that megapixel size is everything, but that is not true.  Other issues like the quality of lens matter, too.

If you want a decent point-and-shoot camera, lens size is also important.  Tiny lenses are built only for convenience, not picture quality.  The main function of a lens is to capture light; small lenses are inferior to larger lenses.  Look for cameras with a larger lens and not just a high megapixel count.  For example, an old 3 megapixel camera with a 20mm lens can take far better photos than a new 5 megapixel camera with a 5mm lens.

Pick Optical Zoom
There’s nothing better than zooming in on one of those precious moments that has been captured.  However, the term zoom can often be misleading which is why it is important to know the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom. Digital zoom will make images look larger, but at the expense of quality. Optical zoom provides enlarged images that maintain a high quality.

How Many Pictures Do You Take?
The number of pictures you can take and store before you have to delete/transfer some pictures depends directly on a camera’s memory, measured in MB (megabytes). Most digital cameras will come with 8 to 16 megabytes of built-in memory, which is not a lot considering a 2 megapixel camera with 32 MB of memory will hold only about 35 photos.  Investing in an additional memory card (or several) with at least 128MB is recommended.

What Cameras Are Compatible With Your Computer?
Once you’ve narrowed your choice down to a few models, learn about their compatibility and memory information; make sure that the camera specifications match your computer’s capabilities.  If you can’t make sense of the info on the camera box, just ask the salesperson about its minimum system requirements.

Research Before You Shop
Getting to your local store and finding rows of cameras with price tags that range from $20 to over $1,000 can be overwhelming for the first-time buyer.  Read up on digital cameras from a photography or computer magazine or online.  There are hundreds of sites that offer free digital camera reviews, articles, and specifications such as cnet.com, pcworld.com, and dpreview.com.  Before you shop, familiarize yourself with the basic features and technology, including memory, optical zoom, and pixels.

Where to Shop
There are literally thousands of online stores that sell digital cameras in addition to the camera manufacturer’s website.  At craigslist.org, the world’s largest online local classifieds site, you may be able to find a great used camera at a fraction of the cost of a new camera.  eBay.com lets you shop both used and new cameras in the US as well as internationally.  However, for first-time buyers who have not narrowed down a specific make or model, it is recommended to visit your local electronics retailer, such as Best Buy, Target, or Wal-Mart, to get a feel for different cameras. This way, you can get a hands-on feel for the camera and compare different cameras side-by-side.

Try Before You Buy and Know What to Ask
Most stores have digital cameras on display to touch and check out up-close.  Use this opportunity to ask yourself some specific question: Are the camera’s controls responsive?  How about the LCD; is it clear?  When you view the camera at an angle does the image get distorted? Is the menu easy to read?  How does the camera feel in your hand?  Are the buttons easy to use? Is the camera heavy/clunky? Ask yourself questions like these and you’ll be on your way to finding the perfect digital camera.  If it doesn’t feel like a natural fit, try another model.

Beware of the Salesperson
It’s not uncommon to walk into a department store’s electronics department and have a salesperson tell you that there’s no difference between digital and optical zoom.  While there are many great salespeople out there, don’t rely on them: do some initial research before consulting a salesman for their opinion.

Invest In Some Extras That Are Worth It
Though you may not need to spend extra on a high-end carrying case or a tripod, you will most likely need some add-ons such as a larger-sized memory card (128 MB or 256 MB is recommended to start) or a wrist strap. Also remember that if you plan on printing pictures, their quality depends on your printer and paper; it may be worth a trip down the printer aisle as well.

Now that you have these great tips, you’re on your way to snapping lots of wonderful pictures and emailing them to your friends and family!