Save On Your Holiday Shopping and Travels with Frugaa

If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, then you’re in good company. If you have, I might hate you a little bit. Either way, you’re going to buy stuff in the future, probably sooner rather than later. Why not save money on your purchases? With Frugaa, you’ll be able to buy more for less, which means you can spend more on vacation! Score! Plus, you can also save on vacation. Double score!

What is Frugaa? Well, it’s a website that offers a bunch of different things: promo codes and discounts, deals, products and even reviews.

Already got a website in mind for your purchase? Great! Search it on Frugaa to see if there are any deals or coupon codes you can use to make your order cheaper.  You’ll learn a little more about the merchant you’re ordering from, see their featured products and brands (so you know what others are buying), explore the types of products they sell and see all the current promo codes that can be used. Frugaa updates their site throughout the day, so promo codes are always up-to-date and relevant.

Want to know how to get the biggest discount? The site can help you by showing you the top deals and giving you tips about how to save the most at each particular merchant, you’re in the know for how to keep maximum bucks in your pocket. That means your holidays will cost less, or you can get more with the same money.

Not sure where you want to buy your stuff? Use the search function to look for a specific item on Frugaa’s marketplace. It’s a mini search engine for your purchases and shows you any product deals you can purchase directly.

You can also use the Savings Calculator to stay within your budget. Look in a particular category, like electronics or clothing, or store and add your budget for said purchase. This helps Frugaa narrow down their deal/merchant selections to match the amount of money you can spend. I thought that was pretty cool, especially since one of those categories is travel, and you know how much I like to save on my travels.

Say I have a budget of $500. I select travel, slide the budget rule to $500, and hit search. Scroll down the current promos until you find a match for your trip needs. You’ll even see on the left side under the company banner how much you can save. As someone who would be happy to just get away for a bit of sun this winter, I clicked on the Sandals Resorts 65% off deal and learned that I can head to Jamaica for $161 per night per person. Not only that, but it includes a free night, catamaran cruise, air credit, booking bonus and extra savings for booking online. I’d be ready to pack my bathing suit and sunscreen right now if I didn’t already have a trip planned this winter.

So, if you have to get away or need to make the rest of your holiday gift purchases (or both), Frugaa can really help you out. And after the holidays are over, you can continue to use it to save big bucks on many of your future purchases.

You can use Frugaa without having an account, but if you have one, you can earn points in the rewards program (earn by searching, sharing, engaging and more) and then trade them in for gift cards, meaning you’ve saved even more money, just by doing what you’d normally do!

Don’t want to search the site for deals? Subscribe to have the hottest coupons and deals sent straight to your inbox! No work needed on your part. Woot!

Sign up on Frugaa.com for free to start saving right away! You can also get social and engage with them on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest |Google+

Now, who out there is actually done with all their holiday shopping? We need inspiration to start ours.

Disclosure: This post was brought to you on behalf of Frugaa.com, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Review: Travelon Anti-Theft Active Medium Crossbody Bag

When you travel, do you need a little bigger bag than I usually showcase? Maybe you have kids or like to take more things or use it to carry your purchases. If any of these describe you, you’ll want to check out the Anti-Theft Active Medium Crossbody Bag from Travelon. I’ve been using it as my everyday purse since it arrived at my door, because it holds everything I need, plus carries other items I sometimes take with me, like magazines, my iPad mini and my lunch.

When you’re on vacation, you want a bag that’s multi-purpose and this bag is definitely that. It has large zippered pockets inside and out that are anti-theft, so everything you keep inside, stays inside. Use this bag as a large “personal item” when you fly and carry your necessities: 3-1-1 bag, electronics, games, snacks, travel docs, passport, wallet. And when you get to your destination, take out the items you don’t need all day to lighten your load and save your back.

It’s large enough to hold all your brochures and small purchases, but manageable enough to not get in your way when roaming a museum or browsing the outdoor market. Don’t want to carry your sweater? It’ll fit in there. That’s actually one of my favorite things about a larger day bag. I’m never missing any of my “just in case pieces”, like a scarf, card game, extra meds or band aids. That’s not the best thing about this bag though.

The Active line has a reflective fabric, so you can be seen in darker environments, even if you’re just crossing the street in the city. It’s always nice when people can see you instead of almost running you over. It also comes in lovely colors, looks sporty and is water-resistant. That’s a must in rainy climates like we have here in Portland. 

Inside, you'll find a large zipper pocket that is RFID-blocking, where you can stash your credit cards, ID, passport and travel docs, plus it's large enough for your tablet. I also use this to toss change into and keep my cash in there, so it's double secure!

There's also two great slot pockets on the other side of the inside, where I put my phone, earbuds and my camera, because that way it doesn't fall into the bottom where I have tor rummage for it. These pockets are large enough to handle your extra big smartphone, but not that Galaxy 7, because you can't take it to the airport anymore. In between those two pockets is a pen slot, which holds not one, but two pens. Love it!

The outside has two zipper pockets, which take up about 2/3 of the size of the bag. one is lockable and the other is not, as it is meant to be worn against your side, where it would be pretty difficult to get into for someone with sticky fingers.

The locking zippers are really easy to use, but they don't have the little doodad you usually use your thumb to open it with, so thieves will have a difficult time trying to figure it out in time before you notice. For you, who knows how to use it, it's fairly simple and won't make it challenging to get into your own bag to get out your money. These side zippers are also rubberized to make them water-resistant and impossible to break (another security feature).

Though this isn't a Mary Poppins' bag, even though it holds quite a bit, you might just need a little help finding things in the dark, so Travelon has added their tiny flashlight to this bag too. It's attached to a clip leash, so you can always find your keys and, in my case, my business cards.

Worried your bag might get snatched while you're having lunch at that cute little sidewalk cafe? Fear not! This bag not only has a slash-resistant strap and body (for when you're out and about), but it also has a locking clip on the adjustable strap, so you can attach your bag to your chair or table and you feel secure while you're enjoying your meal. 

Don't forget to stay hydrated! Or dry. Whichever you choose. You have a nice zip-out mesh bottle holder on the side of your bag, which can also be used for your umbrella. It will fit a regular 16oz size bottle. I didn't have one on hand, so I improvised with this larger bottomed bottle I had in the fridge. It fits nice and snug. Then it zips closed when not in use.

The adjustable shoulder strap is wide enough to be comfortable and not slip off your shoulder if you want to wear it over your shoulder instead of crossbody. It also adjusts to fit right on a small person or a tall person.

This a great bag for your travels, or as a gift for the traveler in your life. It's a reasonable size and price, plus comes in nice classic colors that are unisex. 

More details

Where to get it: Travelon website or Amazon | local travel stores

How much it costs: $44-65

Colors it comes in: black | wine (shown) | charcoal | teal

Additional specs: lightweight durable nylon fabric, size: 12.25" x3.75" x12"

Interact with Travelon online and share the love: 

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Disclaimer: I  received the Anti-Theft Active Medium Crossbody Bag from Travelon for the purposes of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Tips for Making TSA Less Annoying

I love the airport, even during the holidays. I’m a weirdo, but I like shopping/browsing and trying the different places to eat. I love the fact that I’m going to go somewhere. I like to people watch and I enjoy checking out the airport art and other cool things they have that other airports don’t. These last two months I’ve been to the airport six times. Twice to come and go and four times to pick up or drop off. I’ll pay $3 to park so I can wander around. Sometimes I find awesome stuff there, plus Portland International is America’s Favorite Airport four years running. How can I resist that?

Anyway, if you want to make sure that you actually make it onto your flight to go somewhere fun (or at least to visit friends and family), then you’re going to want to be prepared for what TSA has in store for you.

Get to the airport early

This is a must! Security lines are longer than ever during the holidays, even on the slowest days. Just plan to wait in line twice as long as you usually do. You never know what’s going to happen and traffic sucks from November 1-January 2. Allow yourself time for all the inevitables and surprises and plan to get to the airport at two hours before your flight if you’re traveling domestic, and at least three hours if you’re traveling international. Bring a book, a battery back-up for your phone or tablet and a game. This way you’ll have something to amuse yourself in line and at the gate if you get there with plenty of time before you flight. Remember: flights generally board 30 minutes before take-off, so you’ll want to get there before that window opens.

Wear easy-on, easy-off shoes

Do you want to spend 20 minutes untying your hiking books to take off and put in the security bin? Probably not. Also, the people behind you do not want to wait for you either. Make sure you wear shoes that can easily be taken off and put back on, so you can make security procedures that much less painful for you and everyone else involved.

Do not wrap your gifts 

TSA is all about seeing everything in your bag. Even if you only have one gift in your bag, don’t wrap it. You will have spent all that time and energy making it look pretty and then getting it into your bag, only to have an agent rip your paper to shreds to find out what you packed. Bring small gifts that can be packed without boxes and wrapping paper. By all means, bring those staples with you to wrap at your destination if you have room in your bag.

Have your photo ID and boarding pass in-hand 

You can’t even get to the security conveyor belts and scanners if you don’t make it past the TSA agent in the line. Make sure to be prepared and keep the line moving, by having your photo ID (or passport) and boarding pass at the ready. Nobody wants to wait for you to dig around in your bag to find it and you will just make enemies of those people in line behind you. Even better, download the airline app and use the e-ticket to check in and get through security. You can use your phone to show the passes of everyone in your travel group, as long as they have their identification out.

Have your 3-1-1 bag out 

Don’t wait until you get to the airport to start rummaging around in your toiletry bag and finding all your liquids and gels. Buy a TSA-approved 3-1-1 bag online or at the store or pick up a box of 1-liter zip-top bags and fill it up before you leave home. It will make you less stressed and you’ll know that everything fits in there.

Make sure your laptop is easily accessible 

If you’re bringing a laptop, netbook or iPad, make sure you can quickly access it and slide it in and out of your carry-on. It will make the security line that much faster when you have to dump all your individual things into a bin: shoes, jacket, purse, pocket contents, laptop, 3-1-1 bag. The quicker these things can be put into a bin, the faster you can push them towards the X-Ray machine and make room for other travelers’ items and bins on the counter. (Another way to make this easier is to get a checkpoint-friendly bag, like this Travelon one.)

Don’t stuff your bag

Before I got Pre-Check (see below), I was always singled out for “random” bag checks and extra security. I don’t really care. I have nothing to hide and I don’t get embarrassed by my underwear being handled by strangers in front of a bunch of other strangers, but a lot of people do. Also, if you have Tetris-ed your bag so well that everything inside only fits in one way, it’s going to suck when you have to shove it all back in there (or are mortified when the agent tries unsuccessfully to do it) and it doesn’t fit again and you can’t zip it and half your stuff is hanging out on your way to your gate where you can try to get it all back in some order like before. Note: it never works. You’re going to end up shoving a pair of pants in your purse because they somehow no longer fit.

Go left

Most people head to the right after their ID or passport has been checked. Go left instead (if you have the choice) and you’ll likely get through the line faster. Another tip for choosing the best line is to look for one that has the fewest children. Nothing against them, but they are slow and their parents are basically trying to do the job of a cat wrangler while also doing all the security procedures. Don’t blame them. Parenting is hard. But that doesn’t mean you have to get stuck in the slow line behind them.

Get Pre-Check (or Global Entry)

If you travel a couple times a year, then this is a great investment. For $85, you can leave your shoes on and everything in your bag and just breeze past those other suckers waiting in line at security for 40 minutes. It’s like FastPASS for your travels. Read more on my post here.

Stop rushing the gate

You’re checked in, you have a seat. Nobody’s going to take that away from you. Unless you have a small child and you need extra time to get settled in, just chill out. While everyone else is freaking out and crowding the poor gate agent to get on the plane, you can skip the stress and just hang back until the crowd thins out. It might even help you get in the good graces of the crew to help you with this next tip:

Board last

This is one way to get a free upgrade, because when you’re the last passenger on the plane, you have a choice of any available seat, maybe even a first class seat if you’re really lucky. It helps if you only have a small carry-on with you that can fit under the seat. I’ll tell you why: there will likely be no overhead bin space left and having to wait longer for you to either find a place to put your bag or check it to go under the plane will not win you any friends and everyone will blame you when the plane leaves late.

Hopefully, these tips will allow you to get through security with minimal stress and get you on your trip faster.

What are your favorite security tips?