Do the villa’s of Italy entice you – there are no places like them on Earth. The clatter of plates in the out doors Ristorantes, the beautiful sunsets and scenery. The Mediterranean, clear blue and clean… the smells of fresh foods and drink wafting in the air. Who wouldn’t want to just ‘get away’ for a romantic tour of Italy?

Perhaps your choice would be a quiet island in the Caribbean or the Bahamas. White sand beaches, clear warm, baby blue water that beckons a midnight swim. Island music and drinks while relaxing on the beach… I want to be there now!

Enter a Contest

There are deals beyond belief… and many, many places to explore, especially if you’re open to travel when the time arises. Some deals come for specific places and are free, some are discounted, but the timing is everything.

These are the best options for free rides. You have to enter contests but the trips are completely free and some even include hotel stays. Some contests are a little more challenging than others, such as Jet Star Airway’s “What’s Your Story” contest. The story they are seeking is a Jet Star flight story and travel tips, but hey, for a free trip, who wouldn’t want to throw a few words together. One of these sites can be found at “Contests and Sweepstakes”…

Discount Travel Sites

Most of these deals are through specific Airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, which are – right now, offering a “Kids Free” promotion to Disneyland and include hotel packages as well. Others, such as a Los Cabos, Mexico vacation offers guests $400.00 per room credit, intended to cover the cost of airfare as well – see Smarter Travel for more deals/details.

Travel Zoo has lists and lists of discounted air travel such as $29.00 to Vegas flight sale, and includes return airfare as well. Some flights within the U.S. via Orbitz can be obtained for as little as $39.00.

Cheap Tickets always has the best deals, and sometimes, you can find them dirt cheap. (Fanny’s note: Cheap Tickets offers no booking fees on flights originating from the US)

Cruises are always giving away free cruises when their ships are under booked. Check with the cruise lines, and sometimes travel agents have good tips. They travel free wherever they go.

Buy One, Get One Free

Travel Zoo and others list deals by destination, which is a bonus because if there is somewhere you are looking to go on the cheap – here is the site for you. I stumbled around and found that I could go to San Francisco free, with the purchase of one ticket. That’s a pretty huge savings, but to find the free tickets, you really have to search.

Another really good site is Airlines of the Web – which offers over 500 airlines that are offering free airfare or highly discounted. Might have to do some searching, but it is definitely worth the time.

Overbooked Flights

When airlines overbook their flights, which are very common – that is the perfect opportunity for you to get a free flight voucher, which are almost always more than the ticket you bought due to inconvenience. It happens during some of their busy holiday times, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Let the ticket agent know that if they are over booked, you’d be happy to take the next flight and the “thank you” vouchers will be useful for your next vacation. You’ll still get on the next flight, but you just landed a free flight, next time.

Other methods of getting free airfare is the request it, should you be delayed and miss a connecting flight. You can get a voucher for $300.00 for a 1-hour wait.

Credit Card Rewards

When you spend a specific amount on a credit card, you add up flight points, and most flights are free after spending a certain amount on the card. Check with your credit card company to make sure your card has this option.

Also, remember to ALWAYS sign up for the “Frequent Flyer” packages for every single airline that offer them. Those air miles add up and before you know it, you’re flying first class, for free.

Loyalty Programs

Racking up air miles in Frequent Flyer programs are great, but there are also loyalty programs offered by companies. Most companies that you do business with, will do just about anything to keep you buying from them. I am always getting coupons for specific deals from DirecTV – and other companies I deal with. Take the up on it… Incentive programs are abundant, and should be utilized as they pay off big in rewards. Those rewards a lot of times include free airfare.

Hotwire is a great place to find great deals on airfare and hotels, and so is Travelocity; Priceline; SmartFares; Expedia and many, many others. You just have to be in the right place at the right time, and be flexible. Search them frequently for the places you wish to go. They will offer specials, weekly, so be open to travel when the offers are there.

Last but not least, pick up a copy of David Tinney’s book titled “Why Not Fly for Free?” for more tips and secrets. It discloses, “Secrets the airlines don’t want you to know.” Tinney is a travel agent and says that its possible to go anywhere in the world while only paying the required tax on tickets – the tickets are absolutely free.

Good luck, happy travels, and go out there and get your ‘free tickets’!

Ally is part of the team that manages Home Loans, a free variable home loans service in Australia. Before joining HLF, she was a Media Planner with McCann Worldgroup Philippines, Inc., with award-winning executions, including the Levi’s 501 “Live Unbuttoned” global campaign.

Photo Credit: kokorowashinjin

Featured in the Festival of Frugality #273 hosted by Clarity.

With the economy the way it is, a flood of daily deal sites have popped up. Groupon and Living Social are two of the most popular daily deal sites.

Basically, when you join Groupon or Living Social and create an account, you get daily deals via email. These deals are discounted at least 50% off and you have a limited time to purchase the deal, which is like a gift certificate. You may redeem the gift certificate or voucher by printing it out or using your iPhone or Android.

But are you saving more or spending more?

Every day, when you get the daily deal email, you may be tempted to purchase something on the spur of the moment, due to the time limit on the deals. And it may not be something that was in your budget.

If you’re a shopaholic who loves deals, you can end up spending more than you wanted to. All of those deals that you bought here and there can really add up. $30 for a $65 massage, $15 for $30 dinner, $129 for $259 tandem skydiving jump?

There was even a deal that was $10,000 for a $20,000 penthouse suite. Are they for real? I’ve been to that penthouse suite and it’s as big as a mansion inside. But is spending $10,000 on a penthouse suite really a deal? I also read in the news that this particular hotel was on the brink of bankruptcy.

That’s why businesses like this offer deeply discounted deals on Groupon or Living Social. They need the boost in advertising and income.

Believe me, I’ve bought a few of those deals. I purchased a $270 massage for $90 and bought 3 of those deals. I was able to redeem 2 of the 3 massages before the spa went out of business! And last year, I bought a restaurant deal that was $15 for $30 worth of food. It was never convenient for me to go to the restaurant, so I never went. Then I heard it was going out of business. I called them to confirm that it was indeed closing its doors. Maybe that’s why they did so many deals on Groupon and Living Social!

If you see the same business aggressively offering deals on both Groupon and Living Social, it’s almost a sure sign that the business will soon go under.

Groupon and Living Social were able to refund my money with no hassles, which one thing I really like about these sites. If you aren’t happy with the deal that you bought, don’t be afraid to call them and ask for your money back. They want to keep up their good reputation so they will do whatever it takes to make you happy.

There are sites like Lifesta where you can sell the deals you regretted buying. But they take a fee like eBay and you’ll end up losing some money when you sell. At least try to get a refund or credit from Groupon or Living Social first, before you go this route. Calling them seems to be more effective than email.

Now, when I look at the daily deal, I ask myself these questions:

1. Do I know this business?

2. Am I realistically going to use this before the expiration date?

3. Do I need this?

4. Is this really a good deal?

If I can answer all 4 questions, I will buy the deal. This is such a stringent process that I’ve only bought one deal since – $10 for a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate, which was totally worth it since I make so many Amazon.com purchases.

While there are great deals to be had on these sites, sometimes a deal isn’t really a deal, especially if you forget to use it and the voucher expires!

Are you saving more or spending more with Groupon, Living Social, or other daily deal sites?

Want an iPad? Apple is offering $100 rebate if you bought the first generation iPad within the past 2 weeks before the iPad 2 announcement, which is Feb. 16 – March 1, 2011.

Now that Apple has announced the iPad 2, the original iPad has be discounted $100, to the new price of $399.

Here’s what’s new in version 2 of the iPad, as spoofed by the Conan O’Brien show in this hilarious iPad 2 parody.

Made me laugh today. Enjoy!

Here are some of the best deals that I scoured the web to find. Some are expiring today so act quickly! Enjoy!

Barnes and Noble – 15% off one item for all customers with coupon code W7K3B7H (expires 12/1)

Bath and Bodyworks – $10 off no minimum with coupon code F102785 (expires 12/31)

Borders – 33% off 1 item with coupon code BLX5879E (expires 12/1)

Current Catalog – 20% off and free shipping on orders of $40 or more

Kohl’s – 50% off sale on select items, 20% off sitewide with coupon code EXTRA20 and free shipping with coupon code: CONTACTFR (expires 12/1)

Macy’s Friends and Family – 25% off and free shipping with coupon code MACYSFRIEND or Print savings pass (expires 12/6)

Walgreens Friends and Family – 15% off in-store purchase, 20% W and Walgreens brand products, one day only (expires 12/1)

Who doesn’t love free shipping? Avoid the holiday crowds and fights over parking.

Order your gifts online and get free holiday shipping! Most of the deals below don’t require a coupon code. Plus, a few sites offer free holiday shipping on all orders!

Amazon.com – Orders of $25 or more

Athleta.com – Orders of $50 or more

BananaRepublic.com - Orders of $50 or more

BarnesandNoble.com – Orders of $25 or more

BedBathandBeyond.com – Orders over $100, expires 12/16

Borders.com – Orders of $40 or more for nonmembers; $25 or more for members

ChefsCatalog.com – Orders of $49 or more. Or pay only $3 shipping on any order through Coupon Cabin.

Chocolate.com – Orders of $60 or more

ColorfulImages.com – Orders of $25 or more

CurrentCatalog.com – Orders over $40, receive 20% off, expires 12/1

CVS.com – Orders of $60 or more, receive $15 off and free shipping (promo code: CYBERMONDAY), expires 11/30

Drugstore.com - Orders of $25 or more

eBags.com – All orders (promo code: LINKFREES), expires 12/31 – special offer from Living Richly on a Budget

Gap.com - Orders of $50 or more

Kohls.com – Orders of $50 or more

LLBean.com – All orders

Macys.com – Orders of $99 or more (promo code: GIFTS) expires 12/20

OldNavy.com - Orders of $50 or more

Piperlime.com – All orders

Target.com – Orders of $50 or more

Walgreens.com – Orders of $25 or more

Zappos.com – All orders

Valentine’s Day is coming up soon. If you haven’t gotten anything yet for your sweetie, flowers are always a great gift for her.

There are also great gifts for him, such as chocolates, chocolate covered oreos, Mrs. Field’s cookies, Mr. Beer premium home brewery, and more.

True story. One year, when I was working at a small office, all of the women received roses on Valentine’s Day from their significant others. And the guys in the office felt guilty for not buying flowers for their significant other! Don’t let this be you! (Do you something for your special someone, be it flowers or something else.)

ProFlowers is my favorite flower delivery service. Why? They guarantee their flowers. If you are not completely satisfied with your flowers, they will refund your money – no questions asked!

From the ProFlowers website:

“We guarantee that all our flowers, plants and preserved items will last at least 7 days or your money back. If for any reason you are not satisfied with the freshness of your flowers, please call or email us and we will gladly replace the bouquet or refund your money. Potted plants have an extended guarantee of 14 days.”

I actually took them up on their offer. One time my husband sent me flowers from ProFlowers and they were not fresh. The edges of the flowers were deteriorating. I wasn’t happy with the flowers so my husband asked for his money back. ProFlowers offered a refund and apologies.

Their flowers are usually perfect! ProFlowers ships the flowers wrapped in plastic and safely packaged in a cardboard box. They even include some packets of plant food and a guide on how to care for the flowers. You have an option to other items to your order, such as chocolates, hand dipped strawberries, or a teddy bear.

2011 ProFlower Deals:

Get FREE CHOCOLATES with any ProFlowers Order. (expires 2/6/2011)

Save $10 on 15 Sweetheart Tulips w/ FREE Vase, only $19.99 (expires 2/10/2011)

Gourmet Valentine’s Chocolates with FREE Heart Box, only $19.99

Get $10 off 12 Assorted Roses + 12 FREE + FREE Glass Vase, only $29.99 (expires 2/10/2011)

Kohl’s : Extra 15% off
Kohl’s is offering 15% off of everything, yes everything. Use promo code YOURGIFT15 at checkout. Plus, there is a special sale on bedding, kitchen electrics, and sterling silver jewelry ending on Monday.

Target: Free Shipping on Baby Items and Everything Else
Get free shipping when you spend $50 or more on Women, Men, Baby, Kids, Shoes, Home, Bed + Bath, Kitchen, Furniture, Toys, Video Games, Electronics, and Lawn + Garden.

Lush: Buy One Get Two Free: Handmade Natural Soaps

My favorite bath and body store, Lush, is offering a buy one get two free soap deal! I went to the store today and stocked up on their fresh handmade soaps. This deal is offered only once a year until supplies last.

$10 off $60 at Beauty.com!
Beauty.com is a division of Drugstore.com. They are offering $10 off $60. Plus you get free samples with each purchase. Guys, they have great stuff for Valentine’s Day.

Sony Vaio Laptops with Windows 7 Starting at $699
My very first laptop was a Sony Vaio. They are sleek, stylish, and fun to use. I bought my Sony Vaio laptop 7 years ago for $1500. Now they’re going for almost half the price!

Amazon: Year End Sale on Musical Instruments
Amazon is having a sale on brand name musical instruments. Taylor guitars, Fender bass, Yamaha keyboards, percussion and accessories. Karaoke machines are also on sale.

Best Buy: Netbooks As Low As $249.99. Valid 12/27-1/2
I keep talking about netbooks. That’s because they’re unbelievably low in price!

Real Simple (1-year) subscription is only $5 from Amazon.com until December 1! That’s the price for one issue of Real Simple magazine at the newsstand!

Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines featuring articles on how to organize, declutter, make gourmet dishes simply, and helpful tips on a variety of topics. Also, keeping with the “real simple” theme, the magazine has a smaller amount of ads than most magazines. What more could you ask for?

This amazing deal for a one year subscription to Real Simple ends on December 1. Order your subscription for $5 and it’s eligible for free shipping with purchases over $25.

Other magazines that are part of this $5 subscription deal - PEOPLE, Cosmopolitan, Food & Wine, SmartMoney, Southern Living, Popular Science, and others.

Check out Real Simple’s Month of Easy Dinner Recipes.