Save Money for Luggage

                                                   Singapore Changi Airport.
                                           Playground area Lounge at Changi Airport.

               
The real secret of happy frugal travelling is to take the absolute minimum of luggage. It is even possible to manage with just 7-10 kg of cabin luggage if you are really thoughtful and disciplined. If you travel with a budget airline that charges extra for checked luggage you will save a lot of money and time if you don't have any checked luggage at all. Provided you are able to easily carry your own luggage and are willing to do a little homework it is often possible to save a lot of money on airport transfers by using public transport. You can research frugal airport transfer arrangements online .or by making a phone enquiry or at the enquiry counter at the railway station

 

For example, recently we discovered how to save a lot of money getting to and from the MelbourneAirport. Suppose for instance you have arrived by train from the country at the Southern Cross station in down town Melbourne and have a plane to catch. The options would seem to be. Catch a taxi for around $50 or catch the Skybus direct to the Airport. The Skybus costs about $15 per person so for a family of 3 thats $45. 
In fact under these circumstances it is possible to get to the Airport free of charge. This is because your V-line country rail ticket includes use of the suburban network for at least 1 hour after arriving in the city.

The trick is to catch a suburban train to Broadmeadows station and then catch the 701 public bus to the airport. The 701 bus will drop you just across the road from the Tiger Airlines terminal. You will need to walk a few steps from there to all the other terminals.
If you are travelling from Northern Victoria the country trains stop at Broadmeadows you will save both time and money by hopping off the train there. Your ticket to Broadmeadows will be up to $5 cheaper than if you travelled all the way in to the downtown station at Southern Cross. It is only about 20mins to the airport from Broadmeadows by bus.

Save Money for Pastimes.

Reading can be the most frugal of all pastimes!

 

 

  Here in Australia it is possible to read a lot of books without spending big at the bookshop. Here's how: first stop is your local public library. Here in Portland our local municipal library offers books for children and adults, magazines, cds and dvd's can also be borrowed. The librarians are friendly and helpful. There are comfortable chairs, There is even free internet access and PCs to use. Of course you will come across some books that you will want to read over and over again. All homes should have a library of their own, We recently came across a relevant quote: "Rich people have big libraries poor people have big tv's". The challenge is how to build up a nice private book collection without breaking the bank. The answer is to buy good quality second hand books from garage sales and thrift shops. Another alternative is to buy books from surplus library stocks. Of course you will need a lot of time to find the book you really want this way. Used book stores are also a great option if you are prepared to spend a little morecash and want to save time. If the collection grows unmanageably large you can always have a garage sale and sell them and get most of your cash back or maybe even make a small profit. Many people also make a little extra cash re-selling used books on Amazon. Our preference nowadays is to buy hard back books rather than paper backs. A good quality hard-back book will last for centuries if cared for. Most paper backs will fall apart after a few decades. The hard backs look so much more impressive on the shelf and are a good long term investment. We are quite proud of our "Great books of the western world", collection there is at least 10 years worth of serious reading there, the whole collection of more than 50 beautifully bound books can be picked up on Amazon at a very reasonable price Favourite books. . A good quality reading lamp is a worthwhile investment and consumes a lot less power than a TV or PC. Of course If you read in the day-time of sunshine is free of charge! Another challenge is how to combine an interest in travelling with an interest in reading. We always travel with at least one good book and swap with travellers we meet. In some English speaking countries you will find books cheaply and easily, but in some other countries it is more difficult. The 21st solution here is really the e-book. It is possible to download a lot of classics for free and a small external harddrive weighing around 100 grams can contain 1000's of e-books. It is not really necessary to buy a Kindle or e-book reader if you travel with a netbook or laptop you can download the Kindle for PC software free of charge, Many public libraries now have e-book collections so it is possible to "borrow" e-books these days without even visiting the library. There are some excellent websites for readers, book-lovers and collectors. For example reading-the-great-books offers guidance and reading suggestions on the great books. Perhaps it is best to just follow ones interests. 

If you find an author you enjoy read all that authors books. If you find an interesting subject read more about it. Before too long you will discover you are smarter, wealthier and wiser. Making her own story books.