Promises... Resolutions to Change the World

My husband and I just returned from a glorious trip to Europe. We spent 10 days between London, England, and Mallorca, Spain. I'd been to London several times and it is still raining and gloomy but we had fun visiting tourist sites via "The BIG Bus Company." We visited the London Dungeons, a haunted house of sorts; The London Eye, the largest ferris wheel in the world that lets you view the landscape for I don't know how many miles (it takes over 30 minutes just to revolve 1 time); and Madame Tussaud's wax museum where we got to take photos with faux likenesses of some of our favorites: Samuel Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Martin Luther King, Jr., and The Rock.

Mallorca, Spain is where I renewed my spirit though. The weather was perfect - mid 70's and sunny every day and low humidity. The sun seemed to always be shining, even at night. Gorgeous sunsets, and turquoise Mediterranean water surrounded us daily. I could live there eeeasily. We ate, we shopped, we even had a day trip on a yacht complete with lobster, shrimp, salmon and Thai Chicken curry. It was like a beautiful dream. I counted how truly blessed we are to be able to experience something so wonderful -- to be floating in the sea with nothing but the wind pulling us and being able to just relax and enjoy. The rock formations of the mountains, the open ocean, the sandy beaches: sights that much of the earth's population never get to witness.

We were blessed by my brother in law, B, who arranged the trip to Spain in celebration of my sister's (his wife's) birthday. He arranged the flights, the hotel, the yacht, and our dinners in the evening.

While there, we were surrounded by people who had money - my sisters' and B's friends who had come along to celebrate. Money was easily thrown around on cigars, countless bottles of wine and more food than any of us could put away. The sensational stories that were told of trips to the south of France, Thailand, other parts of Spain, Greece, and wherever else you can imagine were common conversation. While it was inspirational and lead me to dream of future exploits, I was reminded again of the excessive lives we live. I had lately had these thoughts as I'm going through self-exploration, that we truly don't need all the things I have, nor do I need most of the things I want. We could live much more cheaply and save more.

Don't get me wrong... I would travel the world and eat fine cuisine, drink fine wines, and shop 'til my luggage exceeded the weight limit... IF I had it like that. But with the economic times being what they are, that is not an option, nor would it be prudent even if funds were of no object. Aside from the political mess going on in the U.S., we face a global fight to save the environment, which in the scheme of things, is way more important than the economy or the face we see in the White House.

I haven't been everywhere, but it seems to me that the U.S. is one of the most wasteful countries. We also seem to not respect our rivers and streams or even our neighborhood streets. We throw litter wherever it's convenient (especially in the lower-income neighborhoods), rather than waiting to see the next garbage can. We use enough plastic to make a 20 oz cup and more cardboard than a jewelry box to package a half-ounce, 1-inch square memory card. Trucks have to pick up our grass clippings and yard waste on a weekly basis, and we leave water running like it is worth nothing. We are dying from cancer and viruses, our water is becoming undrinkable, and now even drinking from plastic water bottles can cause health problems.

So upon our return, Hubby and I made some promises. I want to record them so that I can ensure we stick to them. We want to do our part to help Mother Earth renew and repair, so that she will take care of our children and our children's children when it is time. Here is our list to help conserve resources, which in turn will also save money...

1. Use less chemicals. This includes using more user-friendly cleaning chemicals, but also using less of the things that pollute our water, like shampoos, conditioner, soaps, etc.
2. Recycle more. We already participate in the county's recycling program but we're going to be better about putting everything that can be recycled in the correct bin -- this will entail putting recycle bins in other parts of the house and not just the kitchen.
3. Don't leave water running unnecessarily, such as when brushing teeth or washing faces, dishes, etc.
4. Only run the dishwasher and clothes washer when it is full.
5. Donate more. Rather than just "trash it", give it to charity where someone else may be able to use it. And you get tax write offs!
6. Turn off unnecessary lights and don't pump the A/C or Heat so much. We already do this for the most part, but there's always room for improvement.
7. Switch to fluorescent bulbs wherever possible. We've done this already.
8. Turn off computers, monitors, game consoles, cable boxes, TV's and any other electronics when not in use, and especially at night.
9. Use less toilet paper and paper towels. You just don't need so much. Especially out in public where the tendency is to use big wads of it.

Please feel free to help me add to the list! We're open to ideas on how we can better conserve and make the world a better, cleaner place.

Great Budget Travel Tips

I'm frugal. Not cheap - frugal. I believe even if you have money, why spend it if you don't have to? There are many ways to achieve the same affect or get what you need without spending top dollar. I think this comes from growing up without a lot of money and learning to stretch the funds and still have fun with what we had. My parents believed in saving and never living beyond your means, and that has stuck with me.

My husband and I love to travel. Although I don't do it as much as I'd like these days, I've been to some great places both domestic and international: all up and down the East Coast from Boston to Miami, Alabama to Vegas, Seattle, Chicago, Hawaii, Canada, the Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, Mexico, London, Paris, a few spots in Italy, Spain, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Japan, and a few others...

After spending 2 weeks in Thailand on our honeymoon and spending very little other than the cost of the airfare, I thought I'd share some of our tips to help you have fun and keep a few more dollars in your pocket so you can do more SHOPPING! Some of them only really apply if you're traveling internationally but most are universal.

1. Book your hotel early and check the hotel's website for special "online only" travel deals. Be aware that some great deals involve not being able to cancel last minute or you have to pay in full at the time of booking, so don't let this be a trip with one of your flaky girlfriends or some guy you recently met who might back out on you. Before you book, call the reservations desk and ask them if they can give you the same price or better.

2. If you're going with your mate, tell them it's your honeymoon (or birthday or anniversary or some celebration) -- they may very likely give you free upgrades or amenities. We paid the special Internet rate for a basic room, and got upgraded to a deluxe suite on the club floor and got a happy honeymoon cake all for free!

3. Don't eat in the hotel's restaurants or restaurants in big tourist spots. They are much more expensive since they cater to tourists. Take a walk a few blocks out of the way. Ask a native for restaurant suggestions. We found great restaurants that had more of the local foods and were way cheaper than the hotel restaurants or touristy spots.

4. Go grocery shopping when you get there. Even if it's at a 7-11 or find a local mini-mart. Get drinks and snacks to keep in the hotel room or carry with you on those day tours or to have on the beach. You'll save lots from using the minibar or ordering food every time you're alittle hungry. And if traveling internationally, you don't want to get caught on a bus tour in the mountains and the only local snack is a boiled egg or some exotic fruit you know nothing about. Granola bars always come in handy!

5. Want a free tour of the island or city and love architecture? Call a realtor and tell him/her you're interested in buying some property there. This is great for getting tours of islands and seeing sights that you can drive by. I love architecture and design, so I find it fun just seeing the types of houses people live in and seeing how they live -- especially in other countries. If it's a beautiful place, you may actually consider someday buying there, so it's not a complete lie! Feel free to buy the realtor lunch if you like -- he's spending his gas on you anyway.

6. If you have the time, take advantage of timeshare presentations to get the freebies. Now, sometimes you just want to be left alone, but spending two hours in a presentation might be worth $200 in meal vouchers or a couple free tours. Just know that the more questions you ask, the longer the presentation will last.

7. Don't purchase tours through the hotel. Look for fliers for the local tour companies in public areas or find tour companies out in the busy touristy areas. The hotel up-charges a lot! And when you find and deal directly with someone at the tour company, you can bargain with them. Many companies sell the same bus tours or boat tours and just take a cut off the top. Make them compete for your business!

Or make your own tour. Sometimes it may be a lot cheaper to just catch a cab or rent scooters or a car, and take your own tour. Instead of paying $100 per person ($200 total) for a bus tour around St. Martin to 3 tourist spots, we rented a scooter for $50 for the day, when to those three places, and drove around the entire island and still had time to shop. We got to go at our own pace and had lunch when we wanted, and got to see much more. Find out where the tour is taking you and what the entry fees are for those locations. Are they just taking you to free spots like the craft factory and scenic overlooks? or are you paying for entry and transportation? Do your research -- you'll be surprised how much you save!

Be safe in your travels and feel free to suggest more budget-friendly travel tips. I'm always happy to learn new ones!