5 things you should know before you honeymoon.

As I mentioned in our honeymoon recaps HERE, HERE , and HERE, we had an absolute ball. We had the greatest time and truly enjoyed ourselves. There are a few things, though, that I wish someone would have told me, so here I am today letting you know in case you are honeymooning in the future or going on a vacation with your man!

1. Check with your travel agent or tickets to ensure that you know EXACTLY what time your flight leaves!

Remember when I was so extremely calm before our wedding because everything was done? Well, I forgot one minor major detail. I had our passports and plane tickets in a drawer ready to take with us to Charlotte. For some odd reason, I kept telling myself that our flight was at 11. Actually, it was at 9:40 and we flew out of Charlotte. After crying to my mom, valet parking, crying to a ticket agent, pulling the "we're newlyweds" card, cutting everyone in the security line, and two hours of delays, we actually got on the plane. For international flights you are supposed to check in at least one hour ahead of time. We made it to the ticket counter at 8:47, seven minutes late. Thank the good Lord we made it. I was a mess. Also, valet park. It is only a little more expensive than regular parking. When your car is waiting for you at the terminal instead of you hopping on a bus and waiting and walking... I promise you'll thank me later.

too legit.

2. Instead of leaving Sunday after the wedding, leave on Monday. 

Sunday is such a busy travel day anyway and if you are tired (or hungover like us), you won't feel like you wasted an entire day. We went to bed at 7:30 pm on Sunday night after ordering room service. We were wiped out physically and emotionally. Sunday you can also see your friends and family one more time, especially if they live far away like Tyler's family does. We honestly didn't get to say goodbye, but they partied one more time at my parents' house.

3. If you go to an all-inclusive resort, there are extra things you need to bring:

Exhibit A: Large Cups

Most all-inclusive resorts give you little cafeteria cups! They hold barely even a can of beer! We were constantly going back and forth to the bar. The old people at our resort knew to bring a big tumbler or bubba keg shown above. I'd check out my girl Crystal's boutique and get a cute monogrammed tumbler for the trip!

Exhibit B: Umbrellas and Bug Spray

It rained and we got soaked and the bugs ate me alive. Need I say more? Oh and extra sunscreen if you are going to be in the sun alot. We went through 1.5 bottles and STILL got burned. Eeessh.

4. Take lots of small bills for tipping.

We made the huge mistake of only taking big bills with us. Ty's parents had given us some cash and that was honestly the only cash we had, but we couldn't tip the doorman $50!!! And the ATM was always broken. And you can't barter with the Jamaicans when you have a large bill. Lots and lots of $1 and $5!! 

5. Take a copy of your marriage license.

Some places give you a discount on things at the resort! We got a free 25 minutes couples massage for proving that we were just married! I frantically emailed my mom to call and get our minister to email me a copy or picture of it! Ohhhh AND BEFORE the wedding make sure everything is correct. My birthday was wrong so I still haven't even begun to officially change my name.

So, there you have it. Charlotte and Tyler's list of things they wish they had known prior to leaving for Jamaica! But like I said, we still had an awesome time! Hope these help. Feel free to ask me specifics if you need to!

15 Money Saving Tips!

I don't know who I am anymore. The old Charlotte hated shopping. This Charlotte as of lately has an addiction.

Lucikly, I have figured out some ways to cut a couple of dollas. I am NO expert, but I do love a good deal and a sale! I wish I was a couponer... Some day.. Right now I don't have the patience for it!

Let me teach you some of my little secrets.

1. Shop the outlets

I am so so lucky to have an outlet mall in my town here. I mainly go to Gap and Old Navy, and now J Crew since it is open! A lot of these places (esp J Crew) offer discounts if you have your student ID. Hello, still have mine, still use it, not a student. SHHHH. It works.. 15%! And I usually shop the sale and get more of a discount.



So happy this opened!

 

2. Pay $1, get 25%

 At Old Navy on Saturday, I paid $1 to go to breast cancer research in order to get 25% off of one item. With that, on top of 40% the entire outlet, I saved over $20!

3. Shop final sales

I know we all hate the million coupons that arrive in our inbox, but every now and then there are some good final sales!!

4. Groupon & Plum District & Living Social deals

Sign up for Groupon near you HERE, Living Social near you HERE, and  Plum District HERE. I bought a Groupon for a paint & pour for one of my friends for her birthday, I follow Living Social for getaway trips, and Megan introduced me to Plum District where she got a Erin Condren gift card for less!

5. One Kings Lane

This site has adorable home things and my bff Rebecca made the mistake of inviting me to join. Haven't bought anything yet BUT I know its only a matter of time when I figure out what Tyler and I want our first home to look like! You can find them HERE.

 

6. GroopDealz

I have no idea how I found this awesome site, but I have bought a ton from it! My mini bauble necklace was $9 and I bought 2 infinity scarves for like $18 total. That's a deal. I have gotten my coworker addicted and we squeal when we see a GroopDealz email pop up in our inbox!

7. RueLaLa

Again, haven't bought anything, but I'm sure you all have either bought something or seen it. I always want to buy something Lilly, but its usually out of my size! Get RueLaLa emails straight to your email!

8. Ebay.

I know its sooooo 2000, but I have found a few adorable things and Ebay offers the "Buy it Now" option! In a tough economy, people are selling things online!

9. Ebates

 

I have a friend who is always talking about how much money she saves on this website! I think you have to shop at certain stores online and you get coupons and maybe money back from it? Check it out!

 

10. Craiglist

 

Sketchy? Sometimes. Watch out for scams... But Tyler loves him some Craigslist! We have tried to sell a few things on there and we've bought things like a folding table for the garage. Craigslist is a great place to find old things that are still in good shape!

 

11. Shop Consignment Stores

 

My friend Virginia got me addicted. Every time I am in Champaign, I stop by my fav consignment store. Here, I have bought Tory Burch flats for $45, Tory Burch sandals for $30, the J Crew dress I wore last weekend for $40, and tons of other designer (and not designer clothes). Sometimes things still have tags on them!



Consignment find for next spring!

 

12. Sell on Amazon

 

So you can make money while you are spending your money! I recently started selling textbooks on Amazon. I know that Half.com does the same thing! It is annoying at some points, but I tell myself they are depositing $$ straight into my account when a book sells!

 

13. Shop stores with free shipping & free returns!

 

For example.. I splurged on a pair of flats late this summer at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. They were $89 on sale. I bought them in a size 9.5 and they were a little snug. So I sent them back (free returns!) to get a 10. They were HUGE! I really wanted the shoes, so I got the 9.5 and realized they would stretch. So I will gladly pay $89 for on-sale designer flats that I went through 3 pairs of shoes for!

 

14. Sams & Costco

 

Did you know they have "designer" stuff? Yes they do. I have a pair of Steve Madden sandals and saw a pair of Kenneth Cole flats last week! All for about $20. Helloooo that is awesome. I know at Sams you pay $40 per year for the simple membership and by golly we save money on everything there! I also just bought some new yoga pants there last week!

15. Be smart!

I am an impulse buyer... I think I "need" something, but I really don't! I just want it. We live in such a "here and now" world.. I'm here at this store now and I don't want them to run out of my size for this $300 sweater, so I should get it now... Well, why don't you wait until it goes on sale and get it... Yes, the may not have your size, but if you have a good tailor who can do it cheaply, you still are saving some money!


So there you have it... My little tips on how I *try* to save money, especially shopping online! What did I miss? What sites should I know about? What are your tips?

Ta ta,