A Baby Lobster Costume for Halloween!

Halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine but over the last 15 years you would never, ever have known it. My three children have always had incredible (usually hand sewn) costumes, our house is always decked out in Halloween decor - last year we even invested in a fog and bubble machine! Having three teenagers really stepped up the decor over the last few years but they love it and have fun with it... so I do too.

I hope to post a lot of crazy or fun or cute or just plain awesome Halloween costumes on my site over the next month and when I saw this one the other night I just laughed out loud. A baby lobster! If you have a special place in your heart for Florida, the ocean, seafood or heck, just lobsters, I guess this costume would be for your little one!

Mullins Square Lobster Baby Costume

One size fits babies up to 25 pounds. Turtleneck and tights not included. 100% poly satin.

We have a Security System, even In a Small Town

Last week we had out of town guests and with a change in routine we neglected to notice we had gone to bed with the garage door open. I was made aware of the open garage when my door bell rang at 2:00 am. It was our local police officer's doing neighborhood drive-by's and noticed it was up and stopped to wake us and let us know. I admit that was a little odd (we've lived here almost 6 years and they've never done that before) but they said there has been some criminal activity in our neighborhood recently and they wanted to make us aware.

Having lived in Los Angeles and Nashville, I already know that if we were to move to a large metro area again I would invest not only in a security system like we already own but one with a security video camera. I especially like the home surveillance system that allows you to log on from any computer (like at the office) and see your home surveillance in real time. There have been stories in the news of people checking their homes from their workplace who have caught criminals breaking into their homes online through the system and were able to call the police from their office and send them to their home. Being able to check my home while at work or even on vacation would be wonderful, as well as being able to keep an eye on our two cats!

For more information on home security you can download a pdf from the California Attorney General’s Office and Crime and Violence Prevention Center for everything from backup battery and equipment guide to general information.

Homemade Ceiling Patch for Small Cracks

For the past two hours I've had the most wonderfully relaxing time going through some of my collected recipes and three-hole punching them to put in files. Many have been stuck in file folders and placed into binders, moving with me to 4 different houses now but hadn't been 3-hole punched as up until a couple years ago, I didn't own one!

As I went through some old handwritten recipes from the late 90's I found recipes for fabric softener, general cleaners, a marble cleaner and ceiling patch. Ceiling patch!? Yep!

I've not tried this one yet myself but I wanted to share it because believe me, with only two ingredients it is certainly budget friendly!

Ceiling Patch

Elmer's Glue
Baking Soda

Mix these two into a paste and patch ceiling cracks.

Cute Baby Mermaid Costume for Halloween!

Last night I went to Amazon to look at coffee prices for my k-cups but ended up browsing adorable costumes instead! Some of them were just too funny, cute, adorable or creative not to share! Like this Deluxe Baby Bunting, Mermaid Costume

• Deluxe baby bunting costume in warm and comfortable polyester fleece has fabric fastener on the back
• Pink and green bunting with long fish tail
• Pink headpiece fastens under the chin
• Approximately 24-28" long to fit babies newborn to 9 months
• Hand wash in cold water, line dry

With Halloween just around the corner the best costumes will go fast once mid September gets here. Better to find your favorites now and be one step ahead of the game!

A polkadot halter dress for just $39.99?! Now that's a bargain.

A dress that takes you from a Homecoming to the holidays, from a night out on the town to an informal prom or better yet? A rockabilly 50's dress costume for your Halloween parties in just a few weeks! Better yet? The $39.99 price! Available in black (above) or in a more eye-catching red (below) it's a budget friendly 'hit' that could be used so many different times that it's total cost per wear might end up in single digits by the time you give it away or resell it!





* polyester|satin|rhinestone
* 50`s style polkadot pinup halter dress.
* Junior and Junior Plus sizes X-Small-5X
* Great for prom, costume, bridesmaid, holiday, homecoming, evening gown or formal.

A 50's style satin polkadot halter dress with a sexy gathered bust, flared skirt. Fully lined and comes in Junior sizes XS-5X.

Saving Money on Groceries: Devein the Shrimp Yourself

When it comes to saving money on groceries, there is no doubt that if you love shrimp, you can save a bundle by purchasing your shrimp raw and not 'cleaned' which means they leave the tail and vein.

When I first started to buy shrimp I was a little intimidated by the thought of having to clean it. I didn't have the knowledge nor the time. And I admit that when I did start to buy it raw and clean it myself I mangled the first few as I didn't know what I was doing and I was trying to figure it out by reading instructions in an old cookbook. (There was no internet!).

Now you can find instructions and movie clips and everything you need to learn how to clean shrimp but I think it still sounds and looks harder than it is.

You can buy shrimp whole but typically you'll find the heads already removed. Raw shrimp at the most affordable level then, still has a tail and the veins. Many times you leave the tail intact for ease of picking up and eating, giving it a twist in your mouth and pulling it right out but for many recipes you'll want to remove the tail before cooking;

To remove the tail, hold the shrimp in your left hand between thumb and finger, place your right thumb and finger on the tail; grasp it firmly and twist and pull apart in one motion to remove the tail but leave as much of the shrimp meat as you can.

Now hold the shrimp comfortably in your hand, and using a very small, sharp knife, slice along the back side of the shrimp, right down the center.

The dark vein is right there, you can usually flip the tip of the knife under the vein and pull it out in one quick motion. Sometimes it breaks apart, you just pull it out.

Rinse. And use in your recipe.



Many times the difference between a couple pounds of shrimp cleaned and a couple pounds raw can be as much as ten dollars. Well worth the time it takes to clean and devein the shrimp yourself to save on the grocery bill.

Grab and Go Sandwiches Recalled....

If you shopped Walmart for lunch ideas either for yourself, your spouse or (I shudder when I think of this) but for your children's lunch box... heads up! There is a recall on the meat used as it may contain bacteria that can potentially cause death.

Press Release:

Zemco Industries in Buffalo, New York, has recalled approximately 380,000 pounds of deli meat that may be contaminated with bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday.

The products were distributed to Wal-Marts nationwide, according to the USDA's website.


# 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches BLACK FOREST HAM With Natural Juices Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17800 1300.
# 28.49-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches HOT HAM, HARD SALAMI, PEPPERONI, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17803 1300.
# 32.67-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches VIRGINIA BRAND HAM With Natural Juices, MADE IN NEW YORK, FULLY COOKED BACON, SANDWICH PICKLES, SANDWICH PEPPERS" with the number 17804 1300.
# 25.5-pound cases of "Marketside Grab and Go Sandwiches ANGUS ROAST BEEF Coated with Caramel Color" with the number 17805 1300.

The meats were produced on dates ranging from June 18 to July 2, 2010. The "Use By" dates range from August 20 to September 10, 2010.

Personalized M&M's! Put YOUR face, YOUR team or YOUR words on them! Shopping Codes to Save!

We live in a part of the USA where school starts 'early' so my own kids are back to school already and football is underway! A fun way to show support is to order M&M candies in our school colors and I can make them even more fun by adding my son's photo, his name or even GO TEAM! or other phrase. It's my choice because it's MY M&MS!

Right now you can get Personalized MY M&M'S® Candies - Super Sweet Online Promotions like buy 3 get one free! - Limited Time Only - Order Now!

Hosting Football parties this Fall?
SHOW YOUR COLORS!
NFL Football Team M&M's

Show your team support with personalized MY M&M'S® candies.

Lowering the Interest Rate on your Credit Card

One of the first things Obama did when he took office was pass a poorly written and implemented mandate about credit cards and what interest rates and fees they could charge. The most important problem is that it didn't take effect immediately so the credit card companies rushed to raise their rates to double and triple what people were already paying to 'beat' the implementation of the government mandate. All they had to do was send letters out to their customers informing them of the higher rates - and at that time they could still increase them to whatever they wanted.

And they did.

Because of this you may have seen your rate go up even though you have a low balance or no balance and you've made your payments on time. They especially hated us that paid on time with little or no balance because they weren't making money on us!

But did you know you can negotiate that rate?

Like many, our rate went up. A card we've had for about 8 years now that started with a 0% balance and maxed out at 7.9%. It's been 7.9% for about five years now which was higher than I'd like but not too bad in our current economy. I didn't balk much because we had a very low balance anyway.

And then, after Obama's announcement, we got a letter saying that as of April of 2010 it would go to 17.9%.

Ouch.

But I knew something that a lot of people don't know.

All it takes to lower that rate is a phone call.

If you have a good history with your credit card company, have been a card holder for a couple years and have always paid on time they want to keep you as a customer and will lower the rate for you. Granted, it's not the 1.9% or even 4.5% of a few years ago but you can negotiate a lower interest rate than the 'going rate' that they implement across the board.

One phone call can do it.

Call your credit card company. Have them look at your credit history with them and see what they can do for you. You should be able to lower it by at least 6-8% and in my case this morning I was able to lower it by 10%.

This will save us about $22 a month in extra interest fees but if you hold a large balance on your credit cards this could save you $50, $75 or even hundreds on your monthly bill. It's worth a 15 minute phone call to find out!

Blockbuster now rents GAMES and better yet? A free trial!

We have teenagers. Three of them. With teenagers somehow came... video games.

We have a Playstation (what are they now, Playstation 3...? I lost count), we have two Wii's for the girls - (stops the fighting over the one we had that the oldest child took to college with her) and we have an Xbox 360. What I hate about all these electronics is having to buy the games. Expensive! The price of the games we buy are $50-70 and sometimes they aren't as great as my son thought they would be (or he beats the game within the first two weeks) and they set, unused.

Today I was reading my emails and found an announcement from Blockbuster Video that they now rent not only movies but games. SCORE! Parents everywhere can now rent the games and save money at the store buying games that may be duds. This is a great way to 'try' the game first and if you like it, then go ahead and buy it.

And look - A free trial code!

Buying a Whole Pig to Save Money but I'm Not sure I Saved Any Money

Our pig has arrived! In three coolers.

This was our first foray into the world of buying a pig direct from a farmer and having it processed at a meat locker. We used the locker near where the farmer lives (about 3 hours away from us) and I was disappointed that they weren't very helpful when it came to the cut and processing choices.

In the end it was a good learning experience but if we do this again, I'll better know what to say or do or ask for!

First: The pig was the 'smallest' one at 175 pounds.

When the locker called me to ask how I wanted it processed I didn't know my options and although I had looked online to see if they offered a downloadable form so I could know ahead of time what the options were, they didn't even have a website. So I explained to her that I've never had a pig processed before and would she please let me know my options for each cut as we get to it?

She didn't. And since I was put on the spot and trying to make decisions quickly, I made some stupid ones that I know not to make again.

When asked about pork loin, pork roast and ham steaks, I declined. I had 2 seconds to make my decisions and knew we don't eat much pork loin, we only like pork roast about once a year and I knew I would never 'fry up' a ham steak. She said she would add those to the 'trimmings'.

Hocks? I said - just one as I'll only use it for soup and probably only once this year. The other three were to go for trimmings.

No heart, tongue or liver needed this time around.

No lard rendered either.

Hams? We only like a big ham dinner about once a year so I said just keep one of the big hams and cut it in half. Make the other into trimmings.

We finally got to the reason I said 'yes' when I got the call from my brother (the farmer) to buy one of his pigs; bacon.

Yes please!

Bacon and pork chops and then the trimmings were made into brat patties.

Last night my brother and his wife arrived at our home with 3 coolers of meat for us that they had picked up at the locker. On the processing form that the lady was supposed to have gone over with me I saw many, many more options that I would have LOVED to have known about!

Smoked brats
Smoked Brat Pepper jack Cheese
Smoked Links with Cheddar
Little Smokies - regular and cheddar
Ring Bologna
Pork Patties
Ribs with a Dry Rub
Laua Loaf

She didn't mention any of this!

When I ok'd the processing I didn't think that I could have gotten ALL the hams and even though we don't like ham dinners, I could have had them shave it for sub sandwiches. I buy deli ham EVERY trip to the grocery store!

I didn't think that the ham steaks could have been diced up for chef salads and pizza toppings and omlets. (I'm so stupid for nothing thinking faster!!!).

I could have marinated the pork loins - or had them sliced into medallions.

In the end, due to my lack of experience and not knowing what choices I had available to me, we received;

Pork Chops - doesn't say on my form
2 hocks for soup - 7 lb.
1 whole ham (cut into two family sized) - 21 lbs.
Seasoned Sausage - 17 lbs.
Bacon - 15 lbs.
Brat Patties (not links) - 51 lbs.

Fees include processing, butchering charge, offal disposal charge, curing charge per pound, seasoning charge, cutting and patties per piece charge.

*If we do this again I will get the pork loins and ask them to add the dry rub. I will get the flavored cheddar and pepper jack cheese options for brats. I will get little smokies. I will get all the hams and have them sliced/shaved for deli meat. I will get the ham steaks and use them for chef salad, omlets and pizza.

I won't make these mistakes again and hopefully this helps someone else know their options if they are doing this for the first time and not dealing with a very helpful meat locker.

Cleaning My Pampered Chef Pizza Stone

Dramatic Before and After Shot:

First, I must preface by saying; the dark stone on the left is one that went through HALF of a self cleaning cycle in my oven when unbeknownst to me there was a major oil spill on the bottom of the oven that when heated by the self-cleaning cycle, erupted into flames strong enough to make me nervous and therefore, hitting the CANCEL button half way through the cleaning.

My stone came out black. Blackened by soot, ash, oils, etc. it was a mess. But I show you the photo to see just HOW dirty, stained and black my stone was.

The most important thing to point out?

The one of the RIGHT was also in the oven at the time. It was also THAT black.

~ ~ ~ ~

When I first got my pizza stones (years ago) I, like most, wondered how to really, truly clean them. Ours are heavily used for pizza, appetizers, baking main entrees for dinner and much, much more (everything but sweets, cookies or baked goods - I don't bake that sort of thing on them). I knew you weren't to scrub them with soap and water but to use the scraper that comes with them. I did, and once in a while I do use soap and water now that they are so heavily seasoned I have no fear of ruining of the seasoning. Baking almost anything adds enough oil to reseason almost instantly.

But I needed to clean them. And I found a little known (at the time) blurb online about putting your stones in the oven and running a self-cleaning cycle.

Bingo.

I've been doing it ever since and that was about 6 years ago.

Your dark, stained, heavily used pizza stone turns out as white/beige as the day you got it. Baking something with a higher fat content the first time it goes back into the oven is enough to reseason it.

Unless your pizza stone has been through a fire like mine was in the photo above, it won't be THAT dark of course! But it was a great photo to post to show a BEFORE AND AFTER at how running your pizza stone through the cleaning cycle in your oven is a quick and easy way to make them clean and new again.

Cellphones: All the features, no two or three year contract

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

Although cellphones used to be considered a luxury, it's obvious they went from something that a few people had, to something that is considered a must-have and people can't imagine their jobs, their days or their lives without them. After dealing with three kids sports and school schedules and my poor daughter having to wait in a line an hour long to use the one phone at school available to the kids after an 'away' volleyball game so everyone could call their parents to come pick them up, I finally relented and saw the benefits of teens having phones and let my (then) 8th grader get a phone. That was six years ago and I've never regretted it. When her brother was in 7th grade he also got one, and when their little sister was in 7th grade she in turn received one as well. Cell phones are a must in this day and age; the question is finding the right one for you.

One of the problems with getting a cellphone is that you are typically locked into a two year contract the minute you sign on the dotted line. It's frustrating because many times the phone, the coverage or the customer service of that company tends to be lacking and you are stuck in a contract with a large fee to pay out if you break it.

Another option is called; Boost Mobile. Monthly Unlimited, Pay As You Go or Blackberry Unlimited, choose the plan that works best for you but the biggest draw? No contract.

Using their Re-Boost system, you pay for your usage in many different ways, but you are not under contract and stuck for two or three years. Instead of contracted monthly bill, you pay according to the plan you chose, but your payment options make it easy and sometimes, even fun.

You can pay on-line, in-person, or pay by phone. To make it even simpler, you can use your debit or credit card to make a payment or if you don't want the hassle of remembering; sign-up for worry-free automatic payments.

Need a phone in an unstable economy but you have friends and family who love you and will 'watch your back' if money gets tight or you lose your job? No problem. A friend or family member can also make a payment for a Boost Mobile customer.

Here is where the 'fun' part comes in; Gifting!

When it comes to birthday and Christmas gifts, you can give your friend, your son or daughter or other family member something they really need and want; money to boost their Boost Mobile account! Simple to do, there is a page right on their site where you enter their mobile number and their name as it appears on their account and you can add money to their account as a gift.

Even if you are not a fan of social networking, know that most young people are, and most love to update their Facebook and Twitter from their phones. No problem. Updating their status or tweeting is simple and quick from Boost Mobile phones.

With online activation, easy replenishing options, no two or three year commitment contract, great phone features and the ability to use social media from your phones the only thing left is the question; what kind of phones do I get to choose from?

The coolest and latest, that is what kind.

The Motorola il. The Seek. Rant. Rambler. Bali.

Music, Video, Bluetooth, Camera. Web. Chirp. Messaging.

The newest phones. All the features. Easy reboosting. Gifting.

No locking contract.

3 Ingredient Chicken Recipes

This morning after balancing my checkbook, paying the mortgage and looking ahead at the college tuition payment and other bills due within the next two weeks I have visions of dollar bills flying out the window.

I happened to look over and see one of my all time favorite cookbooks laying on the counter; The Best 1001 Short, Easy Recipes. I did a quick search of Amazon for it and although I didn't see my specific book, this is the 'next' version of it; the newer version.

It's a life saver. Quick, easy and cheap recipes that are similar to what Grandma or your Mom made growing up. Nothing pretentious or gourmet but many you could make and then 'doctor up' and use the presentation style to completely 'WOW' someone with the meals at a fancy dinner.

I decided this book would be my inspiration for this mornings post; 3 Ingredient Chicken Recipes. Chicken is one of the more affordable main entree dishes so let's get cookin!

~ ~ ~

FRIED CHICKEN BREASTS

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
30 (about) saltine crackers, crushed

Pound chicken breasts flat. If they are really large breasts you can slice them in half! In a shallow bowl mix the beaten eggs with a little salt and pepper and about 3 tablespoons of water. Dip chicken breasts into the egg wash and then in the cracker crumbs. Fry until golden brown. Drain and serve.

~ ~ ~

HONEY ORANGE GLAZED CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c honey
1/3 c orange marmalade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a greased baking dish. Combine honey and marmalade and heat in microwave until hot. Stir and spread over chicken breasts. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Bake uncovered for 10 more minutes until light brown.

~ ~ ~

ITALIAN CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 c flour
1 - 8 oz. bottle Italian dressing

preheat oven to 350.

Remove fat from chicken, dip and roll chicken flour and place in sprayed 9X13 inch baking pan. Pour dressing over chicken and cover and bake 1 hour until tender. Uncover and bake until golden brown.

~ ~ ~

MUSHROOM CHICKEN
(This sauce is amazing!)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 275. Place chicken in a sprayed 9X13 baking pan. Combine the soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. Bake for 3 hours until fork tender.

Mulch For Landscape: Budget Friendly

This morning I'm sitting at the desk in front of a large picture window, sipping my coffee and watching my neighborhood beyond the glass.

This view gave me this mornings topic.

It's cheap... but it instantaneously improves the look of landscaping.

Mulch.

Mulch is what you put down on top of your planted areas to cover and protect the soil. It helps prevent water loss and keeps weeds from growing around established plants. It can also help regulate temperature around sensitive plant roots. Mulch is also decorative around the base of a bush or tree and lining walkways.

Mulch can be artificial or natural. Although I prefer the natural due to cost, mulch made from rubber does tend to 'stay put' better. Mulch can be made from everything from bark to cocoa bean pods. I'm specifically thinking of bark this morning.

Bark mulch can be bought for about $3.99 for a large bag that can cover about 4-5 square feet (depending on how deep you lay it). It comes in many different varieties and colors, while the cedar mulch smells the best in my opinion.

Mulch is typically dyed in three colors;

• black
• red
• brown

While brown will look the most natural, red and black are striking in landscaping and really give it a finished look.

Even though you have an instantly 'finished' look when you use it, be aware that bark mulch, although cheap, is also light in weight. A heavy downpour can displace some of it, black birds digging for grubs will displace pieces and even a hard wind might blow a few pieces across the yard. It also fades. Not immediately, but it's a one-season landscaping fix and by the next season you'll want to top off the area's with fresh mulch to brighten it up and replenish what is missing.

An affordable and quick addition to your yard, it's budget friendly and you can see results of your labor with in minutes of starting a project.

Missing Camping Items

If you are a regular reader you'll know we recently invested in many camping items in order to outfit our family in basic camping gear we can have on hand for impromptu camping trips and short weekend get-aways.

This weekend we enjoyed a wonderful camping trip that was so great that our teen son and his best friend asked if I could pay for two more nights and let them stay and continue camping after the rest of us went home. We agreed and although we took some of our things home, we left 1 tent, 2 air beds, the cooking gear, water cooler and food and drink coolers as well as many other things for the guys to use. They invited two more friends out and had a great time.

The only downside for me? 16-18 year old boys don't pack up as well as Moms do. Last night after returning home from work and meetings around 7:pm, and seeing camping gear spread out from the backyard to the kitchen and everywhere in between from my sons' return, I realized I didn't see my favorite campfire cook top. A few phone calls led to my husband and I driving an hour away back to the campsite to look for it. Our site was cleaned out and it was not there but undaunted, I tracked it down at the 'campground hosts' site in the campgrounds nearby where she had it on her grill.

We returned home and after arriving I realized I only saw one air mattress.

Our son had had two with them.

More phone calls and apparently his friend was in charge of deflating that one and putting it in the car. Except... no one can find it now.

One Queen Airbed missing.

Ahhh.... teenage boys. Now THERE is a 'budget breaker' for you!

The Heart of Florida... Frugal and/or Free!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.


My husband and I love to vacation in Florida. Over the past couple months I've been looking into affordable options for a quick getaway weekend. When I had the chance to write about the exact same topic on my website I knew it would be a perfect fit!

Vacationing with a family of five is often not affordable. Sometimes going 'off the beaten path' will gain you the fun and frugality you require without giving up anything! Checking out the heart of Florida; Kissimmee, I found options that were FREE to put on our family itinerary in addition to the typical stops (the amusement park and of course a trip to the coast).

We are nature lovers so one of our stops would be to check out the nesting bald eagles and Whooping Cranes and trails at Lake Lizzie Nature Preserve, the Osceola County Environmental Center, and the Wildlife Management Areas of Bull Creek, Prairie Lakes, Three Lakes, and Triple N Ranch.

A laid back day of fishing at Lake Tohopekaliga might be in the cards while we also take in boating, birding, and picnicking along the water's edge. The beach? Got it covered! This is a *must do* for my crew; East Lake Toho in St. Cloud for a full day of free family fun revolving around a beach, a playground, and several lakefront fishing spots including a tranquil fishing pier with a gazebo.

Friday and Saturday nights are great for free car viewing in the Old Town Shopping, Dining, and Entertainment Complex. Downtown areas can always be charming and Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Celebration are no different! In Kissimmee, stop at the historic Courthouse, the oldest in continuous use in the State of Florida; then through the downtown area to see the Kissimmee Sculpture Experience.

St. Cloud was dubbed "The Friendly Soldier City" for the thousands of Civil War veterans who relocated there in the early 1900s. Antique stores, shops, waterfront parks, and restaurants are waiting as well as the sights of the neo-classical architecture.

One of the biggest budget-breakers for our large family is the hotel. I've got it covered! Just 2 miles from the amusement parks - I was checking out Celebration Suites at Old Town. This is the kind of hotel I like to look for in all our travels; affordable, spacious, family-friendly one and two bedroom suites. The rooms include a private bedroom, living room with Murphy bed, large eat-in kitchen with full-sized Refrigerator, Coffee Maker, Dishwasher, Microwave, small stovetop, 2 TV's and available WiFi.




Check out the link above or below to find more information on these places and more options for your fun and frugal family vacation to the heart of Florida.

Do All Airlines Charge for Baggage Now? You'll Have to Wear ALL Your Clothes to the Airport!

This morning I was quickly skimming the news when I read that Spirit Airlines' April decision went into effect last Sunday; They've begun charging as much as $45 for a carry-on bag.

Being that I rarely fly anywhere due to the high cost of airfare for a family of five, I was skimming the news about baggage fares but not reading the details.

This morning I started to wonder; if the airlines are all charging extra for checked baggage and now for carry-on baggage as well, are there any that don't?

From what I can tell, just two; Southwest or JetBlue.

For our family of five, who don't fly often, we may be shocked to arrive at our ticket check-in counter and see that the one suitcase and carry-on we each have will cost us $25, $45 or even $50 extra. Now multiply that by five!!!

Ouch.

So the only alternative?

Fly Southwest or JetBlue... or wear all your clothes at once. Layer all your outfits for the trip and wear them to the airport. No luggage!! (That was a joke... I wouldn't seriously expect you to do that. But then again I'm so rebellious... I might! Ha.)