City Highlight: Moving to Cleveland

Every month, we try to highlight a city to show savings-savvy consumers how they can save money. Whether people are moving to a new place or just looking for deals for where they live, we hope these prove to be useful for shoppers that are trying to cut down on their monthly expenses.

This month, we take a look at the great city of Cleveland, Ohio. There are lots of great specials to be had with a Cleveland zip code at the moment, especially if you are trying to lock in a natural gas rate just before the temperatures start plummeting.

Here are some of Cleveland's best deals!

Natural Gas

• If you want to get a low natural gas rate before it gets too cold, check out Vectren Source natural gas service. You can find a low variable rate plan that starts at only 5.828 cents per therm.

Bundles

• AT&T; is letting you save money with phone and high-speed Internet bundles that start at $29.20 per month. This deal can help save you up to $180 on your bills!

High-Speed Internet

• Order lightning fast Internet from the folks at Cavalier! You can get up to 8.0 Mbps download speeds for the low price of $39.95 per month!

TV

• DIRECTV is offering their Choice XTRA plan for as low as $34.99, which will also net you 3 free months of Showtime and Starz.
• DISH Network is running a special for the America Top 120 package, which has over 120 channels for only $24.99.

Phone

• Sage Telecom has great deals on home phone, starting at just $19.99. This well priced package will give you unlimited local calling as well as 200 free long distance minutes.

Some of these prices and specials may vary by area, and may change at a future date. To find out what you can save, visit WhiteFence and enter your address to get started!

Traveling Tips to Get You Through the Summer Abroad

Oh, summer. You are just around the corner for many people across the country. However, in Houston, Texas, you are that party guest that showed up just a little too early. Now you're hanging out and eating cheese and crackers while we are still getting ready. At least, that's how I felt about the weather today when I got in my car and saw the first 100 degree reading on the dashboard. It is no doubt the first of many, and yet another reminder that summer is upon us.

When it comes to summer vacations, there are a great amount of "dos" and "do nots" for traveling, spending money and enjoying yourself. We've already covered some ways to save and have a cheap summer vacation somewhere nearby, but what if you're traveling abroad? If you are going to another country, there are a whole new set of rules and guidelines to follow, even some that can lower the burden on your wallet.

A recent Lifehacker post, A Savvy Traveler's Guide to Vacationing Abroad, provides some excellent tips about what to do when you're out of the country. It has useful information about saving money (including checking multiple banks for the best exchange rates), which useful phrases to learn in the country's most used language and some guidelines on staying safe (such as registering with your embassy). The post itself has quite a bit to it, so I would definitely recommend checking it out if you will be one of the many lucky cross-country travelers for the summer.

Source- Lifehacker

Planning a Cheap Summer Vacation

If there's one thing that Spring Break exists for, it's getting people fired up for summer in a major way. People start ramping up their plans for the May through August months, ready to set out on trips across the country and beyond. When I was growing up, my mom would always take my brother and I on camping trips, which I loathed at the time but kind of miss now.

Anyway, summer vacations, while fun, can tend to be expensive. Unless you live somewhere gorgeous and plan on taking a stay-cation (please don't tell us who you are, for the rest of us will hiss), traveling costs money, especially if you're bringing a family along. Recently, Trent over at the Simple Dollar posted some tips about keeping the summer vacation costs low. While there's nothing super specific in terms of "the perfect equation to save you x dollars this summer", he offers some good general guidelines about saving money when planning a trip.

I think one of the most helpful tips that he offers are about announcing your plans to your social network prior to your trip. You never know who might let you know that they have a place for you to stay, or perhaps even discounted tickets or coupons to something that you want to go do. Who knows, you could even get a free meal out of it as well. In addition, he also points out to be resourceful. If you're going camping, don't just buy firewood - collect it yourself. Fill up a thermos at water fountains if you're at an amusement park, etc.

For anyone that's currently in the middle of planning their next big trip, it's certainly a must-read. So, who's already made their plans for the summer?

Source- Simple Dollar

See Gas Prices in Your Area

Paying too much at the pump? As is so often the case around this time of year, gas prices are starting to rise as we get ready to take vacations or extra trips out of town on the weekend. While gas prices aren't nearly hitting the levels that we saw a year or two ago, they are beginning to move upward as the heat kicks in.

Well, if you've ever wondered how bad you've got it at the pump, GasBuddy has released a national gas temperature map which charts gas prices by area, all around the country. It's actually pretty interesting to scan it and see where gas is the cheapest in your state, as well as where it's the most expensive. Unless you live in California, where the entire map is a deep red that stands for "high prices".

To see the map and find out more about gas pump prices, check out GasBuddy. How do your prices compare?

Tip 2: Vacationing with a Low Carbon Footprint

Is it possible to take a eco-friendly vacation? Sure thing! Planning a vacation that will keep your carbon footprint low may take a little time but it is well worth it.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when planning a green vacation.

• Tray a Staycation - Instead of venturing off to a new location, stay in your city and discover all it has to offer. You might be surprised at the hidden treasures and adventures you'll find right at home.
• Green Hotels - The Internet makes it simple to find hotels that have environmentally friendly practices such as recycling and renewable energy.
• Purchase Carbon Offsets - You can offset your carbon foot print by purchasing carbon offsets or green tags from your electric company. This will so help you to have an earth-conscience vacation.
• Ecotourism - Green vacations are totally in! It shouldn't be hard to find a travel company that specializes in eco-friendly traveling. In fact, check out this article at Howstuffworks.com to get you started.