Continuing our series on saving money while traveling, we will now look at ways you can save money on lodging. Lodging – which can be hotels, motels, hostels, camping facilities, apartments, or guesthouses – can be one of the biggest costs while traveling. This is a fixed cost that is hard to eliminate, because it is not a lot of fun spending nights under the stars.

The first question you should ask yourself is what are your standards for this trip? Do you have to stay at a four-star hotel no matter what the other details are? Do you have to stay within a certain area or can you move around? Once you have figured out your limiting factor, you can start doing your research.

• Friends, relatives? If you have friends or relatives in the area and they are OK with you staying with them, by all means consider this option. Nothing beats free or almost free lodging and reconnecting with people you know and care about.
• Guesthouses: Many travel destinations have people that put up a portion of their houses for travelers. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture and at the same time save money, as the cost for this option is usually much lower than for hotels.
• Hotels: When looking for hotels, make sure to check the top comparison sites, as the quoted rates can vary from one site to another. You should at least try Travelocity, Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline and Hotwire. Also, search using the site name and “coupon,” such as: “Travelocity hotel coupon”. Many times you can save $50 or more by booking three nights or more at a hotel.
• Package deals: There are many travel companies that put together custom travel packages. Because they have many people on a similar package, these companies are able to secure discounts from airlines and hotels.
• Always ask for the AAA discount: This one sentence can save you 5 to 10%, as many hotels that are really busy are part of AAA but don’t have the signs indicating they are.

When looking for lodging, pick a place that will give you a good night’s rest. A vacation is not fun when you didn’t sleep the night before.

Buying in bulk is a great way to save money by paying a lower unit cost. If we allow larger quantities to influence how we consume, however, the savings may be reduced or even eliminated.

Having larger quantities of consumable goods makes an individual amount less valuable. As such, we may be more likely to waste. Eventually sufficient waste ends up costing more than if we had bought our items in more reasonable sizes. In which case would you be more frugal with the amount of paper towels you use: when it’s the only roll left in the house, or when there’s a case of them stored in the garage?

All too often we compare unit cost when cost per time period would be more appropriate. Even though buying larger quantities may lead to a lower unit cost, increased consumption may amount to a higher cost per month.

Consider the following example: although I enjoy eating Macadamia nuts, I don’t purchase them very often because they tend to have a very high unit cost. When I found them for a more reasonable price at my local Sam’s Club, I started eating them more regularly. Though I am getting a better price than I could get elsewhere, my Macadamia nut spending has gone up considerably.

Before you buy in bulk to get a lower unit price, consider whether having larger quantities will also increase your consumption. If you allow your consumption to rise, you’ll be saving less than you think while allowing other detriments (to your health, the environment, etc.) to grow. If you can keep your consumption constant, while paying a lower unit cost, then buying in bulk will maximize your savings.

Many vacations and trips require flying. With the fuel prices always on the rise and a sluggish economy, air travel costs will only be going up and not down. Here are six tips to help you receive the most value for your money when flying.

1. Travel during the low season. Most destinations have a high and a low season, although there might be very little difference for you. For instance, in southern Florida or the Caribbean, summer is considered the low season and winter the high season. This is because many people in the northern areas want to get away from the cold and snow during the winter and thus the demand is high. During the summer, fewer people travel to these destinations and the rates are much cheaper for flights, hotels and other services.
2. Book your flights in advance. Many airlines offer their best rates months in advance; this is the best time to buy. Also, making your reservations in advance will give you the most flight options. Check the rates one day before or after you were planning on flying and many times this will make a big difference in the rate you will pay.
3. Check the airports near your destination. Many big international airports have extra fees and taxes that are added to your ticket. Or sometimes the airport is a bottleneck hub, where many airlines are forced to have a connecting flight. Check for small airports around your destination and you might be surprised at how much you can save.
4. Fly during the week. Because most travelers like to fly on the weekend and business travelers like to fly home for the weekend, the weekends have the highest rates. Choosing a flight in the middle of the week might save you money and make the trip less crowded.
5. One stop? Don’t automatically click on the “Direct flights only” checkbox when searching for flights. There are many times when you can have a stop that will add an hour or two to your flight, but might save you lots of money on the ticket price.
6. Checking in bags? Some airlines have started charging for checked baggage, $15 to $25 per bag. Check with your airline for the specifics and be sure you have up to date information. Consider leaving unimportant things behind and packing a carry-on case for your trip to save on this fee and reduce the amount of stuff you have to haul around.

When air travel is on your schedule, following the above tips will help you to save money and avoid any surprises.

For all of the many benefits technological advancements have brought to the workplace, one huge downside comes along for the ride: leaving your job when you leave the office is becoming more and more difficult. The Networked Workers Survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 50% of employed email users say they check their work-related email on the weekends.

The cell phone that makes you available any time any place doesn’t discriminate between working and non-working hours. Occasionally, checking work email from home seems innocent enough, but it too can quickly become a regular occurrence. Seeing a daunting email late at night may give you extra time to act on the information, but it may also get you so worked up that you squander your time with family worrying about it and have trouble getting the sleep you need to prepare for the following day. When email and cell phones come together, in the case of an iPhone, Blackberry, or other smart phone, it’s nearly impossible to get away.

From a financial perspective, each minute spent working reduces the effective hourly wage of anyone on a salary. More hours worked means less earned per hour. This notion can only be taken so far, though, because if you work too few hours your effective hourly wage will be high but you may not have a job for very long. Many of the same things in life that are more important than money are also more important than your job. Again, fulfilling your job duties is your obligation to your employer and should be carried out. But in many cases, we do much more work during non-working hours than our employer expects. The world isn’t going to end if you don’t check your email tonight or if you turn off your phone as you leave work each day. You probably know some coworkers who do just that. Are they any worse off or ascending the corporate ladder more slowly than you? Probably not.

I may be overly sensitive to leaving my job at the end of the day because I do so out of necessity. As a full-time corporate telecommuter, my “office” is always just a few feet away. Strict discipline and a conscious effort to arrive and leave work at prescribed times are all that prevent me from working during most of my waking hours. In some ways, work email access and cell phones have made all of us partial telecommuters. Giving yourself a raise in your effective hourly wage is easier than you think. Simply leave your job when you leave your office.

How often do you check work email from home? Do you think your career advancement would suffer if you worked less during off-hours?

In high school, I learned how to balance a paper checkbook. It was the year 2000, and it was a complete and utter waste of time. I was an Internet savvy, “I want things now” type of kid, and I wanted my finances to be real-time savvy as well. The last few years of Web 2.0 goodness have brought a number of financial apps that I now cannot live without. My desires for instant financial analysis online have been realized.

While our government may not be able to manage its financial health, with these 7 free finance applications managing your own money online has never been easier.

1. Rudder

“Set it and forget it”

Formerly SpendView, Rudder really shines with its email notifications. Once you've linked your accounts, a daily update is sent with recent transactions and any upcoming bills. If you like "set it and forget it" financial management, Rudder's for you.

2. Wesabe

“The Disneyland of money management”

Are you a savvy financial newbie? Does just the thought of a budget make you shudder? If so, you need to check out the groups over at Wesabe. For newcomers to financial management online, these groups are a money Disneyland... everyone is helpful and there is no trash anywhere.

Wesabe analyzes your spending using a semi-automated tagging method. Once you've "tagged" a few months of your transactions (auto downloaded from your accounts), there is little maintenance work to do.

3. Geezeo

“You've got a text! It's your bank balance.”

My favorite feature of Geezeo is their SMS mobile update. If you've ever wondered in a checkout line what your bank balance is, this feature is for you. You send a short text to Geezeo and it replies back in 10 seconds with your account balances (Sweet, looks like I can get that "US Weekly" after all. What!? Jessica is still dating Tony Romo? Crap...).

4. Mint

“We're beautiful.”

Mint is easy on the eyes. Large charts and beautiful graphs make creating a budget and tracking your expenses a semi work of digital art. Mint is all about "alerts". You can link your phone to your Mint account and receive text alerts if you get hit with a bank fee or have a transaction over $1000. It's all customizable and you can be set up, alerts and all, in about 10 minutes.

5. NetworthIQ

“Your life as a balance sheet”

While the above apps have been about your income and expenses, NetworthIQ is all about your balance sheet. Sure, you could be making 20K a month but if you're a million in debt... you still have a long way to financial freedom.

At NetworthIQ you can see how your assets (cash, investments etc.) and your liabilities (mortgage, car loan and credit card debt) affect your personal balance sheet. You can also enter your occupation, age and other factors to compare your Net Worth with your peers.

6. Jabplite

“A stand-alone finance app for your phone”

It will work on a wide range of devices including Symbian phones and Blackberries. For the mobile warrior who wants to keep financial data local and close to the pocket, Jabplite is the little free program for you.

7. Tabjab

“I'll split the tab.”

What's the cost of two months of cable, a month of the water, a month of electricity, and that pizza from last week total up to? Now, divided by 4?

Splitting bills can be messy, complicated and emotionally annoying. Tabjab makes bill splitting simple. For the college student sharing a house with 4 others, to that friend that always picks up the tab to split later, this service is for you. Don't get shafted with the bill anymore.

Special Bonus! Even more cool stuff

The following aren't apps for managing your money, but they will help you save it, or learn more about your finances.

Fatwallet

“We're cheap and darn proud of it.”

My wallet is thin, but I still love Fatwallet. Not technically an app, Fatwallet is an online community fanatic about saving money on purchases. The forums are absolute gold when it comes to free stuff (I just free movie screening tickets!), discounts, hot deals, coupons and more.

RetailMeNot

“Coupons gone Web 2.0 wild”

If a store has a coupon, it's probably listed at RetailMeNot. With a user-generated system to track coupons and promo codes that are no longer working, you'll never get stuck with a bad code again. Check this site out before you shop anywhere online.

Good Reads

Check out these oldies but goodies from the blog:

• Reduce your spending, Britney Spears style
• Four easy ways to clean up your finances
• All cash budgeting
• Obsessed with your budget? Try these tips
• What type of personality is your budget?