<p>mafool, we use Priceline, but I generally do not travel alone. One can look at the map provided by Priceline to look a region in which one is bidding. One does need to be careful to study the neighborhood carefully. We have been very happy with Priceline.</p>
<p>There is a forum where members will help you identify a hotel when you post the neighborhood and amenities. I am not sure of the website, but my H uses it and the information has always been spot on.</p>
<p>Is it trip advisor dot com? I just edited because I made a mistake in the name of the site that I was thinking of. The one I named, I think is very helpful.</p>
<p>Priceline is good * especially* if you do not need parking- because fees are not listed and I have paid as much as $30 a night.</p>
<p>Always bid on 4 or 5 star hotels- however, many of those do not have the microwaves/mini fridge or even coffee service as the mid price hotels do- which is a way I save money when traveling.</p>
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[Consumers</a>’ Checkbook](<a href=“http://www.checkbook.org/cheaphotels/]Consumers”>http://www.checkbook.org/cheaphotels/)</p>
<p>I use CouponMom . com to match up coupons to the store. I buy shampoo/comditioner/laundry soap type items this way, not many food items. They also list the coupon deals for Walgreens (bought a box of 30 tablets of Claritin recently for $4).<br>
We drive our cars forever. Our mechanic is wonderful with whatever DH can’t fix.<br>
We plant herbs, tomatoes, peppers, a few other vegtables and eat from the garden a lot. Herbs grow almost year round and many are dried or frozen. (I don’t know what I would do without basil in the freezer.) Cilantro bolts in a matter of days, so I buy that in bunches and keep it in a plastic glass with some water in the frig.<br>
I love the library, couldn’t manage without it. </p>
<p>I stopped buying magazines at the check out counters, that saved a lot of money. My hunting around I found discout subscriptions to the few I really missed, and if I just want to “browse”, I pick them up at the library.</p>
<p>The Priceline web site with bidding advice that you are looking for is biddingfortravel.com</p>
<p>You can look up the state and city that you are looking to bid in, and there will be posts from people who have bid in that area with what price they got the room for.</p>
<p>They also have a list of the probable hotels that you will get, so that you can check them out before you bid. For example, you could take the list of all the 3 star hotels that you are likely to get, and then go on TripAdvisor, read the reviews, and see how people liked them. If you are comfortable with all the 3 star hotel possibilities, then you go to Priceline and bid on that category. With Priceline you can’t choose your hotel, but it is very easy to figure out what you will be getting using the information found on biddingfortravel.com</p>
<p>There is also a forum called betterbidding.com that will help you identify what hotel you are most likely getting on Hotwire.</p>
<p>I have literally saved thousands of dollars using Priceline and Hotwire. I even used Priceline in London.</p>
<p>You can use betterbidding.com for priceline as well. If you are having difficulty figuring it out then ask the moderator, he is very helpful.</p>
<p>We have bid on 2.5 and 3 stars as well. Priceline and hotwire do not necessarily have the same criteria as each other or expedia and other sites for what constitutes star levels.</p>
<p>Example purchased a 2 star in historic Annapolis. Didn’t have a pool, or microwave in room or tennis, golf nearby…hence lower star rating. Bought it because everything else was sold out. Turned out to be Historic Inns of Annapolis, less than $30 a night for a $300 a night room.</p>
<p>Sometimes you get a FAB deal and sometimes it’s a bargain. But in over 8 years we haven’t had a problem yet.</p>
<p>On hotwire you can put in for 2 adults AND 2 kids so it will give you a room with2 beds vs. 1 bed. Also gives you different choices for same days, same locale if you change your request an add kids.</p>
<p>For son’s graduation we bought same hotel as son’s eating club parents are all staying in and football parents, for their discounted rate of $250+, bought on hotwire for about $40, can’t remember exactly bought 250 days ago! The room tax on the 250+ was more than I paid per night.</p>
<p>Huge, huge savings. We have even bought the same night we needed it. Works great.</p>
<p>Kat</p>