I need help to earn and save £2000 for our son's wedding in October.

dave2319

Also, there's quite a few guides here for travel tips, like:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/travel-tips
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-flights

and one that's specifically for New York:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/new-york

Am sure it would be well worth reading (or recapping on) stuff like that over the coming weeks.
Don't know about anyone else but I think there's so much info in these guides, and in the forums, you could be reading them forever more! So I'll try and have a look as well and see if I can help with anything.

One thing I've noticed from doing a few searches so far is that maybe it's cheaper to book singles (both ways) instead of returns, with these flights?

Also, I see from reading your original post again that you've budgeted for 500 quid for car hire. Are you still going with hiring a car?
If so, of course it's no surprise there's a 'cheap car hire' guide as well, plus a section in the forums!

System

poohbear59 wrote: »

We received our RHI today so I have moved £500 into the holiday fund. I almost bought flights to NYork last night at £330 direct from Manchester but DS2 persuaded me to wait until I have spoken to a travel agent.

So today I will speak to an independent travel agent and see if I can fly to Albuquerque for the wedding then back to New York to see DS2 and his wife.

That's great news - sounds like all is going well with the fund! Keep up the good work!

poohbear59

Back on money saving/making plan today.
I have around £50 now in various accounts from surveys to be collected nearer to when we go away.

I think the £330 flight was booked through Expedia, it was a Thomas Cook flight going from Manchester to New York, with cash back it brought it to £300. I will see if it is still available.

We heard back from DWP that Mr P has now got carer's credit so his NI will be paid for him and it is back dated to April 2015. He doesn't get his NI contributions back as they have changed the rules. I should have acted on it as soon as I realised he shouldn't have been paying as his self employed earnings were too low.

I have had a good read of Martin's 14 ways to make cash in his email this week. I am going to do another sweep of the house and sell anything I can find that we are not using. We have far too many chairs in this house, thinking of selling some of those but they don't make much money.

We had our first airbnb enquiry but didn't make a sale. The availability dates hadn't been updated on their website as I made a sale minutes before the email. There are only 10 days available in the cottage between now and mid November.

Plan for today;
Sew
Collect items for 3bay- for photos tomorrow
Prepare to list more clothes on fbook-launder etc

beanielou

Great news on only 10 days left for cottage.
If you were nearer I would have a night.

dave2319

Yes, and also very nice about Mr P getting carer's credit and it being backdated to last year

With the flight, if the travel agent didn't offer anything better I hope you're able to snap up that Expedia one for 300.

As for Martin's weekly email, did you see (further down) this link to a 12-point holiday checklist?
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/travel/2016/07/12-holiday-tips-to-stop-weak-pound-adding-100s

And are you still going to hire a car out there?

poohbear59

beanie, it would be lovely to have you stay here. It is a shame you are so far away. I have been looking at a holiday not too far from you. I have thousands of holiday points to use up. I have asked for a points swap but haven't had a reply yet. It would be for sometime next year.


brian Thanks for the reminder.
I still don't know if we can manage without a hire car. I have had minimal contact with my son recently. I am thinking about a facebook call over the weekend. They are 7hrs behind us....I never remember to phone at the best times. I need to set up an alarm to remind me.

If we need a car I will hire it using MSE tips. I have had a good read about holiday money already. I have an fx card with around $100 on it. I have an Aqua card but really don't want to use it unless I have the cash in place to pay it off as soon as we return or even before then..

dave2319

Hmmm, who's Brian? :huh: LOL.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Mrs P.
I hope with all the different travel options you can book them for under the 1500 quid you've budgeted for. That would be nice, so I'll wait with interest to see what deals you get

poohbear59

dave2319 wrote: »

Hmmm, who's Brian? :huh: LOL.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Mrs P.
I hope with all the different travel options you can book them for under the 1500 quid you've budgeted for. That would be nice, so I'll wait with interest to see what deals you get

:rotfl:
I have the memory of a goldfish. Rubbish with names too.

Looking at cheap flights to Albuquerque, to NY and then home has been in the region of £1500:eek:

This is not looking cheap. And three flights to Albuquerque. If we fly from smaller airports to save on car hire to get to nearer to our destinations it is around £1400 for the two of us. And only one change of flight instead of two. Hmmmm.

My friend who has been staying here said that next time we do this we should call in to see her in Canada as it is probably cheaper to do it via Canada. Too many variables for me today.

Still collecting things to sell online and at boot fair.

Wizzbang

Have you considered AirTransat? I have family in NY State and that's what they use, as they are always the cheapest. It's cheaper to fly into Toronto (and easier for them, as they are only a couple of hours over the border). I'm not sure when the wedding is, but it's horribly expensive to fly to the USA- particularly at peak times of year - Christmas, summer holidays etc. HTH

dave2319

On the subject of flights, there's info here about claiming compensation for flight delays, if it was 3 hours or more and the airline's fault:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/flight-delays

You can claim back to 2010 for such cases where "the flight departed from an EU airport, regardless of the airline, OR where an EU airline landed at an EU airport."