5 Ways to Cut Road Trip Vacation Costs

Most companies offer 2 weeks of vacation. Whether it is "spring cleaning" or keeping up with the garden, people often get caught up with "life" during their vacation. The LocalSalesLink team has made a quick list of 5 ways to cut down costs on a road trip vacation so you can enjoy your vacation time off while saving some money and not letting life get in the way.

Cheap Idea #1: Pack your own Food

A lot of vacation costs come from having the urge to eat out every meal because "you're on vacation". Set aside the last night of the trip go to a local restaurant. It will not only save you money but keep some excitement for the end of the week. Buy a cheap cooler, get some ice, and pack PB&J's. Buy large bags of chips and put them in zip locks (no need to purchase the small snack-size chips). A great way to focus on healthy eating is to pack fruits and vegetables in the cooler.

Quick Tip #1: Use bagels instead of bread as bread can be smashed easily while traveling.

Quick Tip #2: Freeze bottled water for your ice in your cooler. It doesn't cause a huge wet mess in the cooler and you can drink it later too.

Cheap Idea #2: Stay on a Couch

Find a friend or family member that would enjoy a visit. This is a great opportunity to stay for free and catch up with an old friend or family. Offer to help out around the house during the week to make up for the free room and board.

For a more cultural experience: Check out CouchSurfing.org. It gives the opportunity to sleep on peoples couches all over the world while receiving first-class knowledge from a local. Learn more about the opportunity this organization offers to those who donate.

Cheap Idea #3: Cheap N' Freebies

As you are planning your vacation, it is always nice to visit the local spots. Look for the local entertainment that is often very cheap and sometimes free: museums, aquariums, zoos, sporting events, and festivals. Looking forward to a day outside, spend a day on the lake or the beach enjoying the weather while fishing or canoeing.

Cheap Idea #4: Go Camping

Remember this is your business account, so don’t Tweet about being stuck in traffic on the way to work. You need to tweet new and interesting information that the people following you would like to hear.

Cheap Idea #5: Visit Local Spots

If cost is too large of an issue. Enjoy where you live now. Visit new and exciting things that you may have never been to. Look for opportunities to go to a beach, a state park, or a museum. A great place to look for fun local places is city websites or a library. As an added benefit, you are keeping your money local and supporting local businesses.

5 Steps to Getting Your Business on Twitter

For beginners, Twitter is a tool that allows people to connect online through 140 characters of information. Why is Twitter important to businesses? Twitter allows you to connect with your customers and business associates quickly and easily. Twitter is a free resource that any business can setup and is an excellent way to begin your social media marketing efforts (if you haven’t already).

To view a quick video on how Twitter works please visit: YouTube - Twitter in Plain English.

1. Plan Your Twitter Time

Will You Have Time to “Tweet”? You should ensure that you plan for a small period of time each day to devote to Twitter. There are also tools out there that will schedule your tweets for a future time such as FutureTweets, TwitMessenger, and TweetLater.

2. Brand Yourself

Twitter allows you to upload a profile photo. This photo should be your business logo or a photo of yourself if you are the face of your business. You can also customize your profile page with colors and background. These are ways to help brand yourself.

3. Find People to Follow

You need to get started by “following” others on Twitter. Use the search feature to find other business contacts and people in your industry to start following. On their profile pages, just click "Follow" to begin following them. These people may even follow you back. You can follow us here.

4. Tweet Useful & Interesting Information

Remember this is your business account, so don’t Tweet about being stuck in traffic on the way to work. You need to tweet new and interesting information that the people following you would like to hear.

5. Get People to Follow You

The power of your Twitter presence depends on how many followers you have. This takes time. You can gain followers by them searching for you, the items you tweet about, or going to your Twitter page. Your Twitter page address is “www.twitter.com/yourusername”. It is always good practice to include this address in your email signature and also your business’s homepage.

So how do you get started? Well it’s easy, just go to http://www.twitter.com/ and click “Get Started – Join!”.

Top 5 Ways to Save Money This Summer

Times are tough and everyone is trying to save a buck. But with rising gas prices, healthcare, and food costs, it is hard to save. So hang in there and get creative by following these 5 ways to save.

1. The Truth Hurts, But It Will Help You Save
Tracking every detail of your spending will help you find where to cut back. Keep your receipts, balance your checkbook, and categorize at the end of the month. Seeing monthly totals on your spending will make you realize where you may be spending too much. Some free tools that make this process simple are: www.mint.com & www.wesabe.com

2. Check The Internet Before Your Next Purchase

If you don’t research most of your purchases online before you buy, you should start. Before buying anything of substantial value, do some research on the item online. Look for product specs, prices, pictures and reviews, as well as compare it with competing products to ensure that your making a well-informed and thought-out purchase. Look for coupons, discounts, sales, and rebate offers.

3. Avoid Buying with Credit Cards & Loans

Ever heard the term “Cash is King”? This has never been more true. If you are still charging like it is 2006, you better slow down. Refrain from making everyday purchases through a credit card because not only do you get charged an interest rate, but it becomes easy to let the balance continually increase. If you have a large amount of credit debt, review your interest rate. In some cases it’s better to pay down a high interest credit card than investing the money.

4. Points, Points, & More Points

Does your debit and credit cards offer points or cash back? Some debit cards offer you a percentage cash back for any purchase made using your debit card as a credit card. Ever been asked by a teller “Is that debit or credit?”. Check with your bank and you may soon be saying “Credit!”. A small percentage can add up to hundreds of dollars a year.

5. Review Your Subscription Services
The summer is a busy time with vacations, outdoor activities, and events. Most families do not spend as much time in front of the television, reading newspapers, or talking on the phone. Review your subscriptions with these types of spending and look for ways to save. Many companies will be happy to switch your newspaper to a weekend subscription, or remove your movie channels for a few months.