Cynthetiq

Join AAA or AARP.
Even if you don't have a car, AAA has membership benefits that pay for themselves very quickly. Discounts on airfare, rental cars, hotels are just the tip of the iceberg. I compare AAA to Expedia, Travelocity, etc. and sometimes I can get an upgraded high mileage AAA rental car for the same price as the cheaper lower model. There are discounts for FTD, all major theme parks, Lenscrafters, and many other places. You also can get free maps, tour books and other extras.

Ask for discounts.
Flat out ask for them. Ask for Student discounts. Ask for AAA discounts, even if you aren't a member, they may still give you the discount. Ask sales associates if there are upcoming sales. This may mean the difference of waiting a few days or week, a savings for you and maybe even a bigger commission for the salesperson. We got our luggage for travel this way, it gave us 1 free piece of luggage which was valued at $250. A nice tidy savings just because we waited one extra week.

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