Shopping for Air Fares

Here's a short article on how to shop for good air fares -- by people who help to set the fares...  

1. Book early-ish. Hardly an exact metric, Brunger concedes, but it means not waiting too long, hoping that an airline will have too many empty seats on the flight you want three to four weeks before departure and get desperate to sell them. (That’s exceedingly rare, and means something went wrong for the revenue manager.) The closer you get to the advance-purchase deadlines, the more clarity airlines usually have on their pricing forecasts. When it works as planned, revenue management means an airline has sold exactly the number of seats at each fare level that it had intended—closer to departure, the seats that are left cost far more.

2. Book at a price satisfactory to you. If you can live with the cost and it seems decent, take the plunge. “If the fare feels like a fairly good fare, I would buy,” Nason said.

Read more here:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-24/the-best-way-to-find-a-cheap-airplane-ticket-according-to-two-guys-who-set-fares#r=rss

Last Second Holiday Gifts for Kids

For last second holiday gifts for kids, here are some good educational and craft magazines for children.  Highlights is an old-time classic and favorite.




American Girl has good arts & crafts + articles.



Muse is educational and great for 8 to 14 year olds.

Keyboards & Pianos

Here's some information if you are looking into pianos or keyboards.  Nowadays, the "key action" of higher-end keyboards is weighted and very similar to "real" pianos.  We like the "clean look" of the Yamaha P-series.  Casio also has highly-rated keyboards (or digital pianos).  Here are full-sized (88-keys) keyboards:







Smaller keyboards are less expensive -- and may interest some people.  However, the key action won't be the same, and there are fewer keys than an actual piano:




Of course, many prefer an actual "real" piano -- if they can afford one (or have the space for one).  Note, however, that the prices vary, as follows:

• Good quality keyboards - $499+
• Upright Pianos - $2,500+ 
• Baby Grand Pianos - $8,000 - $15,000+

If you get a keyboard, you will also need a stand like this:

Here's a good bundle of one of the best Yamaha keyboards -- that has a lot of things (stand, bench) you'd need:

Cyber Monday Deals

Here are a few good websites for Cyber Monday deals.  Wishing you and yours a happy holiday season!

Cyber Monday website



And, of course, Amazon always offers some of the best prices and service.

Buying Organic can be Pricey

Here's an article that has useful information.  Buying organic can be pricey -- but what is MOST important to buy organic??

By now, we all know there’s a benefit to buying some stuff organic. But these days you’re faced with the option of gettingeverything organic—from fruits and veggies to mattresses and clothing. You want to do right by your body, for sure, but going the all-natural route en masse can be pricey.

So we wondered: What’s really essential for our health? That’s why we came up with this definitive list. Here's what should be in your cart—and what you don’t have to worry about.

Read more here:

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/11-things-you-should-buy-organic-2467411/

30% Off at the Gap, Old Navy & Banana Republic (Mar 17-20)

AND some of the proceeds go to a good cause.  5% goes to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Please click on this link for the coupon.  

Laptop Shopping for Christmas?

If you are shopping for a new laptop for Christmas, here are some laptop specs from z-Techie's blog:

http://z-techie.blogspot.com/2010/11/laptop-specs.html