Lucknow is the city of Nawabs and their palaces. The language is also very king like maybe just because of the history. So, if you have a quest for history, have a look at Indigo flight booking page and book your flight to Lucknow.

Shahi Baoli

It is a prominent place in Lucknow.The reason behind its fame is due to the name of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah.He was the fourth Nawab and the man behind shifting the capital Faizabad to Lucknow in the year 1775. Machchhi Bhawan is  a five-storeyed small building situated in old Lucknow. Now the palace is known as Panch Mahala and there situated a Masjid named Tilewali Masjid which was built by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb.

The Shahi Baoli performed as the crowning place for Mirza Ali alias Wazir Ali, the fifth Nawab. He was the son of Asaf-ud-Daulah who was removed by the British after a ruling of just four months. Later at this palace became the residence of Tat Mahal, who was a widow of Nawab Saadat Ali Khan. When she was removed from the Farhat Bakhsh palace due to the rule of her stepson and the then ruler, Ghazi-ud-din Haider.

Mahabir Temple

The Nawabs of Awadh had a non-religious approach towards the opinion of the majority of their issues, and several historical accounts support the point that in spite of allegiance to their religious practices and beliefs. An immediate historian of Asaf-ud-DaulatVs rule, Mirza Abu Talib Isphahani, this in a record that he spent around six lakhs to celebrate Holi. The Hindu temple of Suraj Kund was the place of a fair and Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah reconstructed this worn out tank for the comfort of people.

Baradari at Banarsi bagh

Baradari, the term usually means covered building without walls, windows, and doors which allow the unbounded flow of air. The word dar means doorways and the term Bara means twelve. So, the meaning is a building with twelve doorways and has openings in each of the four sides.

There is a Zoological garden situated at Banarsi Bagh, and people come to spend their holidays or for picnics. It is a nice spot for picnics. It has a big lawn and most of the time filled with visitors. Most of the people are unaware of its historical importance.

One more example of Baradari is the Nageene wali in the Banarsi Bagh.

Constantia House

The present area or place of the La Martinière College was known as the Constantia House

The building is situated on a balcony like the location which was a lake at some point of the time. The design of the building is a mixed style that combines the various expertise of Italian architecture. The institution is one of the only educational institutions to receive a battle honor because of its role at the time of the Seige of Lucknow. If you are eager to see the beauty, then go to Indigo flight booking and book your tickets.

Lucknow Museum

If you try to consider historical things in Lucknow, you will get 100,000 antiquities, but the oldest and the largest museum in the state of UP is the Lucknow State Museum. You can find artifacts, pottery, tools and weapons, manuscripts, etc. in vast numbers starting from the Gupta period.

Craving for History? Top 5 Historical Locations of Lucknow is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Every year, spring breakers and their families make plans to take a week-long vacation. Traveling costs can be a pain for many families, especially when you consider flights, hotel stays, and entertainment fees. So how do you plan a frugal spring break for the entire family?

Have A Staycation for a Frugal Spring Break

One of the easiest ways to have a frugal spring break is to stay at home! It doesn’t have to be boring, but having a staycation can provide fun for the whole family while saving money.

The best way to have a staycation is to plan a few activities throughout the week. You could check out things to do in your city, and your family could vote for their favorites. To keep things interesting, try new restaurants and family friendly activities that you’ve never done before.

If you really want to take things to the next level, you could try camping in your backyard or even booking an inexpensive hotel for a night or two. If you get a hotel, make sure there is free breakfast involved to save money!

Take The Cheapest Transportation

If you want to travel out of your city for your frugal spring break, try to choose the best transportation for where you want to go. A good rule of thumb to use is that anywhere that can be driven to within the day should be. Why take a plane when you can drive there in under eight hours?

Add up your expenses for each mode of transportation and choose what works best for your family. This would include car rental fees, gas, bag check-in costs, or whatever else is required. Once you have your rough estimates, you can choose what makes the most sense for your family.

Rent An Entire Place

If you have a big family or plan on spending your entire spring break in another city, it might be best to rent an apartment or house instead of a hotel. Although the initial price may seem steep at first, remember to add up all of the amenities that it will provide for you.

With an apartment or house, you will be able to utilize a kitchen, have more than one room, and may even be able to do your laundry for free. Many people who rent out their homes offer amenities such as a gym or pool in their backyard.

Find Free or Inexpensive Activities

Just because you are on vacation, doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune on activities. Many cities have free and inexpensive museums, parks, and even children’s centers with play gyms.

One of the easiest ways to check for free activities is to look at the city’s website, but you could look online as well. Many websites like TripAdvisor or Yelp give price points for each city attraction, and your family could decide which free activities sound the best.

Of course, you’re allowed to spend money, even if it is a frugal spring break. If there is a more expensive activity that your family really wants to do, do it! Just make sure to balance it all out.

Barter With Loved Ones

If you have extended family in other states, why not offer them a few home cooked meals and maybe some cash to let you crash at their place? While this may not work for all families, it is an option for those looking to have a frugal spring break.

Not only will you be able to visit with family that you may not have seen in awhile, but you’ll be able to save on costs such as a hotel, eating out, and even mark up prices on city activities like the zoo (as some zoos charge based on where you live).

Just remember, if you choose this route, offer your home if the family ever decides to visit your city. It’s only fair!

Spring break doesn’t have to expensive, and your family can all have fun together. Although these tips are great to help you plan a frugal spring break, the biggest tip of all is to enjoy your time off with your loved ones.

Planning A Frugal Spring Break For The Entire Family is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

The year just ended and it feels like it’s time to make some changes. You want to start fresh once the new year hits, and part of you thinks that might require moving to a new locale.

Have you ever thought about Salt Lake City? With its stunning views, low unemployment rate and an average commute time of only 21 minutes, could you really ask for anything more? Let’s take a look at just how much Salt Lake City has to offer and why it would be a great city to call your new home!

Outdoor Winter Sports

Utah boast 14 ski resorts, and that’s not all! Your winter sports fun isn’t relegated to just skiing and snowboarding. Adventurers can snowshoe, go snowmobiling, go bobsledding, scale a frozen waterfall at Bridal Veil Falls or take a long hot soak on a geothermal cave at Homestead Crater.

The Sundance Film Festival

If you’re a movie buff and can’t get enough of the glitz and glamor of Hollywood or the spirit and grit of independent films, Salt Lake City is the city to be. Founded by the actor Robert Redford in 1978, The Sundance Film Festival is an annual festival hosted in Park City that celebrates and showcases the year’s extraordinary work in feature, independent and documentary films.

Open to the public, the Sundance Film Festival brings creatives, business types and amateurs all together to sit back and enjoy this year’s on-screen magic.

Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs

Unemployment in Salt Lake City is at a low of 2.9 percent, compare that with 4.6 unemployment rate of the country as whole. When the unemployment rate of a city is less than the national average, you know it’s doing something right.

Salt Lake City is one of Forbes Magazine’s Best Cities for tech jobs and has been listed as one of the best places for businesses and careers. According to the Economic Policy Institute, (a think tank with a primary focus on the economic conditions of low and middle-income single Americans and families) the cost of living for the average nuclear American family (two parents, two children) is $62,003 a year. For the same family living in San Francisco, it costs $91,785. That’s a difference of nearly $30,000!

With the price of housing, groceries and even Utah auto insurance found to be lower than in other states, who wouldn’t want to move to an area where they would be better able to provide for their family?

One of the Friendliest Places in the States

If your neighbors are a pain in the neck, you might not be able to enjoy living in your neighborhood all that much. If it seems that everyone you run into at the grocery store or the local arts and crafts shop are just too much and over the top, making a move to Salt Lake City could be just what you need to remind yourself there are still good people in the world.

Salt Lake City ranks number 2 as one of the Friendliest Cities in America, coming in just behind Nashville for the top spot. Strangers will greet you and give a nod or hello and Salt Lake City residents everywhere will stop and lend a hand should you need one. How many people can you say that about living in New York or New Jersey?

Living the Night Light Life

It’s commonly assumed that because Salt Lake City is the Mormon capital of world that night life entertainment is lacking. That’s not the case. Every summer at Pioneer Park the Twilight Concert Series plays a number of shows that are all for free.

Plus, with good food downtown and a happy hour that serves delicious and experimental cocktails, you won’t be missing out on anything.

So what are you waiting for? Go out and explore; find your happy place!

5 Reasons to Live in Salt Lake City is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

So how do you go about doing this? Here’s a guide to the best tips for moms when it comes to travel hacking.

Shop Online at Portals

The best way for moms to earn miles and take full advantage of travel hacking is to shop online. You will find online portals for all of the best frequent traveler programs, and when you shop in these, you earn points.

If you love online shopping, head to these portals first. You simply enter e-commerce websites using the portals, then make them your first port of call for all your online shopping.

You may be able to get exactly the same things but with the benefit of earning miles at the same time. Just think of all those things you have to buy for the kids, and you may be surprised by what you can find.

Choose the Right Credit Card

One of the best tips to follow is to choose the right credit card. This is also the most convenient way to earn miles and points.

There are many credit cards you can choose from, each linked to different programs. Basically, every time you spend money on your card, you will earn points. So switch all of your monthly spending to your card, and earn every time you buy something, whether for the home, the kids, or anything else.

Some credit cards are co-branded, and when you sign up for these, you may be given a whole load of miles in one go—often many thousands!

Even some debit cards can be used to build points, though they are not as common. But look around and see what you can find. You may want to start paying your bills automatically using your credit card, and you’ll earn free miles without even thinking about it.

There are many ways to redeem points, so find out more about the AMEX transfer partners to redeem AMEX rewards points.

Sign Up for Airline Newsletters

You can often earn air miles and points in surprising places, but you won’t know about them unless you keep an eye out for them. And the best way to do this is to sign up to the newsletter of your favorite airline and follow its social media account.

That way, as soon as they announce a special promotion where you can earn miles, you can take advantage of it, as long as it is something you actually want.

You may find out about a way to earn a few thousand miles for signing up with a service that you want anyway. So make sure you keep your eyes open.

Dining Out

If you like to treat yourself to a night out every once in a while, make sure you earn miles for doing so. There are restaurants all over the place that will let you earn miles for eating at them, and all you have to do is link your credit card and use it at the restaurant to get more miles for free. Check out the different programs from United, Delta, US Airways, and others.

Choose an Alliance and Stick to It

There are many airline alliances, and these are groups of airlines where you can earn miles on one airline and use them on another. The big three are OneWorld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam.

While it may be tempting to sign up to as many as you can, you don’t want to spread yourself too thin. It’s better to have lots of miles with one alliance than spread them out among all three.

Look at the airlines that make up the alliances. Which is your favorite in the United States? What about the airlines in other countries? Make a decision, and then stick to building up your miles in one of them.

Start Travel Hacking Today

Travel hacking is a fun hobby and a great way to earn miles that you can redeem for flights, upgrades, and hotels. If you like the idea of traveling for less, sign up for a program today and start searching for ways that you can earn miles without doing anything more than shopping in the right places and eating out at restaurants.

Aimee Archer is quite possibly a little bit addicted to travel. Always dreaming of exotic locations she enjoys the planning as much as the traveling, and gets even more pleasure now that her kids are old enough to explore the world with her.

Travel Hacking for Moms is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Flying to Europe for the summer for free off credit card reward points sounds almost too good to be true.

Signing up for credit cards mainly for the bonus points that come with them is a money-saving method that has intrigued me for years. I haven’t done it, however, because I don’t want to spend the effort keeping track of six or so credit cards. My main concern is much more dire: Will it hurt my credit score?

I’ve written about credit cards and credit card rewards for a few websites, and this is a topic I’ve touched on for a few of them after talking to credit experts and people who make collecting credit card bonus points a hobby. The consensus was that it doesn’t, with a few caveats.

Instead of relying on credit card points experts who keep a spreadsheet of their cards, I found Matt Schulz, a senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com, to talk to about chasing credit card rewards.

Chasing credit card rewards to Europe

I’m in no position to recommend specific credit cards for sign-up bonus points, but there are two that have caught my eye because they’re for airlines I either enjoy flying (Hawaiian Airlines) or use often because it has cheap fares (Southwest Airlines).

Hawaiian offers 35,000 bonus miles with its credit card after spending $1,000 in the first three months. It also offers a one-time 50 percent discount on a roundtrip ticket for a companion who goes to Hawaii with you, provided you buy a ticket with money and not reward points.

The bonus miles would almost pay for one round-trip flight. My wife’s flight would be half off if bought with a full-fare ticket for our daughter. Our three round-trip flights would end up being half off with the bonus and discounts, making the deal seem good enough to warrant getting the card.

Chase offers a Southwest Airlines Visa card with 40,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in three months. Business owners can earn 50,000 points by spending $2,000 in the first three months.

My wife and I could fly across the country and back on Southwest for less than 50,000 points, giving us another vacation option with our credit card rewards.

But how do I get to Europe? American Airlines has a rewards card with a 50,000-point sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in three months. According to the airline’s reward chart, it takes 30,000 points to fly one-way to Europe.

After spending some cash on the AA card, we’d have enough points for one free round-trip ticket to Europe.

My sign-up bonus choices come down to:

• Two free roundtrip flights across the United States.
• One and a half free roundtrip flights from California to Hawaii.
• One roundtrip flight to Europe after spending a few thousand dollars extra on the credit card.

Managing three or more credit cards

Each card carries a fee of about $95 per year, though it can be waived during the first year. I deplore paying annual fees to get credit card rewards, but I think it’s a worthwhile expense for the bonus points.

I’ve always thought that if I ever do chase credit card rewards points, I’d get rid of the credit cards before the one-year anniversary so I wouldn’t have to pay the annual fee. But that may be difficult to do if I’m chasing three vacations — Hawaii, New York and Europe — and won’t likely take them all in the same year.

However that works, I also need to be aware of spending only what we can afford to pay back in full each month when the credit card bills arrive. Along with annual fees on credit cards, I also don’t like paying interest or late fees on credit cards.

Chasing rewards points for the three cards listed above at the same time requires spending $6,000 in three months. That’s $2,000 per month, which we should be able to pay back and can use to pay our regular expenses.

How many cards is too much?

The first question I had for Schulz when we sat down for an interview was how many cards I could apply for without hurting my credit score? I have an excellent credit score and I’ve worked a long time to get it there, and I don’t want to hurt it by opening and closing them too quickly just so I can get a free (or partially free) vacation.

Schulz recommended the 5/24 rule. Applying for five credit cards within 24 months shouldn’t hurt a credit score, he said. Applying for that many cards at the same time is a red flag to creditors and could be a sign that you’re in financial trouble and trying to cover it with credit cards.

“As long as you pay your bills on time and keep your balance low, it’s not going to hurt your credit,” Schulz says.

With that advice in mind, applying for three credit cards a few months apart from each other shouldn’t hurt my credit score. And paying each balance off in full each month and not being late with any payments will help keep my credit in top shape while helping me earn credit card rewards.

When to close cards?

If opening three credit cards at the same time within 24 months just for the bonus rewards won’t hurt my credit score, then my next question is: Will closing the accounts hurt my credit?

Length of credit history accounts for 15 percent of a credit score, according to FICO, one of the major credit agencies. Along with the oldest, newest and average account age, a credit report also looks at how long it has been since you used certain accounts.

After getting new credit cards for the sign-up bonuses, Schulz recommends keeping your oldest credit card open as a way to improve your credit score. But if you’re paying an annual fee and aren’t using the card, then it’s worth getting rid of.

While having too many credit cards open can make you look like a credit risk, closing an unused account a year or so later won’t affect your credit score as much as you might think.  The information from a closed account stays on your credit report for 10 years, Schulz says. So if you didn’t use that card wisely, it could hurt you for 10 years.

When to jump on credit card rewards offer?

Credit card bonus offers come and go, and you’ll likely see more of them in your mailbox if you’ve recently applied for a credit card. The offers can be enticing, and the best ones may not be available for long.

A few years ago Hawaiian Airlines was giving 75,000 bonus points — or more than double what it normally offers new customers — to new accounts spending $5,000 in six months. I was going to apply for the card so I could get the bonus points, but I waited about two months before deciding to apply. I was too late and the offer expired.

What held me up? The 50 percent off companion fare had to be used within 13 months of opening the card, and I wanted to wait two months to start that clock because I didn’t think we’d take a trip to Hawaii that soon.

My delay cost us about two free round-trip flights to Hawaii. Waah.

Will Chasing Credit Card Rewards Hurt My Credit Score? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

A long trip can be the best the way to recharge and get away from the routine of everyday life. You could be taking a relaxing vacation or going to see family. You might even get to go somewhere far for a business trip or conference, like Aaron and I did last week.

Now-a-days there are many ways to go about getting to where to you need to go, especially within the United States. One can travel by train, car, plane, and even bike across this country.

When talking about traveling for leisure or business the question often asked is, should you drive or should you fly? Depending on a variety of factors driving or flying or both can save you money or be very costly. Here are some factors in making your car versus plane decision.

Time Commitment

The first thing you should ask yourself is how much time do you have? If you live say in Kansas and want to go visit the Atlantic Ocean, it’s going to take you a good day or two to drive, when you could be there within a few hours if you flew. Do you have time to add four days of travel (there and back) to your itinerary?

Time Spent at the Airport vs. Time in the Car

At a previous place of business there was a salesman who lived a three hour drive away from headquarters. Every time he had to come into headquarters he would fly. It’s only a one-hour flight but if you include arriving two hours early to the airport, any delays,  getting into a rental car and the drive from the airport to headquarters, it just about equals out. For him it was easier and he didn’t have to sit there and drive. Time spent at the airport and in the air can be about the same as driving it yourself. If you don’t mind driving the mileage might be cheaper than purchasing a round-trip ticket.

Cost of a Long Trip

Gas prices have been pretty steady lately, staying at about $2.09/gallon. (Disclaimer it is probably more in the urban coastal cities than in the Midwest.) To decide travel costs, look at what it would cost you in gas, then look at how much mileage would be added to your vehicle and then add in hotels, food, attraction fares, etc.

Then look at how much an airplane ticket would cost you round trip. Don’t forget to add fees for checking baggage, parking lot fees, rental car costs and other things for a long trip. Keep in mind travel expenses increase during holiday season, spring break, and summer. Sometimes it could be more cost effective to fly rather than drive on short distances.

Jet Lag After a Long Trip

When you think of jet lag you think of losing sleep from traveling overseas on a long trip. You can experience jet lag flying across the U.S. Traveling wears you out not matter what mode of transportation you take. Driving for five hours takes as much energy as it does fighting security and maneuvering massive airports (not to mention cramped quarters and many, many more passengers). If you need to be fresh for a business meeting, flying could be better as you can relax and sleep on the plane, where you can’t when you drive.

There are many more factors to think of when deciding between flying and driving for a long trip. It the end it comes down to cost, mileage, and level of weariness. Not everyone is a road warrior who can drive hours at a time day after day. Research the best times to purchase airfare and look around for flight and hotel deals.

If you want to drive for a long trip, it might be just as cheap to rent a car and drive it to save mileage on your own vehicle. In the end it’s about the experiences and memories created when traveling, either by yourself or with your loved ones.

Should You Drive or Fly To Save The Most Money on a Long Trip? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Crowds, noise, flight delays, lost luggage, and unaccounted for expenses…you get the picture.

You may not be able to do anything about some of these annoyances, but proper planning can rid you of some others. Now that I’ve been doing some more traveling since I became self-employed, I’ve learned a few things that help my trips be less stressful, and to help me save money along the way. Here are 4 travel hacks, some of which I’ve used, that you can implement to help you save money.

Consider Your Currency

Once you know your travel destination, check the exchange rates ahead of time if you will be traveling abroad. You may be able to save some money by getting a better rate than if you wait until closer to your departure date.

Another of the travel hacks I’ve used to help me save money is keeping currency in a secure place, like a money belt. This is especially important if you are traveling through an area with a high crime rate. Store some money in more than one place if possible, to prevent a thief from leaving you penniless should they get their hands on your money.

Clothing and Packing

Quick dry clothing is essential if you’re traveling overseas or on a longer trip because you can wash and hang it in your room, doing away with the need to take along as much clothing. Don’t forget to take along some powdered detergent in a bag (I would double bag it in case it leaks) as well as a drain plug and a clothes line. Toss in a couple of plastic bags for damp or soiled clothing. Also, invest in a couple of vacuum sealed space bags to help you get more items into your suitcase, and remember to stuff socks inside of any packed shoes to take advantage of this otherwise unused space.

Travel hacks like this may help you pack light enough to fit everything into a carry-on and eliminate the need to check a bag, which usually costs extra money when you fly.

Technology

These days, cell phones hold a wealth of valuable information that you don’t want to lose, so bring along a plastic zip-lock bag large enough to hold your cell phone in case you end up near water or a beach. It could be an expensive lesson if you don’t.

In addition, pack an external battery to charge your phone while on the go, and if traveling by car, bring a car charger so you don’t have to buy these along the way. They are usually more expensive at gas stations and other travel stops than at your local Walmart.

Check your electronics ahead of time, if traveling to abroad, to determine whether or not you need an adapter, converter, or transformer. Having these items with you may save you from buying them when you arrive.

Safety

Purchase a phrase book if you are planning on spending time on foreign soil and you aren’t familiar with the local language. Additionally, you should take a photo of your passport and email it to yourself. If you lose your real one, it might aid you in getting a new one.

Lastly, ask about crime rate before getting into a bad situation where you fear for your own or a travel companion’s safety. Any one of these situations could cause you to accept the aid of someone who might take financial advantage of you.

Even when traveling domestically, you should send your flight, hotel, and other travel information to a trusted friend or family member so someone knows where you’ll be in case of an emergency.

We can all agree that traveling can be a fun and rewarding experience, but doing so safely and economically is a priority that shouldn’t be ignored. There are lots of travel hacks you can use to help you save on your next trip.

Do you have other ideas for travel hacks that could help you save money?

4 Travel Hacks that’ll Help You Save Money is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Two months isn’t that long in a financial life, so hopefully you’ve already done some advance planning by saving for some of summer’s expenses early. Here are six:

Vacation

Whether you plan a summer vacation six months early or a few weeks early, now is the time to start saving and even paying for it.

Other than returning to work after a summer vacation, there’s nothing worse than coming back to a bunch of bills from your vacation that you now have to pay for. A credit card bill can be a bigger headache.

Depending on where you’re going, making early reservations can help you get the best prices. You can pay for some of it ahead of time and try to save as much of the cost ahead of the trip.

For example, my family is going on two short in-state vacations this summer, mainly due to extra expenses this year for a bathroom remodel. We’re using credit card reward points for two hotel night stays, and are renting a home for part of each trip. For the home rentals, I’ve already paid deposits for the reservations and plan to pull money from our vacation fund to pay for the rest.

Planes, trains and automobiles

The same vacation savings account for your summer expenses can be used for how you get to your destination and how you get around while there.

Even if you won’t need a rental car during a summer vacation, you may still need money for other transportation such as Lyft and Uber, or a maybe a bike rental. Make airline reservations now for your trip for the best prices.

Fruit

Of all of the summer expenses, this may be the smallest. But it’s worth considering in your grocery budget.

Most summer fruit isn’t expensive, but there’s so much available that even the low cost of buying what’s in-season can add up.

We go to a local farmer’s market each week, and during the summer there’s so much great fruit available that we buy a lot. Some things are more expensive than others, such as berries and cherries because they’re labor-intensive to pick, so I try to limit those.

Summer supplies

The end of summer may be the best time to get deals on things you need or want during summer — towels, swimsuits, patio furniture, and shorts and sandals. But spring, I’ve discovered, is also a great time to find some deals. Why wait until the end of summer if you’ll need these things soon?

Costco, for example, has already gotten a jump on the summer selling season and has lots of gardening supplies at good prices. We recently bought a swimsuit there for $12.

We’re shopping for a gigantic umbrella for our back yard, and within the past month we’ve found sales at Costco, Home Depot, Restoration Hardware and Bed Bath & Beyond for patio furniture, umbrellas and other summer supplies.

Small summer expenses

Some small summer expenses will likely pop up, and while they probably won’t bust your summer budget, planning for them now can make them a lot easier to deal with instead of just plopping them on your credit card.

Sunscreen, sunglasses, drinks, ice, flipflops (to replace the ones you somehow lost), Internet fees at hotels, high gas prices and movie tickets to see the summer blockbusters all add up.

Set aside $20 a week or so in a summer slush fund to pay for these, and by summer you’ll have $160 or more to pay for such incidentals in cash.

Daytrips

From a day out at a nearby city you haven’t explored much to an annual pass at a local waterpark or amusement park, now is the time to save for these daytrips or pay for them outright.

Summer or annual passes to waterparks, for example, may already be on sale for low prices you won’t see the rest of the year. Costco also has deals on these passes, or at least throws in an extra such as a step up in pass benefits.

What are the summer expenses you’re planning for now? Is it too early to plan for summer fun?

6 Summer Expenses to Plan for Now is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Travelling out of the U.S. doesn’t have to be expensive. During my search for a beach vacation, one website advertised an all-inclusive vacay of 4 nights, with airfare for $399.00. Plus, they boasted of sandy beaches and beautiful scenery. There are many activities you can pay just a little extra for, such as a half day dune buggy adventure, zip lining, catamaran cruise, night clubs and more. This is a great beach vacation destination.

Puerto Rico

If you long to see the rainforest, this is the spot for you. You can find lots of travel deals for Puerto Rico. A quick search I did showed a 4 night, airfare included getaway listed for $499.00. Snorkeling, Kayaking, and Segway tours are a few of the fun things to do at this beautiful, sunny spot.

Myrtle Beach, SC

Don’t want to deal with a passport? Myrtle Beach might be for you. You can rent a room for as low as $50.00 a night at some hotels in this area. Myrtle Beach is known for having great concerts, an amusement park, shows and good eats as well as many more activities to choose from.

New Orleans, LA

The French Quarter is another interesting destination you might find that fits your budget. Hotels can go for as low as $100.00 per night depending on when you travel, and there are plenty of activities to fill your time. Take a dinner cruise or an airboat ride. You could also visit a plantation and take in some history while you’re visiting this beautiful city. Make sure you take the time to sightsee!

Disney, CA

Hotels near the Walt Disney Theme Park can be found for around $100.00 per night. You won’t have any trouble finding things to do here. Just go to the Disney Theme Park and you’re set!

Yellowstone, MT

If you’re a nature buff, you might want to go north. Do your homework and you can find rooms here for around $100.00 per night, or even less. Beautiful scenery is one of the main attractions, so be sure to take it all in. There’s also good food, plenty of souvenir shops, hiking, boating, horseback riding, and much more. And don’t forget to visit Old Faithful!

If you want to keep your expenses down and keep a little more in your pocket for food and souvenirs, try to take your trip during the week to avoid peak days. This should make hotel room rates and airfare cheaper. You should also consider a red-eye flight. For transportation while at your destination, do your research. Maybe the activities you are going to engage in are within walking distance. If not, is public transportation an option? This is typically a much more affordable option than renting a car or even taking an Uber. There are definitely ways to make spring getaways more affordable.

Are you taking planning any spring getaways?

6 Budget-Friendly Spring Getaways is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Such training makes sense. Who else would you want in charge of a spacecraft other than a pilot, especially one trained in emergencies as fighter pilots are.

Now, however, NASA is looking for astronaut candidates through an online application, and being a pilot isn’t the top qualifications required. In fact, being a jet aircraft pilot is optional and not required if you have an advanced degree.

The deadline for the job applications passed recently, so there’s no need to apply for the job now — at least for the 2017 astronaut candidates. But hopefully, if NASA starts sending more people into space, the Class of 2018 and beyond will be needed.

The online application, though now closed, offers an interesting look at the job requirements to become an astronaut — an occupation that kids have grown up aspiring to for 50 years.

Interesting requirements to be an astronaut

At a pay rate of $66,026 to $144,566 per year, it’s a job that I thought would pay more, given the risks and responsibilities. The U.S, president only makes $400,000 per year, a lot less than professional athletes.

But beyond the salary, what interested me the most about the job was the types of college degrees accepted as the minimum requirements. More specifically, the degree fields that are NOT considered qualifying.

Before getting to those, here are fields that candidates must have at least a bachelor’s degree in:

• Engineering
• Biological science
• Physical science
• Computer science
• Mathematics

Those all make sense and are areas you may want to start pushing your kid into if they ever tell you they want to be an astronaut when they grow up.

Degrees you don’t want as an astronaut

But there are some degree fields that NASA says aren’t qualifying, and some surprised me:

• Technology (engineering technology, aviation technology, medical technology, etc.)
• Psychology (except for clinical psychology, physiological psychology, or experimental psychology, which are qualifying)
• Nursing
• Exercise physiology or similar fields
• Social sciences (geography, anthropology, archaeology, etc.)
• Aviation, aviation management, or similar fields

Pilot experience optional

The second qualification goes into pilot experience. It offers two options:

1. “At least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience obtained after degree completion.”
2. “OR at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. An advanced degree is desirable and may be substituted for experience as follows: master’s degree = 1 year of experience, doctoral degree = 3 years of experience. Teaching experience, including experience at the K-12 levels, is considered to be qualifying experience for the Astronaut Candidate position, provided the initial degree is qualifying.”

Earning a doctoral degree or having three years of experience is a lot of work, but not as much, I suspect, as 1,000 hours as a jet pilot. So if your kid is willing to go to college a little longer, then they don’t need to become a jet pilot.

The last major qualification is being able to pass the NASA physical. All crewmembers will be required to perform spacewalks, and must meet anthropometric requirements for spacecraft vehicles and spacesuits. In other words, you’ll have to be the right size to drive a vehicle on Mars and fit into a spacesuit.

Fly to Mars

NASA has more than 300 astronauts. The next class may fly on any of four spacecraft: the International Space Station, two new commercial spacecraft being built by U.S. companies, and NASA’S Orion deep-space exploration vehicle.

NASA is transitioning to using commercial spacecraft for its crew and cargo transport to the International Space Station. For the last 15 years, humans have been living aboard the orbiting laboratory continuously, and future crewmembers are needed. Longer missions to Mars are planned for sometime in the future.

The job has some of the best benefits around, even if you don’t include the many benefits of working for the federal government. Being an astronaut in space is every kid’s dream — or at least many of them — and this job description from NASA is a roadmap on how to get there.

If you can’t get there, NASA has some downloadable posters of what future travel may look like.

Degrees You’ll Need to Become an Astronaut is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.