This summer I have travelled by air quite a bit.
In three weeks I'll be flying west with the kids, and our little dog too.
Yes, yes. We are taking that silly dog with us. Long story, but we'll add this to the (very long) list of things I said I would never do as a mother, but ended up doing, and move along...
Anyway, one of the things that really irritates me about flying these days is the $30/round trip charge that we must pay for our first piece of checked in luggage.
That means that my small family of four will be required to fork out $120 dollars just in luggage fee's! I was able to get a pretty good deal on tickets for this trip, but it makes me crazy that our luggage fee's are more than half of what I paid for a round trip ticket. But I digress...
Here's the confession: I am seriously thinking of bucking the system.
My mom and I have concocted this great plan to ship, via UPS, a large box of our clothes to Arizona a week or so before we leave.
According to UPS, it will cost just about $1.00/pound to ship a box from NC to AZ.
Since we are staying with my mom and dad, I don't have to pack any heavy toiletries (ie, shampoo, hair dryer, etc) so I am thinking I could probably keep the box at around 40 pound. It would save me a few dollars, but is it worth it?
Here is my dilemma....I have a shoe thing. I need choices.
But shoes can add a decent amount of weight to a gals luggage.
Also, in the middle of this trip to AZ I am flying out-of-state to see some friends. Very cute friends, whom I would want my feet to look cute for...sounds ridiculous? Probably, but I enjoy selection when it comes to my footwear.
And since I'm confessing: I, unashamedly, sneak store bought candy into movie theaters. I think its unreasonable to pay big money for super-sized boxes of candy that I can get at the store for half the price (and in serving sizes that are a little more reasonable for my sweet sugar consumers.)
In many ways I'm not a rule breaker, but sometimes a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
How about you? Are you a rebel? Or a rule follower?
Inquiring minds want to know.
13 comments:
oo could you take your shoes in your carry on? I think its crazy to have to pay for checked baggage! I totally sneak candy in to the movie theater.. I am so a rule breaker!
I have a movie candy theory: If they removed the silly outside food restriction, and lowered their prices even 25%, to the point that they are still more than say, Target, I think they would make MORE money than they do now. I think they would gain the business of most of the "smugglers".
FWIW, I'm a smuggler, too.
I used to be (and still largely am) a rule follower. Having been married to rebel for years has started to chip away at my saintedness.
I would mail the shoes.
Very clever, the whole shipping luggage. Very clever!
As for movie candy, I have no qualms sneaking in candy. What I DO have a problem with is charging $6.50 for a SMALL popcorn. SMALL! You could buy like 20 pounds of unpopped kernels for that price! Highway robbery! So, sneaking in M&M's or a bottle of water? No problem!
My mom used to sneak in canned cokes and a freshly popped bag of microwave popcorn. Steam coming out of her purse and all! And the telling "fizz-pop!" of opening the cans certainly gave us away. Embarassing when I was a teen, but I TOTALLY understand!
I would definitely post the luggage - sounds like a great idea!
Been to the cinema with the 3 kids today, and definitely brought our own sweets! We did not bother with drinks this time, but if we do we bring small juice cartons - with the huge drinks they sell we would spend the whole movie taking trips to the bathroom!
I would've never thunk of shipping my clothing...brilliant idea.
I'm usually a rule follower. Or 1/2 a rule follower, some of the time. E.G. I go to the movies, and purchase the exhorbitantly priced but delish popcorn. But I might be known to sneak in a water bottle or diet dr. p. If you tell, I'll deny it, of course.
Nah...usually I'm a rule follower. For I like to avoid guilt.
I've heard of that idea before to ship luggage UPS. I think that's a great idea but I am comfortable to live in flip flops all summer.
I do sneak candy and juice into movie theater. One time (I'm pretty sure I was pregnant) I brought in a tray of BBQ pork;0P I tell myself that I'm bringing in healthier choices like trail mix and juice for the kids, but I bring candy bars too. I mentioned that to a friend recently and she was shocked at my confession.
There's a couple things that I've had the thought of doing. We're so poor right now that I thought about having my husband buy a movie ticket and then sneaking us in the back door. We used to do that in high school. My husband was shocked at my idea. Also, I've been thrift store shopping at a place that safety pins tags on clothes. I thought about switching the shirt with mine after seeing what I looked like in the mirror. Just re-pinning the tags, but no I didn't do it. So, I guess that doesn't count, but that was a pretty bad thought wasn't it?
But I do talk on my cell phone while driving and sometimes I text (I know I know). Everyone around here knows that when someone says "hold on" it means there's a police nearby. LOL
What a genius idea - ship UPS! I vote for that - I think it would be totally worth it, and yes. It riles me up that they can charge that much and we can basically do nothing about it.
We are big movie-snack-sneakers. I don't think we've bought anything at the theater snack bar in years. We dont' usually do popcorn anyway, but we do like to stop at the corner store and pick up a couple boxes of candy.
Hmmm...never thought of myself as a rebel, but I guess I have a little streak of it in me. :)
Depends on what it is. I always bring my own candy to the movies. I wish I could bring my own popcorn. I have seen people do this...I'm not sure how they get past the ticket guy. Anyway...
I think you should totally pre-send your clothes. Could you send a seperate box with just shoes. I bet they are sandals....sandals are light ;)
Ship the shoes! Ship the shoes!
A girl definitely needs footwear options.
I'm a rebel all the way. Candy sneaker? Check. Cell phone while driving? Check. Don't always take the clothes to the rack outside the dressing room? Check. Don't always take my shopping cart to the little cart parking thing, and just leave it next to the car beside me? Check.
I could go on. But then I think I would be rebeling against the whole idea that these comments are supposed to be kept short and sweet. And I don't want to totally ruin my image all in one whack.
But I have to say one more time....Ship the shoes!!!
Not all airlines charge for the first bag. My mom flew not long ago. The first bag was always free, but the second was $25 or something like that. This is all beside the point.
Yes, I'm a rule-breaker. :) I go to the beach on rainy days so I don't have to pay for a badge. I sneak food into movie theaters. I take drinks into department stores and inflated toys to the pool. I even park in front of fire hydrants if I'm only going to be a minute. Terrible, I know, but the fire hydrant is right in front of my house!
Didn't used to be a smuggler, but I am well on my way to that title with four kids to feed/keep occupied at the movie theater!
As for the luggage: That's not breaking the rules. That's simply using your resources wisely! I've heard of people shipping their stuff to hotels before; apparently the hotels will hold it until you get there.
Oh girl. I really do need to do a how-to-pack-for-a-week-in-a-carry-on post for you, don't I?
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