While your husband, always the bargain hunter, spent $1,200 on the one-week cruise you have visions of running up much more than that in clothing and accessories.
If you're taking a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, there's no need to concern yourself with formal clothes since the cruise line has a casual dress policy. But most people do get a big dressed up at night and I recommend that men take a sports jacket.
Personally, I think it's foolish to spend much money on items you'll only use on a cruise ship. At the same time, I have so many cruise clothes I could open a boutique. But hey, I'm a New Yorker. I swear bargain hunting is practically a full-time obsession with fellow Gotham-ites and I can't remember the last time I spent retail on anything. But even though I live in a city full of discount shopping, I know I'll score a bargain more quickly and with less hassle on Ebay.
Ebay is the world's largest bazaar and I have yet to find any item that isn't for sale at this auction for a fraction of the price. I've been an avid Ebay shopper since 1998 here are some of the deals I've gleaned: A TravelPro suitcase for $49 (a savings of $100 off retail); $2,000 Issey Miayke evening dress NWT (new with tags) for $135; Eileen Fisher silk pants NWT for $30; a stunning evening bag for $7; brand new Stuart Weisman evening shoes for $40, which sell in the stores for $220. I'm a big fan of Chico's travel clothing and save up to 70% off store and catalogue prices. Tommy Bahamas clothing is perfect for cruisers and I've collected a few of his items with a hefty discount.
I'm not taking much of a risk in buying any of these items since I've already tried on these designers clothes in the store, know I like the fit and what size I take. I'm sure you've discovered that sizes vary by designer. I consider it a pre-requisite to making an Ebay clothing and shoe purchase that I'm certain it will fit and look good.
I don't have all the time in the world to constantly check Ebay's massive inventory. The search tool is invaluable. For example, if I'm searching for my favorite evening shoes, I input "Stuart Weisman 6.5", for casual footwear, "Clarks 37" (European size). For clothing, I enter the designer and size, i.e., Tommy Bahamas ladies 10, Eileen Fisher M.
When I buy clothing and shoes, I only purchase items that are "NWT" or new with tags. I will make exceptions for "like new" purses or evening bags that will get limited use. If there is a flaw, the Ebay sellers I've encountered go out of their way to describe it.
In some cases, however, you may not know a specific designer for all the items you need. For example "evening bag, clutch" will bring up hundreds of bags and here you must make a selection based on the photo and description provided by the seller. The same is true for a "long black skirt 8" and most jewelry.
For jewelry that will only be used for one or two evenings I suggest buying inexpensive costume jewelry. If you want a crystal necklace, you can use "Austrian" or "Swarovski" in your search. Since the Austrian company Swarovski makes most crystal you will pull up more choices by just using crystal necklace or earrings as search words. The price of gold is sky high so I suggest waiting until it falls before purchasing gold jewelry.
Men, of course, have it much easier. Your husband probably owns a sports jacket and suit for semi-formal evenings. But what about a tuxedo for formal nights? It's true that roughly half the men aboard ships opt instead for a dark suit and this is appropriate. I think the best deal is to rent a tuxedo for the week, a service available on many ships. For a fee of around $65 he gets a full tuxedo that is fitted. Men can even rent the shoes aboard the ship. Be sure to ask your travel agent if your ship has this service.
For children, follow the same guidelines: buy name-brand items in the sizes you know will fit your children.
A funeral can cost quite a lot of money. For a pre-planned funeral, you will need to consider a lot of issues. One of the issues will certainly be the financial issue. You have to consider who is going to fund your own funeral. Of course your family members will need to contribute a bit. Since your family members may need to contribute when the funding of your funeral is concerned, you may not want to put too much pressure on them. You have to understand that they will be very sad when the day comes. And there is no point to put extra financial pressure on them. As a result, you will try to save money on your pre-planned funeral. As a result, it is essential for you to discuss with your family members about your pre-planned funeral. The point here is that you will need to make sure that they understand your wishes. And this will help to make sure that they will not spend extra money on something you do not plan to have. You will also need to spend the time to shop for various items such as the casket. You may need to visit some funeral home or shops in person. You can also search for these items on the web. You will need to estimate the cost of the whole funeral so that you can make sure that every thing will be under control financially. For the sake of money saving, a simple wooden casket will be preferred. It is very important for you to tell your family members about your choice of casket. On the other hand, you may also purchase the casket in advance. In this case you will need to let your family members know they do not need to take care of it when you pass away. As a matter of fact, the cost associated with cremation is lower than that of burial. You can also save money on some other items. For example, a sophisticated casket will not be needed in this case and you will be able to save money on that. It is also possible to save money on the funeral invitations. The way to save money is not to print the invitations. You may wonder how you can invite if you do not print the cards. You can get an email address and ask your family members to send the online invitations when you pass away. There are also people who design to donate his / her own body to medical schools or some other medical institutes for the sake of medical research or training of medical students. In this case no cost will be needed in general. And this can be a good idea since you can still help the world after you pass away.
Both Anne Campbell & Jill Essy are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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