Car Rental Tips

One of the things I learned on our Seattle trip was what NOT to do when renting a car. I should note that this was our first time ever renting a car. Valuable lessons learned my friends. I'm so glad we made the decision to come in a night early. It allowed us to get everything figured out and settle in so we could enjoy a full two days of Seattle adventures.

Our flight left MN at 7:45p.m. and we didn't get to Seattle until about 9:30p.m. (11:30 CST). Since our race was outside of Seattle, we rented a car. Apparently car rental is a thriving business in Seattle, because they have a separate airport-like building that all the rental companies share. We got to take a fun shuttle ride out to said building, and underwent the worst experience of our entire trip. My advice when renting a car:

1. NEVER book a car rental through a third-party.

• We used Priceline, who made us pay up front for insurance when reserving the car. When we picked up the car, the rental employee said we actually weren't covered...

2. Research the cheapest car rental place. Then go with company who has the second cheapest price.

• I knew I selected a company who had the cheapest rates, but stupidly didn't realize how popular it would be. While it might sound like a good idea initially, waiting in line for almost TWO HOURS at 10:30 at night after a four hour flight is not fun at all. I would have rather paid an extra $10 a day just to be in and out. 

3. Just stay away from FOX car rental in general.

• They only had one employee working the counter, and even though I had made the reservation weeks in advance they overbooked their cars. We actually ended up renting through AVIS, and signed a contract that said FOX would pay us the difference. We were quoted for $9.99 per day, and AVIS rates were $29.99 per day. Nightmare. City.

Fall Decor

Fall is here my friends, and it's my favorite time of year! Not only is the weather amazing for a few short weeks, it means the season of decorating has begun. Since I was at the Little Falls craft fair a couple weekends ago, I started a little early :)

The big owl up front was one of my prized treasures I found this year. I also stopped by Crafts Direct and picked up some fun fall foliage.

Weekend Treasures

Labor Day weekend isn't usually busy for me. Most years, it's a time to relax and unwind. This year was full of fun and treasure hunting. We found out about this "Traders Market" in Elko, MN (about 20 mins. South of Mpls/St.Paul) through the owner of the St. Paul antique market on Selby. It's a combination of flea market and antique dealers, and Saturday was the perfect day to venture out. Here are the goodies I managed to score :)

Set of vintage Pyrex mixing bowls. I've seen this set being sold for as high as $120 and as low as $40. Let's just say I paid somewhere in the middle (but towards the low end).