COUPON QUEEN: Know these hotel deals when traveling

Whether it's a big family vacation or a weekend getaway with friends, I'm always looking for a good hotel deal. Paying too much for lodging is a surefire way to bust your traveling budget. Here are a few things I do when looking for an overnight stay. Join reward programs Most hotel chains offer a free reward program. These programs allow you to accumulate points by booking hotel rooms or shopping with the hotel's partner companies. You can earn a free hotel stay once you have saved up enough points. By being a member, you'll also be the first to know about deals and extra point offers. My family is a member of a few programs to maximize our savings and expand our hotel choices. The hotel we choose is primarily based on the reward offered when booking and the hotel's location compared to the city we want to visit. Use reward points Our family uses one main credit card on many monthly purchases. While we use this credit card often, we pay it off each month. This card allows us to earn points on our purchases, which we can redeem on travel. This point system has allowed my family to stay free at hotels on several trips. Call the hotel directly After you pick your travel dates and hotel that fits your budget, consider calling the hotel directly to book your room. Because hotels usually pay online sites to help sell their rooms, they will often give you a discount instead. If I find a better price online, l will ask if they can match it when I call. Most will do this, and sometimes, I have been offered the room for less or have even been upgraded. Use discounts There are several discounts available that you may already be entitled to. These include AAA memberships, military personnel, government employees, and seniors. While I don't have any of the discounts above, I ask friends or family if they have any when we travel together. Hey, every little bit counts. Consider an alternative If you are booking an extended stay, you may want to look outside your traditional hotel room. Most of our week-long vacations are not spent at a hotel as we usually find a better price by sharing a home with other families. We have found amazing deals on websites such as vrbo.com and airbnb.com. You can see pictures of the houses and helpful reviews from previous renters. We've found that for longer trips, these homes help us save on rental costs and food by skipping restaurants and cooking at home. Don't forget to add State Park cabins into your search, which can also be very economical. Tune in every Tuesday at 8:40 a.m. on AM 930 WEOL or 100.3 FM to hear me chat about money-saving tips. You can listen online or on the radio. This week's deal Here's a deal you can grab this week at CVS. Buy 2 select General Mills cereals — $1.99 each Use the $1/2 select General Mills cereal digital manufacturer's coupon* = $2.98 total — just $1.49 each! * The coupon can be found at CVS online or on their app. Rachel Krych is passionate about helping others spend less and save more. In addition to her weekly column, she has a blog, Couponing With Rachel, which earns her compensation from Google for ads it places there, and from entertainment marketers whose promotional codes she touts. She doesn't write about entertainment in her column. Email her at couponingwithrachel@hotmail.com.