Speaking of which, while doing research for affordable flights, I came across a useful website that helps you track the best prices before and after you purchase - Yapta.com. If the price drops after you buy the ticket, Yapta can help you recover the difference from the airline so you won't kick yourself for buying earlier. I always have internal struggles about wanting to buy early enough to get my desired flight, but not so early that I end up paying a high premium. With Yapta, I actually enjoy looking at flight prices after I buy, because if they fall, I can get money back, and if they rise.. well, then I pat myself on the back for buying when I did. Win-win!
Real life story: my savvy roommate used Yapta, saved $40 on her Christmas flight, and $70 on her Thanksgiving flight!! That's $110 buckaroos she can (and most likely did) spend buying a NYE dress, all the Twilight books, or 40 red velvet cupcakes!
Disclaimers: not all airlines accept the refunds, ex. Virgin America aka Nightclub in the Sky. JetBlue does though, and I love their new T5 terminal in JFK, NY!
