If you're flying this holiday, it's never too early to have a game plan in case something unexpected happens, whether it's a canceled flight or a completely shut down airport. I asked Heather Dickson, acting publisher of the Lonely Planet guidebooks, for advice on what to do if you find yourself in these situations happen to you.

On what you should do if your flight's been canceled: "Stay calm, check your ticket contract and get in touch with your airline. All airlines have plans if flights are canceled, but policies can differ from carrier to carrier. Knowing what your ticket contract says can help you obtain the best result for your canceled flight."

On what to do if your airport has shut down: "When airports close, flights are either canceled or diverted to a nearby airport. If you are diverted then it's generally carrier policy to ensure flight connection to your final destination. In either case it's important for travelers to build more time into their journey, have a back-up plan and continue to check in with the airline. Many airlines offer mobile notification services, which give you early notice on the status of your flight and airport closures. Signing up for this service can save you time at the airport."

Read on for more of Heather's advice.

Tax season is never a fun time, but there is no end of online programs that want to make it as easy as possible for you to file. There are many e-filing options to choose from that offer free federal filing (with state filing costing an additional fee), guarantees on their calculations, and fast refund checks, but with all the similar names and features it can be hard to pick the right one for you.

Of course, if you are a homeowner, are self-employed, or invest, simple free filings may not be for you. But curious to know the basics of popular free tax software compared? Find out the major similarities and differences between five such programs after the break.

We at Savvy love a good discount, and while I'm not sure I'm going to make it to the all the mega sales this Friday, I admire those of you who persevere for a good deal. It's an exciting time for both shoppers and our slowly recovering economy, so I'm all for the start of the season of consumerism.

Before you go, take some time to make sure your shopping spree is as safe and efficient as possible. So if you are braving the Black Friday crowds tomorrow, here are some savvy safety and time-saving tips to remember:

• Keep your purse or bag zipped. Between the distracting sales and the crazy crowds, you may forget to pay attention to your valuables. Keeping your wallet out of your hands and enclosed in your bag will help keep thieves away, and don't forget to put it back right after you use it.
• Use one credit card. If you're using cards instead of cash, designating one will stop you from fumbling around in your wallet to find the right card. Plus, you'll be able to keep track of how much you're spending in one convenient place. Be sure to call the credit card company to warn of any big purchases you plan to make.
• Have a plan of attack. Rather then spending time driving back and forth, take some time this evening to map out where you're going to be shopping so you don't waste time (and gas!) on the road.

More of my safety tips after the break.

I'm usually wary about pre-approved credit offers and I take pains to opt out of the ones I receive in the mail. But every once in a while, for better or for worse, one slips through. I recently received one that caught my eye: 50,000 reward points for spending just $500 on American Express.

Since I pay off my credit card balances, hadn't applied for a credit card in a while, and am not applying for a loan anytime soon, I decided to open this one. After all, the annual fee is waived for the first year (and I can cancel at any time), and the amount of points offered is high — enough for round-trip airline tickets or $500 in gift cards.

I plan on using my card for some of my holiday shopping and then paying it off before the balance is due. Are you also in the market for a good rewards card to rack up points while buying all those gifts? Read on for my tip to make sure you get the points you deserve.

Halloween weekend is all fun and games, but that doesn't mean your budget has to go out the window. Don't worry, there's no need to cut out the fun. Use these tips to keep your finances sweet.

1. Try one of nine ways to save and be social — Getting together with friends doesn't have to mean big dinners and fancy restaurants. Get outside and organize a barbecue, a potluck, or a game night.
2. Shop where the deals are — Club warehouses really are full of some great low-cost finds. So, with your extra free time this weekend, stock the house on essentials and groceries for a whole lot less.
3. Learn to do something new — Instead of spending on unnecessary items, learn how to do something valuable. Teach yourself to sew or cook a favorite recipe, and learn a little more self-sufficiency to save you later on.

Get the rest of my cost-saving weekend tips after the jump.

I recently took a last-minute flight to Los Angeles — which meant my usual plans of grabbing a cheap seat went out the window, since many airlines require an advanced purchase for the bottom of the barrel prices. Even so, sites like Sidestep, Kayak, and Bing can grab the best last-minute deals, but this time I decided to pay full fare on my favorite discount airliner, Southwest.

For my trip, Southwest's fares were not that much more than any discounted ticket on other airlines that I found through a search, so I knew that I wasn't paying much more than I would have to in order to fly. But I did end up paying a premium.

So why did I choose the full fare instead of a discounted ticket? Find out after the break.

It began with the closing of local Borders stores in cities around the country, and now the bookstore is inching closer to filing bankruptcy every day. It's never good news when you find out your favorite company is going out of business, but the silver lining can be those amazing deals you hope to score on items you've been coveting.

But before you start envisioning deep price slashing and too-good-to-be-true deals, remember that many companies love to capitalize on all that enthusiasm. Read on for some tips on dealing with shopping at a store that's going out of business.

Like any corporation-proximate, Starbucks, the one near Sugar HQ, is always buzzing during prime pre-office time. Luckily, the store always seems to have the right number of baristas (with amazingly acute memories) to help quickly move the line along.

Now the company's system is getting more streamlined with the new Starbucks mobile payment app, for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or BlackBerry. The app links to your credit card so that baristas can quickly scan the barcode you pull up on your phone rather than wait for you to fumble for your credit card or cash. It also allows you to check your balance and transaction history and reload with PayPal.

The barcode scanning program was expanded from the initial pilot test locations to all US stores today (Yum already tried it and found it to be quick and convenient). Wondering where your phone-paying app is, Android users? No word yet on the date, but the company says that an Android app is coming soon.

If the blustery Winter weather has you daydreaming about your next getaway, it may be time to put that plan into action. The beginning of the year is typically the slowest travel time, meaning companies are trying to entice you to buy with great flight or hotel discounts.

But no matter when you start planning for that Summer vacation, booking a flight and a place to stay is only half the battle. The fun part comes when you actually get there, so I spoke with Kelly Gillease, vice president of Viator — which offers packages for sightseeing, tours, and other activities all over the world — for tips on how to get the best value as soon as your plane touches down.

• Be flexible. Many times, finding the perfect place at a great deal means beginning by researching activities that you've always wanted to do, like scuba diving or museum hopping. Think about "where you want to go and why you want to go there," says Kelly. "January is a great time to get started doing your research, and if you see something that you're definitely really, really interested in, now's a good time to book it," she says.
• Book in advance. "For some parts of travel it's still possible to get last-minute deals, but in terms of tours and activities, generally speaking, it's better to book ahead of time," Kelly says. To avoid missing out on a sold-out activity — or having to pay a premium — book as early as possible. Don't worry about if your plans or travel dates change; Viator has no cancellation or change fees for many of products.

For more tips on vacation planning, including which popular cities may offer the best travel value this year, read more after the break.

If you haven't already, you'll probably be receiving your first paycheck of the year very soon. And once you take a look you may notice that your check is slightly more than it normally is, courtesy of the Social Security tax cut that the President signed into law last month.

For 2011 only, that mandatory payment into Social Security has been slashed to 4.2 percent, from 6.2 percent. What does that extra two percent mean?

Broken up into pay periods, this "free money" may not seem like a lot, but it can add up to a maximum of $2,136 depending on your salary. So instead of splurging on larger lattes or otherwise throwing it away, do something savvy with your money instead.

Learn how to calculate how much more you'll be getting this year, as well as tips on where to put it after the break.

We all know that doing your research on a product before you buy is important, but sometimes it can be hard to wade through an online search to find exactly what you're looking for. Luckily, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that it is launching a government-run site that offers consumers a place to post complaints about shoddy products as well as search for others' feedback, much like you can with review sites like Yelp or Citysearch.

The public consumer complaints site, available in March, will only target products that represent health or safety issues. The agency's hope is that the site would be a useful way to manage complaints and search for information about a product before purchasing. Another system is also being developed that would collect complaints on financial products and services, but that data may not be available to the public.

The idea of a central location to view and report important issues sounds great; after all, we've all had to deal with a bad shopping experience, and it's even worse when it's your health and safety at risk. But not everyone's liking it — some say the database would be the perfect place for class-action lawyers to scour for ideas or for competitors to lambast each other's products. What do you think? Is having a central government-run, Yelp-like site for logging and reading product complaints a good idea?

New Year's resolutions are all about changing it up, but sometimes it pays to keep doing the same thing. Many times just shopping where you normally would on a regular basis means reaping the rewards of being a faithful customer, like insider deals or points that accumulate into discounts.

There are many ways to translate a regular shopping routine into exclusive deals. From checking in on Foursquare to carrying around all those "buy 10 get one free" punch cards, the great thing about brand loyalty is that it's an easy way to save. After all, if you are shopping at somewhere you prefer anyway, it takes little effort to make sure your favorite companies know how much money you are actually dropping at their business.

Just because practicing brand loyalty is easy doesn't mean you should shop blindly, however. Make sure you're getting the best deals at the store of your choice, and remember to stick to one store for a specific need in order to reap the most benefits.

What's your favorite way to cash in on a brand favorite?

Source: Flickr User Terwillinger911