Frugal Friday - Taking Advantage of Your AAA Membership

My Frugal Friday Tip: If you have AAA for roadside assistance, don't forget to take advantage member benefits.

AAA costs us about $75 a year. We've used it several times over the last ten years and were very happy to have it. With paying so much, we still want to get our monies' worth when we are blissful we don't have to give them a call for roadside service. That's where member benefits come in. We generally get our dues back in maps, tour books and discounts each year.

Some of the member benefits we use regularly:

• Maps! ooooh The many times we've gotten maps! We use them for homeschool projects, keep a stock in each vehicle and some at the house. When you consider the cost of buying maps at places like Barnes and Noble and paying $5 or $6 a pop, a set of local and state maps for each car and one for the house pays for your membership. And they are current maps, not the ones that Grandma picked up in 1953 on her drive to Cleveland. 1950's dresses are incredible. 1950's maps are not. Don't forget to ask for the city maps for your state or the state(s) you are traveling too. It was wonderful to have a current Boston map the last time we ventured there. I also don't have to worry about the kids getting grubby fingers on or ripping an expensive map - I get an extra one just for them.


• Tour Books. They list places to visit, stay and eat as well as times, dates and admission costs. It's neat to see what options are available. They are also the cure for "I want to go somewhere, but don't know where that is" summer or winter days when folks are itching to go. Keep one for your state at home and in the car.


• Discounts. It can be lodging, museums or restaurants. Sometimes it's just a dollar, sometimes it's 2 for 1 or a percentage. Every little bit helps when you don't have a pass.


• Trip Ticks. Trip Ticks are individual map books put together for your driving journey. They are map size, so they don't take up too much room in the front set, but are flip book style with smaller area maps for each place you travel and city you pass through. Give AAA your start, destination and any side trips you plan on making, and they will create your very own.

Please note that AAA is broken up into different, individual and independent organizations depending on where you are in the country. Although they all share similar benefits, be sure to check your specific AAA for exact benefits. That said, we've gotten all these things from both our New England memberships and the one we had in North Dakota.

Don't forget to visit Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday tips!