Here’s How To Get $25 Flights From Amazon To Fly College Kids Home For The Holidays

Great news for parents of college kids on today's No Sweat News.  Amazon is selling $25 plane tickets to fly your college kids home for the holidays.  That's incredible!  But of course, it comes with some snags and hoops to jump through.  Here's what's up.

First off, there's a limited number of flights available and most of them have already been snapped up.  Second, they go on sale in the tiny hours of the overnight (not sure why Amazon owner Jeff Bezos wants to interrupt your sleep, but here we are.)

The special deal on $25 flights began yesterday, Tuesday, December 5th.  It continued early this morning and will continue early tomorrow morning.  So, get ready for round three.

First off, your student has to be a member of Amazon "Prime Student" to get in on the deal.  So, that's hoop number one to jump through.

The second hoop to jump through is that the opportunity goes online at 3 am, eastern time.  Looks like you're waking up early tomorrow morning.

The third thing to know is that it looks like only 1000 tickets are available each day for a total of 3000 twenty-five dollar airline tickets.

Another thing to know is that there's a catch.  There's always a catch, right?  Our benevolent dictator Jeff Bezos wouldn't just make all flights the cost of a gift box of Smirnoff Vanilla that you plunk under the office Christmas tree for the white elephant gift exchange.  The catch is that there's a $500 limit.  If the ticket would normally cost more than that, you pay $25 plus any amount over $500.  So that's still a $475 savings.

So if the flight is less than $500, you can get $25 plane tickets to fly your college kids home for the holidays.  Looks like you might be waking up early tomorrow, Thursday, December 7th.  Pencil in a nap tomorrow afternoon and you might save a few bucks.

Most people know Long Beach Island as a popular summer vacation spot for the beach and local businesses. However, once the warm weather goes away and the traffic lights start blinking yellow, you probably don't think about taking a trip down to the popular beach town anymore. As a year-round resident of LBI myself, I usually like this time of year because it makes my drives down the boulevard go much faster with no traffic. Yes, it does feel very desolate at times, but there is another reason this time of year on the island is so great: the shopping!

As I mentioned, LBI is pretty well known for its small businesses and local shops. Think about it, name one major chain retail store on the island (besides CVS or Dollar General). While most of these shops close their doors for the season after Labor Day, some stay open on weekends or even re-open for the holiday season! As much as I would like to keep this my local secret, I feel like spreading the holiday spirit and letting you in on these shops to find the perfect gifts for your friends and family. And you'll be supporting small businesses while you're at it!

If you want to make the shopping experience even more festive, on December 9th the businesses in Bay Village, Beach Haven compete in cookie wars! While you're browsing the store, nibble on the cookie each business has displayed on trays or are handing out and once you've stopped into every store, vote on your favorite cookie! What a great way to get the community together while getting holiday shopping done!

Can’t talk about holiday shopping without mentioning this store!  This perfect spot for classic Christmas decor is open daily through New Year’s Eve.  

The LBI lover in your life needs a new sweater to show off their favorite beach town!  This shop for all things LBI is open Friday to Monday until the end of the year. 

My family and I call this “the sign store” because they have plenty of decorative signs and flags, among other decorations.  This store is perfect for your mom, grandma, newlyweds and new parents.  Open Friday to Sunday. 

One of the more well-known stores on the island, Sink R Swim offers luxury clothes for both men and women!  They reopened for the weekends until December 23rd. 

Pretend it’s still Christmas in July at this shop that has rustic and beach themed Christmas decor.  Open Thursday to Sunday through Christmas Eve.

Speaking of rustic decor, this shop sells handmade wooden pieces, like these wooden snowmen!  Open Friday to Sunday.  

So far, this list has featured a lot of home stores and boutiques, and we all know the little ones don't want clothes or home decor for Christmas.  This toy store is actually open Wednesday to Monday year-round, but it’s the perfect place to get the toys they have been begging for all year long! 

Back to clothes now though!  This boutique has clothes that your wife, mom, and daughter alike will love!  Open Fridays to Sundays through the holidays.   

This store will bring you right back to those warm summer days on the beach.  Prepare for your sunny vacation or next summer with the clothes and accessories from Little Bungalow!  Open Saturdays and Sundays through the holidays

If you walk into this store at any time of the year, the Christmas atmosphere is noticeable.  They're open Saturday and Sunday with the most nostalgic holiday antiques! 

Bringing the patterns and apparel from Bali to the Jersey Shore!  This shop is open Friday to Sunday through December 24th and has everything you would need for the cultural loving family member.