SideStep rocks.

I just need to plug a web site here that saved me over $150 on airfare the other day: SideStep.com. This is the travel search site that searches all the other travel search sites (Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc.) and it gets Southwest Airlines, too.

I had been putting off buying my ticket to visit Las Vegas in September (an annual excursion for me), thinking that fares would come down. I'd been waiting. And waiting. The other day, I almost bit the bullet and purchased a seat for $337 on Delta. Because with fuel costs these days, $337 isn't that bad. "Gone," I thought, "are the days when you could be patient and get a $125 fare."

Well, the $125 fares might be gone (except via Spirit Airlines, where you can get $9 fares routinely, they'll have you believe), but I am living proof that it is still possible to get $175 airfare.

Sign up for a membership on SideStep.com and set up an e-mail alert. You can have them sent daily, and they arrive in a timely fashion. Two days ago I was alerted to this $175 airfare, I visited the site, the fare was still available, and I successfully booked two tickets. Voila! Just the way it should work.

And yesterday, the fare was back up to $337. Today: $351. The window was narrow, but with SideStep, I was able to hit it.