Several years ago, I had quite a few conferences in one month and the travel costs were really adding up. We had just gone to one credit card for our company and one for personal, doing our best to “pay as you go” instead of incurring credit card debt at over 20 percent per year.

After searching multiple travel sites until 1:30 a.m. in the morning, I couldn’t find a flight that worked within my budget and finally called it quits.

The next morning, I decided to bite the bullet on the airfare costs and went back online to reserve my room. When I clicked on the pay button for my stay, a message appeared: “Sorry, we’re sold out.” Not only was the room block sold out, the hotel was sold out as well.

I called the hotel and asked what was in walking distance. They gave me names of two nearby hotels. I went to Priceline and found a package deal that saved me over $500 for that trip.

So, here’s an important takeaway. When you find yourself in a situation where nothing seems to be working, stop and take a step back from the problem. Sometimes there’s a reason you’re being stopped.

Rather than trying to force yourself deeper into the corner, turn around and walk away. There is probably a much better option once you are willing to look elsewhere.