As a few others have said, it's not always just about saving money, but making those most of the flights without blowing your budget. So if you can save a few bucks and get a few extra MQMs (or whatever you're trying to earn) while your at it or fly a different airline,plane,product, etc... than normal, then why not? If I've got the time, I will certainly look at alternative bookings just to spice it up a little bit.