Great Prices Here

…..And the urge to travel is upon me. If you missed my previous posts about travel, take a look at the best destinations in Europe and read about budget cruises. So if you have decided on where you’re heading maybe I can help you with some travel accessories. We’ll take a look at suitcases, and other stuff you need to carry when on a trip out of town.

Let me start with something that my heart really warmed to: this very smart red 5 piece luggage set from Walmart. The whole set costs $89.88 which I thought was a steal! If you don’t know what you would do with five bags, take a look here at this Staples Trolley bag for just $7.90. On the other hand if you already have some suitable luggage, you should look to getting yourself a folding luggage trolley which is available for $16.99

If like the Japanese you are a good tourist, a camera will be an extension of your arm while you are on holiday, especially if you are sightseeing. I thought this 7 mega pixel Canon Powershot A470 Digital Camera was a super deal for $119 (there is an additional $10 off coupon available). The price includes a free 1 GB memory card too! Another really good deal is this Kodak Easy Share 8 Mega pixel camera for $119.95. And if like me you like to record every little thing that the kids do that is oh-so-amazing then go in for this Digital Video Camera for $199.99

For rest and relaxation while traveling, especially while flying, some of these travel accessories may come in real handy such as a sleep mask ($9), an inflatable travel pillow ($8) or kids pillows, or even an inflatable back rest ($11). For the beach or a poolside holiday you may want some of these accessories such as a waterproof waist pouch, or water-seal for your iPod etc. Take a look here for some great accessories especially for women (including a very innovative bra stash!). Another really handy accessory is this universal charger which charges up to 4 AA size batteries and also - if you leave the batteries in - will power most cell phones, digital cameras, camcorders, MP3s, iPods, CDs, MDs, multimedia players, and Bluetooth devices.

If you are traveling abroad, some countries will need for you to carry plug adapters so remember to find out what is applicable for where you are planning to go.

In my earlier post Dressing Up a Bit I told you about travel sets with bags that you may also find useful to take a look at.

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Tags: Best Deals, Entertainment, travel by Nicole Price
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Spring is a lovely time of year, but it is also about this time that you have to file your taxes. Doesn’t sound all that lovely now, huh? I have been trawling the inter-web trying to find the best ways to pay the taxman as little as possible. Because, remember it is OK to manage your income in a way that you avoid paying taxes as far as possible, so you should try and get every tax advantage you can. So I thought I’d share with you any pearls of wisdom I came across on the net.

This CNN money article, is a real useful ready reckoner. It gives you information about the new tax breaks, like those for mortgage insurance and mortgage debt forgiveness. Unless you are in a really high income tax bracket, you are probably entitled to a one time stimulus tax break this year. This article has a very useful list of exemptions so check it out.

This article by William Perez talks about how one couple were able to eliminate paying taxes altogether. This article talks about how you can substantially reduce or eliminate your income tax by saving for retirement, owning a home, sending your kids to college. William Perez has compiled a comprehensive list of ways to lower your taxes with links to more details on each point, so that you can get more information of any of the basic topics he has covered.

On the official IRS site there is a tax topics index where you can seek out detailed information about whichever deduction you need for instance Topic 451 deals with IRAs. Here you will find articles about general information, IRS procedures, collections, alternative filing methods, Filing Requirements, Filing Status and Exemptions, Adjustments to Income, Itemized deductions, methods of computation and pretty much everything you want to look up.

Did you know (I suppose you did) that The Energy Policy Act of 2005 of encourages you to be green? This is how: there are tax benefits for energy-efficient homes, vehicles and equipment. Earlier you could get tax credits for buying and owning a hybrid vehicle, but that provision is now no longer in force. Apparently the government does not want to encourage you to lower emissions and gas consumption or want you to reduce your gas bill. Ah well, in a year’s time we will see a new US president, perhaps a woman or a black man (or not, who can predict?), and then there will be a bunch of new stuff to contend with!

And just to put a smile back on your lips, here are a couple of links to some tax related humor:

http://www.offthemark.com/tax/tax.htm

http://www.martybucella.com/taxtoons.html

Enjoy!

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Tags: General, Government, Make Money by Nicole Price
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Often think how much money celebrities spend on looking the way they do? The clothes they wear, the accessories that they carry, all cost a bomb! No wonder we can’t look the way they do! But do you really have to dress expensive to dress smart? I think with some wherewithal and a little investigating you can find places to buy that which looks like it could be a designer item, but isn’t! Call them knock-offs, copies, lookalikes, replicas or call them ‘inspired by’, whatever way you look at it, it is well worth checking out the possibilities.

Check out this very red-carpet-looking pleated neck tie dress for $29.99 or a smart little black dress for $49.99 at High Maintenance. I liked their inexpensive collection of tops as well. They have some nice distressed denim skirts, camouflage pants and capris too.

If, like me you like handbags, then check out this site which stocks ‘designer inspired’ handbags. I thought some of their leather handbags, like this one, were quite smart. Some of their clutches I found to be rather busy, but some like this one, were quite stylish.

If you like bling, It’s Alot Alike is the place to go. I admit that I am not a bling person, but I really liked this mother of pearl cuff watch for $25. They have plenty of other items claiming to be inspired by designer bracelets, rings, necklaces and a lot of other stuff.

Fashion heaven is a site that stocks ‘designer alternative’ bags, sunglasses and discount bridal accessories. They have some very neat bags in their clearance section, such as this red handbag.

Oh and just by the way, because proms (and obviously prom dresses because it is ALL about the dress) seem to be on a lot of minds, I thought I would also take a look to see what I could find. At shopshop.com, there is quite an extensive and reasonably priced selection. The prom dress shop has an extensive collection of designer and designer-like dresses. Fairy godmother has a selection, some of which I found to be a little risqué, even tarty.

So if you are planning to go shopping soon, I hope I have given you all some food for thought!

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Tags: Accessories, Best Deals, Clothes by Nicole Price
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Let me confess people, this is a self-indulgent post! If you have read this blog before you probably know that I love shopping and one of the things that I love shopping for the most is cosmetics. So let’s see what bargains we can find for cosmetics, skin care products, perfumes etc.

I came across a few sites that not only stock many different brands of cosmetics so you can shop by brand if you so wish, but many of them offer discounts or gift sets and best of all, clearance sales!! At StrawberryNet I found a great selection in the Easter Special section with many items at a whopping 50% discount. I thought this Aramis travel set at a 50% discount would make a great gift for a guy. A good gift for a girl would be this Clinique Travel Set which is also at a 50% discount and includes moisturizer, turnaround concentrate, eye shadow, lipstick, lip gloss and bag.

And I know I would love for someone to gift me this Dior Travel Set which includes lotion, serum, concentrate, make up remover and bag! Really neat bag too!

Cosmetic America is another site that offers multiple brands and good deals; shall we go straight to the clearance sale? There is this 5 piece Estee Lauder Beauty Set at $19.95 and includes lip gloss, lipstick, cream, mascara and a night cream. Very nice! My fav fragrance in the world, Cool Water by Davidoff (for men? hooey! I wear this fragrance myself) is available with its deo and shower gel counterparts for the sale price of $ 39.95. Also very nice!

Buy me beauty is also a good site and sells you many heavily discounted items and also has a clearance sale section. I liked (I tell a lie, I love, love, love Elizabeth Arden products) the Elizabeth Arden flawless finish make up at a 53% discount, or for the price of $12.95. L’oreal’s eye pencil is offered for just $1.89, that is a whopping 75% discount!

If you decide to order these items online, check for shipping discounts or even free shipping on multiple items. So I hope I have given you an excuse to doll up a bit?

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Tags: Best Deals, Cosmetics, Gifts by Nicole Price
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Have recently checked the price of gas? It is just going thru the roof! There is a lot of buzz on the internet about steeply rising oil prices and this MSNBC article reports oil prices reaching an all time high of $106 a barrel, so I was prompted to find out some alternatives to our traditional gas guzzler vehicles.

They can be solar powered vehicles, electric vehicles, CNG vehicles or hybrid vehicles. When automobile giants such as Toyota promise hybrid vehicles in a few years as reported in this New York Times article then I suppose you can conclude that vehicles using alternatives to petrol are here to stay. And when there is the matter of fuel efficiency of up to 120 miles per gallon, I would sit up and take notice. Wouldn’t you? CNN’s article about hybrid vehicles talks about electric vehicle manufacturer ZAP and Hybrid Plus’s new offering, which will permit conversion to a plug-in variety. Of course this conversion is for a very steep $24,000 to $36,000 depending on the vehicle and size of battery pack. And in any case these are the hybrid or the dual power source vehicles.

I am more interested in electric vehicles, you know the kind you charge, rather like you would a cell-phone, and go. I like the fact that these have no carbon emissions and do not use any fossil fuel and so are eco friendly and are way cheaper to run. I am seriously considering buying an electric moped because it just makes so much sense when you have to travel short distances and have lots of little errands to run. And I saw and rode one of these recently; have you heard an electric scooter? Neither have I! Simply because the engine is so silent!

I found that ZAP, quoted by CNN as a pioneer in the field of electric cars, offers a range of electrical mopeds/scooters and bikes as well. ‘Zapino’ in the picture here has a list price of $2995. I thought it looked rather natty too!

The Zappy 3 EZ scooter is more modestly priced at $580 while an enhanced version, the Zappy 3 Pro Electric Scooter is priced at $900.

One more good idea I thought was the electric bicycle, which is like an add-on for your bike, so you can undertake longer cycling excursions and when you are fagged out with too much pedaling, you simply switch to the electric power mode! These electric bike options will cost you $349 or $449 depending upon your requirements.

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