Entries Tagged as 'Money Saving'

Branded Stuff at Reasonable Prices

I have done posts about designer look-alikes before and about websites where you can get products that look like the original but are available at a fraction of the price of the original because they are imitations. Many of us however do still hanker after the original when it comes to items such as watches, jewelry and accessories. And for those of us who are like that; for whom the brand is all, there is bidz.com, which is a brand name and jewelry auction, which claims to offer authentic products such as jewelry, watches, sunglasses, and other accessories from luxury brands such as Faberge, Di Modolo, Gucci, Chanel, Carrera y Carrera, Valentino, Versace, and so on.

Now this Tonino Lamborghini watch (date watch with genuine diamonds) that retails about two thousand three hundred and sixty bucks, got auctioned off for just $202. Pretty good deal that, I thought.

[Read more →]

Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday is a term that dates back to the 60’s and falls on the Friday following Thanksgiving Day – Black Friday officially marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. This year Black Friday is on November 26 and many retailers will open extra early offering shoppers a chance at getting the best possible deals for a limited period.

Many establishments such as Macy’s, Sears, Toys R Us, Target and Walmart open as early as midnight on Black Friday offering door buster deals and loss leaders (items sold at cost price or even lower prices) to draw people to their stores. Though meant to offer people options for their Christmas shopping, many people grab the opportunity of the big discounts that are offered on Black Friday to buy items that they can resell later; most likely online and for a profit.

[Read more →]

Effective Bargain Hunting Tips to Save You Money

It isn’t just what you buy, but how, when and where you buy it that could mean saving a bunch of money.  For certain items buying online makes the most sense; for others the bricks and mortar outlet may make the most sense. Either way I think some of these bargain hunting tips can help to save you a lot of money, so keep them in mind:

Fru-call it: If you are planning to make a big ticket purchase, say a new TV or similar, and you are at a shop where the salesman is making a great pitch to you, take a minute and do a check. You can just use your cell phone to go online for a minute and check on this website called Frucall as to the best available price for a given item and then make up your mind.

[Read more →]

Expecting a Tax Refund? Make it Count!

That much anticipated check that arrives is the mail; your Tax Refund may mean different things to different people. There are many things you can do with it, you can blow it all up or you can make it count; the decision rests with you. However the former choice will offer temporary satisfaction and the latter will stand you in good stead over the longer term. So here are some ways to make your tax refund count:

Pay off debt: For most people being debt free offers the most satisfaction and relief. On an online poll, more than 50% responders chose to use their tax refund amount to pay off debts or get as close to debt free as possible.

[Read more →]

Tips To Save Money On Your Tax Return

It is that time of year and many of us are probably engaged in thinking up the best ways to save money on your tax return, to pay as little tax as is legally possible.  So what can you do to make sure that the check that uncle Sam sends you by way of a tax refund is the largest that it can be?

Do it yourself: it may seem like a daunting prospect to do your own filing, however when you put your mind to it, filing your own returns is not that difficult and best of all it is free so that it saves you a bunch of money. You can e-file your returns online or you can to print out the forms and mail them in.  This web page is actually a service that will help you; the basic requirement being to fill out a simple form. Turbo Tax helps you file your returns with step by step guidance; another good and helpful site is H & R Block at home.

[Read more →]

Electric Vehicles to Save Money

Regular readers are probably aware that I like electric vehicles and that I have spoken about them before as viable alternative to gas guzzlers. And really apart from their benefit to the environment, there are several economic considerations that make electric vehicles a good choice if one is looking to buy a vehicle. The reasons that I think electric vehicles save money are:

  • They don’t use any gas. They use electricity and rather than fill up at a pump, you recharge at home; much like your cell phone.
  • You don’t notice any particular increase in your electricity bill even with regular recharging. So basically it feels as though you are running your vehicle free, without any payment made for fuel. These total up to substantial savings. I have owned an electric vehicle for a couple of years now so I know how nice it felt to sail right past the gas pump; particularly when the fuel prices were so prohibitively high just a while back.
  • [Read more →]

Using the Dollar Store: Pros and Cons

It used to be the five and dime stores in the good old days but inflation took care of that and now we just have dollar stores. There are many ways in which you can stretch your monthly/weekly budget further by shopping at dollar stores. It really makes sense because the concept upon which the dollar store is based makes it possible for sellers to actually sell the products to consumers substantially cheaper.

[Read more →]

Weight Loss Pills and Supplements – Do You Need Them?

There are several questions: do you need them? Do they work? Are they safe for you? Etc. etc. Weight loss pills, weight loss supplements, weight loss lotions, weight loss foods, weight loss drinks, body wraps, belts and even rings and earrings!

According to this Reuters article, between $33 billion and $55 billion is spent annually on weight loss products and services, including medical procedures and pharmaceuticals, with weight loss centers garnering between six percent and 12 percent of total annual expenditure in the United States alone.

The fact is that only an actual change in lifestyle will give you results if you are trying for weight loss. There is no substitute for healthy eating and exercise in your daily life; that is a fact. However the weight loss industry flourishes on promoting the idea of quick fat loss, of weight loss without effort; of easy methods of losing the inches. These short cut methods are never permanent, no matter what the infomercials tell you. They may give you some results to begin with, before the body builds up resistance to it, and then you are back to square one. How stuff works explains it if you want to have a look.

[Read more →]

Saving Money on Medication

I have done a post before about how to save money on medication, but I think that topic could do with further discussion because sometimes we get prescribed drugs that we don’t even need in the first place.

Do you really need an expensive antibiotic?

It would seem that doctors are prescribing a lot more medications than they used to: in 2007 pharmacists filled 3.8 billion prescriptions, up from 3.3 billion in 2002 and according to at least one doctor it’s because “It’s easier and quicker than explaining to a patient why they don’t need an antibiotic,” How scary is that! So next you’re sick, be sure to ask your physician what he is prescribing and why you need it at all.

[Read more →]

Save Money This Summer

Summer is a season that many enjoy and many loathe, whichever category you fall into, you can make use of some of these tips to make summer more economical for you:

Energy Savings

Whenever possible, turn off the Air con at home and in the car. Air cons are extremely power hungry. And when you do use the AC, make sure your filter is not clogged because that increases consumption of electricity. Don’t use your dryer, line dry your clothes. It won’t take long in the summer sun. Grow trees. Not only are they wonderful for the environment, they are beautiful and they offer cooling shade as well.

The US Department of Energy has a long list of do’s and don’ts with regard to energy saving which you can see here.

Save money while travelling

[Read more →]