Many times people buy used items without realizing that they've been recalled or are faulty. Your friends at CHEAPIOSITY don't want you to get stuck with a lemon or have something electrical blow up on you.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission has a websiteto protect you from making a mistake:
www.saferproducts.gov
They get over 16,000 complaints a year. We think it's a good resource to use before you buy used.
People are always asking Team CHEAPIOSITY about how to get the best travel deals. Over the years, we've told you most of this information, but it never hurts to review. Here are some sites we like to use:
www.AirfareWatchdog.com - tells you about deals that automated websites might miss.
www.AutoSlash.com - tells you the best car rental deals.
www.AwardWallet.com - tells when your miles will expire so you don't lose them. It will consolidates all your accounts on one page.
www.bing.com/travel - uses historical data to predict when prices will go up or down for air fares, hotels, etc.
www.BookYourAward.com - tells you all the tricks you need to know to get what you want for the least amount of award points.
www.EVReward.com - tells you which online retailers have associations with rewards programs, so you can get the most amount of rewards points with each purchase.
www.FareCompare.com - tells you when there are price drops and discounts on routes you are interested in.
www.ITASoftware.com - helps you find the best combination of low price, good routing and best schedule for your itinerary. It doesn't tell you about budget airlines, but keep reading....we'll tell you about that below.
www.SeatExpert.com and www.SeatGuru.com - gives you the pros and cons of each seat on an aircraft.
www.TripIt.com - organizes all your electronic reservations in one place.
www.WhichBudget.com - this site will help you with multiple destinations on your trip.
www.Yapta.com - alerts you by email when there are price drops to a specific destination.
www.Zoombu.com - provides you with 3 detailed door-to-door options from Point A to Point B.
www.HopStop.com - gives you step by step plans for city sightseeing.
If you can't travel more cheaply after trying all these sites...........we give up!!
Even though we're told that things are getting better, everyone we know is still having a tough time. We've come up with some tips that we hope will get you through the holidays without breaking the bank:
1. Make a gift budget and stick to it. All that impulse buying at the mall is a thing of the past. Tighten your belt and don't let it out even one notch!
2. Make a deal with your Adult friends.......no gifts this year.
3. Focus on experiences and not things. Remember the pet rock? Where is it collecting dust in your closet? Get the family together, share a meal, take pictures, create traditions and memories.
4. Got children or grandchildren? Set up a 529 tax-sheltered college savings plan for them instead of that gift that will not be used or remembered after the holidays. They'll thank you for it later as the cost of a College education continues to skyrocket.
5. Make a charitable donation. People really like receiving that kind of gift, and you're doing some good at the same time.
6. Make a gift. Bake cookies, bake a bundt. Watch Martha Stewart and she'll show you how to make something. The cost is low and memories are high.
7. If you have to shop, shop the CHEAPIOSITY way. If you have to spend money, promise us you'll be a smart shopper and do it our way. We know we're right......don't argue with us!
As the mobile age gets more and more advanced, why should we be surprised that now you can get holiday bargains on Twitter?
Here's how, so start tweeting:
http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/4-ways-to-get-exclusive-deals/
Texting.....we don't get it....but then we're not in our teens or twenties any more. (We're stopping there, thank you very much.) What can we do? Texting is here, and we like to stay current. Well, current-ish. It's not like we're sporting skinny jeans and tats. But we digress.
Texting can get expensive unless you have an unlimited mobile plan. For us older folks, texting is a pain.....the typing keys are tiny, we can't read without our glasses, and we don't know all the 'cool' abbreviations...LOL....and we're klutzes.
Here's an article we found to help us text-challenged survive in a cellular world:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20012720-94.html
We're too busy cooking and eating to post.
Team CHEAPIOSITY wishes all our Readers a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy good food with friends and family and most of all, take a moment and be thankful.
Then go out on BLACK FRIDAY and save money, the CHEAPIOSITY way.
At Team CHEAPIOSITY, we love to negotiate, haggle, cajole and anything else we can do to get the best price for whatever we want to buy. Call us crazy. Crazy like a fox.
We realize, dear reader, that not everyone feels the way we do. Some people just don't want the hassle, and that's what retailers rely on. We don't really understand those people, but we must acknowledge that they exist. We accept it and we move on.
Car Salesmen are our favorite people to negotiate with.....let's face it -- they're asking for it. They like to negotiate hard almost as much as we do. For a refresher course in how to buy a car CHEAPIOSITY-style, go to our post: http://cheapiosity.blogspot.com/2008/05/buying-car.html.
For those who don't want the hassle, take a look at: http://carwoo.com/.
CarWoo! charges $79 for its Plus plan that contacts three to five dealers and $39 for the Basic plan that brings in bids from two to three dealers. The fact that you pay also gives the dealers some assurance they are working with a serious buyer.
Don't be frightened. And don't be a sticker-price-paying chump.
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