Tuesday, November 16, 2010
5 Easy Ways to Save Money this Thanksgiving
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Black Friday App Watch: Use Your iPhone to Shop And Save
Next month is one of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday. Years ago retailers focused mostly on newspaper advertisements or mailers, however, in today’s interactive consumers regularly seek out deals online. Therefore it seems only natural that retailers are going to use iPhone Apps to help connect with customers.
Wallet Pop.com put together some of the best Black Friday apps. You can find a section of their article below, or check out the full list here.
Find the lowest prices in the shortest amount of time with the Red Laser app. Simply scan a barcode and Red Laser will find you the best deal by searching both online and in stores near your location. When scanning food products, the free application even provides nutritional information. The quick scanner will help users shop efficiently on Black Friday. Plus, the no-touch scan works perfectly for customers already juggling armfuls of deals.
Rather than searching by barcode, the 99-cent application Save Benjis hunts bargains using key words and categories. This search approach helps customers find low prices before they hit the stores. When you find the best price, purchase items right from the app. Save Benjis even features specials and coupons on many products.
Groupon enthusiasts: Download the Groupon app to save on printer ink, paper and time. The free application allows users to purchase the deals right from their iPhones. It also lets customers to find ones nearby using the iPhones' map and locator. The best part is that users can redeem Groupons directly from an iPhone, eliminating the hassle of printing the deals, or forgetting the proof at home.
For last minute buyers, find local savings nearby by using BeThere Deals. The app finds deals on everything from entertainment to apparel. The discovered deals often save customers up to 50% off original prices. BeThere Deals also finds the cheapest happy hour and restaurant prices for when shoppers work up an appetite. Currently, the free app is only available in a few cities including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, but BeThere Deals promises to add more cities soon.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Five Ways to Save Money on Thanksgiving Travel Now
Since tomorrow is the beginning of October, taxpayers across the country are beginning to make travel arrangements for the upcoming holiday. Since so many members travel to see family for Thanksgiving, the expenses can quickly add up. Earlier today I came across this article from WalletPop.com with advice on how to save on your holiday travel arrangements. You can find a few of the tips below, or check out the full article here.
1. Book now. For the last few weeks, editors at SmarterTravel.com have monitored prices between 100 of the most popular cities for Thanksgiving travel and found that fares are slowly dropping as we approach the end of the month. The same trend occurred last fall, when airlines put Thanksgiving fares on sale in early October, Banas said. At Bing, fareologists said there are 50% more price drops during the holidays if you know how to look for them.
2. Set alerts. Sites that let you search flights on multiple airlines at the same time, like Expedia, Bing and Kayak, will track prices for you routes of your choice. When the prices fall, they will send an alert to your e-mail. These alerts will help you benchmark prices over several days.
3. Be flexible. If you plan to leave the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and return the Sunday after, you could pay as much as $170 more for your ticket, said Genevieve Shaw Brown, Travelocity's senior editor. Some experts suggest that traveling on Thanksgiving day is a good way to snag a cheap seat. Most travelers stay on average for five-and-a-half days, so extending your trip, or shortening it, could also lower your ticket price.
"Consider flying out early on Thanksgiving day itself, when flights can be exceptionally discounted and airports less crowded," said Darren Frei, editorial director at ShermansTravel.com. "But be aware that you always run the risk of delays or cancellations, which could mean missing out on the big feast."
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Top 10 Tips to Getting the Best Bargains on Black Friday
Tomorrow is one of the most popular shopping days of the year, with stores all across the country offering discounts on all types of products. However, before you head out tomorrow morning be sure to check out the following 10 tips for getting the best bargains from About.com.
1. Check Out the Ads
Your local Thanksgiving Day newspaper will be stuffed like your Thanksgiving turkey with ads, coupons, and circulars. This will be your number one source to local Black Friday savings. It will also help you organize your day to maximize savings, since many stores offer special discounts that are time specific. Example: Receive an extra 10 percent off if you shop before 11 a.m.
2. Do Your Research Before Friday:
If you are hoping to scoop up a deal on Friday on a big-ticket item, go ahead and get your research out of the way as soon as possible. A bad product is a bad deal no matter how cheap it costs. Being knowledgeable about the products you want to buy will help you avoid being sucker-punched with loud advertising for poor products. About.com is chocked full of buying advice on a wide variety of products from professionals who have the knowledge to help you make good decisions.
3. Compare Prices:
Utilize price-comparison Internet shopping sites such as PriceGrabber.com to assist you in comparing product prices. Compare the "options" included with the product. Some retailers will low-ball the advertised price on a stripped down product, and then you will be charged extra for the necessary parts that will make the product perform as expected. A good example of this is often seen with super low-priced computer printers that come without the cable (cord) or printer ink.
4. Look for Early Bird Shopper Discounts:
The Early Bird Shopper will be the real winner on Black Friday. Stores offering early-day shopper specials usually run the deals from 5 a.m. until 11 a.m. and with no "rain checks," which means once they run out of the products, you are out of luck. Scanning the ads and routing your trip based on your buying priorities will be important with the time-sensitive deals that will be offered.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Black Friday: Best Day to Buy a Car
The day after Thanksgiving – known as “Black Friday” to enthusiastic bargain hunters – is one biggest shopping day of the year for retail stores across the county. However, you may not know that it is also one of the best days of the year to buy a new car. According to CNN Money.com, studies show that on Black Fridays car dealerships historically offer large discounts on both new and used cars.
Analysts looked at day-by-day car pricing for the last several years. That data revealed that discounts on Black Friday are, on average, the biggest of the year.
"The discounts from dealerships, as well as manufacturers' incentives, generate the highest discounts of the year on Black Friday," said Jesse Toprak, an analyst for Truecar.com.
Unlike typical Black Friday sales where customers know exactly what they'll pay for an item, car prices are individually negotiated the day of the sale, so it's difficult for customers to know ahead of time they'll be getting a deal. But there's been a clear trend, Toprak said.
10 Easy Ways to Save Money this Thanksgiving
With the holiday season just around the corner, millions of taxpayers are looking for ways to save money this Thanksgiving. Between travel expenses, food and supplies for a huge dinner, and other expenses, the total costs for “Turkey Day” can add up quickly. To help my readers have a fun-filled Thanksgiving without breaking the budget, I have put together the following list of ways to save money this year.
1. Be the Early Bird
If you are hosting Thanksgiving dinner for your family and friends then you can benefit greatly from planning your meal and purchasing supplies as early as possible. This way you can be on the look out for discounts on non-perishable products. You can also avoid the huge crowds of last minute shoppers.
2. Request RSVP's
While having some extra turkey and stuffing leftover to make sandwiches can be fun, having TOO many leftovers because of no-shows is basically like throwing money in the trash. By asking your guests to RSVP ahead of time you can get a better estimate of how much food you should buy.
3. Coupon Clip
Food companies know that people buy extra food around Thanksgiving and often print especially good coupons. Even if you are not the “coupon type,” you might be surprised to learn how much you can save this Thanksgiving just by using a handful of coupons. You should also be on the look out for groceries that offer discounts on holiday related products.
4. The Thanksgiving Turkey
The Thanksgiving turkey can easily become one of your biggest expenses, depending on the size of the bird you select. Frozen turkeys are usually a little cheaper, but can take longer to prepare due to the necessary defrost time. Also, be on the look out for stores that offer specials on turkeys. Many will even give you a turkey for spending a certain amount of money. If you can plan it so that you purchase all of your supplies in one trip then you may be able to get a free turkey.
5. Do NOT go Overboard
Although it can be easy to get carried away and create a lavish meal with dozens of sides and desserts, do you really need to? Odds are that most of this extra food will go uneaten and find it’s way to the trashcan. Instead, limit the number of dishes you create and focus your attention on the Turkey.
6. Discount Decor
Another easy way to drain your bank account is by going overboard with decorations. However, there are several ways that you can decorate your Thanksgiving table for little or nothing. Try using dried leaves and pinecones to create a season centerpiece. If you do not have any trees with pretty enough leaves, then you could make them out of orange and brown colored paper.
7. Drink Decisions
There are so many yummy fall beverages that it can be hard to choose between them, and you can very quickly spent too much. Save money by making your own eggnog and cider at home. Search for easy recopies online, and be sure to read the reviews to make sure that they come with good recommendations.
8. Perhaps a Potluck?
If hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner seems like too much, then you can always suggest a potluck to your friends and family. Everyone loves a potluck, and it can save you a decent amount of money if you are supposed to host the dinner. It will also allow you to focus your attention on other tasks, like creating festive decorations.
9. Traveling Tips
If you are traveling for the holiday, then the sooner you book your flight the better. The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest traveling day of the year, which usually results in huge crowds and delayed flights. In addition to buying your tickets early, you could also try arriving a day or two early to avoid the day before Thanksgiving ticket mark ups. If you have enough time, you could even try driving to your destination.
10. Have a Heart
One of the easiest ways to save on Thanksgiving dinner is not to have one. By replacing your family’s meal with something cheap and donating the turkey and fixings to a local charity you can get into the holiday spirit and get a valuable tax deduction. Just be sure to keep your grocery receipt, and make sure you are donating to a qualified charity.
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