How to get the most bang for your money on Black Friday and for Holiday Shopping

One thing people love about holiday shopping is getting a great deal on electronics, toys, etc.  However, one of the worst things you can do is get trapped by stores' tricks to lure shoppers into their stores, not have the door buster deal in stock, then you overpay for some item just so you won't go home empty handed.

Door busters are only for the truly dedicated: Unless you are willing to camp out in front of the store on the sidewalk for a day or two (or more sometimes), you won't be able to get that great door buster deal on the popular iPad, TV, etc.  A great alternative to not missing Thanksgiving or other holiday events is to shop online from your home. Nowadays more and more retailers are offering more deals online. For example, Target offered a $140 Target gift card with purchase of the new iPad Air 2, and the deal wasn't just in store, but also online. Not only will you be much warmer inside, but you can shop online and still enjoy Thanksgiving with your family.

Don't feel bad if you miss out, deals will come and sometimes be better: They say patience is a virtue, and don't fall for the hype, the great deals will come again as we get closer to Christmas. Stores have been hyping up Black Friday as a marketing ploy to start the Christmas spending season off with a bang. This is stores' main time when they can get people to spend, spend, spend, so they need to start off strong. If you didn't get the TV, tablet, etc during Black Friday, chances are you'll be able to get it again as Black Friday is actually spread out all the way until Christmas (and even after Christmas you get some great deals too).

Some things are overpriced on Black Friday: Although Christmas decorations, tablet stylus and wrapping paper aren't the most sought after items on Black Friday, many stores try to advertise these as well as must have accessories for the holiday season. Instead of picking up these things along with the new gift you got, head to your local dollar store and buy these for much cheaper. You can get good gift wrapping paper (which looks good and is going be ripped up anyways) as well as a phone or tablet stylus that works just as well as the expensive one from the major electronics store.

Enjoy the holidays with family: One thing people forget in all the holiday shopping is just spending time with their family. If you have a choice between buying a new computer or iPad or flying home to see your parents or grandparents, fly home and see them. You never know what's going to happen in life, so make sure you spend time with them. A famous saying states "Someday for someone you will just be a memory, so make sure it's a good one." Having good memories of fun times is worth more and will last longer than any shopping gift.

Happy Holidays! 

How to Save Money on Summer Vacation Fun

One of the best times of year is summertime: the weather is nicer, people seem more friendly and there is a great laid back attitude towards life. Although you may be enjoying the great weather and wanting to spend more time with the kids now that they are out of school, you don't want to blow your whole budget or risk financial ruin having a good time. Here are some helpful tips to save money on your summer vacations.

1. Drive, don't fly when you can.  Baggage fees, smaller seats, flight delays can make air travel a nightmare especially when it can ruin what was supposed to be a great summer holiday.  Many times it is better just to drive to your destination (if reasonable), and although it may take longer, you can stop at places along the way, spend time with family/friends in the car and make some great memories of your journey to your destination.  Also, if you drive you have more flexibility about when to leave, when to come back and can take that extra person along with you.

2. Budget for souvenirs, eating out.  Although you want to get that great momento from your trip to the beach or those Mickey Mouse ears from Disney World, make sure you choose one or two souvenirs that are worth it.  Spending $5-$10 on a couple of keychains (which will probably just be buried in some drawer within a few months) won't be as memorable as spending $30 on a beautiful statue that you can keep in your house.  Also, make sure to limit what you get when eating out: choose water instead of overpriced sodas and specialty drinks, share entrees (which are usually over sized for one person at most restaurants) and eat light if doing a lot of sightseeing (after all, you're out to see the sights not get too groggy from a food coma).

3.  Bring water, snacks on walking tours, sightseeing trips.  Most people think they won't need water, snacks on all-day sightseeing tours, and then end of being the victims of price gouging by paying too much for snacks and drinks when they are too tired to care. You can eat out when going on an all-day sightseeing tour, but just leave it for lunch, and bring along snacks in a purse or fanny pack so that way when you are hungry you are saving money (which you can use for souvenirs instead!).

4.  Don't let kids dictate what you should or shouldn't buy.  It's an all too familiar scene, kids screaming in the gift shop they want some over priced stuffed animal, and then parents caving in because they are embarrassed the whole store is looking at them and judging what kind of parent they are.  Tell your kids in advance what kind of souvenir or gift they will get or decide ahead of time with them what they would like and choose one nice gift rather than a series of small gifts.  For example, if you are visiting Disney World, tell your kids they can get one big Mickey Mouse stuffed animal vs. getting a Mickey Mouse keychain at Epcot Center, a small Donald Duck glass at Magic Kingdom and a kitchen magnet with Goofy at the Blizzard Beach water park. If you're worried about your kids making a scene in the gift stores, let them make a scene, your job as a parent is to teach them financial responsibility, which is more important than the looks from some strangers whom you'll likely never see again (and the people who are looking likely don't have kids).

5. Spend time with family.  Most of us have family in different parts of the country and if you have family near a major tourist attraction, you can save a lot on hotel costs by staying with them and you get the benefit of spending time with family members you wouldn't otherwise see regularly. You can thank your family whom you are staying with by all going out to dinner and picking up the tab or by asking them to come along.

6.  Don't forget the other "parks," our National Parks.  Most of the time when people think of parks to have fun during the summer, most people think about an amusement park.  However, national parks are not only a great place to visit during the summer, but they are often cheaper then shelling out over $60 per person to wait in long, hour-long lines to ride a 30 second ride.  You can see some amazing sites at National Parks and see things that aren't in any other place in the world.  Although your kids won't want to "learn" during their summer break, they'll enjoy hiking in the woods and they'll learn how they were meant to learn by being genuinly curious about how the geyser Old Faithful really works (vs. reading about it in a book in school).

Have a great time with your summer vacation and remember if you can save money and have a great time, you'll be even closer to having another great vacation sooner than you think!

How to be a Smart Black Friday Shopper

As another Black Friday shopping is upon us, there are numerous great deals, but here are some tips to be a smart Black Friday shopper:

1) If you want a doorbuster deal, be prepared to camp out or wait for a long, long time.  Most of the door busters like deeply discounted TVs or iPads at stores like Best Buy, Walmart and Target expect people to wait in long lines outside their store to build up their hype for Black Friday.  Also, there are just a few items of these door busters, and although some stores like Walmart have an in-stock guarantee for 1 hour, they just guarantee these items at this price and that you'll get it before Christmas.

2) If you aren't prepared to wait overnight or for several hours, focus on small items.  There are still great deals on smaller items, like memory cards, movies, etc. that aren't splashed across page 1 on the Black Friday ads.  They aren't big, big items, but still a great deal.  You can still get great Black Friday deals and you won't have to camp out overnight in the Best Buy parking lot.

3)  Don't fall for store's tactics to force you to buy something overpriced if you don't get the Black Friday deal you wanted.  Many stores make you think you have to buy some full-priced or near full-priced item if you don't get the Black Friday deal you wanted, so you won't walk home empty handed. Even if you don't get anything you wanted on Black Friday, just wait, as Christmas approaches there will be great deals coming.  Although they won't be as published in the media, you can get just as good (and many times better) deals just before Christmas.

4) Black Friday deals on some items are better at other times of the year.  If you don't need a computer now, it's actually better to buy one during Back to School time in late July or August.  Also, TVs are just as discounted or many times discounted even more just before the Super Bowl.  Many stores use pressure tactics to make you think you have to buy a TV or computer during Black Friday or you'll miss out on a great deal (which is absolutely false).

Enjoy shopping on Black Friday, just be prepared to wait a long time if you want to get a great deal, but even if you don't get a chance to shop on Black Friday, don't fret, there will still be great deals (or even better deals) as Christmas approaches and at other times of the year.  Also, only buy what you need, the best deal is saving money and using the same TV as last year.

Next Generation Gaming: Why You Should Wait

The next generation gaming consoles (PS4 and Xbox One) will be coming out in a few weeks and anticipation and hype are building up massively for the new consoles.  The graphics, gaming potential and power of these new consoles is undeniable and with the annoncement that both consoles will support used games (a major concession that Sony and Microsoft had to make if they expected people to flock to these consoles), hype for them is at an all time high.

However, whether you're planning to buy a PS4 or Xbox One, there are several reasons to wait before buying a console on Day 1 of release. First, the first generation or new release of any new technology will have a lot of bugs and problems that have to be worked out.  For example, how many apps now support the original iPad (iPad 1).  The original iPad was considered a genius product by Steve Jobs, but it was definetely lacking in several features including: no camera for Skype or Facetime, lackluster computing power and it was very bulky (especially when you look at the iPad 2,3,4).  Also, remember the "Red Ring of Death," a problem that plagued many Xbox 360 owners? Only after all the bugs were worked out has the "Red Ring of Death" problem worked out.

Second, PS3 and Xbox 360 are already great gaming consoles that have a huge selection of games. While there are a large number of launch titles for both systems, they can't compare with the vast library you get for PS3 or Xbox 360 (and the games are a lot cheaper too).  If you already own an Xbox 360 or a PS3, you already have a great gaming system that will still last a long time. Many people still own a PS2 and there are even still some new games being made for it, but they still work great and have great graphics and a huge, huge selection of games.  Also, with the release of a new gaming system, the games for previous generation systems will go down and there will be more used games (as those who have to have the latest and the greatest gaming systems will be turning in and sellling their PS3, Xbox 360 games).

Third, the price will come down if you have patience and wait.  After the inital hype wears off with the new systems, the price will come down and many times you can get some good game + game system bundles.  For example, when PS3 intially came out it was very expensive for most and came with no games, but later on it fell in price and many times now you get the same system with 1-2 (or more) games included. Anyone who has bought games or movies knows, initially the price is set high but after a few months, the price goes down and/or you can get a good used copy of the movie or game.

Also, if you're not sure which system to get, it's a good idea to wait and see if a friend or family member buys it, try it out and see which one you like.  See what kinds of games come out for both systems, which one you would feel more comfortable with and what you think might be a better investment.  If you're going to pay hundreds of dollars for a gaming system, doesn't it make sense to research your decision and try it out?

Have fun gaming with the new systems, but in the mean time enjoy your current PS3 or Xbox 360 (or even original Xbox or PS2), you'll be glad you waited because you'll save a lot of money and still get to have the same fun experience with the new systems.

How to save money on TV:

One of the largest expenses that never seems to stop growing is your cable bill.  Every few months it seems like the cable company keeps raising prices and then saying their costs have gone up.  While it's true television studios and sports networks keep demanding more and more money, you do have options to fight back.

First, get rid of cable all together.  Most people keep cable primarily for live sports and for cable shows (like the recently famous Breaking Bad or Homeland).  Most network TV shows are available through their websites or apps, so you can even watch your favorite shows on the go (as long as you can wait a day or so).  Also, for live sports, check out your local sports bar or place that has sports nights (basically any place with a bar can put most any game on for you).

Second, sign up for Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime.  While you do have to pay a small subscription fee, you can get a lot of movies and TV shows.  Netflix, for example, recently started offering the first season of the NBC hit show "Revolution." Also, the amount you pay for 2 or 3 of these services is minimal compared to what you pay for your monthly cable bill.

Third, get a good quality antenna.  The picture quality with many decent antennas for network TV can actually be better than cable or satellite.  Most antennas cost less than your monthly cable bill and provide you with all the free network TV you want, and if you have a TV from the last 10 years, it will get you free HD (many cable companies and satellite providers still have the nerve to charge extra for HD service).

Losing cable TV isn't without sacrificies, but think what you can do with an extra $70 a month, over the course of a year that's over $840 dollars. You aren't losing TV all together, but with so many resources on the internet and with good quality over the air free TV nowadays, cutting your cable company off has become easier.  If we all did this more, then maybe the cable companies and networks would realize we don't just have to take their attempts to constantly increase prices without fighting back. You can enjoy your TV and have fun with the cash you are saving!

Saving Money While on Cruise Vacations

As spring and summer come around, many people start planning and taking their vacations.  One of the most popular vacations is a cruise.  A cruise is great in many ways: you have unlimited food, around the clock entertainment and activities, there are great activities for everyone to enjoy, and you can see multiple, interesting ports of call.  It's also a great way to take a vacation if you are a family or in a large group since you're all together in one place (there's only so many places you can go on the ship) and it's easy to find something everyone will like to do and eat.

However, just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you should just take a vacation from your sense of financial responsibility. Most all cruise lines give you a passenger card, which lets you back on the ship from a port of call, but also essentially is like your credit card while on board. All too often, passengers just give their passenger card to buy a drink at every event on the ship, thinking "It's easy, just give them this card and I'll get a drink" or "Hey, I'm on vacation, I deserve it!" Yes, you do deserve some of it, but just realize that you have to pay $10 for that mixed drink you had during the ship orientation when you get your final bill the morning you leave.

Another area on the ship and at ports of call that you may be tempted to spend a lot is shopping. Although many of the shops on board will tempt you with "Great Deals," most of these deals are no better than deals you might get during a good sale at your local department store.  Try to limit your purchases to rare and unique items that are low to moderately priced.

The best advice is try to limit your purchases with the passenger card, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep track of how much you have spent with the card. Keep all receipts you get, so that way when you get your final bill on your morning of disembarkation, if there are any discrepancies, you can show all your receipts to the front desk as proof of what you spent. Although it's rare for the billing to be off (unless your passenger card was stolen), mistakes do happen, and it's your responsibility to make sure everything is accurate. 

Finally, do enjoy your cruise and your vacation. Cruises can give everyone in your group a great time, and when you get back home, you can feel good that you had a great time without blowing your budget. Have fun!

Saving Money on Books

As the weather gets warmer, many of us head out to the beach, the park or other outdoor area carrying our favorite book. However, all too often, I see people walking out of the neighborhood bookstore carrying overpriced books that they could have bought much cheaper by doing some easy comparison shopping.
The internet makes comparison shopping a breeze in today's world (when before you had to drive store to store or call around every store in your area asking for prices).

Most books bought at regular bookstores are overpriced and it's unlikely you'll read the book more than once or maybe twice, so always try to see if you can get the book used. You can then turn around and try to sell the used book again, or if you can't sell it, at least you won't feel so bad about spending $20 or sometimes even $30. Also, books depreciate in value very fast; just look at the last new book you bought a few months ago, and see how much it's worth on Craig's List. Some books may be used multiple times, such as cookbooks or reference books, but with the internet almost everywhere, usually it's just easier (and faster)to get online and look these things up.

Also, one of the best sources of books that is also often the most overlooked is the local library, where the books are free to read (even if you are just visiting an area for a while, many libraries will let you rent books for free or for a very small fee). The only caveat with renting books from the library is that sometimes you have to wait a while for new releases or popular books, but if you don't mind waiting, this is your best bet.

Although e-books are becoming more and more popular, once you read the book, you can't return it or turn around and sell it, like traditional books. Sometimes e-books are cheaper than traditional books, but many publishers have not discounted the books (since there's no cost for printing the paper version) as much as expected. If it's a e-book you really want to have because it's "cool," just remember the extra price you're paying for that "cool" factor.

If you need a new book, use the internet to comparison shop. A very good tool is the Google Shopping website (http://www.google.com/products), which compares online stores, but also looks at nearby stores in your area (if you need the book sooner). Google shopping also tells you which bookstores have the books in stock, but it's always best to call the store yourself to double check before you head out there. Many times books ordered online are much, much less expensive than books bought in the store and many times even come with free shipping or the cost of the book plus shipping can often be cheaper than the in-store price (which is usually always the list price, whereas online stores often give a discount from the list price). The only exception to buying new books in the store is at a warehouse store, like Costco, where books are discounted from the list price and you can return in the book later than the 2 weeks that other traditional book stores give you (just make sure you keep the book in very good condition).

Happy Reading!