10 Habits to Get the Best Online Price

Do you know how to get the very best deals when shopping online? Check out this week's video and learn more. Note: one thing that we forgot to mention in this video is when you are shopping online make sure that you take into account the cost of shipping. If one site is offering a cheaper price than another for the product check the shipping cost on both to make sure that it's really the best deal. And for the best deal on your mortgage give me a call.

 

                       

 

 

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Money Saving Minute #021 - 10 Habits to Get the Best Online Price

According to Money Talks News and Yahoo! Finance when you’re shopping online, prices on everything from toilet paper to TVs could fluctuate several times a day. Dynamic pricing, a strategy that the travel industry has been using for years, is now being used online for many consumer goods. While dynamic pricing makes online shopping more complicated, there’s a silver lining: By following a few simple steps, it’s easy to find the best prices.

1. Use price-tracking apps

An iApp, such Price Tracker, can help you stay on top of Amazon dot com price changes. The Decide app, also for Apple products, helps to determine whether now is the right time to buy a particular product. For Andriod Smart Phones, try The Price Tracker Platinum app. This app provides price tracking for Amazon.com, Walmart, Target, and eBay.

2. Use price-tracking sites

Check out CamelCamelCamel.com to receive Amazon DOT com price drop alerts, price history charts, and price watches. Also follow CamelCamelCamel on Twitter to stay informed of additional sales and promotions. Decide DOT com is another useful site that tracks products and determine whether now is the right time to buy.

3. Comparison shop

It’s easy to compare prices by visiting multiple sites. But to save time, there are a variety of price-comparing sites to help find the lowest prices in one place. Consider PriceGrabber.com, Pricewatch.com, and Shopping.com.

4. Watch for price reductions after you buy

If you purchase an item online and very soon after find the retailer offering it for a lower price, take a screenshot and email it to the retailer. While there are no guarantees, you may be able to get a refund for the difference. This is also something to try if you find the same product on another retailer's site for less. If you email the retailer that you purchased the item from and tell them that you are considering returning the purchase and buying it from the competitor at the lower price they might refunding the difference...especially if the retailer is paying for return shipping.
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5. Clear your cookies before shopping

Sometimes retailers attract NEW shoppers by offering lower prices. Trick a retailer into thinking you’re a new shopper by clearing your cookies before your next visit. Websites use cookies to track your visits, spending habits, and past purchases. Sites can offer you higher or lower prices based on this information.

6. Abandoned The Shopping Cart

If you fill up your shopping cart on a retailer’s site but don’t buy anything, you may receive a reminder, discount, or other incentive as a follow-up. Here’s how it works: Shop the site and add anything you want to your cart. Proceed to check out and fill out enough of the form to enter in your email address. But don’t complete the sale. Wait a day or two and see if you get a special deal or discount in your email inbox.

7. Look for career discounts

Some pages, such as Dell, offer different pricing for certain professionals such as teachers and government employees. When shopping on a website look for any discounts that may apply specifically to you.

8. Check all of your options

On Amazon dot com, scroll down to see similar products at cheaper prices; the featured or sponsored products at the top may cost more. This applies to other sites as well. Some sites list search results by price from high to low or most popular. Be sure to adjust the way the results are presented and view all available options.

9. Search for promotional codes

In addition to finding the lowest available price online, there may also be additional coupon codes available. Go to your favorite search engine and type the product name and the words “coupon code” and see what comes up. Also, check out RetailMeNot.com, CouponCodes.com and Coupons.com for coupon codes, printable coupons, grocery coupons, and free shipping offers. For more information see Money Saving Minute #014.

10. Look for shipping discounts

Never pay full price on shipping unless you absolutely have to. You might come across free or discounted shipping offers during your search for coupon codes. Also check out FreeShipping.org for additional deals.

This has been Money Saving Minute number 021. It's your money and watching the Money Saving Minute each week will help you keep more of it. Subscribe to the right, share with your Facebook and G plus friends below and as always your comments are welcomed.

Holiday Lights



What is the difference between C9 and C7 bulbs, incandescent bulbs and LED holiday lights?  Price, energy use and most importantly, safety.  This week we take a look at how LED's will save you money in the long run as well as up your safe level a notch or two.  And speaking of safe, are you locked into a safe rate on your mortgage?  If you are still working with an adjustable rate mortgage now is the time to lock in, before rates go up. 

 

       

 

 

 

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This installment of the MSM is a continuation of an article from my upcoming December newsletter.  Each month my newsletter is filled with fun and informative articles as well as a couple of puzzles, a recipe or two and a bit of trivia.  Wisconsin residence can email me for a free one year mailed subscription or subscribe from anywhere to the email PDF version.

Money Saving Minute number zero one nine – Holiday Lights

There are many holiday light options and it may get a little confusing. There are the large C9 and C7 bulbs, incandescent bulbs and now LED lights.

While the LED lights are going to be a little more expensive than the incandescent light bulbs, they will save you money in the long run. LED lights have a three-to-five year warranty and the money saved in energy costs will allow the bulbs to pay for themselves in just a couple of years. 

LED lights end up using 80 percent less energy than regular bulbs. In addition, LED’s give consumers the ability to run multiple strands together without fear of blowing a fuse. They also don't heat up like traditional bulbs so there is less risk of fire.  Another great safety feature is unlike traditional incandescent bulbs which are glass and LEDs are plastic, so they are more shatter-resistant.

There are also LED lights that change color, giving consumers the options of going from white to color and back again. There are even solar-powered strands available for outdoor use.

Also don’t forget to look for the UL mark when purchasing new lights. A red UL mark indicate indoor and outdoor use while a green UL mark indicate the lights are for indoor use only.

Finally, watch for recycling and trade in promotions from area retailers.  Not long ago Home Depot was offering a discount on LED's when customers brought in strands of incandescent bulbs for recycling.  The promotion was a reported success so watch for other retailers to do the same.

This has been Money Saving Minute number zero one nine - it's your money and watching the Money Saving Minute each week will help you keep more of it.  We are always looking for new ideas to share.  Tell us how you save on your purchase in the comments section below.  Subscribe to the right and if you like what you see please tell a friend.

 

Print to PDF

Printing to PDF is just one more way to help you save money.  Links to download these programs for your self are below.  For more great tips on keeping coin in your pocket check out my other videos.  For help and information about mortgages, refinancing, first time home buyer info or 203k home restoration loans contact me directly. 

 

 

       

 

Primo PDF       Nitro PDF

 

 

 

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Money Saving Minute number zero one eight – Print to PDF

 

To save money in the office many of us have started printing documents to a PDF rather than printing hard copies.  A PDF printer works just like your home printer as far as your print settings are concerned.  The difference when printing to PDF is that instead of the final product being a piece of paper it’s a file that can be stored on your PC or emailed to another user. 

So how can this money saving print feature be used in your personal life?  For one, do you pay bills or make any purchases online?  After you make your payment do you print your receipt and tracking number?  Print this page to PDF and store it on your PC.  This will save you money as well as reduce clutter in your hard files.  Do you print news articles, recipes, school schedules, photos or jokes to share with friends?  Print them to PDF and email them to your friends and family instead.  This also works great for emails that you would like to save.  Print them to PDF and store them in a folder on your PC for easy access.

There are quite a few PDF creation programs available.  I have found two that are very easy to use as well as free. The first is Primo PDF and second is Nitro PDF.  Both offer different features so I have both on my PC.  Primo offers a security feature that will allow you to password protect your more sensitive PDF’s.  Nitro is nice because it’s a one click and done program.  Below are the links for both free downloads.

DOWNLOADING NOTES

When downloading these or any other programs make sure that you read each page that pops up.  You may be asked if you would like to download toolbars, make a program a default program or download additional programs.  The default setting for each of these questions is “yes”.  If you don’t want these addon’s make sure that you uncheck the box.  Also, once you have downloaded Nitro, Primo or both; go back to your PC and change your default PDF reader back to adobe.  To do this simply right click on any PDF, select properties, click “open with” then select adobe.  Nitro and Primo are great for printing PDF’s but Adobe is still better for viewing PDF’s online.

This has been money saving minute number zero one eight.  It’s your money and watching the money saving minute each week will help you keep more of it.  Click to the right to subscribe, click below to share with friends and as always, your comments are welcomed.

 

 

 



Online Coupons

Do you use online coupons?  There are so many sites that offer online coupons but so far I have only found one that I like.  I could use your feedback.  After watching the video please tell me about any experience that you have had printing and using online coupons in the comment section below.  I hope you enjoy this short video and if you know anyone that needs help saving money on their mortgage or help with a purchase loan please contact me. 

 

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

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Money Saving Minute number zero one six – online coupons

 

In this edition of The Money Saving Minute we are going to talk about online coupons and how to avoid the spam that goes with them.  Toward the end of the segment there is a question that maybe you could help answer. 

 

Coupons save shoppers over four and a half billion dollars annually.  Traditionally consumers have received their coupons in the mail, hunted through the local paper or found coupons at the store.  In the mid 90’s some manufacturers began offering digital coupons online.  It didn’t take long for before counterfeit coupons were being made and retails put an end to accepting home printed coupons.  Today, thanks to new printing technology and security codes, coupons are once again available online and being accepted by retailers . . . but they generally come at a price. 

 

To receive most digital coupons an email address is asked for and let’s face it, thirty cents off on dish detergent is just not worth the spam that will follow.  The Money Saving Minute suggestion is to set up a new Gmail account that you only use for coupons.  When setting up your new Gmail, don’t bother filling in all of the personal information such as phone number and current email address.  Also be sure to uncheck the set Google as my home page as well as Google may use my personal information boxes.  Do, however, remember your password as some coupon sites will email the print link to you. 

 

There are two ways to find coupons online.  One is to go to your favorite search engine, such as Google, and simply type in what you are looking for.  The other is to go to a site dedicated to coupons such as coupons dot com.  Coupons dot com is unique because they don’t require a membership or your email but they do require the download their print software.  One of the steps when installing their software will ask about installing a toolbar.  Be sure to uncheck this box so that the toolbar is not added to your browser. 

 

There are many sites similar to coupons dot com and I would like to find the best ones.  Have you used coupon website?  In the comment section below please tell me which site you have used and if your experience was a good one.

 

By the way, do you know which company was the first to use coupons…

 

This has been money saving minute number zero one six.  It’s your money and watching the MSM every week will help you keep more of it.  Click to the right to subscribe, click below to share with friend and tell us about your online coupon experience in the comments section.

 

Marcy's Paper Towel Tip

I received an email last week from a friend who watches the Money Saving Minute and wanted to share what she has done to save her household some money.  I thought it was a pretty good reminder that convenience costs money.  I am the first to raise my hand and say I am guilty of using a paper towel instead of something reusable simply for convenience.  But now after I see the savings, I'll be thinking twice.  I hope you enjoy this short video and if you know anyone that needs help saving money on their mortgage or help with a purchase loan please contact me. 

 

 

 

       

 

 

 

TEXT FROM VIDEO: I received an email last week from a friend who watches the Money Saving Minute and wanted to share what she has done to save her household some money.  She writes “Here is a little tip I use in the kitchen to save money on paper towels.  We were buying paper towels in the 8 pack rolls and go through the entire stock in about two weeks.  And paper towels are kind of expensive if you are constantly buying them.  About a year ago I was folding those little kitchen towels and had an idea.  I brought over this little canvas basket and filled it up these little towels then put the basket under the paper towel holder.  I knew that if I put the basket anywhere else it would go unnoticed.  Anyway, no more using paper towels for drying hands, wiping counters, cleaning up spills, etc.  We grab a cloth towel and when we are done using it, we throw it in the "dirty" bag under the sink (next to the garbage where the used paper towels end up).  I throw them in the washer and they are ready to use again.  Of course there are times when it works better to use paper towels but by doing one this simple thing, we go more than two months without having to restock our supply of paper towels.  Also, paper towels generally don’t end up in the recycling bin so we are actually being green.”

 

Great idea, Marcy, thanks for the tip.  Do you have a money saving idea that you would like to share?  Leave it in the comments section below or email me.  All of my contact information is posted to the right.

Promotion Codes

                                

 

When shopping online have you noticed a section in the checkout labeled promotion code or coupon code?  When I see that box I think to myself "could I be saving more money?".  But where do you get this code?  Watch this weeks video and find out.  And speaking of saving money, if you or anyone that you know would like to save money on a mortgage please call me.  

 

 

 

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Money Saving Minute number zero one four – Promotion Codes

Shopping online can be a money saver in itself, especially if the retailer is willing to pay for the shipping.  Another money saving step when shopping online is to watch for a section in the checkout called promotion code, promo code or coupon code.  When you see this section stop, open a new window and Google promotion code and the retailer’s name.  Another site to try is PromotionalCodes dot com.  There’s no guarantee that you will find a code that will work for your particular purchase but it’s still worth the two minute investment to check.  There’s no sense in leaving dollars on the table.

This has been Money Saving Minute number zero one four, it’s your money and watching the money saving minute each week will help you keep more of it.  Click to the right to subscribe and click below to share this with your friends.