NYT exposes some gems you might not think of first when planning a summer getaway, which is exactly why they’re on sale. But if you can put up with or get over the reason why most people skip them, you can have a great time for less, and with fewer people around. [More]
saving money
Never Pay A Debt Collector The Full Amount
By 5.12.11
The dirty little secret of debt collecting is that most of them are not working directly for the original company you ran up the debt with. They’re an outside third party and they bought your debt for pennies on the dollar. The debt collector’s goal is to get the most money out of you for the least amount of effort. This means all you have to do to make this calculus work to your advantage is settle with the debt collector for around the same price he paid to buy your debt. So start low. [More]
Beat High Airfares With The Old "Hidden City" Trick
By 5.9.11
Here’s a little secret to saving big on airfare, courtesy of the New York Times Magazine. When you fly into an airport that is mainly controlled by one airline, like Memphis, Newark, or Dallas, it can be pretty pricey. For instance, Des Moines to Dallas is $375. But if you booked it to LA with a stopover in Dallas, the price drops to $186. All you have to do is just not get on the connecting flight. This is the “hidden city” trick. [More]
Tricking Yourself Into Saving By Rounding Up Every Check In Ledger?
By 5.4.11
While trying to find an article in the Twin Cities Pioneer Press archive, I found a letter from one of their readers who had a unique way of tricking herself into saving money. Whenever she writes a check, she rounds it up in the check register. When she deposits a check, she rounds it down. At the end of the year she finds she has a cache of “ghost money” that she uses to buy new shoes, go to the movies, make donations and do home improvement projects. Depending on how you look at it, this is either the dumbest savings method ever, or an incredibly smart one. [More]
6 Ways To Be A Savvier Traveler And Save
By 5.2.11
Q: I’m taking a vacation, room rates are ridiculous. Any way you can save me some money?
A: This is fun. You can start your own miniature bidding ware by calling up several hotel desk clerks and ask them for “the cheapest non-refundable rate.” Play them against each other. Using this method, you can save upwards of $20 off the online rate, even though they insist that that’s their cheapest available rate.
Save On Mid-Grade Gas By Mixing Regular And Premium
By 4.28.11
If you put mid-grade gas in your car, it’s actually cheaper to pump in a mixture of premium and regular to get the same octane level. But how much of each do you use to get the right blend? As will some day be with all things in life, there’s an app for that. [More]
Find Your Car's Most Fuel Economic Speed
By 4.25.11
As a former long-haul trucker, Jason knows a fair amount about saving money vs saving time when it comes to deciding how heavy to put your foot on the pedal. And it all come down to this: ” “Speed destroys your fuel economy,” he writes. “I routinely drove 3,000 plus miles per *week. The faster you go, the more gas you burn.” Here’s some quick math to back up his claim [More]
Switch To Old-School Safety Razors And Save $160 A Year
By 4.25.11
Like a drug dealer giving out free samples, Gillette has been getting men hooked on Fusion razors by handing out free Fusion razors. You go along and you think, mm, this is a pretty good shave, and eventually you need to buy replacement cartridges, and it turns out they cost $40! Reader Jim got sick of spending $250 a year on cartridges for a shave that wasn’t stellar so he decided to kick it like a grandpa and switch to old-school double-edged safety razors. Jim says the blades on these just cost pennies a piece and the shave is cleaner and closer. Here’s how he made the switch: [More]
Getting Married For $73.34 In 1972
By 4.21.11
A far cry from the extravagance, pomp and expense of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding is the much simpler affair enjoyed by yearofshoppingdetox’s mother and father back in 1972, where they achieved eternal union for only $73.34. [More]
Store Bulk Grain With Free Frosting Buckets From Your Grocery Bakery
By 3.21.11
So you’re a savvy shopper and you’re saving by buying food in bulk and cooking a lot of your own meals. But how do you store all that food, especially grain? Your wallet isn’t the only one who likes a big stash of wheat, so do mice and other critters. To solve this problem, Laura over at the Heavenly Homemakers blog likes to hit up the bakery department of her local groceries and ask for their empty 5-gallon buckets of frosting. [More]
43 Ways To Save Money
By 2.24.11
I sent out an email blast to my friends and family asking them for all their best tips on ways to save money. I got back lots of great responses which I have culled down to 43. Not all of them might apply perfectly to you, as, for instance, you might not wear overalls, but they’re good for getting in the spirit of pinching those pennies a little tighter. [More]
10 Thrifty Ways To Deliver Big On Valentine's Day
By 2.11.11
Just because the economy is in the dumps doesn’t mean your spirits have to be on V-Day. There’s lots of great ways to celebrate your relationship without buying into all the myths of conspicuous consumption. At the same time, classic romantic gestures can be nice and sweet, as long as there’s more feeling than Franklins behind them. Here’s a guide to some last-minute, creative, frugal and even free ways to say “I love you.” (Spoiler alert: the best day to celebrate February 14… is February 15! It’s like getting Valentine’s Day half-off!) [More]
Tuesday And Wednesday Are Best Days To Buy Airfare, Smart Guys Say
By 2.1.11
The best day to buy airfare is often Tuesday, but Wednesday also offers good deals, which are sometimes even better. How come? [More]
Buy And Sell Unused Groupons (And Other Daily Deals) On Lifesta
By 1.21.11
So your BFF work friend cc’d you on that super cool Groupon and you bought in with everyone else and then a little bit down the road, regret sits in. Maybe you remembered you hate fondue. Maybe the restaurant was closed for rats when you got there. Maybe you realized you would much rather have the money for your upcoming cross-country skeeball championship. Well, you’re stuck, right? Not so. Enter Lifesta, a clearinghouse site where you can buy and sell unused Groupons, coupons, discount packages, or vouchers. [More]
Find Cheaper Textbooks Online
By 1.19.11
The New York Times Bucks Blog has a great feature on finding textbooks for less. There’s a great list of comparison sites in there. Don’t forget too the option of e-textbooks at sites like CafeScribe. Having all the text digitized not only makes it lighter and more portable, but you can easily CTRL-F if you’re trying to find a key phrase or concept. [More]
The Woots And Groupons Of Travel Bargain Sites
By 1.18.11
A number of travel sites have cropped up offering “Woot-like” and “Grouponesque” deals for getaway bargains that are available only for a limited time before a new deal goes up, and/or gives you a price-break the more people who jump onboard. Here’s a few to peruse: [More]
Amazon Deals App For iPhone Launches
By 1.14.11
Amazon has put its Gold Box Deals into iPhone form with this week’s launch of its new Amazon Deals app. Buying things you don’t need while on the go just got easier! [More]
