Save Money on Men’s Dress Shirts by Paying More
It does actually pain me a little bit to write an article about spending more as an attempt to actually save yourself money in the long run. Usually, I will fight this notion, but when it comes to men’s dress shirts, I have found through experience, that it really does make much more sense to spend more on the front end.
Having to wear a suit everyday for work, I have purchased many dress shirts over the years at places like Kohl’s, Macy’s, Marshals, and Ross. But the problem with all of these shirts that I felt like I was getting a great deal on is that they are just simply ok. Many of them, even though they are advertised as “iron-free,” still come out of the dryer with plenty of wrinkles. In addition, many of these shirts would get wrinkly quickly throughout the day losing their crisp ironed look.
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How to Avoid Maryland’s E-ZPass Monthly Fee
Recently, Maryland started charging a monthly “maintenance” fee to hold an E-ZPass of $1.50/month. I know, $1.50 per month isn’t that much, but consider this fee for the commuter who rarely even uses the E-ZPass. For a total of $18 year, many E-ZPass holders find themselves barely even paying $18 in actual tolls for the entire year.
So how do you avoid paying the monthly E-ZPass fee? First remember that an E-ZPass is pretty much good in every state and every toll location. Therefore, if you received your E-ZPass in Maryland, you can use it in New York or Chicago. This is important because some of these states do not charge their users a monthly fee. Second, it’s important to find out what states allow out of state customers to purchase an E-ZPass from them. Some states will refer you to your resident state when you try to purchase a pass from them.
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Payback: List of Fees Customers should be able to Charge Businesses
MYM Fee: If I go to the ATM and it’s out of order, the bank owes me $2.75
MYM Fee: If I choose to print a ticket from my computer with my paper and ink, then Ticketmaster owes me a $5.00 processing fee.
MYM Fee: If I bring my own carry on luggage on a flight, put all of my liquids in little zip lock bag, take off my shoes, get a full body scan, leave 2 hours prior to my flight, pay $30 to check my bag (each way), pay $50 to park my car at the airport, and cannot use my phone in mid-air, then the airline owes me a free beer fee.
MYM Fee: If the Metro in Washington, DC can now charge me a peak of the peak charge, I can charge metro a peak away from the peak discount.
MYM Fee: If I buy an item on eBay and I’m charged $15.00 for shipping and when the item arrives with a postage stamp of $1.50, I can charge the seller a $13.50 greedy fee.
MYM Fee: If virtually every company can charge me a late fee on any payment for anything, then I can charge them a paid you back early fee.
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Free Ways and Applications to Get the Most from Your BlackBerry
Do you own a BlackBerry and feel like you should be milking it for more than just sending text messages/emails and making phone calls? Well if you don’t, then what are you lugging around that clunker for anyways?
The first thing I would recommend for BlackBerry users is to purchase a Flash memory card (micro SDHC). The size of the card you purchase depends on what you will be using your phone for, but generally an 8GB card will be more than enough for the average user. Don’t worry, they don’t cost too much, especially if you order one online. Newegg sells an 8GB card for just 16.99 w/ free shipping. This card will allow you to store pictures, videos, music and more—it’s a must for all BlackBerry owners.
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Shop Online for Sports Memorabilia Gifts
As a big Minnesota sports fan, I often get presents from friends and family of logo filled memorabilia and as lame is it sounds, I love it. It seems like now, most sports memorabilia can really set you back financially. For example, a jersey can cost well over $100 and mug or shot glass at the stadium can easily cost upwards of $20-30. Online is by far the cheapest place to get these types of items for people as gifts not only because of the price, but because of the options.
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Do You Know How Much Your Friends Make?
I think it is natural to pretend you don’t care how much your friends make, but really find your self curious to find out. I have never fully understood why people treat their salaries like a secret vote on a hotly polarizing issue. While I do understand why some people are just not comfortable letting everyone know how much they make, I do not necessarily see any bad in sharing the information.
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Ways to Increase Your Savings Account
It wasn’t long ago when we were writing about the horrible savings habits of U.S. households. Only a few years ago, the personal savings rate bottomed at less than 1%, meaning that Americans were saving less than 1% of what their take home pay was. Now, the personal savings rate is higher than it has been in a while at 6.4% in June. While this still is not the ideal number, it is a significant jump. Are you contributing to this spike in savings?
It’s only natural after a economic downturn and job instability that consumers are more or less scared into saving. Scared or planned, it is encouraging to see that some are starting to plan for their futures instead of outspend the present. How much should you have saved up? This is an evolving figure that nobody really seems to agree upon, but I think if you have between 2-6 months worth of living expenses, you are well prepared.
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Redbox Now Does Blue-ray Hooray!
Everyone has heard (read) us rave about Redbox for their cheap rentals and numerous kiosks, but they have gotten better. Why? Because they will now be carrying Blu-ray disks for a whopping $1.50. That’s a pretty sweet deal and maybe enough to get people on the fence about buying a Blue-ray player to actually get one. Although, I still stand by a media computer docked to the TV with a Blue-ray drive, but that’s not really the point.
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Swaptree.com Offers a Cost-Effective Swap Site with a Conscience
Millions of Books, CDs, DVDs, and Video Games Available
While bartering for goods has occurred since the beginning of time, a new consumer trend is emerging as people look to save money and reduce their environmental footprint (to make yourself feel better)- by swapping their stuff online.
Leading the way in the online swap movement is Swaptree.com, which gives consumers the option to trade in books, CDs, DVDs and video games they already have for items they actually want. There is no money exchanged as swappers pay only for shipping (generally under $3), so the site represents an enormous opportunity for cost-savings, versus buying the products off the shelf. (It’s also great for clearing out the old stuff that’s just collecting dust around your house.)
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Attention Runners and Bikers, Save Money by Using Your Phones GPS
I recently finished my first marathon and spent about 5 months training and around $200 on a GPS watch to help me track my progress. For anyone serious about biking or running and you have yet to try a GPS training gadget, you have got to give it a try. Knowing exactly how far you have traveled and the exact pace you are going is key to tracking your progress and reaching your goals. Not to mention, it’s just pretty cool.
Now, you can give GPS training a go for free! The Endomondo Sports Tracker application for your cell phone is now available that can give you most of the benefits of an expensive watch without any of the costs. This nifty application will not only track your runs, but when integrated with their website, you can find a summary of all your workouts, keep an eye on your friends latest workouts, see your workouts on a map and more. I guess the only downsize is you’ll have to figure out a way to carry or strap your phone on you during your run, but if you have a memory card in your phone, you can then use your phone as your GPS trainer and MP3 player.
Currently, the free application works with Nokia, HTC, iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG, HP, Eten, Palm, and Garmin devices.
Give it a try, for $0.00, you cant go wrong.
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How to Connect Your TV to your Computer
And Avoid Buying Unnecessary Media Equipment
There seems to be more and more devices coming out similar to Roku, Boxee, Google TV etc, which allow users to stream media, like Netflix, to their TVs. None of these players are all that cheap and they all seem to be limited in what they can do. Essentially, all the different type of media machines are just trying to mimic what a computer does. This is why I think more people should consider just buying a computer and having it permanently hooked up to your TV.
A computer hooked up to your TV allows you do to do pretty much anything other media machines offer and more. You could stream Netflix movies, use it as a Blue Ray player (with a Blue Ray drive of course), view your pictures, listen to your music, stream sports, watch hulu and more. All of this would come at relatively the same price if not cheaper than a limited media machine.
There are added bonuses to having another computer in your house as well, this machine could also be used as a server and storage spot for all your other home computers and laptops. You could hook your cable to this machine and install orb, which allows you to stream your computers media and cable to your blackberry or iphone for free (avoiding a slingbox). The flexibility of computers over these other devices is endless.
I do this at home and use an old laptop that is always hooked up to the my TV and I use my blackberry as the mouse and keyboard for the computer through an blackberry application. If you decide to go this route, make sure you use a fast enough computer to run your media and its probably best to have a video card with an HDMI out that would go to your TV.
Have you done this? How did you do it?
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Should I buy BP?
BP Exec by Mike Mitchell
This is an interesting question, for a number of reasons. I won’t go into too much detail here on BP (BP); you should make your own decisions…but consider this:
Yes.
- Stock is already at 50% of it’s highest value for the year.
- Might get bought by another company which will immediately make the value more.
- Over the long term, oil is only going to increase in value.
- Crowd seems to think its a good buy: you see a bounce after every big drop, thats from others scooping it up.
No.
- They haven’t even made a dent in the leak.
- Company is literally hemorrhaging billions of dollars.
- Lawsuits against BP.
- Obama’s oil fund is going to be expensive.
- Rebuilding their image is going to be expensive.
What do you think?
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DIY: How to Add Refrigerant to a Homes Heat Pump
To follow up on a recent post describing how to recharge your car’s air conditioner, I’d like to take the issue further and describe the process of charging your home’s air conditioner. Specifically, if you have a heat pump unit, which is one unit that does both your homes heating and cooling. If you Google the issue of adding refrigerant to your homes heat pump, all you will get is message boards of everyday people asking how to do it, and certified “professionals” saying it’s a job only for them to handle and you will likely blow up your unit just by looking at it wrong. The reality is that although heat pumps are slightly complex, the only reason “normal” people are banned/afraid of working on them is because the refrigerant used (usually R-22 in older units) requires a certification to either purchase, install, or take out of a unit. Now, there is a product on the market that emulates the same refrigerants your homes air conditioner requires, but is environmentally friendly and does NOT require a license. So here is my quick tutorial on how to add a charge to your homes heating and cooling unit.
[Ed. - New update after the jump]
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Hottest Deals of the Season
If you are going to do some serious shopping, do it smart and do your homework!
Top Deals:
• 13.3″ Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310RD for $599.99 plus free shipping (normally $699).
• Battle Fantasia (360) for $9.99 plus free shipping (normally $22).
• Match.com 3 days for $0
Computing and Peripherals:
• 20″ HP TouchSmart 300-1025 All-in-one Desktop PC for $872.65 plus free shipping (normally $949).
• HP LX195 MediaSmart Home Server for $199.99 plus free shipping (normally $249).
• 18.4″ Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q830 Core i7 Laptop for $1,349.99 with free 2-day shipping (normally $1,432)
• 15.6″ HP Pavilion DV6-1354US Laptop for $649.99 plus free shipping (normally $799 – use this form).
• 15.6″ Lenovo IdeaPad Y550 LED Laptop for $599 plus free shipping (normally $1,043 – use coupon code USPGIFTY550).
• 15.4″ Dell Vostro 1520 2.2GHz NoteBook for $499.99 plus free shipping (normally $570).
• 14″ ASUS UL80Vt-A1 Laptop for $819.95 plus free shipping (normally $915).
• 13.3″ Toshiba Satellite T135-S1310RD for $599.99 plus free shipping (normally $699).
• 10.1″ Lenovo S10e Netbook with 160GB HDD for $229.99 plus free shipping (normally $270).
• 10″ Acer AOD250-1584 Netbook for $318.64 plus free shipping (normally $340).
• 10″ Lenovo IdeaPad S10e Atom 1.6GHz Netbook for $230 plus free shipping (normally $280).
• 28″ I-Inc iF-281DPB Widescreen LCD for $274.99 plus free shipping (normally $300).
• 21.5″ Compaq Q2159 1080p LCD for $139.99 plus free shipping (normally $170).
• 24″ Dell S2409w LCD for $189.00 plus free shipping (normally $279).
• HP Photosmart C4680 All-in-One Printer for $55 plus free shipping (normally $100 – use coupon code:SVN9846).
• XFX HD-489X-ZSFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB Video Card for $164.99 plus free shipping (normally $190 – use coupon code EBAAA280 and this rebate form).
• 1.5TB Western Digital WD Elements WDBAAU0015HBK External HDD for $99.99 plus free shipping (normally $139).
• Brother HL-2170w Wireless Laser Printer for $79.99 plus free shipping (normally $110 – use coupon code EMCMNMS95).
• Logitech Outdoor Video Security Master System for $199.99 with free shipping (normally $259.99)
• Logitech Wireless Desktop MK700 Keyboard & Mouse for $54.99 with free shipping(normally $84.99 – use coupon code SVP54664 and this form)
Gaming:
• Nintendo Wii Console + 3 Wii Games Value Bundle for $239.00 (normally $260).
• Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle w/Pure & Lego Batman + $50 Gift Card for $299.00 (normally $349).
• DJ Hero Bundle with Turntable (360/PS3/Wii) for $88 plus free shipping (normally $118.99).
• Silent Hill: Homecoming (360) for $12.99 with free shipping (normally $18.99)
• Battle Fantasia (360) for $9.99 plus free shipping (normally $22).
• Left 4 Dead 2 (360) for $39.99 plus free shipping (normally $55.98).
• Left 4 Dead 2 (PC) for $29.99 plus free shipping (normally $39.90).
• Dead Space Extraction (Wii) for $36.99 plus free shipping (normally $48.99).
• Far Cry 2 (PS3) for $14.99 plus free shipping (normally $28.99).
• Creative Labs Sound Blaster USB Headset (PC) for $54.99 plus free shipping (normally $101.43).
Home Entertainment:
• 55″ Samsung LN55B650 1080p HDTV for $1,479.00 plus free shipping (normally $1640 – use coupon code LN55B650).
• 47″ LG 47LH85 1080p HDTV for $1,199.99 plus free shipping (normally $1549).
• 40″ Samsung UN40B6000 1080p HDTV for $1249.00 plus free shipping (normally $1399 – use coupon code EMCMNMS34).
• 32″ VIZIO VL320M 1080p LCD HDTV for $379 with free shipping (normally $480)
• 24.6″ Samsung P2570 1080p LCD for $248.99 with free shipping (normally $312 – use coupon code 40693M3916H1CP)
• 19″ VIZIO VA19LHDTV10T ECO 720p HDTV for $174.84 (normally $208).
• Energy Take Classic 5 Pack 5.0-Ch. Home Theater Speakers, plus Polk Audio PSW10 Powered Subwoofer for $199.99 plus free shipping (normally $250).
• Planet Earth-Complete Collection Blu-Ray for $31.99 plus free shipping (normally $39 – use coupon code XB692).
• Band of Brothers (DVD) for $29.99 plus free shipping (normally $44.83).
• Superbad 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition (Blu-ray) for $12.99 (normally $22.70).
• Sylvania NB530SLX Blu-ray Disc Player for $124.99 plus free shipping (normally $149.99).
Personal Portables and Peripherals:
• Ultimate Ears 700 Noise Isolating Earphones for $136.02 plus free shipping (normally $180.17 – use this form).
• Magellan Maestro 4700 4.7-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS Navigator for $149.99 plus free shipping (normally $199.99).
• Flip MinoHD Camcorder, 60 Minutes for $119.99 plus free shipping (normally $166.99).
• Griffin Simplifi Dock, Media Reader & USB Hub (iPhone 3G, iPod) for $37.99 with free shipping (normally $49.99)
• Garmin nuMaps Lifetime Map Update Card for $79.99 with free shipping (normally $96.49)
• AT&T Option GT Ultra Express Card (unlocked) for MC/Mac for $29.99 with free shipping (normally $40)
• Sandisk 4GB MicroSDHC Card for $7.95 plus free shipping (normally $15).
Hobomodo:
• Match.com 3 days for $0
• Team Fortress 2 Free-Weekend(PC) $0
• Pitter-Pat Acoustic AmazonMP3 Exclusive Version (MP3) by Erin McCarley for $0 (download here).
• 7 Cities (iPhone) for $0 (normally $2.99).
Thanks to the new intern David at Gizmodo for helping out with today’s list. If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it’s a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!
[Thanks also: TechDealDigger, Dealzon, Logic Buy, GamerHotline, Cheap College Gamers,CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]
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2009 Black Friday Deals Leaked
This is one of those moments where you should be wary of impulse buying: corporations created this pseudo holiday and are enjoying every minute of it … especially when you say
Wow, I wouldn’t normally buy this, but its too cheap not to!”
Be sure you are buying what you can afford. Oh yea…and don’t trample anyone….
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