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Archive for March 28, 2012

Are You Paying Extra For Nothing?

1.Non-necessary Upgrades on Home Appliance

When you walk into Best Buy or Home Depot to get a new refrigerator, the salesman will introduce you the most expensive one according to your budget. They don’t care what is good for you, because their life depends on the commissions. You should get one with a LCD screen! This refrigerator has weather forecast! This one has a built-in LCD TV, and this one has a built-in cookbook! Do you really need them? Don’t be fooled. They are just trying to get extra bucks from your wallet. If you have the brand in your mind, just buy it online. AppliancesConnection.com is one of my favorites, always offering the lowest price. Plus you can save $10 to $900 with use of these coupons. If you prefer a local store, go to Sears and get a Kenmore or Maytag without any unnecessary funtion. Sears is online too, and by buying at Sears.com you can save $5 to $35 on any appliance with these coupons.

 

2.Buy Extra Accessories

If you bought a digital SLR camera online, the retailer will suggest you to buy a lens kit or extra memory card. If you bought a TV or speaker system, the retailer will suggest you to buy a surge protector. If you bought a pair of pants, the retailer will suggest you to buy a belt. If you bought a telescope, the retailer will suggest you to buy some filters. If you boght a computer, the retailer will suggest you to buy an external hard drive. Don’t buy any of them if you are not sure or 100% necessary. This is the way these retailers make money! They probably offer the lowest prices on the item you needed, but the accessories could be marked with higher than normal prices. If you think you really need them, do a price compare again to find the lowest prices.

 

3.Get A Fastest Computer

Every year or every few months Intel and AMD will have a faster CPU. The computer with a latest CPU will always cost you a few hundred dollars more. Beside, if you get the fastest one today, it won’t be fastest a few months later. So why bother to get a fastest CPU? Ask yourself what you need the computer for. If you are not a computer game geek, just get a computer which is manufactured a year ago. It is usually a lot cheaper and offers enough speed and features. The easiest way to get a good deal on computer is go to sam’s Club or Costco. Or buy online at Adorama.com, BHPhotoVideo.com, or Newegg.com. Never customize your computer, they will cost more. And never buy from manufacturer’s website, such as HP.com, Lenovo.com, Dell.com, or Sony.com unless you find a big discount coupon, their prices will be the highest without a coupon.

 

4.Get A Latest TV

TV technologies have changed rapidly beyond my imagination. A latest TV today would be outdated a year later. So don’t be fooled by those fancy technology terms. If all you need is to watch TV at night, any TV will work. If you prefer brigher colors, get a Samsung, – Sony TV is good, but too expensive. If you can’t tell the difference, get a Vizio.

 

5.Use Premium Fuel Unnecessarily

The premium gas reached $4 recently, while the regular is about 50 cents cheaper. Unless you are asked to use premium gas by the user’s manual, you’re wasting quite a lot of money. In most cases, your car manufacturer will only “recommend” you to use premium gas. It is not 100% required. You don’t need to pay for the extra that you don’t need to.

 

6.Power Company With a Flex Rate

Take a minute or two to read your electricity bill. Find out how much it costs on every kWh. Most power company will offer you a very low rate when you first sign up. During the contract period, usually a year or two, the rate is locked. But after it expired, the fix rate will change to flex rate, and the unit price will go up as much as 50% or more. If you are not going to move, you should renew your contact and lock into a lower rate. Or switch to another power company. You can compare the rate online by search “compare power company” and find the best that suits you.

 

7.Buy Extra Warranties

Appliance manufacturers will usually offer a standard one year warranty. But every time when you buy a large appliance, the salesman will offer you extended warranty. Don’t buy it. It is totally not necessary, unless you just want to waste your money. It is very less likely that you are going to use it. Some online retailers also ask you if you want to buy extra warranties after you finish your order. Just ignore it.