A Guest Post/Intro from the folk at Bargain Jack……

If you enjoy finding deals and saving money, check out Bargain Jack.
Founded by Dustin and Sharon in 2006, this savvy bargain shopping site turned into a full-time gig for the financially cautious couple in the wake of the economic downfall a few years later. After establishing their site as a money saving authority among family and friends, Bargain Jack has since grown a loyal following of people, who appreciate the quality deals and easy-to-navigate design the site has to offer.

While discounts on computers, electronics and gadgets are prevalent, great deals on other products, such as patio furniture, clothing and books, ensure you will find discounts no matter what you’re shopping for. Bargain Jack not only features the best deals floating around the web but also has partnerships with many major retailers to provide savings found nowhere else.
Fortunately, the navigation of Bargain Jack is as simple and rewarding as the deals contained within. The site is specifically designed to be completely user-friendly, dividing deals into categories and allowing users to filter search results in a variety of ways. There’s no wasting time, sifting through pages upon pages of useless information. You’ll find exactly what you’re looking for and fast.
If it’s not the quality and value of the deals that brings you back, the simple to use design, combined with the confidence that you’re always getting the best deal possible, will. Bargain Jack continues to reign as a favorite among frugal-minded bargain shoppers everywhere.

(FTC Disclaimer – this was a guest post, uncompensated. I looked at the site and it looks like a great deal aggregator, I actually found two items I’d been wanting, but the deals had just expired. Take a look, it may become one of your favorite bargain sites.)

written by JOE \\ tags: deal, Frugal, sale

Hair cut that is. I read and reviewed Dr Thomas Stanley’s Stop Acting Rich some time ago and one of the things I kept thinking about was how the average millionaire next door doesn’t spend half of what I was spending on haircuts. When I did the math, it was clear that my haircuts were another latte factor in my life. Enter Wahl.

Every other month or so, Costco sends out a coupon book, and I’m sure to only use the coupons for items I’d buy anyway. (How about that $2.50/lb coffee after coupon? Not too shabby.) A few months back they had the Wahl hair trimmer. After the coupon it was less than I was paying for one hair cut. I have to admit, the first time I used it, I picked the length that was too short. Ah, but 5 days later it looked great. The next time it was dead on perfect. 5/8″ is how I like it, just longer than a crew cut. I don’t mean to put barbers out of business, but anyone whose hair is kept short may consider that even a cut every 6 weeks is still costing over $100/yr at the barber shop.

Joe

written by JOE \\ tags: Frugal, hair cut, saving

First, you know that in the US, April first is called April Fools’ Day, and (mostly) kids play small pranks on each other. I’m always on the lookout to not fall for this should a friend or coworker try to have fun at my expense. So in today’s email it was interesting that I saw an ad from Borders:

I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time. BOGO means “Buy One Get One,” and that’s how I note it on a shopping list when the supermarket has a sale of this kind. But here, when I clicked through the email, I saw this, Buy One, Get One at 50% off. Sorry, you do the math and realize you have to buy 2 books and the deal is really 25% off. But wait, there’s more. My daughter’s wish list has trade paperbacks that are usually $15 or so, but books I’d buy are typically $30. This deal benefit is only 25% if the books are both priced the same. In the end this deal is less attractive than a straight 25% off of one book, and if I’m going to buy 2, the online prices are going to be far less than that with free shipping.

A you a BOGO fool? You ever get to the register and realize you didn’t quite get the deal you expected?

Joe

written by JOE \\ tags: ads, bogo, Frugal, shopping

I recently purchased tires online. I am delighted with how much I saved. Joe kindly agreed to post my description of the experience.

About a year ago I bought a 2003 Honda Civic. It had two, almost new Pirelli Four Season tires in the front and two, cracked and almost bald Firestones in the rear. I decided to drive my new used Civic one year with the worn rear tires and then replace them.

I am a retired mechanical engineer, so when it comes to buying tires, they all have to match. A few years ago my local tire store sold me what I thought were four good tires at a fair price and with good service. I paid a little over $200 for the four tires back then. Recently the same tire store quoted me $225 for the out-the-door price for the two Pirellis. This is much more than that to which I have become accustomed for my Hondas (I am on #3 Civic now). The local store also said I would have to wait a few days, because it did not carry the Pirellis in stock.

I went home and called another local tire shop. It too wanted around $225 out-the-door for the two new Pirellis. I pondered. I had never paid more than about $100 for two new tires. I am on a budget. I began to question my engineers’ they-have-to-match thing. Yet the Pirellis have an 85k mile tread warranty, and it is my preference to have four tires that are alike. I thought of the internet and how much I have been using it lately for all sorts of purchases. It seemed like it would be ridiculous to buy online, because the shipping costs surely

must be high and so would eat up any savings one would get by going the internet route. I asked the question at a Honda forum. Several people posted back within a few days to say they only buy tires on the internet and then have most any tire store (including Wal-Mart and Pep Boys) do the mounting, installation of valve stem, balancing, and old tire discard. Some interesting dialogue on the forum. I googled and found many more articles about buying tires online and found Probargain Hunter to be the best.

I checked the prices at some of the many places the online buyers suggested. For the tires I wanted, the best shipped price seemed to be at DiscountTires.com. I made my purchase from it on a Friday. Two business days after the purchase I received FedEx tracking information. The tires arrived as promised by the FedEx site on Thursday at 6:15 PM in an amazing, and rare for my area, heavy snowstorm.

I had researched carefully where I would go to have the new tires installed. Some internet debate occurs about the quality of tire service at Wal-Mart. But I think the majority feel that, given how fool-proof balancing machines are, Wal-Mart is pretty safe. I once took a course in automotive suspension and actually operated a wheel balancing machine. Many years later my recollection is that it is indeed not difficult once one has balanced a dozen or so wheels. Check out Wal-Mart.com for quotes for its tire service prices.

The next morning I reported to Wal-Mart, nearly swimming through parking lot snow and slush. Everyone at the Wal-Mart Automotive Department was professional, efficient and courteous. The waiting area was tidy with a new-looking television tuned into a morning talk show. In 15 minutes the new tires were mounted and balanced. Granted I think the snowstorm gave me a big advantage when it came to service that day. The store was almost empty. Wal-Mart charged me only $15.01 for removing and discarding the two old tires; mounting the two new tires; adding two new valve stems; and balancing. I told the cashier that I thought it should be more; was she sure she included the discard cost, counted both tires, et cetera? She said all was included. Wal-Mart either had a promotion that week; charged me less because I took off the wheels myself; or its staff took pity on me lugging the wheels and tires through the mess in the parking lot. This is one of the rare times I did the Wal-Mart online survey, to praise the staff and pricing there. (Note: My parents do not approve of my shopping at Wal-Mart. But let me save the latter topic for one of the JoeTaxpayer political columns. )

The total price I paid for the two new tires installed was $140. This compares to the price the local tire stores wanted: $225. I saved over $42 per tire by buying on the internet and installing locally. Now I am empowered to make a charitable donation or two.

Elle

(Note from Joe: First, thank you very much Elle, until you mentioned it, I’d never considered this and I’d bet many of my readers, savvy as they are probably haven’t either. Second, is the required FTC disclaimer. Neither Elle nor I have received any compensation from any of the companies mentioned in this article. Now, if you can find the company “card member services” that keeps calling me, despite my being on the “do not call list” and doing it from a spoofed caller ID number, I’d be really happy, and might write an article how the FTC helped me out. I’d do it for free and have to write this same disclaimer I suppose.)

written by JOE \\ tags: automotive, Frugal, internet purchase, tires

Two weeks ago we were visiting NYC.
Jane slept in, so J2 and I went to grab breakfast. I walked out of the hotel with coffee, and we went to a breakfast place where there was no table service, so I had no issue with my coffee in hand. One breakfast – $15. It wasn’t so much a question of whether I could afford it. It was the math I went through as I watched J2 eat it. 2 dozen eggs – $4, loaf of bread -$2. OJ – $3. Bacon -$3.
The bottom line was that I calculated I could cook breakfast at home for 12 people for this much money. Or alternately, make that same one breakfast for under $2.

I wonder if others find themselves doing this math for this type of purchase. And yes, when we eat ice cream at an ice cream parlor, I calculate how many 1.5qt containers I could have bought with the same money. Although I do my best not to say it out loud.

Joe

written by JOE \\ tags: breakfast, Frugal

I was talking to someone who was considering using the VOIP (Voice Over IP) offered by their cable company. She was concerned about how much the modem would cost her to run. I came to realize that she was on a tight budget and was wondering how much it would add to her electric bill.
I didn’t know off hand how much power a modem draws so I started to think about a 100W bulb, and figured we can scale from there. If a bulb were left on 24/7, it would use about 72KWH of power in a month as there are 720 hours in a 30 day month. At her rate of 15 cent per KWH, this one 100W bulb would cost $10.80 to run full time each month. It turns out a modem is 10W or less, so it’ll take about $1/mo to run.
This exercise got me thinking. I bought a device a few months back to help me add up the current I use in my basement as I was wiring it room by room. It’s called Kill A Watt and available at Home Depot or on line.

The first thing I did was to find a power supply plugged into an outlet in my office with nothing attached. 4 watts! Now, I can afford the 40 cents per month, but how foolish is this, there’s nothing even plugged in, it powered a hard drive that’s now in a closet but I forgot to unplug the supply till now. Next, I checked how much power one of my old Macs was drawing. I was glad I use it remotely, no monitor, saving that power. But I found it uses 180W. About $19 per month. I need to rethink whether it’s worth it to keep this guy running.

Last, I’ve been replacing the incandescent bulbs with CFL (Compact Fluorescent Light bulb). Most rooms in our house have 4-6 in-ceiling cans that hold a 65W spotlight type bulb. The CFL replacement is 15W and puts out the same amount of light. So, anytime we are in a lit room, we’re saving 200W of power. Of course, during the day, it’s good to pull the shades/blinds and use natural light, but when we need to turn them on, it’s less power and less heat generated. How many power bricks do you have plugged in that are just keeping warm and burning your money? Have you gone to CFLs yet?

Joe

written by JOE \\ tags: conservation, energy, Frugal