Posts filed under 'Shopping'
There’s no question that Prom Night is a very important date on every teenager’s calendar, and it’s an exciting event they all look forward to. Making that night a perfect one can be a pretty big expense, but there are lots of ways to keep prom costs down. It’s not too early to start planning for it, and we’ve collected some tips to make it a memorable occasion without costing a fortune.
Getting the Tux and Gown
If the prom is semi-formal, the guys could consider wearing a dark suit and just adding a vest or cummerbund to match their date’s dress. Several of the rental places like Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank have prom programs that offer rewards or discounts, like a free tux with 5-10 referrals. So shop around for the best tux rental deals. More details are here. It’s even possible to buy tuxedos cheaply off the sale rack or from Overstock.com.
There are quite a few cost-cutting ideas for the girls – borrowing a dress, renting one from a formal-wear store, or buying used from a consignment clothing store or thrift shop. Prices for designer gowns can be as high as $500 or more, but those gowns can be rented or cheaper dresses bought off clearance racks for a fraction of their original cost. Look for classic styles and quality fabrics, and if it doesn’t fit perfectly, it can always be tailored. Some inexpensive alterations will completely change the look. If it seems too plain, add a splash of color with fabric dye or accessories like necklaces and a belt. Of course, the cheapest option is to shop in someone else’s closet – borrow from a friend or relative, or shop for vintage styles at local resale shops. Since prom dresses are typically only worn once, buying a used one is an excellent choice, and you can always sell it again afterwards. Shop online for bargains that are not always found in the stores, and be sure to check out the deals for prom attire posted on Buxr. One site with a large selection of prom dresses under $100 is PromGirl.com, or use Seventeen Magazine’s online prom dress finder.
Charitable organizations exist in many communities to help financially disadvantaged high school students get prom clothes and accessories. DonateMyDress.org is the first national network to bring together local dress drive organizations across the U.S. This group encourages girls to donate their prom and special occasion dresses to help other girls make their dream prom experience a reality. Check the list on their site or ask your school guidance counselor or faculty prom coordinator to locate groups in your area that provide this assistance.
Accessories
Save money on shoes and jewelry by choosing good value items that can become a part of your post-prom wardrobe. If you don’t find a suitable pair of shoes in your closet, shop for stylish and inexpensive ones that will go with other outfits later at bargain shoe outlets like Payless or Marshalls, and online at Overstock.com. Borrow jewelry and a fancy purse if possible, or select costume jewelry bling or some better pieces that you’ll be able to wear for years to come.
Hair and Makeup
Save up to $200 by asking a friend or family member to do your hair and nails, or make an appointment at a beauty school for a professional-looking job at a fraction of the regular cost. Make your own one-of-a-kind jewelry and hairpieces with rhinestones, beads, and feathers. This is when those coupons posted on Buxr from the arts and crafts stores will come in handy.
Food
Some prom tickets include a meal, but if they don’t there are several alternatives. Plan a picnic, a meal at home, or dinner at a nice restaurant using dining certificates from Restaurant.com, a daily deal site, or other restaurant offers also found on Buxr.
Pictures
The professional prom photos taken at the dance can be expensive, with often only a single pose and no proofs. Consider snapping your own candid shots and taking advantage of digital photo processing deals to print the pictures or enlargements.
Transportation
The $400+ cost for limo service can be split with a few other couples, or to save even more, check into splitting the cost of a van or party bus that can carry more people.
Flowers
Save on flower costs by ordering early, keeping the arrangement simple, and choosing less expensive flowers. Just make sure the ribbon will match her dress.
Use some Duck Tape and cash in
For a bit of fun, enter the 12th annual DuckBrand Stuck at Prom Scholarship Contest. Just create unique, colorful and original designs and submit by 6/13/12 at least one photo of the two of you in your Duck brand duct tape prom attire taken before, during, or after the prom. You and your school could win some cash prizes! Here’s a link for instructions to make a Duck Tape dress.
March 19th, 2012
We all love the convenience of shopping online, and as a result e-commerce is growing faster than any other form of retail. According to U.S. Department of Commerce figures, online retail sales are consistently growing at triple the rate of offline retail sales. However, identity theft tops the list of consumer complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission for the 12th straight year. So in order to shop safely online, we still need to protect ourselves against the risks of identity theft and credit card fraud. Here are our tips to help make your online shopping a safer experience.
Beef up your security
- Always shop at home or on a secure computer. Identity thieves are constantly looking for the opportunity to install keylogger software on your system that can steal account numbers and passwords by capturing your keystrokes as you enter them.
- Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software on your computer, scan regularly, and keep the signature files updated.
- Make sure your browser is up-to-date too, the latest versions include built-in options that help you limit your exposure and discern good sites from bad ones with color and a lock icon provided to the left of the address bar.
- Avoid clicking on links from email that could take you to a fake website set up for the sole purpose of stealing your credit card information. Instead, go to the real website by using your own bookmarked link or typing the URL directly into your browser.
Choose Reputable Sites
- Check the site’s reputation with Internet searches for comments on consumer review sites like ResellerRatings or Epinions. Never trust a website that has information that cannot be verified elsewhere online.
- Trust your instincts: if the site gives you a bad feeling, leave it. Overly simple web design, typographical errors, and prices too low to be believable are all clues that the site is not one you would want to do business with.
- Read the site’s privacy, return, and refund policies before completing any transactions. If you find anything that bothers you, you are better off not buying from them.
- Make sure the site posts contact information. You can place your order by phone rather than online if they list a toll-free telephone number for orders, and the phone agents usually honor online specials.
Payment
- Make sure the credit card entry page is secure. On that page, the URL in your browser’s address bar should begin with “https://” and there should be a lock beside it or in the lower right corner. Firefox has a Site Identity Button.
- Never use your debit card for payment, use a credit card instead. Credit cards offer more protection than debit cards because they don’t directly remove funds from your bank account. If you have a problem with a transaction or it proves to be fraudulent, your card issuer provides protection. Visa’s zero-liability policy applies to prepaid cards as well as regular credit cards.
- Use disposable credit whenever possible. Major credit cards like CitiBank, Discover, and Bank of America will generate single-use numbers that are just aliases for your actual credit card number. If you use one of these and a website where you’ve shopped gets hacked, the temporary number you created for that single transaction can’t be used again and your account is protected. If you sign up for the Verified by Visa program or MasterCard SecureCode, you’re required to enter a password when you pay for an item, so their credit card number can’t be used without it.
- Pay with your credit card through Paypal, Google Checkout, or Amazon Payments, so that the number is not revealed to the merchant at all. Or use a prepaid card with a fixed balance on it. Entropay is a prepaid virtual Visa card that can be obtained instantly, although some fees are charged to load it from your credit card. Reloads from direct deposit are free for the Walmart MoneyCard.
- Never store your credit card numbers online. Lots of sites offer the option to store your credit card information for future transactions. No matter how convenient that may sound, resist the temptation to do it for your own safety.
Protect your passwords and identity
- If you create an account on a website, choose an ID and password that’s not obviously a form of your name, and one that is completely different from your email or other accounts.
- Change your passwords frequently, make sure you use a mixed case alphanumeric string that isn’t easy to guess. Make each new password different from the last, don’t just add a number to the end. This is the easiest and most-effective way to avoid becoming a victim of computer-based identity theft. Here are some tips to create a strong password and how to remember it. You can check the strength of your choices here.
- Never give out your social security number under any circumstances. This is NOT information that any retailer should ask you, either on their web site or in an email. Don’t answer extra questions that are not required to process your order.
Keep good records
- After using your credit card online, always print a copy or capture a screen shot of your receipt or confirmation. Then you can compare the amount on your receipt to the amount on your billing statement to make sure the totals match. Include the details of the time, date, receipt number and order confirmation. As soon as the item arrives, make sure you received what you expected.
- Be vigilant and monitor your bank accounts and credit card balances online to be sure there are no fraudulent charges. Order credit reports at least once a year from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax to check for accounts that have been opened without your permission. By staggering your requests, you can get a free credit report every 4 months. These 3 services have set up a central site here, or you can call them at 1-877-322-8228.
March 12th, 2012
These days when the prices of everything are on the rise, it’s so nice to know that there are some cool things that still cost less than $5. Isn’t it a satisfying feeling to find some of these little gems that can bring you a smile or surprise someone else? And just browsing to find them is fun, too.
It didn’t take us long to make a list of our favorites, and here are our top picks. Whether you’re pampering yourself or someone else, these are cheap and fun splurges.
Entertainment
- Satisfy your sweet tooth with some theater candy boxes for $1 each at dollar stores and grocery stores.
- Pick out $1-$5 DVDs from the sale bins at Walmart or Target.
- Check out the used movies and games for sale at Blockbuster outlet.
- Find older movies and books at Half Price Books.
- Treat yourself to a few smartphone apps or iTunes music downloads for $0.99-$4.99.
- See a movie matinee for less than the cost of regular movie tickets.
Crafts
- Find inexpensive t-shirts at the craft store and have fun decorating them.
- Pick up promotional-price picture frames and small photo albums, these are often found at drug stores, craft stores, and grocery stores. Then you can use discount coupons to create a photo collage or order prints to fill them.
- Everyone can always use another inexpensive decorated coffee mugs, and they’re everywhere, even at the book store.
- Skeins of yarn are always priced at a dollar or two, perfect for needlecraft projects.
- Pick up inexpensive baskets for decorating in every season at dollar stores.
Novelties
Browse office supply stores, container stores, craft stores, or the clearance section at Target for these items:
- Pick up kid-pleasing novelty erasers, crayons & coloring books.
- Stock up on sticky notes.
- Get some magnetic notepads & pen sets.
- Score a discount on greeting cards and calendars.
- Select some decorated bookmarks.
Luxuries
- Find lip gloss or chapstick and unusual organic snacks at The Vitamin Shoppe (if you order online instead, shipping is free over $25).
- Pick up some discounted fashion accessories like scarves, belts, or costume jewelry.
- Try new nail polish colors.
- Get the travel size packs of soap, shampoo and other toiletries at drug stores or pick up little hand sanitizers and lotions from Bath & Body Works.
- Select sale candles & holders from Yankee Candle, Target, or Bed, Bath and Beyond.
- Pick up some seasonal fresh flowers when you shop for groceries.
- Buy some fresh herbs or an herb plant and get a new watering can, you can find them everywhere in the spring.
- Try some fancy mustard or small size deluxe ice cream cups from the grocery store.
- Sample bulk coffees and teas, chocolates or other bulk candy or nuts.
- Try some imported beer by the bottle. In .some stores, you can mix an assortment of 6 different brands in a six-pack.
Online Bargains
If you’re shopping on Amazon, these inexpensive items can be used as filler in your order to get free shipping:
- Exercise or just have fun with a jump rope.
- Choose a deck of playing cards.
- There are lots of diecast toy cars available, like these.
- Amazon has a list of 40 random fillers posted here.
- Bargain books under $5 are posted here.
A few more
- Buy a $5 foot-long sandwich and have a picnic lunch in the park.
- Get a bargain haircut, many places run specials on slow days.
- Get cheap oven mitts, kitchen towels, inexpensive bowls and measuring cups at Big Lots.
- Buy extra flashlights, the small LED models are always on sale everywhere from $2.99-$4.99.
- Furniture touch-up kits or scratch cover products are priced under $5 at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
Or, if you use a bit of discipline, you can save up those $5 bills one at a time, and by the end of the year (or any time frame of your choice) you’ll have saved quite a bit of money that you can use to buy something more expensive from your wish list!
Do you have any good under-$5 finds? Tell us about them in the comments.
February 27th, 2012
The popularity of digital cameras gives everyone the ability to easily capture special moments in their lives and share them with others. They’re great tools that allow us to store those images on our computers indefinitely and select the pictures we may want to print at a later time. But there will always be some images that you want to print and preserve forever in albums and frames. That’s when we look for the best pricing for photo printing services.
The competition between pharmacy photo centers and online print services has driven the prices down to the point that it’s cheaper than doing your own photo printing. Sending your photos to a digital printing service can save you time and money, while also producing high quality prints that will last. And many sites offer extras like advanced tools to edit or enhance the images, free storage and album sharing.
We reviewed 17 different services, comparing prices for 4×6 photos ranging from 8¢ to 29¢ per print to come up with our top picks. All of them produced either matte or glossy finish, and offered bonus free prints when you sign up, as well as the option to pick up your order locally to save on shipping costs. Usually you had to opt for shipping the photos to get matte finish, though that was not obvious on the sites. Most of our choices offered additional upload options from social media or photo storage sites.
Online Services
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Snapfish is our top pick for printing photos with local pickup available nationwide from over 10,000 Walgreens, Walmart, Meijer and Duanereade locations. They offer 20 free prints when you sign up, and frequent coupon code promotions for additional free prints or free shipping. Free print offers must be mailed, which means you’ll have a $3.99 shipping charge; their regular price is 9¢ per print. Snapfish provides good quality prints, good customer service, and the ability to upload images from your computer, Facebook and Flickr.
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Shutterfly is a close second with easy-to-use site features and 50 bonus prints at signup. The regular price for 4×6 prints is 15¢, and getting a prepaid print plan can reduce that price to 10¢ to 12¢ each. They also run frequent promotions for discounts or free prints. You can upload images from your hard drive, iPhone, or Picasa and Facebook accounts. Shipping starts at $1.99, or you can pick up your order from Target, Walgreens, or CVS.
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Kodak Gallery gives new members 50 free prints and offers frequent discount promotions. Pricing is 15¢ per print when they are shipped to you; volume pricing can reduce it to 12¢ each. The cost may vary with local pickup at CVS or Target, where you can get same day pickup for 20¢ each. Even though they used good Kodak paper, the print quality reviews were mixed, so we would have to say it’s average.
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Local Store Services
You have the option to pick up prints from your local store in an hour, have them mailed to you, or send them to another store location for someone else to pick up.
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Walgreens produces good quality prints and runs photo coupon promotions almost weekly, so you can usually save something off their regular price of 19¢ per 4×6 print and get them for 10¢ each or even free. They have good phone, email, and live chat support, but their process is so easy that I’ve never needed any help. You can even email your photos for processing, and get same day pickup at 7500 locations.
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CVS gives 25 free prints to new members and also runs frequent promotions for 10¢ prints. The regular cost for their 4×6 prints is 15¢ each, with shipping for only $1.99 or free store pickup for any order, even free prints. Reviews of their quality were average, although my results were always good. Same-day express pickup is available for orders placed before 2 pm.
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Walmart also offers 25 free 1-hour prints at signup, free ship-to-store, and same-day pickup at more than 3700 locations. Their regular price is 9¢ per 4×6 print or 13¢ for 1-hour service, and there is a good Photo Center help section and live chat.
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Shopping Clubs
If you’re already a member of Sam’s Club or Costco, you can take advantage of their typically generic photo printing, and conveniently pick up your prints when you shop there. Otherwise, there is a required membership fee, so these would be poor choices for you.
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Sam’s Club has the cheapest regular price for good quality prints at 8¢ each shipped to your home or 13¢ when you pick them up in the club. New members get 25 free prints at signup. They offer several upload options and editing tools, but the site has poor customer support.
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Costco charges 13¢ each for 4×6 prints. Their no-frills service has more in-depth editing tools than the other services, offering options to adjust brightness, contrast, red eye and tint. But you should specify your cropped areas or you may be unhappy with their excessive cropping.
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Of course, in addition to all the tips we mentioned here, it is always a good idea to keep an eye on all the latest photo printing promotions our members share on Buxr. Have you tried any online photo printing lately? How was your experience? Please take our poll and share your photo printing preferences in the comments to this thread for a chance to win a $50 cash prize!
February 20th, 2012
There’s no question that more and more people are shopping online every day. As the economy fluctuates, the type of site that attracts them changes. Following the popularity of auction sites like eBay came flash sites with daily deals like Groupon. Now penny auction sites are the newest niche gaining in popularity with online shoppers seeking the best deals. There are as many as 165 active sites, according to research from the Technology Briefing Centers.
What you may not realize is that penny auction sites are in the business of selling bids, not products. Their pay-to-bid format means that the site makes money every time someone clicks the ‘bid’ button. The winner may be able to buy an item at an unbelievable discount, but the losers are subsidizing the site. Are these sites just a harmless form of retail entertainment or an unregulated form of gambling? We’ll give you the truth about penny auction sites, and share our tips on how to find reputable ones and place bids.
Getting started
- It’s important to understand exactly how they work. In general, this is what happens:
- The penny auction site puts up an item for auction starting at $0.00, and each bid increases the price by a penny.
- The sites offer new members some free bids to join, but bidders normally have to purchase bid packs at a cost averaging 60 cents for each bid.
- The auctions have a countdown clock, and time is extended with each bid.
- Some sites provide bidding tools that will make automated bids within a set price range when less than 30 seconds remain on the countdown clock.
- When the countdown clock finally does reach ‘zero,’ the person who placed the last bid wins the opportunity to buy the item at the final price.
- Search online for any reviews or complaints with the Better Business Bureau, and check out reputable forums and review sites like Penny Auction Watch or PennyBurners, where bidders post reviews on the forums, and discuss their experiences.
- Pick a site you trust. You should read all the rules, FAQs, and fine print on each site carefully before bidding. Many sites fail and are acquired by competitors.
- Decide how much risk you are willing to take. Set a budget and stick to it; bid on one item at a time.
- Research the value of the item you’re bidding on, and keep track of the number of bids you’ve used so you won’t bid beyond an item’s value. If you do not win, your bids are not refunded and that is how you can lose money.
- Develop a strategy. Watch the auctions for a while before bidding. Start small with low-value items to learn. Read tips in the forums.
A word of caution
Being a new form of online entertainment, penny auction sites have for the most part fallen through the cracks of regulation and have been a question of much controversy. Here are just a few things that could go wrong with the auctions: shill bidding, fake accounts used to drive up bids, bidding bots, automated software to drive up bids, credit and debit card fraud, won items may never be delivered, etc.
Top sites for 2012
Here is the list of several popular sites as ranked by PennyAuctionSites.com. The logos link to the “how it works” page for each site.
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A medium to small site in business since mid-2010. Quick shipping and good customer support. Gift cards, iPods, Kindles, gold & silver bars, telescopes, metal detectors, remote control helicopters, and the top site for iPads.
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Largest penny auction site, debuted October 2009. Average shipping speed. Offers daily deals and promotions through social media sites. Every auction offers the option to Buy It Now.” Common auction items include wine bars, carpet cleaners, blu-ray players, game consoles, notebooks, large-screen HDTVs, gas scooters, sandals, Apple iMacs, iPads, and iPods.
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Launched in 2009, it has over a million registered users worldwide. Offers high end products from brand name companies, average shipping speed. Includes “Buy It Now” on most auctions. Look for vacation packages, large screen TVs, high-end blenders & toasters, brand name makeup collections.
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Started in February 2010, fast shipping. Exclusive profile features allow more strategic game play. Aggressive bidding is possible with an automatic Bid Agent for sports equipment, household goods, precious metals, electronics, cameras, gift cards, and Apple products.
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Online since the end of 2009. Active in social media and blog. Autobeezid and AutoSniper bidding tools. Average shipping speed. Typical items include GPS, game consoles, new cars & SUVs, health & beauty, cameras, electronics.
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The oldest U.S. penny auction site has fewer bidders, and different auctions for beginners and experts. Auction items include name brand electronics, gift cards, DVDs, and jewelry. Founding member of the nonprofit trade organization Entertainment Auction Association (EAA). Good customer service by phone or email during business hours.
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Conclusion
The penny auction sites seek to increase their membership through commercial advertising and referrals. Amid increasing complaints and threats of lawsuits, site owners argue that the auctions are a new twist on retail sales and not gambling. I believe that if consumers gather enough information and are careful about bidding, it’s possible to play at penny auctions like any other game – for fun and entertainment, and not expect them to be a legitimate place to consistently find bargains. While these sites offer the possibility to buy, or win, anything from designer accessories to gift cards for a fraction of the retail price, just keep in mind that the sites buy these items at full retail price and sell them at outrageously low prices. One person can indeed walk away with a good deal, but the losing bidders collectively spend more on bids than the value of the item, and the sites make an unbelievable profit. Such was the case with a recent auction at Zeekler.com for a Mustang convertible – the winner placed 105 bids at a cost of $1 each, the auction ended at $4,077.07, and the site collected $407,707 in bid money.
February 13th, 2012
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