It's August, which means heat and humidity, and back-to-school shopping. This year, 16 states are participating in tax-free weekends, when there's no sales tax on school supplies, which includes computers in some states. The tax free weekends begin one minute after midnight on Saturday, and end at midnight on Sunday. In addition to the 16 tax free weekend states, five others never charge … [Read more...]
Where to sell unwanted gift cards
Money matters. Nearly half of us give or get gift cards for the holidays, birthdays and other anniversaries. If you don't like the store, restaurant or movie theater, you can sell that gift card for cash, and get anywhere from 65 to 95 cents on the dollar. Even losing up to 20 percent or more of the face value is better than leaving the gift card unused and forgotten in some "to do" pile and … [Read more...]
Holiday gift card deals
Some of the best holiday deals are gift cards. Many restaurants and retailers are offering discounts or bonuses for holiday gift card purchases. Here are around 50 popular national holiday gift card and bonus deals, alphabetically. Be sure to scroll down the list to see our tips on how to maximize your purchase. Many national holiday gift card deals are available online or in-store only, and … [Read more...]
What’s on sale in January
Shop smarter and save money by knowing what's on sale each month. Here's the sale calendar for January: Computers, electronics and cameras: The world's biggest electronics show, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, is always the first week of January. As soon as new models are introduced, the ones they are replacing go on sale. If Santa didn't bring you a new smartphone, tablet, … [Read more...]
The difference between frugal & cheap
Are you frugal, or are you cheap? There's a difference. Change one letter of the word ‘cheap’ and it becomes ‘cheat, but frugal doesn't cheat anybody. Cheap is a negative and undignified way to save money, while frugal is fashionable, even necessary. Cheap doesn't brag about it. Frugal does. Examples of frugal vs. cheap: Frugal takes advantage of the ‘early bird’ or another special at a … [Read more...]
Mother’s Day Freebies at Restaurants
National restaurant chains are offering Mother's Day freebies that include a free dessert or free entree. Here's a list, alphabetically, of more than 60 US restaurant chains offering meal deals to give mom the chance to avoid cooking and cleaning on Mother's Day. NOTE This list is from 2014. See the 2017 list of Mother's Day Freebies and deals on sister website NYC on the Cheap. Keep in mind … [Read more...]
5 best free apps for price comparisons
Buyer's remorse, or shopper's guilt, is when you get the feeling you’ve paid to much for something. Get rid of those second-thoughts by using one of these free price comparison apps that will help you save time, money and stress. Price Check by Amazon - Scan a product’s bar code, snap a photo, or say its name and model number, to see if Amazon sells it for less. The app also allows users to … [Read more...]
Travel deals: pay your birth date
Hotels are inventing new discount gimmicks to lure budget-minded travelers. My favorite of the moment is from Starwood, which lets you pay your birth date. This discount deal favors seniors and boomers, who can pay $43 for a room if they were born in 1943, $53 if they were born in 1953, and so on. The deal applies to Starwood hotels in Canada, including Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and Aloft … [Read more...]
Bad news for US National Parks
The impending mandated federal budget cuts, also known as sequestration, are a disaster for US national parks, wildlife, and for those of us who love the outdoors. The impending mandated federal budget cuts, also known as sequestration, are a disaster for US national parks, wildlife, and for those of us who love the outdoors. Sequestration will reduce the number of Park Rangers, reduce … [Read more...]
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Subscribe to ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with all the latest news about green cars, green travel and how to save money on both. Just add your email address to the friendly "Get ecoXplorer Updates" box on the right side of this page. You'll receive a verification alert from Feedburner. Be sure to click on the link, so you can stay current with the regular ecoXplorer RSS feed. You can … [Read more...]