I don’t remember what prompted me to poke around on eBay to check for gift cards .  I do remember that there had been some restrictions placed on gift card sales on eBay because of rising occurrence of fraudulent activity. However, I did find a new practice that I found a little hard to believe.  It was hard to believe because I couldn’t imagine too many people buying a gift card this way.  Yet a number of sellers were doing it.... 

My wife knows how to do so many things well.  One of her (and my daughter’s) favorite activities is drawing and coloring.  For a five-year-old she colors quite well.  (Ariel is her favorite subject.) She called me at work to ask if she could splurge on some Prismacolor art pencils .  (She’s also very good at discussing purchases before going ahead.)  These are top-drawer colored pencils: high color saturation, smooth blending,... 

AOL and I will never, ever be BFF.  EVER.  They even told me so.  Here’s my story: Let’s go waaaaaaay back to 2000.  Back to a time when every American’s mailbox was absolutely stuffed to the gills with AOL discs.  One fine mid-Atlantic day I wanted some World Wide Web on my computer.  I knew Netzero still had some free numbers around, but the only place I knew to find them was on … the World Wide Web.  Which I... 

Once in a great while we really internalize something about managing money. Auctions and yard sales used to be a weakness of mine.  I’d go stark-raving crazy buying up all of these bargains for (a) things I had an immediate use for, (b) things I didn’t have an immediate use for, but were such a good deal, and (c) things I had no need for, but thought I could resell.  Some of the things in (b) and (c) I actually did use/resell,... 

Gift cards can have their downside but they can also be used to good benefit, especially if you expect to spend them soon and if you can get them at a discount. I’ve gotten a number of Amazon.com gift cards for searching the web over at Swagbucks .  I’ve also gotten quite a few gift cards for free just for reading a few e-mails through MyPoints . Recently someone told me about a new Facebook application called Penny Drop .  This... 

Lowe’s puts out scratch-and-dent appliances regularly.  These are display models, appliances that got slightly damaged by a forklift, or customer returns.  They’ll knock down the price for someone who doesn’t mind a little blemish on the appliance, or one that’s slightly used. We’ve gotten a few good deals with scratch and dent appliances, but for me the shopping experience hasn’t been the same kind as shopping... 

(This guest post is by Ann Smarty, a search engine geek , social media enthusiast and a passionate blogger. She has recently started a community of guest bloggers , so if you have a blog and want to promote it for absolutely free, go help Ann build the valuable tool for that by joining and participating.) Bargain hunting is only effective when done right otherwise you find yourself using a coupon whenever you are aware of one (which causes even... 

My wife and I have recently discovered the wonders of raw organic agave nectar for sweetening tea and other things.  (It’s low-glycemic index, and it doesn’t overpower the taste of what we’re sweetening the way honey or maple syrup does.) We tried a small bottle from the grocery store, and like it enough that we want a supply of it.  Amazon.com carries the brand we use at a…  Read More →

I use RetailMeNot.com regularly for purchases on the web, especially when I register new domain names. There’s usually a coupon that knocks a buck or so off the price for the first year.  I like the ease with which I can look up coupons, as well as the user voting that gives a good picture which codes are still good. Anyway, RetailMeNot is giving away a $100 gift certificate each day through December 22nd, 2009. To enter, here’s... 

Now that it’s officially official that we’re into the official holiday shopping season, Mr. Rebates has increased its rebate percentages on 300 stores.  Using this and other rebate sites give you more bang for your buck. Some bump-ups that caught my eye: Walmart – 3% (up from 2%) TomTom – 10% (way up from 2%) Reebok – 10% (up from 6%) Men’s Wearhouse – 10% (from 5%) Godiva – 7% (up from 5%) Franklin... 

Restaurant.com is running an 80% off coupon through the end of September, 2009.  The coupon code is CHEF . I think largely that people are happy with the deals that they get through Restaurant.com .  I’ve used the service, and I’ve been quite happy as well.  But to avoid any misunderstandings this time around, I’ll play the skeptic and try to explain as many caveats as I can so that you can see the other side of the plate....