Category: Savings

Your kids are bored and you’re looking for something that you can do with them. You’ve already seen the latest Disney movie and you really don’t want to go again.  Everything is also so expensive and you’re on a tight budget. So what can you do? Why not look for deals online, there are many sites that you can use to have fun with your kids but still save money.

Living Social: Livingsocial is the second largest deal site after Groupon.  Like Groupon, Livingsocial allows you to search for deals locally.  You can search for deals on items like hotel stays and restaurant meals.

Sweet Jack: Sweet Jack is a deal site started between the radio stations Clear Channel and Cumulus. As a result of this, the deals are very wide reaching.

Amazon Local: Like Groupon and Livingsocial, Amazon local allows you to search for deals locally. Unlike Groupon and Livingsocial, Amazon runs Amazon local. As a result, you can also find deals on items being sold through Amazon. At the time of this writing, a coupon was being offered for half off select Kindle Accessories.

Plum District: Plum District is the leading deal site for family deals. You can find a lot of good deals for entertainment you can do with the whole family.  Deals include entertainment you can do with the family like eating out at restaurants.

Fam Grab: Fam Grab is a deal site that specializes in family deals. The site is joined with Plum District so many of the deals that can be found on Plum District can be found here.

CBS Local: CBS Local is a deal site run by CBS. The deals are joined with CBS properties in the participating cities.  Deals can be found both locally and nationally since the site is run by CBS and is joined with CBS properties.

Gilt City: Gilt City is a deal site, which focuses on deals to upscale establishments. Participating cities include San Francisco and Washington D.C. Some deals include savings on massages and upscale dining establishments.

Scoutmob: Originally started as a mobile app, Scoutmob expanded to offering local deals.  It has now expanded to offering deals at the national level. Deals that are offered include items such as jewelry, and clothes.

Woot: Unlike the other deal sites listed, Woot is not a deal site for entertainment or restaurants. It is a deal site for name brand goods that you can buy and use.  Some of the things Woot contains deals for include home goods like vacuums and kids toys.

TravelZoo: Travel zoo is a deal site for travelers. If you want to save on anything from flights to entertainment while you are on vacation or business then Travel zoo is the deal site for you.

The sites listed above are ten Groupon like deal sites that you can use to save money and still have fun with your kids.

After the holiday season has ended, it is time to save your money for anything big that could happen. If you need to buy anything and are looking to save, read on for information about the top 10 deal sites.  Each section also contains a hyperlink so feel free to explore each site on your own.

Slickdeals: Slickdeals is a deal site, which allows you to buy anything from apple products to kids items. It points you to the best deals from websites or stores. One such current deal is for FlingSmash with Wii Remote Plus for $15.00.

Dealigg: Dealigg is another deal site, which points you to deals on many things.  Some of the items you can buy include home products. One such current deal it points you to is on 13 Gallon, Glad Odor shield Tall Kitchen Drawstring Trash Bags. According to Dealigg, you can save 25% off of these trash bags if you buy them through Amazon.com.

Dealnews.com: Dealnews is not just a deal website. It is also a news website containing articles on how to find deals.

Retail me not: Retailmenot contains coupon codes. However, the coupon codes contained are not for basic grocery store purchases. Instead the coupon codes are for popular stores like Advance Auto Parts and Home Depot.

Pricegrabber: Pricegrabber is a deal website where you can find deals on everything from clothing to cameras. There is a weekly newsletter that you can have emailed to you so that you can keep up on the deals. There is also a mobile app that will let you stay on top of them as you are on the go.  Even better is the fact that you know you can trust it since well-known sites like The Wall Street Journal have sponsored it.

Google: As search engines go, Google is one of the best if not the best. So why shouldn’t it be used to find good deals. In my writing, I used Google to find all of these sites I wrote about.

Beatmyprice.com: Beatmyprice was created by the team who made Retail Me Not and Bug Me Not. Beatmyprice is a search engine that will allow you to figure out whether you’re finding the best price or not.

AllYourPrices: Allyourprices is a comparison-shopping website.  It allows you to see a range of prices and the stores or websites that offer those prices.  Comparison on front pass shopping comparison

Half.com: Half.com is a website that is run by ebay. As a result, you can use pay pal to purchase anything that you want. When you buy something on the site, you spend half of what it would cost in the store.

If you are looking for great deals on items you need to buy, then look no further than the websites listed above. Each website was picked for this article based on how easy it was to navigate them and how great the deals were.

If you have been delaying socking some money away for the future, you’re one of millions of people.  It’s easy to procrastinate when it comes to saving money.  There’s always that new gadget to buy, that grand vacation to take.  But these items may come at a higher price than you realize.  Consider this:  If you were to begin saving just $2,000 a year—about $167 a month—in an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) at age 22, and you earned an average annual rate of 10% on your money over the years, you would be a millionaire before the age of 65.  If you wait until you’re 30 years old to begin saving this amount, you will have less than $550,000 in your account at age 65.

You might think that a return of 10% a year is an outrageously unrealistic expectation, given the abysmal interest rates that banks are paying on savings account deposits these days,   However, history says otherwise.  The average annual return on the S&P 500 Index, a portfolio of stocks of 500 of the largest U.S. companies, from January 1, 1871 through December 31, 2011 is around 10%.  That takes into account a lot of economic booms and busts.  If we use data from only the past thirty years—from 1981 through 2011—the average is even higher around 12%.  So, it’s possible that you might earn an average return of more than 10% on your money over the years. And even if you were to earn a lower rate, it’s still advantageous to start saving sooner rather than later.

The table below displays the amount that you can accumulate by age 65 if you begin saving $2,000 a year at varying ages and earn 5%, 8%, 10%, 12%, or 15% a year on your money.

Notice that regardless of the average annual interest rate earned, waiting the extra eight years from 22 to 30 years old results in a significantly lower account balance at age 65.  This is because of the compounding effect.  When you invest your money, earn interest on it, and leave the interest in the account, you earn interest on your interest the next year.  And so on it grows.

Imagine what you could accumulate for retirement if you were to save more than $2,000 a year.  The maximum allowed IRA contribution for most people in 2012 is $5,000, but you can save even more than this in a tax-deferred account by taking full advantage of your employer’s 401k plan (or 403b plan for public school employees and employees of certain tax-exempt organizations).  Many employers will match your contribution to these types of plans, so that part is “free” money that won’t crimp your budget.

Start early; finish early.  You can retire at a young age and move on to engage in activities that you find appealing.  Maybe you envision yourself sailing into the sunset—quite literally, on your new 40-foot sailboat.

But saving for retirement shouldn’t be your only savings goal.  The compound interest effect works if you’re socking away money for a new car, wedding, house, vacation, or the kids’ college tuition, too.  If you plan today for the major outlays you’re expecting to incur in the future, you will in a position to pay cash for a lot of these things and avoid debt entirely.  Imagine returning from a great relaxing vacation without being faced with a stack of credit card bills that will take you months, if not years, to pay in full upon your return—again because of the compounding effect, but in this case  it is your lenders who will be enjoying the benefits.  Debt is a burden you don’t need—and don’t have to have—in your life.  Instead of paying interest to others, earn interest for yourself.

You may have, at some point, looked at others who have accumulated some wealth with envy, wishing you could enjoy some of the things that their money buys them.  If you start saving today, you can join their ranks and become the envy of your peers, too.  And even better, you will be creating a sound financial life for yourself, which translates to a life that will be significantly less stressful—one that you will be able to enjoy to the fullest, doing the things that you want to do.

Marketing is a crucial part of business. By targeting products at the right people, they cut advertising costs and increase their sales. In this era of media, business pay people for giving their opinions. Since surveying involves focusing on different people, giving opinions needs not special qualifications. One only needs to be him or herself. To participate in online surveys for cash is not a hustle. One only needs to sign up and wait for survey alerts.

The following are 10 legit sites that can earn one money with online surveying.

1)   Vindale Research – Vindale research pays cash for product reviews and participating in online surveys. Vindale allow one to share his or her opinion. A participant may receive up to $75 for each survey done and be given the option of keeping the products reviewed. http://www.vindale.com/v/index.jsp

2)   Surveyspot – This site pays in cash in the form of checks. It sends numerous surveys. Many times they send non paid surveys. A participant gets in special drawings for cash rewards. The more about free surveys, one participates in the more paid surveys offers one gets. They only allow for one member per household. https://www.surveyspot.com/

3)   Surveysavvy – This is one earliest paying survey sites. Its payments are in the form of checks. Compared to other sites, it does not send many surveys. There are not many complaints about this site so it is highly recommendable. www.surveysavvy.com

4)   Toluna – Formerly Your2cents, this site is incredible for users. They are very fast in making payments and send a good number of surveys with very fair compensation. This site also has other tasks which also pay. https://us.toluna.com/

5)   Valuedopinions – This site guarantees many surveys. They pay in various ways. For example, they pay in electronic gift cards often in Amazon gift cards. This form of payment is instant. They only allow one account per person. http://www.valuedopinions.com/

6)   HarrissPolls – This is a premier site. The research they do is highly respected and often cited. Compensation is made in points and the number of points per survey is generous. The rewards range of prizes, entry to sweepstakes and gift cards. http://www.harrispollonline.com/

7)   Zoompanel – The potential to earn rewards quickly is high. They normally send several invitations weekly. They have a wide range of rewards; latest movies and books, appliances, electronics, home décor, Jewellery , charitable donations and many more. www.zoompanel.com

8)   Opinion Outpost – This site pays in points rewards for each survey done. One can cash in for the sweepstakes, cash or instant win opportunities. They also chances to participate in free product testing. www.opinionpost.com

9)   MyPoints – This site rewards people for signing up for offers, taking surveys and mail reading. They reward by giving points which are in turn used to obtain gift cards annually. www.mypoints.com

10)  Cash crate – This allows for free membership. They also accept members from all over the globe. This site pays in cash via Paypal within two weeks of earning money. Cash payments vary depending on complexity of the individual surveys.  http://www.cashcrate.com/

Online survey cannot be relied upon as a main source of income. It is a way of earning a little income or gifts on the side.