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- Shawn4168, on 10/10/2007, -3/+69Anybody else see the irony in Microsoft giving us money-saving tips? I noticed that "Use open source software" wasn't on the list...
- skjede, on 10/10/2007, -6/+65ramen
- jklyon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+33"Ramsey recalls a millionaire friend who picked up a $38,000 Rolex for $18,000 from a reputable jeweler. "That's how he got to be a millionaire," Ramsey says."
Ummm, why would you even buy a Rolex new or used for 18k? Just use your cell for time! Haha, that's how he became a millionaire. - brstilson, on 10/10/2007, -3/+30The part about "everything's negotiable" is really BAD advice and will make retail employees hate your guts. You can't wheel-and-deal like you could in the 50's. Most employees are actually unable to adjust prices, even on commission, without manager approval. So asking them is a complete waste of time. Prices are firmly set by the corporate office in most stores, and any deviation the manager has to explain to the higher-ups. In most stores is it VERY unlikely that you'll negotiate a lower price for anything, especially since most consumers don't negotiate. There are probably a dozen people behind you willing to pay full price.
Keep the "everything's negotiable" philosophy at the used car lot and ABC Warehouse, because it will NOT get you far at Best Buy or Sears. - CaptMonkey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17Yeah, cause if there's one thing you can get cheap, it's an education...
- nuhrd, on 10/10/2007, -1/+18Uh, it says live 'well'.
- YouandWhoseArmy, on 10/10/2007, -7/+22Why do people digg these lame MSN articles. ugh. Dugg down for being lame...
- Ty1erDurd3n, on 10/10/2007, -2/+16im still lighting cubans with benjamins...
- TheMidnight, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13This has to be old. Getting a $2 gallon of gas for $1.90? That's so 2003.
- Pixelpaws, on 10/10/2007, -2/+14TFA: "Almost everywhere she went, she could talk the price down," he says. And that's still perfectly acceptable in many retail situations, he says.
... how is this acceptable anywhere other than a garage sale or a flea market? - samdu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11"Excercise restraint"
What school of economics does one need to attend to come up with that kind of arcane advice? - EochaidRiata, on 10/10/2007, -1/+12Having luxury accessories can help you if you are in a field where displays of wealth are expected and rewarded with increased business. Still, a $300 replica is indistinguishable without using a loupe.
- josegutz, on 10/10/2007, -3/+13After reading this article...
No ***** sherlock. - winmywii, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10Rolex is not a necessity.
- raynar, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9and mac and cheese.
- cbartlett, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8These are good tips. I already use many of these same techniques.
It astounds me to see people I know waste money left and right in the stupidest ways. Buying single-serving items instead of normal size or bulk. Store brands are another big one. Why anyone would want to pay 30% more for baking soda that has an arm and hammer on it when inside the box its all just sodium bicarbonate, is just beyond me. - benguild, on 10/10/2007, -1/+9Lol at never pay retail. I point at the price tag and tell people to gtfo when they ask 'whats the best price you're gonna give me?'. You're no different from any other customer, douche. Price stays!
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7That's the main reason I once bought a used Mercedes (in really good shape). I was creative director for a small advertising firm and clients seemed to take us a bit more seriously if we picked them up from the airport (or took them out to dinner) in my Benz or the owner's BMW.
Sucks, but that's the way it goes sometimes. - baraqiyal, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7Some things that are always left off these saving money lists:
Use a VOIP line.
High deductible auto insurance - if you go for a year or so without an accident, it's paid for.
If you are an infrequent cell phone user, use a pay as you go plan rather than a monthly plan.
Use compact fluorescent bulbs. - Pixelpaws, on 10/10/2007, -1/+8An education doesn't mean a thing if you can't find a job with the diploma. How are you going to be able to afford college if you don't plan your finances out well first?
- houndeyex, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6"Mark Oleson, director of the Financial Counseling Clinic at Iowa State University, recently signed up for a AAA-branded no-fee card that rebates 5% of all gas purchases. The credits are applied automatically to his account every month. Now he's getting $2 gallon gas for $1.90 without changing his buying behavior."
This obviously wasn't very "recent". We still pay about $3 a gallon in the middle of the midwest. - RavennX, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Im going to walmart to "Talk down" the price of a Xbox 360.
Wish me Luck... - Pilot85, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6I can feel my stomach protesting now...
- Shawn4168, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Oh yeah, I should have mentioned that it's the expensive items that you can negotiate with...typically not anything that's less than $200-300.
- Jakesterama, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5"Dial up phone savings. Your cell phone certainly comes in handy, but is your plan really worth what you pay? "There are lots of people who sign up for calling plans for cell phones who don't need them," says Howard. He says a more economic choice might be a prepaid plan. Do you travel with your cell phone? Be sure you don't face roaming charges. A better telephone-travel move might be a discount calling card. "I'm a big believer," says Howard, who finds that the average per-minute price on the cards runs about 2.9 cents per minute, a far cry from regular or in-room long-distance charges."
who the heck still has a plan that you get charged roaming?? I think this tip should be "Loose the landline, take your number to a cell, and have that be your only phone. Most plans offer free long distance and no roaming." - shadowspawn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5You know that $40/day thing that (the hottie) Rachael Ray does on the food network?
I have quite a few "clips" me and some friends put together, almost exactly like Rachael's, that we pitched the food network, and also the local news stations. It was $40/week. For a family of 4, it was $60/week. Sometimes you had to buy large amounts and in bulk, but over 2 months it balanced out to $60 per week. It included jarring, storage, freezing, etc... but it's tricks *before families had freon*.
People really need to see how to make their money last, and how to feed their kids. It doesn't need to be as hard as it is. - dolemite5005, on 10/10/2007, -4/+9The gist of every "how to live on less" article: Don't do anything fun.
- forensicmeteobo, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Most places will let you negotiate. Maybe not for that t-shirt at wal-mart, but, as Eccles said, with a TV or an appliance, you can usually bargin. Another tip: don't just shop at the big-box stores (Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Best Buy, Circuit City, Comp-USA, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc.) - actually go to independent places. They can usually offer you a lower price and give perks that you can't get at other places... and the employees probably actually WANT to be there and may actually care about what they are selling.
- Shawn4168, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5It depends...especially with commissioned employees, they're able and willing to pull some strings in order to finalize a sale. You can't always just walk in looking for a $2500 TV and say "I'll give you $2200 for it", but if you make the employee think that you're genuinely interested in purchasing the item, but that you don't "need" it, they'll throw in some incentives to keep you from walking out the door empty-handed. Sometimes it's a discount. Sometimes it's an accessory package. Sometimes it's a service plan. It all depends on the stores you visit and the salespeople that you encounter.
- inactive, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4If it was "painfully obvious," we wouldn't have such a large poor population or a middle class that has FAR overspent what they really earn.
Sorry, but you don't NEED that big screen tv, brand new car, 5000 sq ft house or $1000 in toys for *each* of your kids every Christmas. - Heywood43, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4just make sure you take some multivitimans with that or you'll come down with a mean case of scurvy.
- VeganG, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4You'd be surprised how many people think that retail clerks are more than the nameless drones that they, in reality, are. People think they have enough sway to change prices, etc. People also come up and complain about certain things as if you're going to relay them to the CEO the next time you're out having brunch at the links with him. They don't realize that they're basically like monkeys hired to push buttons all day (no offense).
- VeganG, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4I always laugh at the "$40 a day concept." I don't think I've ever managed to spend over $40 a day on food, unless I was celebrating something at a really fancy restaurant. $40 a day? That's easy.
- evileddy60, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Download all your:
-movies
-music
-games
-software
-tv shows
And save yourself lots of money. - qwickone, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Well he's getting it for $2.85. In your face!
- hiPpymIck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3opus dei ?
- quez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Exercise restraint?! Wow. I'd never have thought of that!
- dreesemonkey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Dugg for the Ramsey content. He's the man.
- halik, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4yeah this crap needs to be posted under "painfully obvious"
- hiPpymIck, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3yeah - always round it up...then decide
- mstoneburner, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3What's the resale value of your cellphone? What's the resale value of a Rolex?
- Antialias, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Why not just shoplift all your food? I know, I know.. copyright infringement isn't stealing, but morally it's about the same. You're taking something without paying for it. You're getting enjoyment/gain off of someone else's work without having to pay.
- nullvariable, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Not sure why Shawn is getting dug down, this is entirely true, I spent 7 years working in retail (Best Buy, CompUSA and Circuit City) and if you played the game right there's always something that can be done. Not every customer gets the offer but often a good customer will get price matches that don't exist and little changes to more flexible items all in the name of customer service. The right sales person (commissioned or not) will go the extra mile to close the deal and will pull those strings with his boss. Can you always get a deal? No but often I had demo machines or open box product that was in great condition that I just didn't tell every customer about and that kind of product is always easy to get a deal on. But a $10 item is always going to be $10 unless you buy a $1000 item. I can't count the number of 'free' surge protectors that I managed to get to close a deal. Most often it helps if you are aware of the metrics that a store or employee is working to meet. Most often service plans and packages are going to get you the most flexible deal because these are very important metrics. Open box and older/discontinued items are often a metric as well.
- rationalthinker, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2How many times does the same old common sense approach have to be regurgitated? This is the same crap you could find on the Internet when Al Gore first invented it.
- cfuse, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2You don't use a Rolex to tell the time, you use it to convince wannabe gold diggers to swallow your load.
- awhiteflame, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I don't know why people like VOIP.
Between internet and power outages which can sometimes be frequent, I'd still prefer to have some means of communication (landline, or even cell) - inactive, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Paying $18k for a watch is pure status spending. Same with buying a diamond over a $100 cubic zirconium. If there is no discernible functional difference, it is absurd to pay for the higher priced one. Only the wealthy can afford such waste, but true wealthy people only spend on such things if there is a definite future financial advantage. Really wealthy people still use coupons, for example. The way to get wealthy is buy both making a lot of money, and also limiting money spent.
- diggerphelps, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xt0c6_snldontbuystuff_fun
- neuropsychguy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"Dump the VOIP line and the land line and use a cell-phone exclusively."
My VOIP is less than $10 a month. I have a pay-as-you-go cell plan that averages out to be about $5 a month. Show me a good cell phone plan for that cheap and I'll sign up.
"The CF bulbs won't save you money, actually. In the long run, yes, but they'd often have to burn for 4 years to equal what you spent for them."
Not true anymore. CFL are quite cheap now. Besides, even if electricity costs aren't less, you help the environment by using less electricity. - Pyroxene, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Beans and rice. Rice and beans.
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