Articles
- February - Deal or No Deal - February 3, 2012
Finding the best items to purchase in any given month can be a chore. So we worked up this lists of deals and no deals for the month of February.
February Deals
Presidents Day Sales - Presidents Day always yields a ton of sale events. We should see up to 80% off of tools, apparel, bedding, and furniture. There should also be a bunch of online retailers that will be offering additional discounts on top of their already clearanced items.
Outerwear -We are reaching the end of the winter season so this years outerwear is going on sale. This is one of the better times to stock up on your outerwear for next year.
Ski Resorts -The mild winter has hurt the ski resorts. This is why they are offering deals now to try and salvage the end of their normally buys season.
Electronics -The Consumer Electronics Show always brings a wealth of new electronics. As these new products hit the shelves the previous generation of gadgets go on sale.
Tablets -Everyone is talking about the iPad 3 being released soon. Expect some cuts in the price of the iPad 2 right before the 3 comes out. New android tablets are being released all the time so the price of their predecessors drops to all time lows. You can get a very powerful Android tablet for between $200-$300.
Laptops -With tablets becoming all the rage laptop prices have dropped due to lower demand. High end desktop replacements have dropped to all time lows at $800. Ultrabooks (super thin and light laptops) are becoming the big rage in the laptop market. When the bulk of these laptops hit the market you can expect other 12" and 13" laptops to drop in price.
No Deal
Valentine's Day Sales -As usual, expect the Valentine's Day sales to be weak. Most people do not plan for Valentine's Day and go out shopping at the last minute. The stores know that there a bunch of desperate men seeking a gift so they only lower their prices a little bit to draw them in.
Movies - This tends to dove tail with Valentine's Day as so many people go out on dates in the middle of the month. The last two years we have seen almost no deals on movie tickets. Expect the daily deal sites to start offering bulk movie ticket deals in March.
We hope this guide has helped you prevent February from leaving your wallet heart broken.
leaving
- K Cup Coffee - Is It Worth It? - January 31, 2012
K cup coffee has taken the world by storm. When Wal-Mart puts your product at the front of the aisle then you know you have arrived. The question I see time and time again is, "Is k cup coffee worth the price?" Since my wife and I received one the k cup coffee makers for Christmas I had to take some time and figure out what is the best method for getting my k cup coffee cheaply.
K Cup Coffee PricingI went to Wal-Mart and immediately determined that their prices were a little too high, unless you are purchasing instant coffee and if you are doing that what is the point of the k cup? So I hit the internet to see who had the best k cup coffee prices. I decided to go after the Coffee People Donut Shop Coffee. Here is what I found:
Amazon.com
$60.08 for 100 k Cups=60 cents per K Cup
CoffeeForLess.com
$55.96 for 96 K Cups
4% Cash back for using BigCrumbs.com link56 cents per K Cup
CW-USA.com
$55.50 for 96K Cups
4% Cash back for using BigCrumbs.com link
$11.11 for shipping67.3 Cents per K Cup
So online you can order the k cup coffee for as little as 56 cents per k cup. This is still about three time higher than what you can get coffee from a drip coffee maker. The obvious downside to the drip coffee maker is the amount of coffee that has to be made during each use. There also tends to be some waste with the grounds because I don't know anyone who actually follows the recommended amounts.
K Cup Coffee Reusable Filters
So I set out to find a better way to use the k cup coffee maker than using the actual k cups. There are a ton of recommendations out there including reusing your k cups but most of them are kind of hokey. What I did find was some ingenious people decided to make reusable and cleanable filters that insert into your k cup coffee maker. Here are the three that I looked at before I purchased:
My K Cup - This is the only refillable k cup coffee filter that is actually made by Keurig. It does work very well, but has one major drawback in that you have to remove the entire k cup mechanism and put in the one that comes with the My k cup. This means if someone gave you k cups as a gift or you decided to get a few just for kicks you would have to swap out the entire mechanism to use the regular k cups.
ekobrew Cup - This one is a great option and is super popular. This one fixes the issue that the My K Cup has in that it fits into your existing k cup coffee maker with no modification. I didn't end up buying this one for some really insignificant reasons and the fact that at the time the two pack for ekobrew was more expensive than the next option. As of this writing it is the cheapest option.
Solofill Cup - This was my eventual choice. It basically directly competes with the ekobrew cups. It has only one real advantage and that is because it is called Solo, and because it comes in red, every time I make my wife a cup of coffee I get to sing the Red Solo Cup song (I told you the reason was insignificant).
K Cup Coffee Final Thoughts
So the down and dirty of k cup coffee is that by themselves they are not a good deal, but if you are only drinking a small amount of coffee and are willing to pay a little extra to get one of the reusable filters then you can really save a bunch of money by switching to k cup coffee.
- Bus Tickets May Be The Way To Go - January 25, 2012
With the rising cost of gasoline and airfares that have to go up with them an alternative of buying bus tickets for distances up to 250 miles may be the best way to go. In the "good ole days" people took buses and trains all over the country. What happened was that people got more wealthy and cars became more affordable, so bus tickets seemed like a purchase for poor people. The bus industry suffered over the years until recently when some upstarts started using a system similar to what the airlines use. The three big changes were hub and spoke routes, converting the pricing of bus tickets to a dynamic pricing strategy, and the comfort of the buses.
Hub and Spoke Routes - Simply put the bus industry switched from stopping in every mom and pop town along the way to going straight from one metro area to another. This cuts down on the time it takes to get from one destination to another. So with MegaBus you can travel from Atlanta to about ten different but from, Charlotte, NC you can only take buses to four.
Dynamic Pricing of Bus Tickets - With all of these low cost bus routes they have a few seats that sell for $1 a piece. When those are filled the prices go up. So most people pay between $10-$20 for their ticket. To get the best price you should book early to give yourself the best possibility of getting one of the cheap seats.
Bus Comfort - Now when I think of a bus comfort is not the first thing that comes to mind. The new bus companies are equipping their buses with reclining seats and all of them are offering free wifi. This means if you are a business traveler you can get work done the whole trip which is not an option on many of the airlines. They have also been very good about keeping the buses clean. It really is a copy of the airlines strategy.
The biggest bus line in this market right now is MegaBus. They cover cities in the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast. If you are on the west coast there are other lines where you can get cheap bus tickets.
The truth about mass transit is that most regions of our country do not have a dense enough population to justify having high speed rail, but buses are much cheaper and easier to repair. If more and more companies can find niche markets for bus travel then the cost of bus tickets will continue to remain very cheap. So next time you are taking a trip within 250 miles of your location it may pay to take the bus.
- Free Legal Movies Online - January 24, 2012
With all the protests over the legislation that congress was discussing to censor parts of the internet, I thought it important that anyone who wants to watch free legal movies online should know there are a bunch of sites out there that will let you do just that. Here is a list of the places I could find to watch free legal movies online:
Crackle - This is one of the better run sites and it works with your Roku box
. The variety is what puts this site at the top of our list.
YouTube -You are already going there to watch stupid cat videos so why not try out the Openflix channel.
Hulu - This site needs no introduction. The free movies get pretty modern. Their relationships with the big studios is what makes this possible
Big Five Glories - This site is dedicated completely to classic movies. It has a wide range of films from the 1910's-1970's
Classic Cinema Online - This site focuses on a few classic films each day.
Internet Archive - These are all public domain works so they include a bunch of classic films.
Internet piracy is a problem so lets support the sites that offer free legal movies online and force the bad apples out of business.
- CrystalDiskInfo Review - Check Your Disk Drive Health - January 20, 2012
Your hard drive is the part of your computer most likely to fail. What most people do not know is that modern computers have a monitoring system that keeps track of the health of your hard drive including the temperature of the drive.
This system is called the S.M.A.R.T. system and I have yet to find a computer that includes software that gives you access to the system. This is where CrystalDiskInfo comes in. CrystalDiskInfo will read the S.M.A.R.T. system for you and give you all the info that the system has to offer on your hard drive. Now this information is pretty technical so CrystalDiskInfo provides you with a nice meter to give you an easy graphical representation. The best part of this program is that it is FREE! This is a program by portableapps so be aware that some virus software will think it is a virus but it is definitely safe. You can download CrystalDiskInfo HERE - LibreOffice Review - Alternative to Microsoft Office - January 13, 2012
Microsoft has cornered the market when it comes to the office productivity suite. The down side is that it is a very expensive set of programs. With this in mind we are always on the look out for comparable, but cheaper, office productivity suites. The latest one we have come across is LibreOffice. The key to a review of any of these software packages is how it compares to Microsoft Office. That being said, we are pleased with our LibreOffice review. This software is very comparable to MS Office in look and feel. It can work with all office files and for the normal user it is going to do everything you need it to. There are some advanced options that you get with MS Office that are not available but if you are using these types of options then you need to spend the money because it has to be work related.
LibreOffice Review
The best features of this office suite are:- Free - You cannot beat that price
- Stability - this suite has actually been around for a long time and has the stability of a product that has been through a good number of revisions.
- User Friendly - Anyone who has used MS Office regularly should feel right at home with LibreOffice. They have really tried to gain the MS Office cost conscious market.
- Support - LibreOffice is actually a community of people making the software better. For this reason there are forums with people asking and answering almost every question under the sun.
Overall our LibreOffice review comes in with a glowing recommendation. I really like this suite and will probably be putting it any kids computer or for the person that just need to do word processing and a little of the other parts of MS Office. If you need a no cost option for MS Office then this is at the top of our list. You can download LibreOffice HERE
- Republic Wireless - The Next Step in Cell Phone Service - January 11, 2012
Republic wireless has recently launched a new concept in cell phone service. For only $19 per month you can get unlimited service. This may seem too good to be true so we need to dig deeper to understand the shortcomings and brilliant concept behind this brand new competitor in the cell phone industry.
The Initial Cost - You do have to purchase your own phone. Right now they offer a low end Android powered phone that is $199. This includes the first month of service. If you are used to getting your phone for free then you need to stick with the big four carriers because the smaller competitive carriers like Republic Wireless are pushing you off the addiction of cheap phones in exchange for two year contracts.
Changing Your Habits - Republic wireless comes out and tells you they are not for everyone, but if you are a person who is in a wifi area most of the time (which is most of us) then you are probably going to do very well with their service. The Republic Wireless phone is programmed to make phone calls over wifi. This means they save tons of money over the traditional carriers by routing all the calls through voip If you need to use the actual cellular network you have about 550 minutes 150 texts and 300 mb of data. Any of these service that are done on a wifi network are unlimited.
Getting a full understanding of this service takes actually thinking about your habits. On a normal day I wake up in my home that has wifi service through my high speed internet connection. I then get in my car and drive to my office about 25 minutes away. I then spend the bulk of my day at the office which has two wifi connections available. If I go to McDonald's for lunch there is another wifi network available. When I added it all up my average days is guaranteed to have wifi coverage about 90% of the time.
Is Republic Wireless going to change the entire cell phone industry? I doubt it, but it could be the next big step in making cell service cheaper and more flexible than what the big four are offering us.
- Recycle Electronics - New Years Resolution - January 5, 2012
You may have never thought about the idea to recycle electronics, but it is a great way to get rid of the techno waste in your life. After Christmas is a key time to do this so we have made it one of our New Year's Resolutions. So the concept to recycle technology is pretty simple. We aquire more and more stuff over time and we either clutter up our houses or throw it away to let it clutter up the landfill. The truty is that most of our techno junk can be reused to fix other devices or the wiring and electronics can be harvested to build new items. The best part of the decision to recycle electronics is that you can actually make some money. Here are some of the main places where you can recycle electronics:
Gazelle.com - This is probably the most well known of the recyclers. I have even sen them doing television commercials now. If you have something on their list then you can turn it in and they pay you for it, plain and simple.
BuyMyTronics.com -Very similar to Gazelle but not as well known. I usually check the prices between the two to see which one gets me the best cash back.
Good Will - You will not get cash back but you will get a tax write off.
With any of these sites/places you can get a good return on the techno waste sitting around your house. When you recycle electronics with the first two they will send you boxes and shipping to help you get the items to them as quickly as possible. Even if you take them down to Good Will you can get the junk out of your house and not clog up a landfill with our crazy amount of electronics. So get out there this New Year and Recycle Electronics!
- New Year's Resolution Get Life Insurance - January 4, 2012
So we kind of started off these New Year's resolution on a dower note by going from get a will to get life insurance. The truth is too many people have avoided the simple decision to get life insurance. Now this is not a difficult task life insurance can be very inexpensive and can cover your loved ones in the case of the worst happening.
Whenever I talk to people about getting life insurance they always ask, "How much and what kind of life insurance should I get?" The confusion over both of these questions is only muddied by the life insurance companies and life insurance sales people. There a ton of different options when you get life insurance but you should only look at getting 20 to 30 year term life insurance. This is he most basic type of life insurance. There are no investments no twists or turns, just insurance. So if you die it pays out if y ou do not die it does not pay out. The 20 to 30 years is only a guarantee of the rate that you will pay for that time frame. If you get a 30 year term policy that is $45 per month then you are guaranteed to pay $45 per month for the 30 year. You are not locked in, you can change plans or if you do not pay the insurance company just drops you.
As far as how much insurance to get, if you have people that depend on your income then you should have about 10 times the amount that you make in one year. So if you make $50,000 per year you should get life insurance policy of $500,000. If you do not have dependents then I would get just enough to pay off any outstanding debts you have and pay for your funeral. This way whoever is responsible for your estate has the money they need to not make settling your estate a burden.
If you are wondering where you can get honest quotes without being constantly hassled by insurance agents just use the form at the bottom of this page. You can get instant quotes from Aquila Insurance, a SavingFreak.com partner. If you decide you do want to get insurance you can use the form to sign up for your life insurance without having to see an agent (you will have to do a blood test to get your insurance approved). Overall just be informed about what prices should be and GET LIFE INSURANCE!
Term Life Insurance Quotes by Wholesale Ins.
- New Years Resolution - Get A Will - January 3, 2012
- The idea that you should get a will is not the first thought on most peoples minds. Most of us are too busy worrying about living to worry about dying. This is a big oversight for anyone with substantial assets or with children. Here are some great reasons why you should get a will:
- You Decide - If you do not leave instructions on what you want done with your assets or children then the state decides who gets what. That right, the same government that cannot manage to make a budget and stick to it is going to decide who gets your kids and stuff.
- Provide for a Specific Loved One - If you aren't married then your partner will not automatically inherit your assets. Without a will that person will have to fight for items they may have considered their own for years.
- Avoid Taxes - If you have a large amount of assets there are ways to guard your assets from getting hit with the huge taxes of the federal government. Inheritance taxes are levied against people who inherit and estate taxes are levied against the estate of the deceased. There are ways to avoid both but you should really see an estate lawyer to make sure that these taxes stay away from your stuff.
The next step is getting a will set up. This is much easier than you think. If you have more than $500,000 in assets then you should really see a local estate lawyer that can help with guarding your assets against taxes. If you are under that threshold you can get a will from some easy online services. The one most people have heard of is LegalZoom.com. You can also check out Rocket Lawyer and Find Legal forms to get a will. Any of these service can provide you with the right forms and instructions on how to get a will and make it legally binding. This is a New Years Resolution you can accomplish quickly and cheaply.
- New Years Resolutions - January 2, 2012
New Years resolutions are an annual tradition in cultures across the globe. The problem with most New Years resolutions is that people either set too lofty of a goal or they resolve to make changes that are not important enough to follow through. If you choose a goal that you can attain and is important to you the next problem people have is with following through with their New Years resolution. Having the discipline to make big changes to long ingrained habits is difficul. Here are some tips to help you follow through with your New Years resolutions:
- Write it Down - Writing things down makes them real. What makes many New Years resolutions fail is that we do not make them real goals. they get lost in the shuffle of real life and are relegated to the stack of "nice ideas."
- Tell Someone - Having someone to hold you accountable makes it easier to follow through. Letting someone else down is much harder than letting yourself down.
- Plan a Distraction - Knowing when you are most likely to give in to an ingrained habit gives you an opportunity to distract yourself from the habit. So if you know that lunch time is when you are most likely to break your diet or take a smoke make sure to put up some barriers and distractions.
- Allow for Mistakes - We all mess up from time to time. So if you have a set back don't derail the whole process by shrugging your shoulders and giving up. Just understand that no one is perfect and do something that makes up for eating that piece of cake like walking the dog an extra half mile.
- Rewards - Plan some rewards into the process so that you have smaller chunks to shoot for. Also, make sure the biggest reward is at the end.
That's it! So set some goals and get busy. We can all improve our health, our habits, and our relationships with some good targeted New Years resolutions.
With all of these tips in mind I am going to be covering four New Years resolutions that you may not have thought of that you NEED to get done this year.
- Getting Ready to Save in 2012 - December 29, 2011
Being ready to save money in the new year can help you from missing out on the best ways to save money on everyday purchases and even more money on the special purchases we make. Here are the tools you will need to save the most money on your purchases in 2012:
Cash Back Sites - Cash back sites are a great way to get cash back on almost every online purchase. Once you sign up you can search for a store and then click on the link they provide you to go to that retailer. By doing this the site gets a commission and shares the majority of that commission with you. Basically you use their site to go do your shopping and everybody wins. This has completely changed the way some people shop online, especially for ink cartridges.
BigCrumbs.com - This site tends to give the best percentages on cash back. They do lack a few retailers that the other two cover.
MrRebates.com - Not quite as good on cash back as BigCrumbs but their list or sites is a bit longer.
Ebates - The grandaddy of them all. If this site does not have the store then there is not a cash back agreement on them. This site has the lowest cash back percentages because it is the most popular.
Search Engine Rewards - If you aren't using SwagBucks by now you are way behind in your rewards. Swagbucks takes the revenue they gain by people clicking on ads and shares it with the members in the form of points. Accumulate enough points and cash them in for the rewards that you want. We typically recommend gift cards because they provide the most bang for the buck.
Coupon Code Search - We post coupon codes all the time when we find a good deal, but if you just need to purchase something you should always check to see if there is a code that will get it for you a little cheaper. The best place we have found is RetailMeNot.com. This site does a great search for coupon codes all over the internet. they also have a rating system where usesers can tell you if the code is still working.
Printable Coupon Search - If you are going out to a store it would be nice to know if there is a coupon to make your purchase cheaper. If you head over to BargainEZ.com you can search for coupons for fast food restaurants and pretty much any major retailer. This site has saved me a ton when it comes to grabbing a quick lunch.
Rewards Credit Card - I personally use the Chase Freedom card but there could be a card that works better for you. If you are getting at least 1% cash back that is always a nice add on to any purchase. Here is a list of great rewards credit cards that will allow you to pick the one that works best for you.
- SavingFreak Favorite Charities - December 28, 2011
December is the biggest fundraising month for most charitable and non-profit organizations. This is because people think more of giving to their favorite charities around Christmas. It is also the end of the year so some are trying to get in that last minute tax write off. My wife and I have tried to make a real push in our lives to donate more money and time to our favorite charities. In case you are looking for a place to donate money here is the list of our favorite charities and non-profit organizations:
Our Church - NewSpring Church is one of the fastest growing churches in the country and is doing amazing work in the communities where our campuses are located.
Missionaries - I grew up in a church that was very focused on overseas mission work. Here are the missionaries we will be supporting sometime in the next year (if you would like to donate money toward any of these couples click on their name to be taken to a page where you can donate directly to their work).
Martin and Joanna Chaaya - This couple is ministering to Muslims in Spain. They help people who have recently move to Spain gain language and occupational skills.
Brett and Sheri MacLean - Brett and Sheri work in a medical facility in Mali (western and Saharan Africa). They help treat diabetes, malaria, and many other diseases for people who cannot afford medical care.
Pete and Alice Brokopp - Pete and Alice work in multiple countries in western Africa and are based out of Burkina Faso. They are currently in the states and traveling back and forth to Gabon working on building a team center for missions in that country.
These are the places where we are sending our charitable donations. If you have any favorite charities feel free to list them in the comments section below.
- Black Friday is Over, Now What? - November 29, 2011
I hope that your Black Friday adventures paid off. I gave up on trying to hit Best Buy who had the best deals this year but ended up with a line that wrapped around the entire store in my area. I did manage to hit their online deals and grab a nice 7" tablet for my wife.
The question I get every year is what do I do now if I didn't get the deal I wanted? The truth is that Black Friday will many times set the new normal for a lot of price points. Now, you will not see some of the extreme deals show up again. For instance, I do not expect to see a bunch of 42" televisions suddenly go on sale for $199.99. What you can expect is for stores to continue offering great deals and free shipping on most items till at least December 17th when the free shipping offers will dry up. The other big advantage to online shopping during this time of year (other than not having to brave the traffic) is you can use our recommended online shopping portals to score cash back on every purchase. The way a shopping portal works is you go to their page and search for a retailer. If they have an arrangement with that retailer it will come up in the search and you can click on a link that takes you to that retailers web page. When you do this they give you a percentage back into your account. Our favorite two portals are BigCrumbs.com and MrRebates.com. We have had great success getting as much as 20% back on some items (most are in the 3-7% range). So make sure you are using these sites to get some extra cash back and Happy Shopping!
- Free Sample and Coupon Roundup #156 - October 24, 2011
A slow week for freebies but there were a few that are worth while.
Free sample of Hugo Boss fragrance Boss Orange
Free sample of Truvia Natural Sweetner
Free sample of Aero Shot Pure Energy
Free sample of Nescafe Peppermint Mocha
Coupon for a free Axe Fixers (first two thousand each week)
Coupon for free Photo Shoot and $30 worth of prints at Sears portrait studio
- Most Dangerous Online Celebrities - October 20, 2011
O.K. so the title is a little deceptive, but Mcafee Recently released a list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for in cyberspace. This list shows the dangers of viruses online. Remember when you are searching for a name or popular search you are more likely to come up with a site that will load a virus, malware, adware, or a keylogger onto your computer.
- Heidi Klum
- Cameron Diaz
- Piers Morgan
- Jessica Biel
- Katherine Heigl
- Mila Kunis
- Anna Paquin
- Adriana Lima
- Scarlett Johansson
- Emma Stone/Brad Pitt/Rachel McAdams
There are free tools that can help you keep this software from ruining your weekend. My favorite is AVG Linkscanner. This handy little tool will actually pop up with a warning when a link is unsafe to click. Your other best bet is to keep your virus protection up to date. If you do not have virus protection AVG has a great free version that you can download HERE.
- Do Not Watch Extreme Couponing on TLC - October 5, 2011
I did it to myself again. I was flipping through the channels after putting my son to bed and came across Extreme Couponing on TLC. I like to check the show out to see how they are portraying the couponing public. I will say that they chose a few people this time that were not extreme hoarders. Now they did have big stockpiles but they had not accumulated so much of an item that they would never use it up (one of the ladies on a previous show had more toilet paper than her family could use in two lifetimes and then she bought some more). This episode had a couple of ladies that coupon together and compete to see who could save the most money. The second lady was helping her sister save money on her wedding with her couponing ways. These are nicer stories than the hoarders of the past but the methods are similar. Most people do not have the time or the energy to spend that much of their lives couponing. Not only that but the math does not work (if you want to see the math see our previous post Extreme Couponing is for Losers). If you are spending more than 30 minutes getting ready to go to the store, you are spending too much time. If you are cutting out all your coupons and organizing them in a box or a binder, you are spending too much time. Couponing is great for saving money but lets not miss the trees for the forest. The point is to cut your budget down to what is reasonable, not to spend your life obsessed with the next deal.
- Best and Worst Items to Buy in October - October 4, 2011
Each month has items that are a good deal in that month and not in the others. Here are the best and worst deals you can find in October:
Garden Items (DEAL) - September is the month with the most garden deals but October tends to have steeper discounts. So make sure to check the clearance areas because the stores know they have to clear the shelf space before the cold hard winter.
Denim (DEAL) - Retailers are still trying to get rid of the bulk of jeans they stocked up with for back to school. So expect this years style of jeans to be on clearance or better.
Pumpkins (NO DEAL) - All the flooding from the hurricane this year has caused a shortage of gourdage. So expect your pumpkins to come at a premium.
Cold Weather Clothing (NO DEAL) - The big discounts always come in January. This works great if you live in the south but if you cannot wait try to hold out until November when there will be some discounts around Black Friday.
Lingerie (DEAL) - October seems to be a good month for intimates with usually some good clearance deals for the more popular lines. That being said you can usually find a little better deals in November and December but they will be solid this month
Toys (NO DEAL) - The big toys for Christmas lists are just coming out and it is really tempting to get the shopping done, but toys tend to go down with Black Friday and as you get closer to Christmas.
HDTVs (NO DEAL) - The prices jut won't drop until next month when Black Friday rolls in.
Laptops (NO DEAL) - October is the third or fourth best month to purchase a laptop. However, November is the best month. So wait just a little longer before you pull the trigger.
Halloween Items (DEAL) - You will get the best deals just after Halloween but the week before you will find some great deals on costumes and candy as retailers try to clear their shelves.
- Free Sample and Coupon Roundup # 154 - October 3, 2011
A little slower week this week but some nice freebies to take advantage of.
Free sample of Amilean Toning lotion
Free sample of Splenda Essentials
Coupon for free can of Purina Pro Plan Cat Food
Mail in Rebate for a free cannister of Lysol Dual Action Wipes
Free sample of PepPod Energy Drink
Free sample of Aveda Hand Relief Lotion
- 25 Cheapest Cities to Live in America - September 29, 2011
Bloomberg/Businessweek put out a list of the 25 cheapest cities to live in the united states. If you are currently unemployed you can take a lower pay and still live a good lifestyle by relocating somewhere with a lover cost of living. You do need to know that the statistics below each city represent an average from quarter one or 2010 to quarter one of 2011. So those numbers may not reflect the exact cost you will find right now but do give you a pretty good estimate.
No. 1 Cheapest Cities to Live: Harlingen, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $659
Monthly house payment: $847
Gallon gas: $2.650
Hamburger: $3.31
Half-gallon milk: $1.99No. 2 Cheapest Cities to Live: Pueblo, CO
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $723
Monthly house payment: $783
Gallon gas: $2.658
Hamburger: $3.20
Half-gallon milk: $1.84No. 3 Cheapest Cities to Live: Pryor Creek, OK
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $603
Monthly house payment: $841
Gallon gas: $2.630
Hamburger: $2.99
Half-gallon milk: $2.03No. 4 Cheapest Cities to Live: McAllen, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $819
Monthly house payment: $829
Gallon gas: $2.695
Hamburger: $3.48
Half-gallon milk: $2.15No. 5 Cheapest Cities to Live: Cookeville, TN
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: NA
Monthly house payment: $842
Gallon gas: $2.650
Hamburger: $2.87
Half-gallon milk: $1.69No. 6 Cheapest Cities to Live: Commerce-Hunt County, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $782
Monthly house payment: $840
Gallon gas: $2.719
Hamburger: $3.19
Half-gallon milk: $2.49No. 7 Cheapest Cities to Live: Brownsville, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $591
Monthly house payment: $827
Gallon gas: $2.670
Hamburger: $2.75
Half-gallon milk: $2.21No. 8 Cheapest Cities to Live: Fort Smith, AR
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $456
Monthly house payment: $926
Gallon gas: $2.697
Hamburger: $3.13
Half-gallon milk: $1.97No. 9 Cheapest Cities to Live: Muskogee, OK, area
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $527
Monthly house payment: $801
Gallon gas: $2.673
Hamburger: $2.97
Half-gallon milk: $2.08No. 10 Cheapest Cities to Live: Springfield, IL
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $556
Monthly house payment: $834
Gallon gas: $2.875
Hamburger: $3.46
Half-gallon milk: $1.86No. 11 Cheapest Cities to Live: Sherman-Denison, TX, area
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $595
Monthly house payment: $836
Gallon gas: $2.683
Hamburger: $3.16
Half-gallon milk: $1.74No. 12 Cheapest Cities to Live: Martinsville-Henry County, Va.
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $551
Monthly house payment: $923
Gallon gas: $2.666
Hamburger: $3.22
Half-gallon milk: $2.19No. 13 Cheapest Cities to Live: Temple, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $596
Monthly house payment: $831
Gallon gas: $2.708
Hamburger: $3.09
Half-gallon milk: $2.26No. 14 Cheapest Cities to Live: Conway, AR
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $525
Monthly house payment: $971
Gallon gas: $2.701
Hamburger: $2.22
Half-gallon milk: $1.98No. 15 Cheapest Cities to Live: Johnson City, TN
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $644
Monthly house payment: $864
Gallon gas: $2.820
Hamburger: $2.92
Half-gallon milk: $2.10No. 16 Cheapest Cities to Live: Indianapolis, IN
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $793
Monthly house payment: $781
Gallon gas: $2.971
Hamburger: $3.22
Half-gallon milk: $1.77No. 17 Cheapest Cities to Live: Wichita Falls, TX
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $591
Monthly house payment: $1,031
Gallon gas: $2.648
Hamburger: $2.87
Half-gallon milk: $2.34No. 18 Cheapest Cities to Live: Salina, KS
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $499
Monthly house payment: $942
Gallon gas: $2.717
Hamburger: $3.12
Half-gallon milk: $1.96No. 19 Cheapest Cities to Live: Ardmore, OK
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $551
Monthly house payment: $941
Gallon gas: $2.715
Hamburger: $3.19
Half-gallon milk: $1.97No. 20 Cheapest Cities to Live: Paducah, KY
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $570
Monthly house payment: $920
Gallon gas: $2.702
Hamburger: $2.99
Half-gallon milk: $2.05No. 21 Cheapest Cities to Live: Springfield, MO
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $629
Monthly house payment: $886
Gallon gas: $2.641
Hamburger: $3.22
Half-gallon milk: $1.95No. 22 Cheapest Cities to Live: Memphis, TN
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $730
Monthly house payment: $838
Gallon gas: $2.657
Hamburger: $3.18
Half-gallon milk: $1.94No. 23 Cheapest Cities to Live: Cedar City, UT
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $527
Monthly house payment: $873
Gallon gas: $2.800
Hamburger: $3.39
Half-gallon milk: $1.61No. 24 Cheapest Cities to Live: Murfreesboro-Smyrna, TN
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $791
Monthly house payment: $830
Gallon gas: $2.646
Hamburger: $2.89
Half-gallon milk: $1.67No. 25 Cheapest Cities to Live: Americus, Ga., area
Monthly rent for 2-br apartment: $547*
Monthly house payment: $840*
Gallon gas: $2.764*
Hamburger: $1.99*
Half-gallon milk: $2.85*
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