EE Homepage / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Last year, my aunt underwent dental surgery that could have cost her thousands of dollars. The cheapest quote she got in the U.S. was $45,000. To get affordable health options, and save money, she sought out-of-country care. She told me she saved more than $20,000 when I told her about my dental emergency.
I was surprised to learn she’d had her teeth fixed because all I’d heard was that she’d gone on vacation to Mexico during the summer. I interrogated her over the phone.
“What did you get done?”
MCalatayud / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I was sitting in the dentist chair looking into the light when he told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear.
“You need a root canal.”
Ouch! The thought of having the dentist drill my molar was not as painful as wondering how much this was going to set me back.
I immediately began blaming myself. If only I hadn’t put off
Spirit Hoods are a unique gift. Credit: SpiritHoods.com
I find teens are the easiest people to buy presents for because when you ask them what they want, they have a long list! Day five of the Bargain Babe Hot Holiday Gift Guide is devoted to buying for these almost-adults.
We’ve also suggested electronics gifts, gifts at Sears, toys for kids, and mens’ shavers. Coming up are gifts for kids, teens, men, and women. There will also be a day devoted to unique and quirky gifts, and we’ll finish the gift guide on Dec. 9 with a roundup of the best overall gifts.
Don’t forget to enter to win a $100 Sears gift card as part of the Gift Guide! Contest ends Monday, Dec. 5!
What is it with teen girls putting
Last chance to win!
There are FIVE GIVEAWAYS ENDING TOMORROW! So this is your last chance to enter to win. Click on the links below to enter now!!!
Contests that end Nov. 24, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST
- $99 HP HD webcam
- $99 doll, train, and toys from Cracker Barrel
- $100 Lands’ End gift card
- $100 storage cubes from Way Basics
- $100 holiday cards from DaySpring
Contests that end Nov. 29, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST
- $199 Rockboard scooter
- $100 Bertolli pot and accessories
- $100 Carter’s gift card
- $100 in cash from Ebates
- $120 designer reusable bags from Envirosax
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Rennett Stowe/FLickr
Going somewhere? You better be getting a cash back rebate when you book flight, hotels, or car rentals! One of my favorite cash back sites, Shortcuts, has a page dedicated to cash back travel deals. New to this? Here’s my guide to how cash back rebates work.
A sampling of the travel savings available:
Hotels
3.5% of your purchase back from Hotels.com on Ebates
2.5% of your purchase back from Best Western on Ebates
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
FinancialFellow1/Flickr
Last year, Bargain Babe challenged herself to not use credit cards for a month. At the time, I was feeling all kinds of awesome because I didn’t have any credit card debt and always pay off my cards each month. However, when I organized my financial New Year’s resolutions, I realized I was using my ATM card WAY too much and irresponsibly buying items that I didn’t really need. I resolved to go back to my previously successful budget strategy of using cash only for my weekly purchases. I wanted to share with you my insights from my first week after I banned my ATM card.
Here is how I started: (more…)
I’m debating another financial experiment similar to the spending moratorium I undertook last July. This time, I am considering not using any credit cards or debit cards for an entire month, starting April 1. No, this is not a joke.
I got the idea after talking to a friend who had to cancel her credit card because of fraudulent charges. (This was not the same friend that had her credit/debit/ATM card number skimmed.) My friend didn’t have a back up for some reason and was forced to go without a credit card for about a week.
She was astonished at how different it felt to make regular purchases – with cash. At Target she picked out a gift for her grandson’s birthday that came to $61. She balked. $61? In cash? She would not have thought twice about swiping her plastic.
My friend’s experience made me wonder. Is it easier to stay on budget with cash? I pay my bill in full every month so this experiment is not about learning to spend within my means. It’s about spending less.
I rely heavily on my credit card because I spend cash so easily. In fact, I try to limit my ATM usage to one withdrawal of $100 at the beginning of the month. So there is a chance this experiment could go very badly.
[poll id="58"]
I talked to Laura Rowley, author of “Money and Happiness”
1. “Female” versions of products are often more expensive. Consumer Reports did a study and found that products with his/her versions, like shaving cream, deodorant, and razors, perform the same but cost $1-2 more for the version targeting women, Laura said. All that pink packaging is cute, but not worth an extra dime.
2. A coupon toolbar saves time. Research shows more people do at least two online searches before they buy. First to find the product and then to find coupons for the product. Laura likes the coupon toolbar at Dealio.com, which automatically finds coupons when you search for products on Yahoo, Bing, or Google. Having a toolbar helps you get more value out of a single search.
3. Certain debit cards earn cash rebates. Laura says she earns 3-4 percent on the account tied to her debit card. To earn this high interest rate, you generally have to do five things. One, swipe your debit card 10-12 times a month. Two, set up direct deposit into the account. Three, use the bank’s online banking program. Four, get statements by email not snail mail. Five, bank locally. You aren’t going to see any of the major banks offering this perk.
But do the benefits of using a high-interest debit card surpass credit card perks? “Totally,” Laura said. “It’s way better to get 3-4 percent interest than credit rewards.” What about not building your credit history by using a debit card? “The people with the best credit scores only use 8-10 percent of their credit capacity every month. By using a debit card 10 times, you are getting the best of both worlds.”
Still interested? Go to CheckingFinder.com, plug in your zip code to find a local bank, and compare offers. The banks can afford to give you this interest rate because they are making money on the interchange fee. Every time you swipe your debit card, retailers pay about 2 percent of the sale, Laura said.
This deal works best for people who are comfortable banking online. Laura recommends using a high-interest debit card for small purchases between $10-$50 and a credit card for bigger charges. She makes the most of this deal by transferring 3-4 months of savings into her high-interest account. But only do this if you can stop yourself from spending your savings!
I just checked for my zip code and one bank is offering 4.09 percent interest on balances up to $25,000. That’s a far cry from the 1.25 percent interest rate ING Direct is offering for a 18-month CD.
