espensorvik / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Reader Marie left a comment in a post asking us to help her find the tech needed for her to stream movies and shows on her TV. She writes:
Hi Yazmin,
I look forward to reading your blog every day. I’ve learned and have saved so much from your articles.
I was wondering if you or any of your readers know what technology is available to watch TV via the internet.
Cable &/or satellite costs account for amongst the highest of our household expenses. My cable bill increases $3-5 dollars every 4-6 months!
I have heard there is a box you could purchase (for a one time fee) to plug your TV into enabling your TV to pick up shows via the internet.
If you or any of your readers know about this service & how to set it up or any other TV technology to save me money I would be so thankful.
The folks who brought us the controversial Extreme Couponing are back with Extreme Cheapskates (preview above). And they are looking for people to feature on their TV show! Here are snipets of emails I received from the show’s producer, Michael Petrella.
I’m the casting director for a new TLC series that is about finding unique and creative ways to save a buck. We’ve explored some fabulous ideas, like washing and reusing fabric toilet paper and dumpster diving for items such as last season’s wrapping paper and greeting cards.
We’re looking for folks who go to free events for the snacks… or take dates to places with free chips and salsa and only order water. Fun stuff like that, and also some slightly odd ideals like the homemade toilet paper or heating a whole house with human waste.
If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to email Michael at casting@michaelpetrella.com.
Calling all bargainers! Credit: silverfox09/Flickr
I receive a decent number of emails from folks casting a new TV show related to saving money. But the guy casting this Pro Bargainers show actually called me and asked me for feedback and answered my questions about the show he described. My take: two thumbs up.
So if you’ve thought about responding to a casting call but hesitated, don’t miss this opportunity. Email Zach at tv_casting19@yahoo.com for more info. You can always opt not to participate later! He is mainly looking for folks in the LA or NY area.
Are you a budget fashionista? Credit: Lance Shields/Flickr
Want to be on TV? Do you dress fashionably on a budget? A casting agent named John Lowe emailed me about a new show:
My name is John and I came across your fashion blog. I’m working on a new fashion show for a major cable network and I would love to chat with you about it! The show is geared towards girls that don’t necessarily live in the fashion meccas or have a lot in the bank but still find ways to dress high-end. Because everyone deserves to have the style and sophistication of Carrie Bradshaw.
He shared this info about the show. Note, I don’t believe he is looking for girls as young as the one pictured. I just thought it was a cute photo!
Internet TV at home is a DIY reality!
I’m hearing a lot about services that, for a fee, let you play computer videos, like Hulu and YouTube, on your TV. Is this a necessary expense? How hard is it to do yourself? I talked to Shawn DuBravac, a head honcho at the Consumer Electronic Association, and learned that, for many TVs, you can buy a cable for about $45 that will eliminate the need for a pricey service. This interview has been edited and condensed.
How hard is it to stream videos from your computer to your TV? If you want to play YouTube videos on a television, you have to have some type of computer object connected to that television: a browser in essence.
What is an Internet TV? About 20% of televisions are Internet-enabled. If you have one of those televisions you really don’t need to do anything.
What about a non-Internet TV that has an HDMI input? If you have an HDMI port, then all you have to do is
Best website logo ever.
Here are four cool new money-saving sites I’ve been meaning to share with you, plus a link to a explainer piece on invite-only shipping sites like Gilt Group.
Clicker.com – the site’s motto – “what’s on online” – had me fantasizing about finding free episodes of my favorite TV show, 30 Rock. Sadly, Clicker.com is so comprehensive it took me 8 minutes to find the show’s homepage. Once there, I see glorious links to every episode ever with links to watch. Many are paid, i.e., require me to pay for access.
Clicker.com has similar pages for movies, music, web originals, live TV (FIFA World Cup, for instance), and there is a page for trends. You can create playlists and get a notification when a new episode is available. Clicker.com is a bit confusing at first, but I recommend setting aside 15 minutes to familiarize yourself with the site. If you are really confused, scroll over the teeny tiny arrow to the right of each tab, and when that teeny tiny arrow expands into a drop down menu, click on the “browse by alphabet” link.
SiteJabber.com -this site aims to inform consumers about websites and online businesses to avoid fraud by collecting reviews from regular folks like you and me. It also has tips for consumers on evaluating sites, which I wish more people did. Plus, SiteJabber.com has one of the best slogans ever, pictured above. This site is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
HalfOffDeals.com – this is an oldie, actually. HalfOffDeals sells gift certificates for restaurants, spa, golf courses, and a lot more for 50% off flat. The discount isn’t as big as say, Restaurant.com, but there are many fewer restrictions. In Los Angeles, a $50 certificate to La Fonda Restaurant, which is renown for its mariachi show, is $25. You can search for deals within 10, 30, and 60 miles of a particular zip code. The site makes a cut of each certificate sold.
BillShrink.com – also an old site, but it has a new feature that may apply to you. The site, which suggests credit cards and phone plans that save you money over your current ones, now lets you compare the price of TV services in your area. The site earns a referral fee for each person who signs up for a new service through the site.
Bonus: Curious about how invite-only shopping sites like Gilt Groupe work? Switched.com explains how they work and reviews the major ones.
newyorkinsider/Flickr
If you are looking to grow your business, reinvent yourself at 50, or bring out the best in your children, consider applying to be in a new video series with Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul (pictured above). The video series will appear on AOL and WalletPop.com, which I blog for, and address these ten topics:
- Presenting yourself in the best light (Dress & Public Speaking)
- Developing Your Company’s Vision / How to Brand
- Adept Hiring (and Adept Firing)
- Doing Your Homework for meetings
- Recognizing When to Move On
- Starting Up Pitfalls
- Bringing Out the Best in your Children
- How to Blow Up Your Business in the Blogosphere
- Creating Robust Partnerships
- Reinventing Yourself at 50
As the “real person” in the video, you’ll ask a question that Barbara will answer. Each video will be between 5 and 7 minutes long. If you are in NY, you can go into AOL’s studio or you can appear via Skype. The folks producing the series are looking for a mix of men and women from around the country who may be small business owners, workers with a dream, or people trying to make a living and have a life.
If you are interested, please send the following information to walletpopbc@gmail.com.
Name
Address
Employment situation (employed, self-employed, stay-at-home-mom, etc.)
Internet Connection and webcam availability (and Skype name)
Email and phone
Question you’d like to ask
Have you ever wondered about the best place to start saving money? The answer might be closer than you think: your home. WhiteFence.com is a fantastic shopping site that helps you find great deals on the home services that you pay monthly for. From home phone, TV and your electric bill to natural gas and high-speed Internet, you can find every connection you need all in one spot.
Saving money with WhiteFence.com is easy. As a shopper, just enter your address into the search engine, and within a few minutes you can browse all of the choices available for where you live. The information is laid out in a way that is easy to use, so you can quickly compare prices and categories to see where you can find the best deals. In fact, WhiteFence.com is currently offering up to $200 in gift cards when you order bundles from providers like AT&T and Verizon. When’s the last time you got paid to shop?
The best part of all of this is that using WhiteFence.com is free and requires no registration beforehand. You can even order all of the services straight from the site, rather than having to go individually to each provider to set up your connections. WhiteFence.com works with providers to set up your orders quick and painless, which we all know is welcome after years of dealing with utility companies.
To start saving time and money for your home services, visit WhiteFence.com today!
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David Berkoqitz/Flickr
I try to be open minded about how people spend their money. It’s not mine, after all. But after reading a story in yesterday’s newspaper about Panasonic and Samsung to begin selling 3D TVs this week, I am so $(#*@! frustrated.
Why does anyone need to watch TV in 3D?
It costs $500 more than a comparable set. There’s almost nothing to watch in 3D right now. (Sports will be some of the first 3D programming.) And you have to wear bulky glasses that require batteries. Batteries! If you don’t have on the special glasses, everything looks fuzzy.
America, this is not what you need to be spending your money on right now. How about paying off credit card debt? Or even – gasp – contributing to your 401k?
I’ve seen movies in 3D and it’s awesome. But I’m content to experience 3D at the movie theater. Not that I am the target consumer for 3D TVs. I watch about 17 minutes of TV a week and see roughly four movies a year. But even if you are a huge TV and movie buff, is having a 3D TV really going to improve your life? Make you happy? Dissolve all your woes?
No.
Regular TV is good enough for me. Who’s with me?
