But it’s not that crazy. It’s not that crazy and thousands of people are doing this because of all the free video content on the Internet. Forget the homebrew shows that had their start on the Internet, I mean major broadcasting networks putting the shows on TV for free.

In this post, I’ll describe an approach to finding out if canceling your cable TV service is the right move.

Keep A TV Log

For an entire month, record every show that you watch and how you watched it. Did you watch it live or after you recorded it on your DVR? Did you watch it a day after it broadcast or a week? After a month, you should have a good idea of the shows you watch and how you watch them.

The point of a TV log is to find out how much you are watching TV and whether you can find alternatives elsewhere. Find out how much you’re paying per episode and you might be very very surprised. If you’re paying $100 a month for cable and watch four shows that air weekly, you’re watching 16 shows a month and paying $6.25 a piece. Even if you watched 8 shows, that’s 32 shows a month at $3.125 a piece. Do you follow eight shows?

Find Alternatives Online

Most networks put their most popular shows online, either at websites like Hulu.com or their own sites. Fox lets you watch 17 of their shows line, including House, Family Guy, and The Simpsons. ABC has thirty-four shows online. NBC has pretty much every one of their shows online at NBC.com and Hulu (which was created by NBC Universal and News Corp). USA Network has six of their shows online (you can see them through Hulu.com too) and FX Network has five of theirs available (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia!).

The only downside with watching television shows online is that oftentimes the networks will delay when you can watch it. For example, if you’re a fan of House, you can’t see the latest episodes until eight days after they are first broadcast on Fox. If you like Flash Forward, you will only be able to watch the last five episodes on Hulu.

Check each of your shows to see if they are shown online, chances are they will be. As for commercials, they are done faster than it takes you to skip through them on your DVR.

Use Netflix for Previous Season

Want to know why Lost was so popular but can’t watch it now because it’s too far in? Watch it streaming to your computer or TV – you can get the first four seasons instantly. Netflix isn’t free, the cheapest plan that gives you unlimited online viewing is $8.99 a month, but it’s far cheaper than cable television.

After I wrote my Netflix review, I was amazed at the number of readers who told me that they canceled their cable TV service and subscribed to Netflix. Here are just two of the more recent comments:

Lauren:

I’m a Netflix subscriber and proud of it! Four months ago I cancelled my $120-a-month cable plan. Now I pay $9-a-month on Netflix to watch all my favorite shows and movies. We connect the big-screen tv to our laptop and watch everything on demand right there. Who needs Tivo when you can watch shows instantly for $111 cheaper?

Neil:

I’ve been viewing netflix and their imitators as an alternative to cable, which makes it a great deal. For a few dollars a month, I’ve replaced a bill that was over $40, and I can’t say I miss it.

Local News & Sports

The only thing you cannot get online, conveniently and prepackaged, is your local news and any sports programs. You can watch snippers of Sportscenter at ESPN.com but you can’t watch last night’s game or see the news. For this, you will want to buy an antennae that can capture television signals over the air.

Use AntennaWeb to find out what signals are available in your area and what type of antenna you’ll need to capture it. Then you’ll need to buy an antenna and plug it into your TV to get the local stations (make sure to point it in the direction AntennaWeb advises!). That’s the last issue solved!

Canceling your cable television may seem scary but think about what you’re be giving up… nothing (as long as you weren’t under contract). If you decide a few months into the experiment that you preferred to spend the money for cable television, you can always sign up and take advantage of new customer offers!

Have you canceled your cable and have some tips to share with other people looking to do the same?

(Photo: albany_tim)

How to Cancel Your Cable TV Service from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

With the start of classes comes the need for college textbooks. As I remembered years ago, college textbooks are not cheap. In fact, the prices seems exorbitant to me but that’s what happens when there’s a small market forced into buying a product. Fortunately, there are some techniques you can use to defray the costs.

Buy from Previous Students

The easiest way to get a textbook is to buy it from a previous student who took the class. This works best for “foundation” type classes where every student in the program is required to attend because it means the supply of books will be high. Be sure to check that the textbook and that edition will be used again your semester (check with the professor).

The best place to find willing sellers is bulletin boards, either online or physically in the department building. Once you find a willing seller, negotiate a little to see if you can knock a few dollars off the price. Review the prices you can find online so you don’t overpay. The benefit of buying in person is that you can get the book immediately and not worry about shipping costs or delays.

Buy Online

Just put your book’s ISBN or title into Google and see what pops up. There are hundreds of vendors selling textbooks from big names like Half.com and Amazon to smaller bookstores (too numerous to name). When buying, you want to buy used and in relatively good condition. Check the seller’s feedback to see if they can be trusted. If they have hundreds of thousands of results and good feedback, chances are they will be a store or textbook distributor and can be trusted.

I took a quick peek at the results for one of the books my wife bought, Biochemical Engineering by Harvey Blanch. Brand new, the book sells for $65.77 and resellers are offering it for as low as $63.45. In this case, I’d buy it new rather than used because of shipping costs.

Rent Textbooks

I’ve never tried this but there are services where you can rent a textbook for a semester. One site I found, but have never used, was Chegg.com. You can rent a book for 60 days, a quarter, or a semester. If their semester period ends before yours, they extend it for free.

Is it worth it? Not sure, because I checked the prices for renting Biochemical Engineering and it wasn’t that much cheaper than the $65.77 price at Amazon. For a semester, it was $56.99. You could probably buy the book new and resell it for more than $8.78 (purchase price minus the rental price). It’s an option worth considering if it makes sense for the books you might need.

Buy In Bookstore

This is the most expensive option for buying used textbooks and I’m always amazed that people will sell the books back to the bookstore, given how much they gauge you (or used to gauge you, I haven’t looked at bookstore book prices in a while). One strategy I used to use was buy the book new in the store, order it online, and then return the book when it appeared. In response, many college bookstores have now rejected returns unless you bring confirmation you dropped the class.

I believe I’ve covered all the good used textbook buying options available to the frugal minded college student. With the spring semester coming up, the used sections of these sites and in bookstores is likely to swell as people try to recoup their expenses.

Do you have any used textbook tricks up your sleeve? Tactics you used to defray the costs?

(Photo: psychobabble)

Tips for Buying Used College Textbooks from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

For our vacation to Europe, we used a pay as you go phone. We couldn’t use our own phones since we didn’t have compatible technology but our friend lent us her old phone. We went to a local Orange store (a pay as you go service company, bought a Sim card, and loaded it up with some minutes.

The cost of the chip? £0.

We put £5 on the phone and we now had cell service without a commitment, without any huge up front payments, and we only pay for the minutes we needed.

Topping Up

Topping Up is the term used whenever you add minutes to your phone. There are a variety of ways you can top up. The easiest was to a credit card to the SIM card, which would top it up in pre-defined increments. If you didn’t want to link a card, you could top up by going to an ATM/cash machine or to a local grocery store. You pay for the minutes, the register prints a voucher, you text the code to the phone company and your minutes are added in just a few seconds.

A lot of people in UK and Europe use pay as you go cell phones and there may be something to it too… Americans pay more than anyone else for cell phone service. We pay more than $600 a year, while some people pay less than $140 a year!

Consider Prepaid Cell Phones

Take a look at your cell phone bill and review how many minutes you used last month, assuming it was a typical month. Be sure to add every minute, from the Anytime minutes to the Night & Weekend minutes (whatever your provider calls them). Then just divide your monthly cost by the number of minutes and you have your per minute cost. I have a phenomenal plan from Sprint, the SERO plan from years ago, where I pay $35 a month for 500 minutes and unlimited data and text messages. Last month, I used 674 total minutes at a cost of about 5.1¢ a minute.

How does that compare to a prepaid phone? I’m going to use T-Mobile’s program as the benchmark only because the rates were the easiest to find. With T-Mobile, you can pay $1 a day on the days you use the phone or ten cents a minute. For me, that plan doesn’t make sense because I pay less than 10 cents a minute plus I get the benefit of unlimited text and data.

Another fixed cost to consider is the cost of the phone itself. Usually prepaid cell phones don’t offer a lot of the bells and whistles of other phones, so what you’ll be getting is a bare bones phone for somewhere in the neighborhood of $25 – $50. It’s a fixed cost that you probably wouldn’t have with a fixed plan so be sure to include it in your comparison.

One other side thought to consider… you probably will use your phone less if you’re paying per minute. I think it’s a great way to save money if it makes sense for you and if you’re not already in a contract.

If you use a prepaid phone, I’d love to hear your opinion of it in terms of call quality, savings, convenience, etc.

(Photo: bchai)

Consider Prepaid Cell Phones from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Why is this post focused on international long distance calls? Today, very few people have to pay extra for a domestic long distance call that there really is no incremental cost for a domestic long distance phone call. Cell phones charge by the minute, with no consideration of local or long distance. For that reason, we’ve ignored the domestic long distance calls.

Direct Dialing

Direct dialing is the simplest of the options but the most expensive. It’s as simple as picking up a phone (landline or mobile) and dialing an international phone number to which you want to be connected. It’s easy right? No cards to deal with, nothing to hook up, just dial the numbers and go. However, this level of convenience comes with a very heavy cost.

Traditional long distance providers and most mobile service providers simply cannot compete on international rates because they have huge fixed-costs and a bevy of related per-call-costs. You can expect international calling rates in excess of $1.00/min (USD) when you direct dial. Of course, rates do vary and you should check rates offered by your provider before making an international phone call.

Cheaper International Long Distance Calling Options

For many, the majority of international phone calls are made via:

1. By Computer
2. By Mobile Phone
3. With a Calling Card

1. By Computer

Connecting with family and friends overseas by computer is convenient for many people and can be as easy as directly dialing, if you don’t mind being tethered to your computer. Making a phone call from a computer is ideal for people who regularly work from a newer computer with a high-speed (broadband) Internet connection and want decent international rates. Skype is probably the most well-known of the computer to phone calling options available and the rates cited in the table below are Skype Out rates.

2. Mobile Phone

Connecting with family and friends overseas is very convenient and is as easy as directly dialing the phone number for the person you want to call. And, being free from a fixed wire/line gives you the additional convenience of being able to make international phone calls from virtually anywhere your mobile service is available.

3. Calling Card

Calling cards have been popular for decades as the most affordable way to make an international phone call. While it’s the least convenient of the other options, if you don’t mind being attached to a computer, you are rewarded with much cheaper rates (as the table below will attest to). With a calling card, you dial an access phone number, enter in your PIN number, and then the phone number. You can now use most calling cards with virtually any phone. Calling cards are ideal for those wanting the very best rates, allowing them to save up to 95%.

Now that you know three alternative ways to make international calls to expensive direct dialing, let’s take a look at the typical rates. These rates do differ significantly, so be sure to consider the convenience of each option against the rates to decide which is the best for you.

International Long Distance Rates

The Rate Comparison Chart (below) assumes that your international call will be dialed from the Continental USA and rates are per minute.

* Based on SpeedyPin.com calling cards. Rates effective 10/16/09.
** Based on Skype Out (Skype to Phone). Rates effective 10/16/09.
*** Based on Verizon Wireless International Long Distance Value Plan ($3.99 per month + per minute rate). Rates effective 10/16/09.

I truly hope that this article has given you the knowledge you need to go online and select an international calling option that can help you to save up to 95% on your international calling costs. Regardless of which international calling method you choose, it is imperative to choose a provider that guarantees the rates they advertise and will be in business the day you need them the most.

If you have any questions, comments, or want to voice your opinions on anything written in this article, please leave a comment below.

Stay frugal!

This is a guest post writte by Eric I., a Bargaineering reader who I had the chance to meet out in San Diego on a recent business trip. Eric’s a sharp guy who never got into blogging but I convinced him to give it a try. Since he’s been looking at a lot of long distance options to call home and I thought that would make a great money saving post. Be kind to him, he’s a 3rd degree blue belt under the Carlos Gracie Jr. (Gracie Barra) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu system.

(Photo: bitchbuzz)

How to Save Money on International Long Distance Phone Calls from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

However, if you’re smart about how you approach Halloween, you can save yourself some a little bit of money and every little bit counts.

Don’t Be Home

The simplest way to save money on Halloween is to be somewhere else. Turn off your outdoor lights, go see a dinner and a movie, and don’t give out any candy. Nothing requires you to stay home and give out candy, so if you really want to save money, don’t give any out! Heck, you don’t even have to leave, just don’t answer the door. If you want to participate, wonderful, but you don’t have to.

Recycle Candy

(This only works if you have children) When I was a kid, we used to “recycle candy.” As a safety precaution, my sister and I would trick or treat when it was still light out, usually between 5 – 7 PM. We would go out trick or treating and head home once our baskets were full. We’d sort through the candy in the living room, pick out the ones we really liked, and put the rest in the bucket our parents used to give out to trick or treaters visiting our house.

As kids, we loved doing this because there were candies we received but didn’t like. I was never a fan of primarily sugar based candies so those always went into the bucket. A lot of the generic candies weren’t very good either so they usually went back into the bucket (think of the lollipops in clear plastic you would get from the doctor’s office). If my sister and I weren’t going to eat them, it was better to give them back out than throw them away.

Buy Cheaper Candy

Sugar based candies are significantly cheaper than almost any candy that contains chocolate. You can buy sugar based candies or buy a mixture of sugar and chocolate based candies. Avoid the desire to get “good” candy because it’s not a contest. You don’t get anything, except for visitors, by getting a reputation of having “good” candy

One other strategy you can employ is to get a mixture of cheap and less cheap candy and give the better stuff to the better costumes or your neighbors’ children. The random kid won’t remember who gave them a snack-size snickers bar, but your neighbor’s kid might (plus they’re your neighbors, you probably want to be nicer to them anyway).

Give Out Candy Yourself

When my sister and I would trick or treat, the perfect house was the one where the owner would “let us pick our own candy” from the bucket. We would invariably take several pieces and always the good ones (duh! kids aren’t stupid). If you want to budget your candy, you’ll want to give it out yourself and be smart about pacing yourself as not to run out.

It’s OK to Run Out

I think a lot of homes buy way too much candy for fear of running out. Don’t be afraid of running out, it happens, and the kids won’t remember or care. If you have bad candy or run out, they’ll just go to the next house and forget all about you. If you run out, leave a note outside and don’t answer the door, unless you want to see the costumes and deliver a personal apology (that they will forget).

Those are just a few tips we’ve used over the years to save a little cash on Halloween candy. Do you have any good tips I haven’t mentioned? Please let us all know in the comments.

(Photo: euart)

How to Save on Halloween Candy from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

OK, I get it.

Mouth-wash is an important part of my teeth-cleaning-routine. After four years in braces and becoming a mother (something about the hormones affecting teeth enamel). As the EcoDiva, and the champion of all things organic, natural and non-toxic, I have to do what I know it right – “read the label”.

If you’ve never taken the time to read the label on your mouth-wash, you may be shocked, as I was, to learn about some extra unwanted ingredients that are not all that great for your teeth OR your health in general. Here is a list of ingredients (mostly un-pronounceable) directly from my Crest Pro-Health bottle of alcohol free mouth wash:

Active Ingredients

:

• Cetylpyridinium chloride: according to Environmental Working Group’s Human Toxome Project this main ingredient is a “Pesticide, antibacterial agent; causes skin irritation, lesions, eye irritation, allergy; in animals, linked also to respiratory irritation, neurotoxicity“

Inactive Ingredients

:

• Water
• Glycerin : A good solvent and pretty harmless to skin when diluted.
• Flavor: This can mean a myriad of things but generally used to indicate a taste or aroma has been added. This can also be used to mask multiple chemical ingredients. If it’s natural… why not just say so.
• Poloxamer 407: According to Tom’s of Maine, this is “Derived from natural gas and oil, Poloxamer 335 and 407 belong to a category of ingredients generally known as surfactants” which “make it possible for oil-based ingredients to be dissolved into a water-based solution.” Another negative – it’s a derivative of a non-renewable resource.
• Methylparaben and Propylparaben: Parabens are a huge no-no in the world of natural health, beauty and personal care products. These are used as antifungal and antibacterial agents and used as a preservative. Also found as : Ethylparaben, Methylparaben, Butylparaben. . According to OrganicConsumers.org, Parabens have been found in extensive testing of “the chemical form of the Parabens found in 18 of the 20 tumors tested indicated that they originated from something applied to the skin, the most likely candidates being deodorants antiperspirants, creams, or body sprays.”
• Sodium saccharin: In low doses as found in mouthwash, this is relatively harmless.  According to the Environmental Working Group, the safety scores are less then great.
• Blue 1 – : Added for the blue hue of course.

How to Make Your Own Mouthwash

So, now that you are running scared, let’s take a look at another alternative -making your own mouthwash that will do the job, minus the toxic twist. Using a mouthwash is great for your gums and keeps your breath minty fresh (as well as making you more pleasant to be around!). There are some amazing natural ingredients that can do the job of the conventional brand.

The Ingredients

Warning: This recipes contains alcohol, so please do not give to children. Check with your child’s dentist to find a natural, alcohol-free alternative.

• 6 tbsp of high proof vodka
• 10 drops of peppermint (or fennel) oil
• 2 drops of organic lemon juice
• 1 drop of thyme (or chamomile) essential oil

Directions

Pour the alcohol into a clean sterilized glass bottle or jar, add the essential oils one at a time, shake well. Make sure to label the bottle clearly “Mouth Wash”. For each use, add a few teaspoons to a glass of warm water and stir well. Store in the refrigerator for longer shelf-life. Enjoy!

(Photo: calliope)

How to Make Your Own “Green” Mouthwash from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

We didn’t, however, apply this to the things we paid for each month. Here’s a perfect example I see with many young professionals. When you’re younger and have more free time to watch television or movies, the premium Netflix package probably made sense. $16.99 for three DVDs out at a time seems like a good deal if you watch a movie every few days. As your preferences change and your desire to watch movies diminishes, consider downgrading the plan to one that fits your needs and save a little money.

Cable and high speed internet is another service package that may be worth degrading. How important is it for you to have the fastest internet speeds your provider offers? If it’s crucial, then paying for it is worth it. If it’s not, consider reducing it and saving the difference.

Finally, you might want to downgrade your gym membership when you know you won’t take full advantage of it. I generally go to the gym less frequently in the summer than in the winter, instead opting to take our beagle Tobey on a walk. You know your habits, adjust your services to match your needs.

If you have any novel suggestions or want to share your experience, let us know in the comments. I chose the low hanging fruit but there are certainly other services out there we are overpaying for.

(Photo: abraj)

Downgrade Your Expenses from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Eating on a budget is no easy task. You could eat at Mcdonald’s 3 times a day and probably stay under $10 but is that really want you want to do? You’d feel awful, your productivity would go way down and chances are you medical bills would go up.

The best way to eat on a budget, at $10 or so per day per person, is to employ a few of the “sneaky” strategies I use when picking up my own groceries. Here’s a few of my favorite ways to eat healthy on a budget.

Shop The Perimeter of The Grocery Store

The perimeter is where you’re going to find the healthiest foods. The interior part of the store is dedicated to most of the junk and condiments that are going to make you bloated, tired and fat. Stay away from them at all costs.

Your best bets will be ground beef, eggs, bananas, tuna, apples, a whole chicken, spinach, broccoli, green pepper, celery and potatoes. Pricey things you should stay away from are fish, steak, red peppers, pre-cut fruit and avocados. By sticking with those raw ingredients, you’re already halfway there to staying on budget.

Don’t Waste Money On Sugary, Fattening Drinks

A lot of people waste money on drinks when they go grocery shopping. If you’re buying soda, orange juice, vitamin water and some wine for the whole family, you’re going to add at least $30 – $60 onto your bill.

My personal favorite drinks for health reasons and cost reasons are iced tea, coffee and water with some lemon. All three of these have no calories at all and aren’t loaded with sugar or any other ingredients that will make you fatter. I especially like tea. Tea packets cost next to nothing and will last you 2-3 months.

Condiments Add Up Quickly

When I put a client on a fat loss plan, I recommend they stay away from most condiments. Things like creamy salad dressings are costly and they pack on a bunch of unwanted calories. If you want to slash your grocery bill stay away from salad dressings, teryaki sauce, mayo/ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc. They have a lot more sugar and sodium than you can taste.

When it comes to eating a salad, I recommend only one type of dressing – a mix of olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. It’s the healthiest dressing available but it is a bit pricey. Consider buying the ingredients spearaately and making it yourself. Above all, stay away from the sugary, creamy dressings!

Stop Eating Out So Much!

If you work in a 9-5 job, you’re probably eating out 3-4 times per week. If you have a spouse doing the same thing, then it’s costing you even more. I’m not saying never eat out but if you’re trying to stick to a budget, eating out is very costly.

On top of that, when you eat out you’re usually getting double the calories without even knowing it. Restaurant food usually isn’t prepared with nutrition in mind. They just want the food to taste good (can you blame them?). So that plate of food that looks “normal” to you actually probably has enough calories for two days!

After you factor in the price of the meal, tip, gas to get you there, and parking or valet fees, that’s an expensive bill for a family of four. Rack up two of these per week for an entire month and you’ll start to see where all your money has gone.

Some Final Tips

You don’t have to eat all organic foods to eat healthy. Yes, organic and free range foods are better for you but if it’s not in your budget don’t beat yourself up over it. If you stick to lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts and a lot of greens you’ll be eating healthier than 99% of Americans.

If you want more tips on eating healthy and quick, but intense workouts, come read my blog, or sign up for my free email newsletter…

How to Eat Healthy on $10 a Day from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

As much as society may frown on being such a negative Nancy (sorry in advance to all the Nancy’s out there), I think sometimes being pessimistic can save you money.

Feel Buyer’s Remorse Before Buying

Ever spend a lot of money on something only to feel a pang of regret afterwards? That’s buyer’s remorse. You get so excited about all the benefits of something that you don’t recognize some of the drawbacks until it’s too late. The reason this happens is because people see something and amplify the good and don’t consider any of the bads.

Approach is like a pessimist and feel buyer’s remorse before you buy it! Will it really solve all of your problems or make you feel better? If you think about it before you make the purchase, you might get an answer that stops you from buying.

Forces You To Be Realistic

Imagine buying a fancy new convertible. You think about how you could drive with the top down when the weather’s nice, you dream about the image it projects of you, you envision yourself meeting some cute guy or girl through your car. The problem with those three things is that they aren’t an accurate reflection of how you’ll really use it. You certainly could drive with the top down but how temperate is your climate? Could you do it on a drive to work? How often to you leisurely cruise around on weekends? What about when gas is $4 a gallon? As for the image and meeting new people, how often have you met someone or thought highly of someone solely based on the model of their car?

Add a drop of pessimism in there and maybe that mid-life crisis won’t be so expensive.

Become An Advocate

Approaching it like a pessimist forces you to be an advocate for your purchase and makes you argue against all the negatives. It forces you to confront and address all the bad things about something.

Let’s say you buy a video game system, will you really have the opportunity to play it? Let’s say you get home from work at 6pm, maybe you go to the gym for an hour, you eat dinner for an hour, you spend some time with a significant other or watch your favorite TV show(s), that leaves little time before bedtime for the game so it’s relegated to the weekend. On the weekends, how often will you actually get the play it instead of doing something else? Perhaps more in the winter, less in the summer when the weather’s nice. Does it truly make sense to drop hundreds of dollars on a system now? Maybe it’s better to wait until the weather is colder and save the money. You may not even want a game system then (or a better one will have come out).

Can you think of any ways pessimism can save you money that I missed? If you’re a card carrying member of Pessimists Society I most definitely would want to hear your opinion!

(Photo: bensonkua)

How Being A Pessimist Saves You Money from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

I believe that whenever you make a purchase of any kind, there is always a deal to be made or found.

Why Look For A Deal?

I think part of the reason is my upbringing. My parents were frugal because they valued being able to fly us all home to Taiwan, from New York, as often as possible to visit our family there. Airfare for a family of four to the other side of the globe is very expensive. We found deals because without a deal, we couldn’t afford to do many of the other things we valued more.

Another reason I look for deals is because it validates how badly I want something. Let’s say it’s a piece of electronic equipment. I will do hours of research to make sure I get the best product for the best price from the most reputable dealer. If I’m not willing to do the work, how badly do I want it? If I don’t want it that badly, then I shouldn’t be buying it in the first place.

Finally, it’s a challenge! MSRP stands for manufacturer’s suggested retail price. When I see MSRP I smile because in that number I see a challenge. There is always a sale, always a coupon, always a vendor willing to sell it for less… there is always a deal out there and the fun is in finding it. Maybe you find a $10 off $100 coupon, couple it with a rebate and find some pencils to get you over the $100 hump. Maybe you find a manufacturer’s rebate and a vendor rebate to get it to you for free. Maybe you find a rebranded version that is identical except for the logo… there are so many possibilities!

Turn Deal Hunting Into A Game

Deal hunting on the internet is a lot easier than deal hunting in person. The art of negotiation is invaluable whenever you are dealing with a person face to face. If you don’t think this happens often, think again. While you might not negotiate with a clerk at a retail store very often, you do whenever you get someone to give you a quote for work on your house or car.

The one lesson you have to learn, above any other negotiation lesson is that there is always a deal. Always. Whether it’s through a coupon or through negotiation, the list price is just where the game starts. Read the rules of what makes Indians successful negotiators and try to remember them. Rule #2 is my favorite – “Try for 70% off — Don’t accept less than 30%.” What is more awkward, overpaying or negotiating a little?

You’ll find that you can save a ton of money just by following a couple of the seven rules on Ferriss’ list and remembering there is always a deal.

(Photo: jasmic)

There Is Always A Deal from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

If you don’t, why not?

I no longer budget in the strict sense. When I first started working, I budgeted and tracked all my expenses down to the penny in an Excel spreadsheet. This was before the days of tools like Mint or Quicken Online where you could use a free tool and get instant data aggregation (that would’ve been nice!), so I just entered things into a simple Excel spreadsheet. Then, perhaps a year or so later, I abandoned it because the benefits had started to wane.

Once you get to a certain point, when your expenses are stable and you’ve “optimized” your budget as much as you can, the effort no longer justify the benefits. Today, I do “after-action” type budgeting where I look at my expenses to see if anything is extraordinary or if a certain category has been creeping up (usually it’s the dining out vs. grocery bill categories constantly battling one another). Other than that, I don’t.

How about you?

(Photo by kevincortopassi)

Your Take: Do You Budget? from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

If you enjoy those types of flavors, might I recommend giving them a try at home? They’re really easy and really tasty. The hard part is finding the ingredients and preparing them!

Chinese Brown Sauce

If you search online, you’ll find a million different recipes for brown sauce. What’s funny is that I’ve always stir-fried my dish as usual and then added a little flour or corn starch to thicken the sauce that was already in the pan. That’s how I made “brown sauce.” If you ask my wife, a lot of my unreproducible recipes are created in this way.

If you want a real recipe, brown sauce is generally a combination of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, corn starch, water, and the juices of whatever it is you’re cooking. Oyster sauce and sugar will give you a bit of the sweetness you probably taste, soy gives it the salt, and corn starch and water give it that thick consistency. Here’s a good recipe you might want to try, though you’ll find you want to adjust it to taste:

• 3/4 cup beef broth (beef bouillion cubes can be used)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Chinese White Sauce

White sauce is another popular type of sauce in Chinese cuisine. The notable difference is the replacement of soy and oyster sauce, which give the brown sauce its brown color, with white wine. Another big difference is that you add in a lot of other spices as well, such as salt, ginger, garlic powder and onion powder, since the extra flavor will have to come from somewhere.

Here’s a nice recipe I found online:

• ½ cup onions, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ginger, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons cornflour mixed with 3 cups of clear vegetable stock
• a pinch sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt to taste

You can generally replace the chopped ingredients with powder, though you’ll want to add extra since dry ingredients are less potent than fresh. This is generally a popular sauce for lighter flavored main ingredients, like fish or vegetables. Whereas meat has a heavy flavor to it and can handle a dark sauce, it’s a good change of pace to use white sauce with more delicate foods like seafood.

The key is to tweak anything you cook to match what you like. You have to adjust it until you get it the flavor you like. If you love garlic, put a little more garlic. If you hate it, don’t put as much. Too salty? Use less soy or less salt. After a little tweaking, you’ll find a personal recipe you enjoy the most.

(Photo: plasticbystander)

Chinese Brown Sauce & White Sauce Recipes from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Most of us have moved on from those glory days (well, except for that gallon of coffee still next to us), but if there was one thing I learned from it all it was was this: I survived! And not only that, but I did it with a budget 1/10th of what it is today.

How is that possible?

Well, I was forced to. The Bank of Mom & Dad had done their part in helping out, but It was up to me to make ends meet and make sure I graduate on time. That meant long hours working at the dining hall, and even longer nights studying. It also meant not rolling with my friends (aka the Jones’) and hitting up Cancun every Spring Break

How We Did It

Why am I not living like a broke college student anymore? Life happened, that’s what. A 40 hour work week, a pad closer to the city, and a new car payment happened. And don’t forget about that social life! A freshly degree’d bachelor can’t give up on all the fun, right? Right. It just took me a few years to realize there are better ways to live our lives than spending all our extra money.

Those raises and bonuses we get? They don’t have to go right out the window. We call that giving into “lifestyle inflation.” Lifestyle inflation jumps up and bites you in the buttocks every time!

Truth be told though, we can still get back to the glory days of spending less money and it doesn’t mean more instant noodles or macaroni & cheese. Unless, of course, you like that stuff (after all it IS pretty cheap!)

How to Live Like A Broke College Student

1. Ask yourself, “Is this really worth the money”? Or better yet, “am I fine without this?” Contrary to popular belief, we really don’t *need* all that much. We didn’t need it in college, and we more than likely don’t need it now. It doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the shopping in your life, but a quick evaluation every now and then never hurts.
2. Track your spending for a few weeks. Most people want to punch me in the face when I start talking about this, but it’s seriously one of the easiest and most productive things you can do. I like to think of this as your E-True Hollywood story – You *think* you know about your finances, but you have no idea! Haha…okay, so that’s a bit hokey, but I swear if you do it at least once you’ll have a better understanding of what’s really going on. And you don’t have to get all hardcore with it either – a simple “here’s what i spent and here’s what I earned this week” works just fine. Jot it down with a pen and paper, or simply fill out an excel spreadsheet from one of our budget templates a few of us finance bloggers have put together.
3. Cut back in the places you care less about. Once you know where your money’s going, get rid of the stuff you can deal without – premium TV channels you don’t watch, the gym (*gasp!*), or better yet – downsize to a smaller home! This would work better if you rented, but if you’re not using up all 3 levels of that townhouse, why not save a few hundred and get a place half the size? Only you know what you care about, so give it some thought and start shedding the less important stuff in life. The good thing here is that we can afford to keep a bit more than we could back in our Freshmen years.
4. Try not spending a dime for an entire week (except for bills/rent/etc)! I know it sounds crazy, but it was a huge wake up call when I tried doing this myself (actually, I did it for 6 weeks). I had no idea how many times I hit up amazon.com, iTunes, or even the mall for that matter. One or two weeks of entertaining yourself free of charge is more doable than you think.

I could probably go on and on here, but I think you all get the point – it IS possible to accomplish life without spending hoards of money! Master the art of living like a broke college student now, and enjoy a healthier future with less stress and piling savings. I can’t promise it’ll be fun, but it’ll definitely help you sleep better at night….and without a gaggle of drunken dormmates to awaken to.

J. Money writes for Budgets are Sexy – A laid back finance blog of a guy just trying to spice things up a bit. He also finds budgets….well…sexy! If you like what you see, pop on over and say hello. Or better yet, subscribe to his future articles.

(Photo: kevincortopassi)

How to Live Like a Broke College Student from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

Some people like the winter, where you can snuggle up under a blanket by the fire or build a snow fort and toss snowballs. Me? I like the summer where you can watch movies outside or go on a hike, just breathe in that fresh summer air. I don’t mind it so much when it’s hot either, the heat and the perspiration makes me feel alive, productive.

So now that it’s summer, why not list a bunch of great frugal summer date ideas?

1. Go to a state fair or Renaissance faire: Ever late-summer and fall, there’s a Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, Maryland that we like to go to. We enjoy walking around the wilderness, eating food on sticks and turkey legs, and otherwise enjoy ourselves. It’s usually pretty inexpensive and you can spend a whole day there marveling at the costumes.
2. Check your local paper for events: Your local newspaper usually has a listing of all the fun events going on in your county. We can pick up a local events calendar at our library that will tell us what’s going on throughout the county. Many of those events are free or pretty close to being free.
3. Visit farmers markets: Part of the fun of farmers market is walking around the stalls and talking to all the vendors. Learn about where their farms are, how they make their jams or pies, and you end up buying some wonderful goodies you can cook with at home.
4. Go to baseball games: Baseball games are always a lot of fun and many parks let you bring in your own snacks and sealed drinks. At Camden Yards, we’re allowed to bring in sealed sodas and all the peanuts and cracker jacks we want. Even if you can’t, there are going to be plenty of vendors outside selling hot dogs, brauts, and all manner of grilled foods. Major league games often have cheap tickets or you could hit up a local AAA team, I heard those games are a blast.
5. Go on a hike: Hikes are great, you can learn all about them from the U.S. National Park Service’s Find a Park search tool. You can bring a lunch too and turn it into an impromptu picnic at a scenic spot. Just remember to bring lots of water and a map!
6. Watch movies in the park: Unfortunately, not everyone has this but you’ll know if it’s available if you check your local events calendar. The movies won’t be new releases and they’ll probably just be classics, but it’s a fun time out in the park. Remember to bring snacks, drinks, a blanket and perhaps some bug spray too.
7. Walk around old neighborhoods: We live near Ellicott City, which has a “old town” portion that you can walk along. They even have ghost tours! We sometimes enjoy walking along the main street, window shopping and stopping in for some homemade ice cream.
8. Go to cool open houses: Ellicott City also has a lot of older unique homes, so going to open houses can be a lot of fun too. We attended an open house for a home that was once used as a chapel, where all three floors had ground floor access. It was a beautiful home and a treat to look around in.
9. Go to the beach: Beaches are usually free, so all it costs for a fun time at the beach is some gas and some sun screen! We don’t go to the beach much because we don’t like sitting around, but when we do we make sure to bring games like bocce ball.
10. Go camping: Camping is fun as long as the weather isn’t too terribly hot, otherwise it can be difficult to fall asleep at night. We tend to go camping during the Spring and Fall months, when the weather is more temperate. Camping can be very inexpensive if you have the gear, otherwise a tent and such may run you some cash.

Those were on the first ten I mustered, I’m sure you guys can do better! What are your favorite frugal summer date ideas?

(Photo: clevergrrl)

Ten Great Summer Date Ideas from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.

If there’s one lesson to be learned after reading this article, it’s that supermarkets are one big maze and we’re the rats running through them.

Psychology Works!

The article is based out of Basingstoke, England but you’ll find that the description of the Sainsbury’s store layout is probably not unlike your local grocery store’s layout. My local Giant grocery store is laid out in the same manner. Our “decompression zone” holds the store circular and hand scanners. Our “chill zone” also has books and magazines and is set up right next to the pharmacy, presumably to keep you occupied if you’re waiting for your prescription.

Then we have fruits and vegetables, just like Sainsbury. Many of the staples, like meats and dairy, are located in the back after you walk through the aisles.

Traditionally retailers measure “footfall”, as the number of people entering a store is known, but those numbers say nothing about where people go and how long they spend there. But nowadays, a ubiquitous piece of technology can fill the gap: the mobile phone. Path Intelligence, a British company working with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tracked people’s phones at Gunwharf Quays, a large retail and leisure centre in Portsmouth—not by monitoring calls, but by plotting the positions of handsets as they transmit automatically to cellular networks. It found that when dwell time rose 1% sales rose 1.3%.

Sneaky (creepy?) stuff huh? Check out the article, it’s well worth the read.

Back yet? Now that you’ve become aware of the psychology behind supermarkets, let’s get down tot eh nitty gritty with some tips that will help you win the war against those sneaky behavioral scientists and their mind games!

Supermarket Tricks

Here are a few tips I’ve learned when scouring the interwebs and my own mind. These are tips designed to save you money and time when you’re at the supermarket.

• Make a list: Unless my wife and I are in the mood to wander around the supermarket (only because it’s freezing outside), we make a list based on the sales so we can get in and out as quickly as possible. By making a list and sticking to it, we save ourselves tons of time wandering. We also can save money by using sales circulars to plan our weeks meals based on the products on sale.
• Don’t go when you’re hungry: This one is a common suggestion because it’s pretty obvious. When you’re hungry, everything looks good. Your desire to eat healthy goes out the window as you reach for a prepared meal that can be consumed after a two minute trip inside the microwave merry-go-round.
• Skip prepared foods: You can save a ton of money just by butchering the chicken yourself. This rule holds true for basically everything else. You want some pork chops? Consider buying an entire pork loin and cutting it yourself.
• Make your own prepared foods: Nothing stops you from getting the raw ingredients and making your own microwavable meals!
• Be brand agnostic: If all things are equal, go with what’s cheaper. Generic products are usually as good as the brand name products. Also, a sale on a brand named product doesn’t necessarily mean it’s cheaper than generic version.
• Read these 13 things your grocer won’t tell you: I’m a fan of these types of articles so check our Reader’s Digests 13 things your grocer won’t tell you (#2 – go ahead and reach back for the fresh milk and #1 – shop at dinner time to save time).

Seven Items to Skip

This is a list of seven items from Yahoo Finance, as well as reasons why (with my own commentary), you should skip on your trip to the grocery store. You’ll notice a theme here too, a lot of it has to do with products that have added labor in them. Bagged salads, spice mixes, tomato sauce. You can make many of these things yourself with a little extra work, work that can be a lot of fun!

• Bagged salad: Convenient, but costs almost three times as much. Kits are even worse (and the dressing is usually horrible for you in terms of calories).
• Energy or protein bars: They’ve replaced candy bars as the impulse buy of choice at checkout, you can buy these much cheaper online.
• Spice mixes: A lot have salt as the first ingredient and you probably have most of the other spices in your cupboard already.
• Bottled water: You’re overpaying for what you can get out of the tap, it’s one of the many items made more expensive by marketing.
• Boxed rice entree or side-idsh mixes: It’s rice with a few other extras and you’re paying $3-4 a box for it, way too much.
• Pre-formed meat patties: Buy the meat yourself and make your own patties, the premium you pay for them forming them is not worth it. By forming them yourself, you can add your own spices and ingredients to make a tastier burger.
• Tomato-based pasta sauces: Buy canned tomatoes for $1 and add in your own ingredients instead of paying $2-$6 for a jar of their stuff. Here are a few homemade tomato sauce recipes you can use.

Every once and a while I write a post that just gets lost in woodwork of Bargaineering and today you’ll get to see one of those posts. This was originally drafted near the end of 2008 but for whatever reason, never actually got published.

Do you have any tips for the supermarket?

(Photo: kozumel)

Supermarket Psychology (and a few insider tricks) from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.