Have you been in an auto accident or had water damage from the washing machine over flowing? Then got on the phone calling your insurance company for a claim that was only for a few hundred dollars. Did you know you do not have to file an insurance claim every time you are eligible to file.
If you read your insurance policy carefully, you will find you will be penalized if you file to many claims with in a certain period of time. Some insurance companies have been know to raise the premium excessively high or deemed you uninsurable.
Several years ago, this guy took over as director of a small nonprofit. He was a real nice guy with a big heart. He notice three of the five vehicles had small chips in the windshields. Looking over the insurance policy he saw each of the vehicles windshields could be replaced for free. So he contacted the insurance company. Within a week all three vehicles has new windshields.
Posted By: The Shopping Nazi
on January 14, 2012
in Budget,
Food -
Comments: Comments Off
It was a beautiful cold crisp Saturday morning. We just had breakfast. We all climbed into the family car to restock our kitchen with some food for the upcoming week.
This Saturday we decided to do something different. So we swung by the local food coop. It had been a long time since we had been there. We all we were long over due.
I think the main reason we had not been to the coop for so long was that we lived on the other side of town and well, their prices are rather high. This Saturday we had a little extra money for groceries so we headed over to the Boise Coop, just for the experience.
It was about 11 am. We pulled into a parking space in the second row. We got the space just as a Volvo pulled out. I felt lucky. The parking lot was so crowded I was afraid we were going to have to park on the street.
Some people live for the thrill of shopping. Some people like to show their classic possession in mint condition. The thrill of shopping only last for a few minutes. Taking care of that possession means an extended period of enjoyment. We all have seen people who use and abuse what they buy, then run out and replaced.
This is a waste of time and money.For an example, take two washing machines purchased new at $800. The national average says they should last the owners twelve year with one repair cost $200.The first washing machine owner does an average of four loads per week. At the end of 8 years it breaks down. The repairman is called out. He says it will cost more to repair than it is worth. It is time to replace it.
The second washing machine owner does an average of five loads per week. At the end of 12 years this one breaks down. The repairman is called out. He says it will cost more than it is worth. It is time to replace it.
Posted By: The Shopping Nazi
on December 14, 2011
in Budget,
Business -
Comments: Comments Off
In life we can be assured of only two things; Death and Taxes, but with taxes we can get a refund. A lot of the financial decisions I made were around “How will it affect my final tax bill”.
It was just last week when I got in the mail my copy of H&R Block’s tax software. I set it to one side until after the first of the year.
I know Christmas is less than two weeks away. We are all absorbed about end of the year stuff. Some of that end of the year stuff should be what can I do to get ready to do my taxes.
I knew this one family who had different members who own different businesses. The first comment they make after the first of the year is, “Make sure you file for extension”. They never start their tax preparation process until after April 15th. Why? They knew they are going to have to pay, and they put it off as long as possible.
Posted By: The Shopping Nazi
on December 3, 2011
in Bargin Places,
Budget -
Comments: Comments Off
When I am trying to decide to buy online, or at a local big box store, I am influenced by two factors. First is how quickly can I get it delivered. Two is what the total cost will be after shipping and taxes. Most of all I look for free shipping because the cost the shipping usually makes the difference.
This is especially true during the weeks before Christmas. A lot of online retailers offer deep discounts along with free shipping. The deceptive part is when looking at the products webpage. The free shipping could mean it will take 5 to 7 days to get to your door. Any faster shipping requires payment of mor money.
Five to seven day delivery is okay if I am getting something for dear aunt June, for Christmas. If I am ordering something that I need now or within a couple of days, then we have a problem. Fortunately, we have available some solutions for getting an online purchased within a couple of days, and still not have to pay something like $12.95 or more for it.
Posted By: The Shopping Nazi
on November 30, 2011
in Bargin Places,
Budget -
Comments: Comments Off
Black Friday and Cyber Monday is over. All the reports show a 14% to 26% plus increase in sales over last year. This is great news for retailers. They are optimistic about having a profitable Christmas season, this year.
All the retailers are running their inventories low so they will not get caught with a large surplus in after Christmas. This will keep us from seeing to big of sales between now and Christmas day. It will also mean some of the more popular items will not be available during that last week before Christmas.
Another thing to keep in mind is we are going into an election year. So the currently officials that are wanting to get re-elected want the economy to look as good as possible. Those opposing them will want the economy to look as bad as possible.
Posted By: The Shopping Nazi
on November 26, 2011
in Bargin Places,
Budget -
Comments: Comments Off
Black Friday is billed as the biggest shopping day of the years. We are told if you want to get the best deal of the 2011 Christmas shopping season, it will be on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday. In reality this is not always true.
This year I went to Wal Mart as an observer. I want to see what it was going to be like at midnight. This is when Wal Mart and a few others started Black Friday sales. What I observed and experience will remain with me the rest of my life.
It was the witching hour. It was midnight, when both hands of the clock strike the twelve. This is the moment that separates both November 24th and 25th of 2011. The moment that separates Thanksgiving Day from Black Friday. Suddenly the crowded store turned from a bunch of lookers to a school of hungry Paraná feeding. They weren’t just swimming around. It was as if the Parana were feeding on an injured water buffalo.
If you are like me, you are so don’t want to see any more food. You have stuffed yourself, on Thanksgiving Day. Most of you will be reading this post after hitting all those early morning Black Friday sales. Some of you will be waiting for the Cyber Monday sales.
Yes there are some great deals out there. However, there are some published deals that are not really deals. On Thanksgiving Day, I got an email from Amazon.com. It was telling me about some great deals on selected items.
Since I am currently looking for a 15″ Acer laptop for a family member. So I did some price comparisons. Amazon.com was showing me a of price was $349. The same laptop from Wal Mart the week prior to Thanksgiving was selling for $318.
Just a few days ago, I was talking to this lady, who with some friends and family members head out to different stores on Black Friday. They text each other as to which stores have what price on which items. The individual that is at that store, where it is cheapest makes the purchase for those who are not.
Ever since The Great Recession the number of people who are sent to debt collections has sky rocketed. Many people want to pay their bills, but because of sudden lost of steady income has fallen into this hole. The collector, who get paid on commission have gotten more and more aggressive as to how they go about collecting money.
It was just a little over a month ago the FTC has shut down a debt collection firm that allegedly used heavy handed techniques. These techniques included threats of violence against family member, and pets.
There is a few things we need to know about before we start dealing with any debt collector. The first thing is the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and for you folks in California is the Rosenthal Act. —or perhaps just didn’t care. Not only did they apparently violate state and federal laws to collect debts, but then they decided to keep some of that money for themselves rather than paying the firms that hired them to collect on their behalf.
Did you know that used cars out sell new car 3 to 1? Are you aware the average price of a used car is less than half than that of a new car? So why buy a new car?
Why not let some rich folks buy all the new cars then when they trade them in a couple years later, buy them. Sounds good or does it?
What makes the decision for buying a new car over a used car boils down to money in the bank. If you don’t have the money in the bank to buy it out right (few of people do) then we have to take out a loan. Then what if our credit and income does not match up to what is needed to buy a new car, then we have to settle for something less; a used car.
Yes, there is a several advantages to buying a new car. The warranty, the extra service you can get from a new car dealer, and the feel of a new car make a good argument toward buying new. Some people feel it is below their station in life to buy anything less than brand new just of the assembly line.
