This humungous roundup includes healthy foods that cost under $1 a pound, retirement myths, websites for free TV viewing, most annoying things about grocery stores, stuff marketed to kids that kids simply don’t need, bargain booze picks from bar experts, and wedding dresses that you’ll wear more than once—and not only if you get hitched multiple times.
3 money-saving strategies that can backfire
Such as: doing your own taxes.
There’s no way that you, who focuses on taxes for a few days every April, can be as informed as someone who arm-wrestles our tax code for a living.
4 splurges that make sense
Such as: designer perfume.
Cheap scents aren’t formulated to last. At best, they’ll last a good two or three months before becoming distorted or running empty because you’ve been spritzing so much to get the same high-end effect.
5 great sites for free TV
Such as: ATDHE.net.
If you’re looking for a place to watch sporting events, ATDHE.net is one of the better free options online. The site itself is very bare bones, but when there’s a big game on, this is the place to go.
5 wedding dresses you’ll wear more than once
Such as: going casual.
If you’re getting married on the beach, you may want to go for a silk sarong dress that can easily be worn again without any conversion or alteration. For the wedding, add a hair accessory with tropical flowers.
5 tips to save up to $268 in annual utility costs
Such as: do laundry with cold water.
Hot water heating accounts for 90% of the energy a machine uses when washing clothes.
6 reasons a telecom triple-play bundle may not be the cheapest game in town
Such as: You could go a la carte.
Maybe you don’t want a land-line phone. Then a triple-play package doesn’t make sense for you. Or perhaps you’d rather not pay for 200 cable channels you don’t watch. Choose a wireless-phone service and a broadband Internet provider, and then sign up with an online video service to watch movies and TV programs.
7 top bargain booze picks from bar experts
Such as: Sobieski Vodka.
Why pay more for premium vodka when the base spirit is essentially the same? It’s about $16 a bottle (compared to say $25+ for something like Grey Goose) and it’s absolutely just as good. I think you can get a whole liter for around $20.
7 stupid retirement myths exposed
Such as: I won’t ever want to retire.
You may not have a choice, honey. The typical retirement age hovers around 62, and nearly four in 10 retirees say they were forced out of work earlier than they’d planned because of layoffs, poor health or the need to take care of a loved one.
8 ways to maximize gas mileage
Such as: create a fuel-efficient route.
Plot out errands for the shortest route possible around town.
9 top group-buying sites
Such as: 8coupons.
8coupons culls 79 group-buying daily deals from sites across the country, which can total close to 400 promotions on a given day. While this is the ugliest daily deal site I’ve seen, it does offer a wide selection of savings and is easy to search.
10 products to always buy generic
Such as: pantry staples.
Flour, sugar, salt, spices and other single-ingredient items are all the same. Really, they are. Government regulations require the same production and storage for generics as they do for brands, so buying a label is like giving money away for something you use every day.
10 gourmet meals for under $10
Such as: Venetian Chicken.
By Nina Hoffman of RecipeLion.com. Cost: $8.95, or $2.24 per serving. Go ahead and buy a bottle of wine to add the optional two tablespoons in this slow cooker meal. You’re saving enough cash to justify the splurge.
10 things kids just don’t need
Such as: 3-D movies.
Every single preview of the five shown before a recent outing to Toy Story 3 advertised an upcoming picture in 3D. This is a trend that’s gone way over board, especially for kids who don’t feel comfortable wearing the special glasses every time they hit the theaters.
10 ‘middle skill’ jobs that pay $50,000
Such as: claims adjuster.
2008 median salary: $58,990.
13 semi-secret all-star ballpark deals
Such as: St. Louis Cardinals.
Last year’s NL Central champs are sitting comfortably in second, behind the red-hot Cincinnati Reds. For a consistently winning team, Busch Stadium offers consistently good deals; the best of which is the Grand Slam Pack. Buy four tickets in select sections and receive four hot dogs and sodas for free. Most packs cost around $60 and are only good for weekday matches. But with nearly 18 eligible games left, a night with the Cards sounds more appealing than ever.
20 most annoying things at the grocery store
Such as: the 10-for-$10 trick.
When you see chips on sale at a 10-for-$10 price, what do you do? Do you buy all 10 to get the buck-a-piece price? Well, that’s certainly what the grocery stores want you to do. But a little-known secret is that in most grocery chains, those items will ring up for one dollar each — no matter how many you buy. The same goes with most “Buy One, Get One Free” offers.
21 ways to save money on restaurants, day trips, and more
Such as: membership movie deals.
If you’re a member of a discount club like Costco or any other industry organization, like AAA, members may get discounts when they buy movie tickets in bulk. At Costco, you can buy two movie tickets for $15 and use them at participating theaters.
22 statistics that prove the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America
Such as: percentage of people living paycheck to paycheck
61% of Americans “always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49% in 2008 and 43% in 2007.
36 free food deals for your birthday
Such as: Cold Stone Creamery.
Enjoy a free ice-cream creation at Cold Stone when you join their birthday club.
50 healthy foods for under $1 a pound
Such as: oatmeal.
The good old-fashioned “slow cooking” kind … that takes all of five minutes.