With the holidays rapidly approaching you’re undoubtedly looking for just the right present for your friends and relatives. If you can’t figure out what to give, a gift card is always a safe option. While you may have heard bad things about gift cards in the past, things in the gift card game are changing. These changes are making gifting and receiving gift cards a more pleasant experience. Here are some things you should know about gift cards.
You Can Sell Your Gift Cards
There is a whole new market that has been created the last few years. It involves people selling their gift cards for cash. Sure you won’t receive the full amount left on the card, but it’s a neat way to get some value out of them. Other users can then purchase your gift card at a discounted price.
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Most of us are looking for ways to cut our expenses and save money. At the same time, most of us have a daily commute. Whether we work in an office or a classroom, and regardless of whether it takes us 15 or 45 minutes to get there, chances are that a distance needs to be traveled every morning to get from our home to our place of employment.
Since it is a trip we make twice every day, the money we spend towards our commute adds up quickly, meaning that by reducing those costs there is a tremendous potential for savings. But we don’t want our commute to be overly long or inconvenient. How can we balance these two concerns? Below is a cost estimate of different forms of commuting, coupled with some considerations that you will probably need to take into account. For the purposes of this article, we are assuming a commute of 5-10 miles and a person who lives and works in a metropolitan area.
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If you are taking a vacation you may be wondering how you will get around to each destination. You may consider renting a car or hiring a cab to travel, but which is more affordable?
Benefits of Renting a Cab
People often choose to rent a car when they want to tour a destination or enjoy a night out at their own pace. For a single price, the car is theirs for a specified period, no matter how far they drive, so price is not a deciding factor. If you do not like to be rushed from place to place, or you decide you want to make a detour and stop at other destinations along the way, renting a car is the right way to go.
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Everyone wants a new car. Perhaps it’s because of the new car smell. Maybe it’s to show off. It could be because it’s easier. But it’s not the right choice. Buying a used car is better than buying a new car and I’m going to tell you why.
- Depreciation. The moment you drive a car off the lot it has lost at least a thousand dollars. The first couple of years a car will lose many more thousands of dollars. Yes, the car will continue to drop in price throughout the years, but never as much as the first couple of years. Therefore, buy a car that is at least 2 years old to soften the blow.
- Sales tax. When you go buy a new car, the sticker price on a car isn’t your total. You’ll have to pay sales tax in addition to that. This means your total could balloon up several thousand dollars more.
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Have you seemingly had a lifelong problem with debt? Do you find it impossible to save money? If so, you might have a spending problem. If you can identify these bad habits then you can work to change them and keep control of your spending problem. Here are some signs to look out for.
- Sales. You are enticed to purchase things when they are on sale, even if you don’t need it. Purchasing items when they are on sale is good – but only if it’s something you regularly buy and need.
- No money down. You are fooled by so-called deals that lure you in by saying “no money down”. Then you sign a contract to make monthly payments with interest.
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Social buying is growing by leaps and bounds. The concept is quite simple. Companies who want exposure offer a tremendous deal (usually 50% off or higher) if enough customers sign up for the offer. You see, a company may have a profit margin of $10 per service. They’re willing to have a smaller profit margin of lets say $2 per service, if they can attract hundreds of orders. It’s a win-win for companies who get major exposure and customers who get major discounts.
Since this concept of “social purchasing” was introduced, both GroupOn and Living Social have grown by leaps and bounds. GroupOn grew from two million subscribers to 85 million subscribers since 2009. Living Social grew from 120,000 subscribers to 28 million. According to Local Offer Network, social buying websites are expected to generate $2.7 billion in revenue in 2011. Experts predict the industry may reach $4 billion by 2015. Here’s a closer look at the top two “deal of the day” sites.
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The honey trap is a form of psychological manipulation that is employed by the retail industry to subliminally influence the shopper. Just as a monthly car loan payment can make you think an expensive car is affordable, a honey trap can get you into buying things you don’t really need. This methods are frequently employed at the supermarket.
This manipulation has, in the past, come under close scrutiny by advertising and retail watchdogs, the most common being the placement of enticingly designed goods like sweets, toys and corn flakes within the eye-line and reach of children.
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One of the biggest expenses we have each month is our traveling expense. Unfortunately, however, I’m not talking about flying to the beach for a summer vacation or going on a road trip with the family. With endless complaints about soaring gas prices and long commutes, most people still fail to budget for the amount of money we spend on gas each month.
Thankfully with modern technology on our side, we now have even more ways to save on fuel prices, drive less, and become more efficient. These four mobile phone applications can save you a significant chunk of change at the pump and driving.
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Part of the Ethernity
