I Will Teach You To Be Rich has a great article dealing with a common misconception of purchasing a hybrid car: it’ll save you money. While i’m a strong advocate of going hybrid for its environmental benefits - don’t kid yourself, it won’t save you money.
Carnival of Personal Finance #24, Hosted by Financial Fruition.
Carnival of Debt Reduction, Hosted by No Credit Needed.
Both Carnivals offer a ton of great articles on personal finance and debt reduction. Hope you enjoy!
The business of gaining new customers can be quite expensive. I’ve seen reports that for some stores, they value the acquisition of new customer to cost up to 250,000 dollars depending on the nature of the business in which they operate. Because of this high expense, several intermediary or “click-through” sites have sprung up to capture the market of customer delivery.
Most hinge on the proposition that they’ll give you a little bit of their cut if you’ll use them as your intermediary. Below are a few that I’ve found – and I’m sure there are plenty more out there. Frankly, I’m not ready to suggest one over the other, but from what I can tell, they all seem rather reasonable. Perhaps as Christmas time nears, I may give one or two a try.
The first is Ebates which offers a percentage of your purchase back in the form of a check or direct deposit into your Pay-Pal account. The next option is Freestyle Rewards which offers you credit in a form similar to that of a MasterCard, which allows you to spend your money wherever a MasterCard is accepted. Lastly, there is My Smart Rewards which not only links you up to the best deals, but also allows you to receive gift certificates in return.
In searching for ways to save money it seems that we often find new ways of spending it instead. A lot of that has to due with human nature, and I’m sure behavioral marketing takes advantage of it as well. It’s because of this that I’m somewhat reluctant to suggest a way to save a little more while spending out of fear that it might cause you to spend more! So, use sites like these for items that you’ve already decided to purchase.
[Update: Jane Dough from Boston Gal's Open Wallet reminded me of Fat Cash, which is similar to the sites mentioned above. Thanks Jane!]
Since this is my first post, I think it would be a great time to tell you what this site is about. I’m a twenty-something law school student with a heavy business/economics background. At this point I find myself in debt, although it’s just grad school tuition. Not too long from now I’ll find myself “in the real world” with not only law school tuition to pay back, but the financial hassles and pressures of getting my practice and life going. So, why even bother making a financial website? Why should you care what I learn or think? Well, I hope that I’ll be able to provide a plain-English approach to financial management, and through advancing my own knowledge of managing money, I’ll find new ways to help you manage yours!
