Make Your Major Purchases Count

Make Your Major Purchases Count

A major part of the frugal lifestyle is consuming less.  Sometimes though, you really have to buy something – like a dryer or a rug shampooer.  People who are naturally frugal recognize the importance of delaying a major purchase until they can thoroughly research the marketplace.

Surprisingly, the Web is a bit of a wasteland when it comes to free, authoritative consumer information.   I know it doesn’t seem that way because of all the consumer opinion based posts that exist.  And some of those consumer opinions are good and valuable – like at Amazon or Epinions.

But let’s face it, for major purchases, you need something more authoritative.  Now, the tech and electronics end has always been well covered by sites like CNet and Crutchfield, but what about appliances?  Because Consumer Reports is a paid subscription based service, the only real viable option is ConsumerSearch.

ConsumerSearch is a broad, sweeping meta-site that draws consumer reviews from a variety of sources – including Consumer Reports.  From chest freezers to snow tires, furnace filters to washing machines, this is easily the best consumer site on the Web.  I’m not even sure there’s a close second.






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I’m All for Exploiting the Developing World – As Long as I get a Cut!

I’m All for Exploiting the Developing World – As Long as I get a Cut!

So, I’ve read a lot about Wal-Mart, and seen the documentaries.  I have to say that they are easily my favorite company.  Look at their mission statement:   We save people money so they can live better.  That’s a pretty admirable mission statement.  In the PBS documentary Is Wal-Mart Good for America, we learned how Wal-Mart squeezes manufacturers to the brink of bankruptcy in order to keep their prices low.  Good.  That’s how capitalism is supposed to work.  I want all retailers to squeeze manufacturers to the brink of bankruptcy.

The other main criticism is that so much manufacturing happens off shore.  Well it happened before and it’s going to continue to happen in the future.  The difference is, with Wal-Mart the savings incurred from that off-shore exploitation are passed on to me.

Now, for those of you who think this is short-sighted and heartless, here’s a sad economic fact:  our western lifestyle is achieved at the expense of the rest of the world.  Raising the living standard of other nations can only come at the expense of our own.

I think it’s OK to buy an inexpensive loaf of bread from Wal-Mart.  Those who don’t can buy it somewhere else.  But please provide people with the option, and allow the markets to deliver inexpensive food to those who can’t afford anything else.

  

Checking Out the Savings @ Your Library

Checking Out the Savings @ Your Library

Let’s say that there’s a branch of government that keeps retail hours and gives away lots of cool stuff for free.  Is that something that you’d be interested in?  Your public library has been helping frugal households achieve their financial goals for decades.  Walk in and look around.  In addition to the gangs of teenage thugs monopolizing the Internet terminals and the rummies sleeping it off in the magazine area, you’ll see lots and lots of young families.

Especially early on a Friday evening.  That’s when you’ll see the line-up at the circulation desk packed with young, struggling families picking up some entertainment for the weekend.  Libraries have always been there for this group, and they always will be.  Those people in line will have armloads of bluerays and DVDs, some picturebooks for the kids, maybe some videogames and a few a novels for the parents.  A whole week’s worth of entertainment – all for free.

Well, it’s free if you can get them back on time.  That’s always been a challenge when using the public library.  Those fines can add up in no time at all.  There really is only one way to address this, and that’s to have one night a week as library night.  That way everything gets brought back.  Keep a bookbag at the door and make sure that everything that’s due gets put in it.

If you can manage to keep this up, you’ll save money on movie rentals, console games, books and magazines.  What’s more, you’ll be able to say to your friends, “Oh, no sorry I can’t that night.  Thursday is the night my family and I go to the Library.” 

And deep down, haven’t you always wanted to be the kind of person who could say that?