Consumer Savvy Tips

Save on Travel Costs with Hotel Loyalty Programs

2012-05-15T01:00:40Z

If you travel a lot and don't take advantage of hotel loyalty programs, you're missing out on some serious savings. Trust me: there was a time when I was traveling 10 days out of every 14, and at first, I didn't know how badly I was mistreating myself by ignoring loyalty programs.

Admittedly, my company was paying for the hotel rooms, but when I finally discovered what I was missing, I felt like a huge doofus.

Eat Healthy--and Save Money Anyway, Part II

2012-05-02T00:57:28Z

For some reason, many people have this idea that you have to be willing to pay high prices just to eat healthy. We at Savvy Consumer Central beg to differ. Oh, you can pay too much if you like; but you can do that with anything, from toys to kittens. Our objective here is to save you every cent we can.

Eat Healthy--and Save Money Anyway, Part I

2012-04-24T00:53:40Z

Some health gurus would have you believe that you have to spend big bucks and buy all kinds of pricy gizmos in order to eat healthy. That's a load of baloney. All you really have to do is make the right choices -- and that doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg.

What You Should Know About Debt Settlement, Part II

2012-04-17T00:43:17Z

In Part I of this article, we looked at the scary concept of debt settlement. You may never need to worry about such a thing; but if your financial matters do happen to go awry, you ought to know how to handle yourself, especially if you hire a company to handle your settlement negotiations.

What You Should Know About Debt Settlement, Part I

2012-04-10T00:41:06Z

"Debt settlement," like "bankruptcy," is one of those terms no one likes to hear in reference to their finances. Now, if you're a truly savvy consumer, you might think you'll never have to worry about either... but nowadays, things are less certain on the economic front that they've been in decades.

Car Donation: Why You Should Consider It

2012-04-04T00:38:54Z

Car donation is quite popular in the non-profit charity world. But is it really worth it to donate your car, even to the best of charities?

That's a good question -- exactly what I'd expect of a savvy consumer. It's always wise to be cautious, even with charities. So let's take a closer look at the auto donation issue.

Cheap Babyproofing

2012-03-23T00:36:23Z

If you've got infants and toddlers at home, then babyproofing is very much a concern. It's imperative that you take steps to make sure the kiddos can't get their hands on dangerous things, or otherwise damage themselves against hard or sharp objects.

That doesn't mean, however, that you have to pay outrageous prices for special childproof padding, locks, and barriers. If you don't mind expedient solutions, you can babyproof your house quite cheaply.

How to Avoid ATM Fees

2012-03-17T00:23:10Z

Automatic teller machines can be incredibly convenient devices, especially when you're stuck without much-needed cash -- but paying up to $5 in ATM fees to access your own money can be a real pain in the rear. It behooves you, then, to find ways to avoid sticking yourself with such fees.

A Great Reason to Save Money on Haircuts

2012-03-01T18:27:00Z

In the past, I've proposed a number of simple but effective ways that you can save money on haircuts, from clipping coupons to having your hair done at the local beauty college. You've also got plenty of options for cutting your own hair if you like, not to mention your kid's.

But you know what? You don't even have to go to that much effort, if you'd prefer not to.

How to Save Money on Toys

2012-02-23T18:23:43Z

Let me tell you a secret that Madison Avenue doesn't want you to know: it's no sin to save money on toys. It won't warp the delicate psyches of your children, and they probably won't notice if they don't have the most expensive dolly or Loop-de-Loop race cars.

So let's look at a few ways you can save money when acquiring toys for your children.

Digging Up Travel Bargains Is Worth the Effort

2012-02-16T18:20:34Z

Travel bargains are natural grist for the savvy consumer's mill... even if you're like me, and you're already putting all your other savvy savings into a vacation fund. For every buck I save by recycling aluminum or cutting my light bill, I get that much closer to the cruise I'm saving for.

You see, saving money isn't just about being a skinflint, tightwad, miser, or call it what you will. Most of us simply prefer to spend as little as possible on necessities, while saving to splurge on something fun or necessary. And a good vacation is both!

A Simple Way to Save a Wet Cell Phone

2012-02-09T20:32:21Z

Sadly, Your Humble Writer has needed to replace more than one wet cell phone in the past. Let's see, there was the one my niece dropped in the swimming pool, the one I left out in the rain, and, embarrassingly, the one I dropped in the toilet. If only I'd known the trick for drying them out!

A sweet customer service rep revealed this trick to me when I went in to have my latest phone checked, when the battery was on the fritz. Lo and behold, it worked!

How to Salvage Old Frozen Food

2012-02-02T20:30:33Z

Have you been straightening up the frozen food in the deep freeze and realized, to your dismay, that some of the packages down at the bottom date from the last presidential administration? With the best of intentions, you stashed them away for the perfect occasion... which never came.

And then there are the packages that somehow weren't as well-wrapped as you thought, so now the contents are freezer-burned and awful-looking. Who wants to put that in their mouth? In both instances, there's nothing to do but throw the ruined food away... right?

Not necessarily.

Keep An Eye Out for Product Recalls

2012-01-26T20:28:19Z

Given the huge economy we enjoy here in the U.S. (and the watchdog organizations that keep an eye on it), it's inevitable that there would be fairly frequent product recalls. They've affected us all at some time or another, generally because something didn't go right with a common product.

Newspaper Subscriptions: Are They Still Worth the Cost?

2012-01-19T20:26:54Z

Like so many things that we examine in these hallowed pages, newspaper subscriptions aren't terribly expensive. With very few exceptions, you may spend $90-125 per year to enjoy home delivery via paperboy, and generally less than $200 for mail delivery.

This is generally true even of small town newspapers. In fact, big city papers can cost less, given economies of scale. Of course, if you're receiving the New York Times in Cleveland or L.A., you can expect to pay more. But the price probably won't be too bad.