The following is a guest post by Money 411 personal finance blog and sponsored by AccountNow prepaid credit card providers. To read more, visit Money 411 at www.accountnow.com.
In these trying financial times, many people are desperate to save a buck wherever they can. Luckily, contemporary technology is helping them do just that. Here are two ways that recent technology can help consumers save big money:
1) Use coupons. With the economy going through a recession, more and more companies are increasing their couponing and advertised discounts. A number of local coupon sites, such as www.Groupon.com and www.LivingSocial.com offer great money saving offers on local business ranging from restaurants to spas and even entertainment events. If you are thinking of spending some leisure time make sure you are not spending full price for that leisure.
2) Shop online. Many items can be found online for a fraction of the cost of their brick and mortar counterparts, like this Sephora Coupon Code for instance. Customers not only save money, despite shipping costs, on items they normally buy, but they also can locate a larger variety of goods, perhaps finding items that can improve their lives. Consumers can shop online in huge, general sites that carry almost every item available, or they can visit niche sites that carry a wider variety of more specialized items. Some websites even offer free goods and other great deals to loyal customers, further increasing the value of shopping online.
3) Use a prepaid credit card. Credit card debt is one of the biggest financial drains on the consumer today. Despite the crushing interest rates, consumers still flock to these cards for their convenience and their safety compared to cash. One great way to get the best of both worlds – convenience with no interest payments – is to use a prepaid credit card. The customer pre-loads the card with money and can be use it wherever major credit cards are accepted. The card cannot be used if it does not carry a credit balance. Using this card is a great way to learn financial discipline and enjoy the safety and convenience of credit.
4) Use Craigslist. Before going to buy some new furniture or even some sports equipment, it may be worth checking out Craigslist (www.craigslist.org). Craigslist gives a new look at classified ad, making thing easier to find and sell (cheaper than Ebay too). A lot of times you can actually barter items too, meaning you could trades, say some old golf clubs, for someone’s old laptop.
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Along with prepaid credit cards, I would say to get prepaid cell phones. The more you get prepaid stuff, the less you risk spending more than you plan to. I got a prepaid TracFone. All I do is buy the card and refill it every month. You can choose how many minutes you need, and there are no overage, activation, or cancellation fees. Definitely worth while!
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