One of the most powerful tools that online shoppers can use are reviews by fellow shoppers.  

It  is a great way to get past the Manufacturer's spin.    On the larger online sites like amazon.com and others the reviews are right there.   But there is a simple way to get even more information.   Simply enter the brand name, model number and the word "review" into google.  Often there are extensive reviews out there.   Obviously the more you read, the better decision you can make.

In one case a DWYM team member bought a HDTV at a Black Friday sale.   It was for Christmas, so it was left in the box in the garage for a month.   But in that time he had googled the model number, and found a message board dedicated to just that model.   He followed the discussion, even asked a few questions, so when it came time to set it up on Christmas Day he knew exactly what cables to get, and how to avoid a couple of potential setup problems, even before he opened the box.   

Learning from others about the stuff you are buying, before, or even after a purchase  is harnessing the power of the Internet so you Don't Waste Your Money.

    In the next few weeks you'll see a lot of stories in the news about how gas prices will stifle summer road trips.   DWYM wants readers to understand this is largely a psychological block, and not a rooted in the facts.

Follow along on this:
A road trip from WXYZ's Broadcast house, in Southfield, Michigan to the popular summer "up north" destination of Traverse City Michigan is 250miles.    If you have a car that gets 25 miles per gallon on the freeway, that means you'll be using 20 gallons of gas for the 500 mile round trip.   That means a .50cent rise in gas prices would mean only an extra $10 for the entire trip.

Don't misunderstand the point, DWYM realizes that high gas prices are hammering family budgets, but don't buy into the mistaken notion the a rise in gas prices significantly raises the cost of a family road trip.   The fact is--- when you factor in food, accommodations and other costs, the difference between taking a road trip at "reasonable" $2.89 a gallon versus an "expensive" $3.39 a gallon is negligible.   

Bottom line:  some years the family budget allows summer trips, other years it may not.  You have to take a close look at what you can realistically afford, but as you evaluate it, don't be scared off of taking a road trip with the family (and the precious family time that comes with it) because gas prices are a little higher.

 We blogged earlier this week about an internet posting that pointed out that many consumers are wasting their money on high-end audio and video cables.    Now Canadian Broadcast's "Marketplace" has posted a scientific test of a $12 HDMI cable (found online, including shipping) vs. a $250 cable.   Guess what they found? CBC Report

This story hit the Internet a week or so ago, it is very interesting. 

Monster Cables Test

The author says he has tested top end audio cables against regular old coathanger wires, and his group of experts could not tell the difference.   Now we are well aware anyone can post anything on the internet, and there is not a lot of information in the post that would make it possible to confirm the veracity of that particular post,  but we asked broadcast engineers here at WXYZ for their opinion on top-end, expensive cables versus basic, lower priced cables.   They agree with the conclusion of the article:   Don't Waste Your Money, go with low priced cables for audio or video applications.   There is just not enough difference in quality to justify the very high prices for those high end cables.

It's been a while since I've blogged. The New Year's gotten off to a busy start. I've had so many calls and emails this year about potential scams that people are receiving.. As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone with a woman who called me asking about a letter and check she got. It was the classic check scam. It said she won a lottery. She was supposed to cash the $3000 check they sent her. And after she sent that money back, they'd send her back her big winnings! NOT! The check is no good. By the time you find that out, you're out the money.

I can't tell you enough that someone wanting you to *send* them money to *receive* money is a *huge* red flag. So is having to wire money to someone before you get money back. Of course, if someone asks for personal information like bank accounts or social security numbers, run the other way!

We all work too hard for our money to give it up.

If you're ever wondering about anything you receieve in the mail, please feel free to email or send it me and I'll check it out for you!

 

 

 

 

We've been talking at the station about ways we all can save money during the holiday season. One idea was cutting back on gifts adults buy for each other and using some of the money to make a donation to your favorite charity. Or you could donate gifts or your time to a group who helps those in need in our area. Another idea... give a magazine subscription. They don't cost a lot but the person is reminded of the gift every month when they get the magazine.

Now we want to hear from you! How are you trying to save money this year? Send me your ideas, big and small!  You may just help someone else have a great Christmas without spending themselves into debt!

I can't wait to hear from you!

 

 

I aired a story last week about how Sears was running a commercial advertising a 42" Magnavox LCD TV for $799... a whopping 600 dollars off. The problem was, some customers found the stores didn't have one! We went undercover in one Sears store and was told they haven't had that tv for months. When we called a number of other stores in our area, we were told they never got any or had a only a couple and sold out immediately.

I contacted Sears and their statement indicated that they sold through their inventory faster than anticipated and that they directed the remaining inventory to markets with the greatest demand!

Not much consolation for people who showed up early on day one of the sale to get that tv...

Despite Sears' knowledge of the fact you weren't going to be able to get your hands on that tv, that commercial continued to run through the entire 4 day sale!

I'll be keeping a close eye on ads this holiday season to make sure retailers are offering what they say they are!

 

It really annoys me when I hear those commercials about free credit reports, only to find out it's only free if you sign up for a credit monitoring service. That's what led me to do the story about how to get your free credit report, really for FREE!

Still, some people are confused about how to go about it.  The federal government passed a law allowing you to get one free credit report each year from each of the big three credit reporting bureaus. The only official site where you can get that with no strings attached is www.annualcreditreport.com.

Once at that site, start by clicking on the state you live in... You don't want to start by clicking on the individual credit reporting sites listed on the home page, because that just takes you to each of their websites....

But after you enter your state at www.annualcreditreport.com and fill out some information, then you'll have to click on which of the agencies you want the credit report from at that time.

Keep in mind, getting a copy of your credit report is free, but it will cost you if you want a copy of your credit *score.*