Being a consumer has never been so easy with everything we want available at the click of a button. However, it is also even easier for us as consumers to be scammed, by merchants and hackers who know we are searching for a great deal or opportunity online. This week in the United States it is National Consumer Protection Week, during which the Better Business Bureau is hoping that we as online consumers will be a little more careful and safer in our viral ventures.
The top 7 online shopping scams
The top 7 scams from 2011 as reported by the BBB include:
- Job Scams
- Viral Video Scams
- Hotel …
Online shopping deals and bargains don’t have to stop at clothes and gadgets for the humans in your house. Those furry four-legged creatures in our lives benefit from online shopping deals for pets. Although the numbers and types of pets in my home seems to vary from year to year, right now we have 1 pampered pooch, 2 crazy cats, and a random collection of fish bowls and inhabitants.
Keeping up with my four children, working part-time from home, and all in all being the domestic engineer of our household doesn’t leave me with a lot of time to make sure that our pets get the care they …
There are two things that seem certain in this world – there never seems to be “extra time” to do anything, and my family wants to eat – every day! I am the extremely busy mom of 4 who homeschools and works from home part-time. Grocery shopping has to fit somewhere in between education, work, baseball practices, music lessons, and taking a vanload of children fishing. Short of just requiring them to catch their own dinner while fishing, I have been striving for ways to make grocery shopping more convenient, yet still within my budget, so I turned to various online grocery vendors to …
Are you looking to relocate to a new neighborhood, city, state, or even country? Shopping online for new homes has many conveniences, but there are also misconceptions and misleading sites. Knowing what you want, can afford, and who can help you find it are three key pieces to improved online searching for new homes.
Why you should choose local realtors websites instead of national property websites?
One of the most important pieces of advice I have ever received about looking online for homes to buy is to search for specific realtors instead of going through larger clearinghouses of homes …
I’m far from Martha Stewart, but I do love to indulge myself in crafting – and saving money on my craft supplies. Fortunate enough to live near a city with at least three major craft stores, I have learned to take advantage of the bargains and deals that craft stores offer. You don’t have to pay full price for your craft and hobby supplies, and with a few minutes online you can find great deals and bargains for online and in-store shopping.
Hobby Lobby
The selection at Hobby Lobby is wonderful, but the prices are the steepest of the chain stores. However, if you sign up for their flyers …
I wouldn’t want to relive high school again if you paid me, but I would bungee jump at the opportunity to relive my wedding planning again. The advent and advances in online wedding planning and shopping has put brides up to their elbows in wedding cake options, dress designs, and invitation possibilities. You might not think that beautiful and memorable weddings can be planned with coupons, bargains, and discounts, but think again my brides-to-be.
As a contributing writer and researcher for several different wedding event planners I have seen the open range of wedding planning bliss that …
While I try not to look like a clown, I usually wear minimal make-up every day. For me that means eyeliner, mascara, and sometimes shadow. Occasionally lip-gloss, especially if I am outside or about in the town. Occasionally I will wear foundation and powder, but my active life as a mom, running around with children to various activities, doesn’t really warrant the full spectrum of make-up. I want my style to be easy, natural, and painless, and I want my make-up shopping to be the same.
Shopping for beauty supplies online can be challenging, but in order to save myself time, energy, and …
Shop Online for Books vs. Browsing Shelves on Bookstores – Overlooked Tips on Finding the Best Deals
It feels as though I am in the growing minority of people who prefer tangible, literal page-turning books to electronic readers. If you’re like me and still like the feel of the page between your fingers, and the much reduced risk of taking your book in the bathtub as you relax from your day, you might also like to know the best places to shop online for books. As an avid reader, mother of 4, and homeschool parent, I have spent 
countless hours browsing shelves, both real and virtual, for the perfect books and have discovered some valuable and sometimes overlooked tips.
Choose large chain …
Does back to school shopping have you worried about your own budget crunch? I recently read a report that in 2012 American families on average will spend more than $688 on back to school shopping – up from just over $600 last fall. It’s not that pencils and glue have gone through the roof in costs, but that clothing continues to account for the largest portion of that spending money. Add to those costs the addition of electronics (back in my day it was just a calculator – and that wasn’t until high school) on school shopping lists, and parents can feel the pinch in the pocketbook.<…
Christmas in August – or any summer month – can mean amazing savings and deals on gifts. Even if you still have the picnic baskets and suntan lotion in your front closet, it is time to stock up on Christmas gifts (and save some money at the same time).
Summer Bargains for Holiday Giving
This holiday season you might feel the lure of red and green bath sets that feature Santa taking a bubble bath, but step away from the commercialized holiday gifts sets and create your own that will be truly appreciated. Shop now for summer items on clearance and assemble small gift sets for the …