Each year, online purchases become more popular as shopping through the internet provides convenience and more accessibility to products. Shopping online can be tricky, but with some simple strategies, you can save a bundle of money on your purchases.

Here are some simple tips and guidelines for shopping online:

*Go through to the ‘checkout’ before purchasing and see if the vendor has a ‘coupon code’ option. If so, then enter keywords for this product or vendor (like “online coupons fancypants.com”) in search engines. If no online coupons can be found, contact the vendor and ask for a promotional code.

*If you are purchasing a service or subscription, ask for a free trial before buying. Avoid free trials that require credit card submissions. If you do submit your credit card, confirm with the vendor when the first payment will be applied. Enter this date on your calendar to remind you to cancel. Most vendors with subscription models make large portion of their money from people who do not use the service and who forget to cancel the payments.

*Watch out for the shipping fees. Make sure the savings you get online are not eaten up by the shipping fees. If you are purchasing products from another country, also be careful about calculating possible duty fees. Also avoid being up-sold with the idea of buying more to save on shipping costs. Don’t buy something you don’t need. If the vendor offers free shipping when a certain amount is purchased, see if friends are interested in buying products to help you reach this free shipping threshold.

*Take a little time for research. Spend time finding comparable products on other sites and see what vendors can offer to gain your purchase. Also do research on reviews of this product before buying to avoid “duds and lemons”.

*Read the ‘terms of use’ and all other policies to insure you can cancel/return the purchase and get a refund, if needed. The ‘terms of use’ can be a long-winded page, but take the time to read what contract you are agreeing to.

Become a savvy online shopper and use your savings strategies to the fullest. Enjoy getting the most out of your money.

Create extra cash in your pocket by simply shedding wasteful energy costs. Many electronic devices and applications are designed to generate energy waste through “stand by” features. These stand by features produce unnecessary energy consumption called vampire power, phantom load, or leaking electricity.

Many electronic products still consume energy even when the power button is turned off. This energy consumption is most commonly recognized with clocks on appliances and stand by lighting features. But even some devices like plugged-in laptop power adapters unknowingly drain money from your pocket.

Some studies suggest that up to 22 percent of energy consumption from appliances is due to stand by waste with this contributing up to 10% of total household electricity costs. Take note of your recent electricity bills and image cutting off 10% from these bills. For many households, this would be a tremendous savings that can be allocated to paying down debt or funding other purposeful ventures.

From an environmentally conscious perspective, some studies suggested that the waste from stand by power sources in large countries like the USA reach into the billions of watts and cost households billions of dollars annually. By eliminating stand by power waste, countries can reduce a substantial portion of pollution produced by energy plants. Less burden would be placed on the taxpayer to fund future energy projects and we would all benefit from less pollutants saturating our air, water and soil.

What are the most common sources of stand by power waste?

*VCRs, DVD players and many audio/sound systems

*microwave ovens and other kitchen appliances

*computers, printers, digital monitors, and other office equipment

*televisions

*air conditioners and other devices with remote controls

*power bars, transformers, and battery charges

*electronics with stand by lights or clocks

Easy tips to reduce leaking electricity waste:

*unplug electrical devices when not in use – turning the power button ‘off’ may still allow the device to drain energy

*avoid leaving recharging devices in the charge mode for extended periods-unplug the chargers once the devices are charged with sufficient energy

*completely shut down electronics like computers, printers, and cell phones at the end of the day

*use switchable power bars or surge protectors with multiple sockets-you can leave multiple devices plugged in, but turn off the power source with one flick of a switch

*consider replacing battery powered devices like phones and razors with basic cord versions-charging cordless devices can be inefficient

*explore the option of timers that can be used to switch off standby power devices-many ‘smart’ devices are on the market making it easier to manage your energy conservation efforts

*avoid electronics with excessive and unnecessary amounts of decorative stand by lighting

We do not need to all be sitting in the dark, huddled around a candle to move towards green sustainable practices. Often the simple and obvious solutions get overlooked and ignored. Flush out all the wasteful energy devices at work and at home. Find the most efficient method of cutting this stand by waste and put this into practice. See the immediate benefits on future bills and take some pride in the benefits you generate for the environment.

The easiest way to save money is to reduce variable costs and is often where people place most of their attention and financial strategizing. However, huge savings can be acquired through tapping into bargains on fixed costs like cable, internet, and phone services for your home and work place.

Take a couple hours in the next week to sit down and review all your fixed bills regardless if you are in fixed contracts or not. Then find 1 to 2 competitors for those current service providers and call them. Talk to them directly and tell these competitors that you are currently with another provider. Ask them what deals they would be willing to offer in order to acquire your business. Also ask them to place you on their contact list to receive future notices of deals and invitations.

With this information in hand, contact your current service provider and tell them that you are interested in switching to a new provider (and state the better deal that the other providers are willing to provide). Mention that you are willing to continue using their services if they provide a comparable or better deal.

Very likely, your service provider will fashion up a discount to retain your business. What if you are in a contract and they state that you w ill need to pay a closing fee? Doesn’t matter. Bargain with them and pretend that you don’t care about paying the closing fee and wish to leave to access better savings elsewhere. They will still likely offer you a discount on your services or upgrade you for free to a better package.

Here is my personal experience with this strategy:
*I have 2 major cable companies in my region. Every 6-8 months, the competing cable company mails me an invitation to switch with a great deal (first month free and then $10/month for 6 months-no contract or minimum obligations). IN the last 2 years, I have not paid more than $10/month for cable as I just continue to bounce from one provider and back to the other.

*I also contacted my internet service (that is combined with my phone line) and told them that I was not happy with the quality of service and that I was thinking of switching to another company. They asked what the other company was offering. I had this information in hand anticipating this question. They immediately upgraded my internet to a faster service and reduced the monthly fees by over $20 for a full year with no contract or commitments.

*Just with these 2 simple strategies, I now save over $40 per month leaving me close to $500 per year in my pocket!

By doing a little research and having some patience with customer services, you can generate some major savings with your cable, internet, and phone services. Be bold and enjoy the hunt for bargains. Important note: be respectful and cordial to the customer services and you will likely get more favorable responses. Finally, they need you more than you need them, so make them work for your money!

Two major issues dominate society today-environment and fuel costs. A simple action we can all take to support there issues is to reduce the usage and consumption of plastic bags. With this reduced use of plastic bags, we can also generate a handful of savings.

Plastic bags are a major source of pollution and environmental harm. Plastic bags fill our garbage dumps and act s deadly agents for wildlife. On a recent trip across the Pacific Ocean, I was disheartened to see the middle of ocean littered with plastic bags and other garbage.

Our obsession with using plastic bags also contributes greatly to the consumption of oil, thus increasing our dependency on foreign oil and inflating costs of fuel and consumer goods.

Here are some tips for reducing the usage of plastic bags:
*When going grocery shopping, bring old plastic bags, cloth bags or cardboard boxes with you and use these to carry home your groceries.
*Place a plastic bag in every purse, bag, knap snack, and coat so that when you are out and unexpectedly go into a store, you immediately have your own bag to use.
*Ask your grocer if they provide refunds on using your own bags. Many stores now give you $.03-.05 for every bag you reuse. With a big grocery trip reusing 10 bags, this could produce $.50 in savings. If you do this every week, you can save around $25 a year-a nice chunk of money for doing something good for the environment.
*Utilize recycling, composting, and garburators to reduce household waste and use of plastic garbage bags that hold this waste.
*Find retailers that offer collection services and recycle plastic bags.
*Look for more biodegradable alternatives for carrying and storing items (ie. paper bags made from post consumer paper products).

Get in the habit of carrying spare bags with you wherever you go. See where retailers offer incentives to reusing bags and add to your savings strategies. Enjoy the overall benefits of being green, saving money, and supporting the bigger picture of global and economic sustainability.