New Driver’s Guide for Getting Car Insurance

by The Smarter Wallet on December 21, 2011 | 2 comments

Before you can hit the road, you need a car insurance policy that provides you with coverage and protection. U.S. law requires all drivers to maintain active car insurance policies, but that’s not the only reason to have insurance. You also need coverage in case of collisions or accidents. Here are a few things to consider as you begin looking for auto insurance.

What Is Your First Concern About Car Insurance?

Though you might feel tempted to choose the lowest level of coverage in order to save money, finding the right protection should be your first concern. Auto insurance policies include different levels of coverage for you, your vehicle, other drivers and passengers. While some levels of coverage are optional, others are required by state. Make sure to check out your local laws before signing up for a new policy.

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5 Easy Ways to Reduce the Cost of a Cell Phone

by The Smarter Wallet on October 23, 2011 | 5 comments

These days it seems as though everyone can’t live without a smartphone, but they could definitely live without the high bills that accompany them. Cell phone plans are notoriously high, and for many, they can seem as high as a car payment. However, owning a smartphone does not have to break the bank each month. There are several ways that you can save on your cell while still getting the great service you need:

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HP dm1z Laptop: The Easy-on-the-Wallet Netbook Killer

by Guest Blogger on September 27, 2011 | 1 comment

This is a guest post by Sam at Dealzon.com, thanks to the folks from HP.

There’s a lot of buzz in the tech industry about tablet computers. It seems like every day there’s a new article about the next Apple iPad or the next hot Android device. This past week, the Amazon Kindle Fire drew rave reviews from the media. It reminds me a little bit about the buzz around netbook computers a few years back. Acer and Asus created a similar kind of buzz by introducing a new very small kind of laptop with a long-lasting battery. Travelers flocked to them and the netbook craze was born.

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How much do fries cost where you live? And do you ever really honestly love eating them?

Homemade fries or chips are a lot cheaper and you can do a lot more with them as well. The simplest thing is to get some good quality potatoes, chip them and fry them in a deep fryer at home. Just shake on some salt and vinegar after they’re cooked and you’re good to go. You’ll get perfect chips that are cooked to your liking and which are much cheaper too.

Another option is to think about leaving the skins on. They are the best bit of the potato anyway and you don’t get any waste at all when you cook them like this.

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Get To Know Your Credit Rating

by The Smarter Wallet on August 30, 2011 | Comment

How much do you really know about your credit rating or history? If you’ve been around the block a few times –- had a job or two, bought a house and maybe had some loans -– you’ll probably be familiar with them. But if you are new to all this, you’ll probably be wondering what the deal is with your credit information.

Some people tend to think that credit reports are dull and uninteresting. This is true to a certain extent as most of us would definitely rather do something (anything) else than study our own credit report. But there are reasons and benefits for checking it and this is where you should make the effort to find out some more for your own ends.

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Why Is It So Darn Hard To Save Money Sometimes?

by The Smarter Wallet on July 26, 2011 | 2 comments

Everyone knows that it’s good to save money. The more you can save the bigger the cushion you’ll have if anything goes wrong in your life or something needs replacing in a hurry.

But saving is a bit like dieting. You can start off in good form and save regularly every day, week or month for a while… but then things start to go wrong. It’s almost as if you think you’ve done so well that you can let yourself off the hook for a while. It’s the worst possible thing to do though, because you then scupper your new habit and replace it with the old one of getting through all your available cash in record time and not having any left over to save.

But why should it be this hard?

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Don’t you just hate washing up? The good news is that you can save money on your food bill and on liquid dish washing detergent simply by giving one pot cooking a go. This can be the easiest way to cook and serve up a meal if you’ve had a hard day at work; there is no reason why you still can’t have a tasty meal as well.

The good thing about it is that you can use pretty much any kind of ingredient. If you think about a casserole or stew for example, you will know that you get your meat, vegetables and potatoes all in one dish. It’s certainly nice to eat on a cold winter night, but there are one pot dishes that will suit all different times of the year as well.

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5 Ways To Get Started With A Regular Savings Habit

by The Smarter Wallet on July 11, 2011 | 1 comment

I meant to start up a savings plan a few months ago and then something cropped up. The car needed repairs so I had to pile some cash into that. Then –- what happened? Oh, I think I plain forgot about it the month after. Maybe next month…

Does this sound familiar? Thousands of people across America (indeed the world) are going through similar events like this every single day. And what are we talking about? We’re talking about the act of setting up a savings account.

Added to this, there is the fact that many people have a savings account –- but they have nothing in it. So with that in mind, I’ve explored five ways to get some cash into that account super quick, no matter what kind of budget you might be on.

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