Hybrid cars are getting more and more popular each day. But still we don't know many things about them. Here are the most frequently asked questions.
1. Why are hybrid cars becoming so popular?
With the price of gasoline hiking up to astronomic proportions, a lot of motorists are resorting to different ways to save on fuel. Some of them use alternative diesel. Others resort to using bikes, which can also contribute to the clean air program.
Some who cannot do away with their rides, however, chose to buy hybrid vehicles.
2. What exactly is a hybrid car?
Primarily, a gasoline-electric hybrid car is a combination of an electric car and a gasoline-run vehicle. To make things clearer, it is first necessary to distinguish the characteristics of those two kinds.
A gas-powered vehicle is equipped with fuel tanks, which gives gasoline to the engine. The engine operates the transmission, and the transmission operates the wheels.
3. What is the difference between a hybrid and an electric car?
An electric car is equipped with a set of batteries which gives electric power to a motor. The motor then operates the transmission and the wheels.
Now the hybrid car is a mix of the two. The reputation of hybrids is that they add to the car's mileage with fewer emissions usually coming from cars run by gasoline, while eliminating more or less the disadvantages that comes with electric cars.
Motorists usually take three considerations in mind when judging the usability of a vehicle. These are:
-it should run at three-hundred miles at least between fuel stops.
-Should be easily refueled, in the minimum amount of time.
-It should catch up with the other vehicles zooming on the road.
The thing is, a gasoline-powered car has all these features, but it produces lots of emission plus the mileage is poor. On the other hand, an electric car gives off almost zero pollution, but the speed is relatively slow, and can only run 50-100 miles between battery charges.
4. What are the parts of hybrid cars?
a. Gasoline engine
Compared to the engine of other cars, hybrids use smaller ones and is more technically advanced in order to maximize fuel and lessen emissions.
b. Fuel tank
This serves as the device for hybrids to store energy for the gasoline engine.
c. Electric motor
The motor present in hybrids is a study in sophistication. It can serve as both generator and motor.
d. Generator
Much like an electric motor, but its only purpose is to provide electrical power.
e. Batteries
Acts as the storage device of energy for electric motors. The advantage of hybrid car motors is that they can charge the batteries with energy as well as get energy supply from them.
f. Transmission
Acts the same as conventional car transmissions.
g. How are the energy sourcecs used in hybrid cars?
There are two ways in combining the energy sources found in hybrid cars. The first one is the parallel hybrid, which is equipped with a fuel tank that provides gasoline to an engine, and a battery set that supplied energy to the electric motor.
The second one is the series hybrid. In contrast, the generator is powered by the gasoline engine, and the generator is capable of either energizing the batteries or provide power to the electric motor that starts up the transmission.
Want to know how you can save 50% of your money you spend on gas this month? Come to http://www.squidoo.com/hybrid-cars-101 and see how hybrid cars work.
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tips and Ideas On Saving Energy In The Home
Energy saving in the home is central to your personal responsibility in reducing harmful carbon emissions as part of wider personal, local, governmental and international initiatives to develop an environmentally more stable environment. Energy saving in the home will benefit the environment far more than any waste reduction measures.
Saving energy at home helps save the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Saving energy in the home can be accomplished in many ways,some large, some small. By saving energy we can all help fight climate change. By bringing energy saving into our everyday lives we can all help to prevent climate change, from simple actions turning off lights to installing loft insulation.
Key energy saving measures; Energy saving appliances use less power and are cheaper to run. When replacing appliances (especially large appliances like fridges and washing machines), look for ones displaying the energy saving recommended logo.
There are several energy saving ideas that you may want to consider applying to your home: Use energy efficient appliances: There is a universal labeling systems now in place to help you choose energy efficient electrical goods for your home.
Are you really an efficiency angel or is there room for improvement. Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one.
Dishwasher: Load dishes in their proper locations to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency.
Keep your stove's reflector pans shiny to maximize efficiency.
Check for products bearing the Energy Star logo, which have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to increase efficiency and save money.
Place your dryer in a warm space for maximum efficiency.
By upgrading heating controls you will improve the efficiency of any central heating system and cut your energy wastage and costs by up to 17 per cent.
Educating tomorrow's consumers about energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important given the potential impact of climate change. However, through intensive research, I realised how little I knew about various aspects of energy efficiency and began to take action on saving energy at home and at work.
For those with the know-how and persistence, optimizing your home's energy efficiency can be a fun challenge. But not everyone knows enough about energy efficiency, appliances, and insulation to make informed decisions.
HEATING AND COOLING Space heating and cooling accounts for about 45 percent of your utility bill and offers the greatest opportunity to improve energy efficiency.
Keep furniture and drapes away from the HVAC air supply and return air ducts to increase the energy efficiency of your system. When installing a new furnace, check the energy rating and choose a high-efficiency unit for maximum energy savings.
Empty your clothes dryer lint screen between every load to improve energy efficiency.
One of the little-known ways to save energy is to drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every few months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers it's efficiency.
To improve energy efficiency even more, replace the incandescent light bulbs in your home with energy saving compact fluorescent lamps. For more energy efficiency, remove both light bulbs from your garage door opener and replace the garage wall light switch with a motion sensor control.
Replace your lighting with fluorescent bulbs they last 5 to 10 times as long as regular tungsten filament bulbs; so, between much longer life and much greater electrical efficiency, they are significantly less costly to operate, and their widespread use would save significant energy on a national and global scale, with all the benefits that would accrue from that.
Refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers,furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning units and water heaters all have high-efficiency models. Keep the top of your refrigerator free of clutter, and clean the coils once a year for maximum efficiency. Send this article to everyone you know and start a "social virus" of energy efficiency. The numbers you set for your air conditioner, thermostat, hot water tank and refrigerator are all critical to energy-efficiency.
Outside, clear away yard debris and shrubbery from around a central air unit for maximum efficiency.
Believe it or not, the impact of dirty, dusty, insect-laden globes, diffusers, reflectors, or shades on your fixtures' light production and efficiency is enormous. So, if you're aiming for efficiency, get up there and clean them off.
Adding insulation, caulking, replacing windows or remodeling your kitchen can affect the efficiency and safe operation of flame-burning appliances. Air conditioniners can have leaks that can lessen their efficiency. Your local utility may provide technical guidance and rebates or other financial incentives for many energy efficiency measures.
Improve your home's heat efficiency by adding insulation, installing insulated window coverings, weather-stripping doors, and putting gaskets behind electrical outlets. Select a high efficiency water heater: Higher-efficiency water heaters may cost more, but actually save you money over time because they use less electricity to operate.
Just stop for a minute and think about all the things in your home that use electricity. And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. Every time you use electricity generated from fossil fuels, it contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and adding to the greenhouse effect.
If possible, replace light bulbs with low energy ones, these on average use four times less electricity and last eight times longer than a standard bulb.
Switching to fluorescents would trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth. Washing at 30 oC rather than normal temperatures means you use 40% less electricity. It is easy to fall into the trap of not considering it important to, for example, turn the lights out when you are not in a certain room; after all, light bulbs use relatively little electricity.
The way most of us use electricity to heat our homes is wasteful. Moreover home heating causes the highest peaks in electricity demand. As a rule-of-thumb you can assume that mechanical and electronic appliances use electricity efficiently, but anything that produces heat is likely to be quite wasteful.
Will saving energy at home also saves you money? You can save money, create a more comfortable home and help prevent climate change. You can weather-strip around windows and doors and you'll save money and energy.
It may be a chore to clean behind your fridge once every three months, but it will save you money. Fix those Drips. If you have a leaky faucet, you're pouring money down the drain. In just one day a dripping hot water tap can waste enough water to fill a bath and costs you money in fuel costs.
Simply changing the small things you do every day can help to save energy, money and the environment. Not only will you feel better about yourself, you'll be healthier and it might save you money too. Living areas switch to compact fluorescent lights to save up to 80% of CO2 emissions and money.
The good news is that by being energy smart and environmentally responsible, we also save money and help conserve our valuable energy resources.
Storm windows, caulking, weather stripping and double paned windows can save you money.
Replacing a dirty air filter can save money by reducing the amount of electricity needed to run a blower motor (because there is less resistance to airflow with a clean filter). Appliances that aren't working properly can run inefficiently and cost you money.
Properly seal your ducts: When the duct work in your cooling and heating system has leaks or is not properly sealed, air is allowed to escape into the attic, which ends up wasting energy and costing you money.
Select a high efficiency water heater: Higher-efficiency water heaters may cost more, but actually save you money over time because they use less electricity to operate.
The process of implementing thousands of energy saving ideas and overcoming obstacles to success can be lengthy. Also, it can be expensive, although it will save money in the long term. Start saving energy today by implementing the easy things such as replacing lighting, checking and changing filters, etc. Then develop a long term plan for fixing the big items. Set aside a portion of you savings each month to help defray the cost of the expensive items.
Get started today improving your home's efficiency. Get the whole family involved. Make a list of things that everyone can do to help, such as turning off the lights when not needed, turning of radios and televisions when not watching or listening.
There are many little things you and your family can do to make your home more energy efficient.
Think about it, devise a plan, do it! You'll be glad you did.
Saving energy at home helps save the planet by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Saving energy in the home can be accomplished in many ways,some large, some small. By saving energy we can all help fight climate change. By bringing energy saving into our everyday lives we can all help to prevent climate change, from simple actions turning off lights to installing loft insulation.
Key energy saving measures; Energy saving appliances use less power and are cheaper to run. When replacing appliances (especially large appliances like fridges and washing machines), look for ones displaying the energy saving recommended logo.
There are several energy saving ideas that you may want to consider applying to your home: Use energy efficient appliances: There is a universal labeling systems now in place to help you choose energy efficient electrical goods for your home.
Are you really an efficiency angel or is there room for improvement. Energy efficiency means getting the same job done while using less energy. Efficiency is usually done by replacing an older, less efficient appliance with a new one.
Dishwasher: Load dishes in their proper locations to ensure maximum cleaning efficiency.
Keep your stove's reflector pans shiny to maximize efficiency.
Check for products bearing the Energy Star logo, which have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy to increase efficiency and save money.
Place your dryer in a warm space for maximum efficiency.
By upgrading heating controls you will improve the efficiency of any central heating system and cut your energy wastage and costs by up to 17 per cent.
Educating tomorrow's consumers about energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important given the potential impact of climate change. However, through intensive research, I realised how little I knew about various aspects of energy efficiency and began to take action on saving energy at home and at work.
For those with the know-how and persistence, optimizing your home's energy efficiency can be a fun challenge. But not everyone knows enough about energy efficiency, appliances, and insulation to make informed decisions.
HEATING AND COOLING Space heating and cooling accounts for about 45 percent of your utility bill and offers the greatest opportunity to improve energy efficiency.
Keep furniture and drapes away from the HVAC air supply and return air ducts to increase the energy efficiency of your system. When installing a new furnace, check the energy rating and choose a high-efficiency unit for maximum energy savings.
Empty your clothes dryer lint screen between every load to improve energy efficiency.
One of the little-known ways to save energy is to drain a quart of water from your hot water tank every few months to remove sediment that impedes heat transfer and lowers it's efficiency.
To improve energy efficiency even more, replace the incandescent light bulbs in your home with energy saving compact fluorescent lamps. For more energy efficiency, remove both light bulbs from your garage door opener and replace the garage wall light switch with a motion sensor control.
Replace your lighting with fluorescent bulbs they last 5 to 10 times as long as regular tungsten filament bulbs; so, between much longer life and much greater electrical efficiency, they are significantly less costly to operate, and their widespread use would save significant energy on a national and global scale, with all the benefits that would accrue from that.
Refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers,furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioning units and water heaters all have high-efficiency models. Keep the top of your refrigerator free of clutter, and clean the coils once a year for maximum efficiency. Send this article to everyone you know and start a "social virus" of energy efficiency. The numbers you set for your air conditioner, thermostat, hot water tank and refrigerator are all critical to energy-efficiency.
Outside, clear away yard debris and shrubbery from around a central air unit for maximum efficiency.
Believe it or not, the impact of dirty, dusty, insect-laden globes, diffusers, reflectors, or shades on your fixtures' light production and efficiency is enormous. So, if you're aiming for efficiency, get up there and clean them off.
Adding insulation, caulking, replacing windows or remodeling your kitchen can affect the efficiency and safe operation of flame-burning appliances. Air conditioniners can have leaks that can lessen their efficiency. Your local utility may provide technical guidance and rebates or other financial incentives for many energy efficiency measures.
Improve your home's heat efficiency by adding insulation, installing insulated window coverings, weather-stripping doors, and putting gaskets behind electrical outlets. Select a high efficiency water heater: Higher-efficiency water heaters may cost more, but actually save you money over time because they use less electricity to operate.
Just stop for a minute and think about all the things in your home that use electricity. And electricity generated by fossil fuels for a single home puts more carbon dioxide into the air than two average cars. Every time you use electricity generated from fossil fuels, it contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and adding to the greenhouse effect.
If possible, replace light bulbs with low energy ones, these on average use four times less electricity and last eight times longer than a standard bulb.
Switching to fluorescents would trim the world's electricity bill by nearly one-tenth. Washing at 30 oC rather than normal temperatures means you use 40% less electricity. It is easy to fall into the trap of not considering it important to, for example, turn the lights out when you are not in a certain room; after all, light bulbs use relatively little electricity.
The way most of us use electricity to heat our homes is wasteful. Moreover home heating causes the highest peaks in electricity demand. As a rule-of-thumb you can assume that mechanical and electronic appliances use electricity efficiently, but anything that produces heat is likely to be quite wasteful.
Will saving energy at home also saves you money? You can save money, create a more comfortable home and help prevent climate change. You can weather-strip around windows and doors and you'll save money and energy.
It may be a chore to clean behind your fridge once every three months, but it will save you money. Fix those Drips. If you have a leaky faucet, you're pouring money down the drain. In just one day a dripping hot water tap can waste enough water to fill a bath and costs you money in fuel costs.
Simply changing the small things you do every day can help to save energy, money and the environment. Not only will you feel better about yourself, you'll be healthier and it might save you money too. Living areas switch to compact fluorescent lights to save up to 80% of CO2 emissions and money.
The good news is that by being energy smart and environmentally responsible, we also save money and help conserve our valuable energy resources.
Storm windows, caulking, weather stripping and double paned windows can save you money.
Replacing a dirty air filter can save money by reducing the amount of electricity needed to run a blower motor (because there is less resistance to airflow with a clean filter). Appliances that aren't working properly can run inefficiently and cost you money.
Properly seal your ducts: When the duct work in your cooling and heating system has leaks or is not properly sealed, air is allowed to escape into the attic, which ends up wasting energy and costing you money.
Select a high efficiency water heater: Higher-efficiency water heaters may cost more, but actually save you money over time because they use less electricity to operate.
The process of implementing thousands of energy saving ideas and overcoming obstacles to success can be lengthy. Also, it can be expensive, although it will save money in the long term. Start saving energy today by implementing the easy things such as replacing lighting, checking and changing filters, etc. Then develop a long term plan for fixing the big items. Set aside a portion of you savings each month to help defray the cost of the expensive items.
Get started today improving your home's efficiency. Get the whole family involved. Make a list of things that everyone can do to help, such as turning off the lights when not needed, turning of radios and televisions when not watching or listening.
There are many little things you and your family can do to make your home more energy efficient.
Think about it, devise a plan, do it! You'll be glad you did.
Jack Bowles authors articles on various subjects, and maintains a web site where you can learn to make money from home. http://solid-homebusiness.com/ Also an audio book download site where you can get over six thousand titles immediately by download. http://www.4553.leisureaudiosales.com/
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Seven Ways For Journalists To Save Money
Being a journalist can involve a lot of travel to do interviews for newspapers, television or radio and can rack up many expenses that can occur at the last minute that may not be covered by your job. These expenses can make it difficult to make ends meet. To save money, create a budget and look for ways to reduce expenses. Here are seven ways for journalists to save money:
1. Travel Discounts. Comparison shop for discounts on parking or air, hotel and rental cars or buy as packages. Some companies that provide discount fares LongTermParking, HotDeals, SideStep, and Kayak. Sign up for online alerts with airlines to learn about their weekly specials. Search for fares early in the morning or on weekends. Check to see if they accept discounts for membership to Diner's Clubs, AAA, AARP, etc. This can save you $30 to $175 per transaction.
2. Supplies and Expenses. Shop for office supplies at Costco or online sites such as Amazon. Consider setting up a home office. You can write off a portion of your mortgage, and utility bills. If you do not have space for a home office consider using a telecommuting or telework center at companies such as Virtual Office Center, Regus or the World Environmental Organization and search for telecommuting sites. This can save you $50 to $100 per week in supplies, wear and tear on your car and gas.
3. Food. Pack you own drinks such as water and juice along with your favorite snacks. Search online for coupons to your favorite restaurants. Sign up for a free newsletter from restaurants to receive coupons. This can save you $30 to $200 per month.
4. Car Maintenance. Perform regular maintenance on your car by keeping your tires properly inflated and balanced, which improves mileage. Save money on gas by using the lowest octane which is usually 87. Fill up your gas tank before going to work or in the evening when it is cool. This can save you $.05 to $.30 per gallon.
5. Insurance. Make sure you have health and disability insurance. If you need to see a doctor you won't have to worry about paying medical bills. If you become sick for an extended period of time you won't have to worry about how you will pay your bills. Contact eHealthInsurance for health insurance quotes. If you need disability insurance contact the Assurity company. This can save you $20 to $200 per month.
6. Use coupons. Use coupons to save money when shopping. Search for online coupons at sites such as Visit MyCoupons, CoolSavings, and CouponSurfer. This can save you $20 to $250 per month on your grocery bills and other household costs.
7. Go green. Try eco-friendly ways to save money. Visit sites such as Bankrate and search for ways to save money going green. This can save you $20 to $500 a month.
If you receive an advance, spend the money wisely and plan ahead. These seven tips can reduce many of your work related expenses and stress, allow you to focus more on your work assignments and become more productive as a journalist.
1. Travel Discounts. Comparison shop for discounts on parking or air, hotel and rental cars or buy as packages. Some companies that provide discount fares LongTermParking, HotDeals, SideStep, and Kayak. Sign up for online alerts with airlines to learn about their weekly specials. Search for fares early in the morning or on weekends. Check to see if they accept discounts for membership to Diner's Clubs, AAA, AARP, etc. This can save you $30 to $175 per transaction.
2. Supplies and Expenses. Shop for office supplies at Costco or online sites such as Amazon. Consider setting up a home office. You can write off a portion of your mortgage, and utility bills. If you do not have space for a home office consider using a telecommuting or telework center at companies such as Virtual Office Center, Regus or the World Environmental Organization and search for telecommuting sites. This can save you $50 to $100 per week in supplies, wear and tear on your car and gas.
3. Food. Pack you own drinks such as water and juice along with your favorite snacks. Search online for coupons to your favorite restaurants. Sign up for a free newsletter from restaurants to receive coupons. This can save you $30 to $200 per month.
4. Car Maintenance. Perform regular maintenance on your car by keeping your tires properly inflated and balanced, which improves mileage. Save money on gas by using the lowest octane which is usually 87. Fill up your gas tank before going to work or in the evening when it is cool. This can save you $.05 to $.30 per gallon.
5. Insurance. Make sure you have health and disability insurance. If you need to see a doctor you won't have to worry about paying medical bills. If you become sick for an extended period of time you won't have to worry about how you will pay your bills. Contact eHealthInsurance for health insurance quotes. If you need disability insurance contact the Assurity company. This can save you $20 to $200 per month.
6. Use coupons. Use coupons to save money when shopping. Search for online coupons at sites such as Visit MyCoupons, CoolSavings, and CouponSurfer. This can save you $20 to $250 per month on your grocery bills and other household costs.
7. Go green. Try eco-friendly ways to save money. Visit sites such as Bankrate and search for ways to save money going green. This can save you $20 to $500 a month.
If you receive an advance, spend the money wisely and plan ahead. These seven tips can reduce many of your work related expenses and stress, allow you to focus more on your work assignments and become more productive as a journalist.
Harrine Freeman is the CEO of H.E. Freeman Enterprises, a credit repair and personal finance services company and author of "How to Get Out of Debt: Get an "A" Credit Rating for Free." Visit http://www.hefreemanenterprises.com.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Exercising Consumer Restraint
p>One key to success in maintaining control over your personal finances is exercising Consumer Restraint!
You have heard the latest buzzword right? GenerationDEBT has arrived! We now know that our young people today are struggling just like everyone else when it comes to Personal Finance. It's easier than ever before to obtain credit cards, to get long term financing, or to cash in on offers of "No payments until..." whenever! Get what you want know and don't worry about paying for it!! At least not today... Remember the call-to-action from President Bush after the 9-11 attacks? Let's go shopping...??
Quote from the movie "Twelve Monkeys" released in 1996
DR. PETERS (played by David Morse)
Surely there is very real and very convincing data that the planet cannot survive the excesses of the human race: proliferation of atomic devices, uncontrolled breeding habits, the rape of the environment, the pollution of land, sea, and air. In this context, isn't it obvious that "Chicken Little" represents the sane vision and that Homo Sapiens' motto, "Let's go shopping!" is the cry of the true lunatic?
Many of us spend money like there is no tomorrow. Credit cards have made spending so easy!! And, there are SO MANY wonderful products out on the market today that we MUST HAVE!! This works great for the economy, and doesn't seem to be much of a problem if you have plenty of money to spend. For the rest of us, after the purchase we struggle to find financial balance when the bills come in.
Another quote from "Twelve Monkeys"
JEFFREY (played by Brad Pitt)Why you're here is because of the system, because of the economy. There's the TV. It's all right there. Commercials. We are not productive anymore, they don't need us to make things anymore, it's all automated. What are we for then? We're consumers. Okay, buy a lot of stuff, you're a good citizen. But if you don't buy a lot of stuff, you know what? You're mentally ill! That's a fact! If you don't buy things...toilet paper, new cars, computerized blenders, electrically operated sexual devices... SCREWDRIVERS WITH MINIATURE BUILT-IN RADAR DEVICES, STEREO SYSTEMS WITH BRAIN IMPLANTED HEADPHONES, VOICE-ACTIVATED COMPUTERS, AND...
Although JEFFREY didn't get to finish his statement above in the movie, the inference is clear. If we aren't buying things, then something must be wrong with us? If we don't have the latest PLASMA HDTV, or the most lavish and advanced luxury sport vehicle, or we don't have a surround sound home theatre system that will shake the walls, then we must be under-achievers...
Now, I am not suggesting that having a nice car and big screen TV are necessarily bad things... I like both, although I don't have either of them... My point is simply that IF LACK OF MONEY IS AN ISSUE, then we should exercise some restraint when deciding how to best use our hard earned money, or piling up credit card charges! This isn't easy of course... Consumer marketers know how to make us want things...
Another quote from "Twelve Monkeys"
JEFFREY (played by Brad Pitt)
Here's my theory on that. While I was institutionalized, my brain was studied exhaustively in the guise of mental health. I was interrogated, x-rayed, studied thoroughly. Then, everything about me was entered into a computer where they created a model of my mind.
Then, using the computer model, they generated every thought I could possibly have in the next, say ten years, which they then filtered through a probability matrix to determine everything I was going to do in that period. So you see, she knew I was going to lead the Army of the Twelve Monkeys into the pages of history before it ever even occurred to me. She knows everything I'm ever going to do before I know it myself. How about that?
Focus groups, study groups, polls and surveys, beta-testers, test markets, industrial design engineers... Consumer Marketers have many tools to determine what we want or need as consumers, and then how to make sure we buy it! Sometimes they seem to know what's best for us before we know. TV is certainly an EXCELLENT example of how to plant ideas into our heads... Phrases like, "Best movie of the year", "Number one in customer satisfaction", "A must have", or the current classic, "It's a no-brainer!"... All are intended to convince the consumer that the product being advertised is the best on the market, and that we NEED to have it. After all, how could we NOT want something which is the best on the market? It's a NO-BRAINER right? Of course, we didn't want or need that item before seeing the commercial. But we sure need it now right? How many times have you bought something that after a few weeks ended up on the back shelf never to be used again? I find plenty...
There are ways of not getting trapped into buying something you really don't need... One method that seems to be working for me lately, is to simply study all the various choices in a particular item. Usually, there are at least a few different manufacturers to consider. Look at them all and be sure to read all the packaging! There are also different sizes, shapes, and materials. Study and compare all of the options! Oh, and I haven't mentioned the pricing differences. Make sure you look closely at all the prices!!
Many times that process leaves me scratching my head, and making me unclear as to which item really is the better buy... I go into the big screen plasma TV room at least a few times a month now. Each time I see bigger, better, newer items than before. So, I walk out of the store empty handed, to perform some additional Internet research and reevaluate later... It's hard to walk out of a store empty handed... But I am getting better at it...!
Exercise YOUR consumer restraint privilege! Watch your spending! Buy what you need and avoid impulse buying, then sit back and watch your savings account grow...!
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