10 ways to stop wasting your money

August 4, 2010 · Tagged with Banking and Budgeting, Insurance 

Pet Care

Pet-sitting is big business these days, with brand names, franchises, uniforms, logos, and even lobbyists and consultants. But if your little guys are healthy, you can save the $50-a-day boarding fee while you’re on vacation by asking a responsible neighbor, friend or family member to feed, walk (if needed) and hang out for a bit with your cats and dogs — provided you volunteer to do the same when they’re away. Make sure your helper knows who your vet is, and, obviously, don’t be so informal if your animals have health problems that mean you should board them with the doctor.

Insurance on Rental Cars

The rental-car clerk will offer you a collision-damage waiver (sometimes called a loss-damage waiver), which can cost $10 to $20 per day. The CDW shields you if the rental car is damaged or stolen. But as long as the rental is for personal use and you have collision coverage in your own auto-insurance policy, you’re covered without the CDW (with the same deductibles that apply to your own car).

Your credit-card benefits supplement your auto coverage. Most cards will pick up your deductible, and premium cards offer beefier coverage. Keep in mind that credit-card protection doesn’t include liability. And if you’ve dropped comprehensive or collision coverage on your policy, the rental car will not be covered if it is stolen or damaged in an accident.

Credit Reports

Don’t fall for sites that offer “free” credit reports, which often end up enrolling you in expensive credit-monitoring programs that you usually don’t need. You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and TransUnion) once every 12 months at www.annualcreditreport.com. It’s a good idea to stagger your reports — getting a free one from each bureau every four months — to keep an eye on the status of your credit and spot potential ID theft throughout the year.

Warranties

The other day I bought the snazziest new Samsung smart phone from T-Mobile at the fair price of $249. The sales rep couldn’t let me go, however, without asking me to pay $125 more for insurance against me dropping the unit or otherwise ruining it. The cheaper electronics get, the less these warranties make sense. Same’s true with appliances. Now, if I could insure the suits I take to the dry cleaners — or the luggage the airlines throw around — we might have something to talk about.

Shipping for Online Shopping

At www.FreeShipping.org, you can find coupons and codes to secure free (or deeply discounted) mailing or delivery from hundreds of retailers. Some of these are constant offers as long as you make a minimum order. Others are occasional deals with a limited life. And if there’s no cost for mailing, you can’t get hit with that mysterious charge for “handling,” right?

Water

There are times you’ll pay anything for a cold bottle of premium H2O. If you’re driving through the desert, riding your bicycle on a hot day or dealing with grimy yellow stuff in your pipes, price is no object. Once while on vacation in Florida, a construction crew accidentally cut the water lines to our residence. Off to Wal-Mart it was — or we would’ve been unable to cook, wash or even make coffee for 12 hours. But why pay for bottled water all the time? Is it actually safer? Bottled-water makers aren’t required to test their water or make their test results public. And few brands reveal important details about the source of their water and what it contains. Heck, about 25% of bottled water actually comes from the same municipal sources that deliver water to your home.

Pages: 1 2