Shopping Tips

1. When buying a new car first find out the wholesale price. Base your price negotiations on this wholesale price. Do not let a sales person coax you into putting down a deposit or to buy immediately.

2. Always comparison shop; never pay full price. Keeping a price book can help you keep track of prices at different retailers.

3. Some people spend up to $8,000 for a stereo system. The music that it can produce is very high in fidelity. However, it will not be ten times better than a system that costs one-tenth that. Rule of thumb- above $1,000 the return falls down. Mid-priced systems from $600 to $1000 offer the best value. If you do want the best: expensive speakers should be a priority.

4. When buying a safe, look for the Underwriters' Laboratories Rating A, B, C, D- ratings are fire resistant. A offers the least fire protection E, F, G, H- ratings are burglar resistant. H offers the highest degree of burglar protection. If you can move it so can a burglar.

5. Avoid buying tapes from record clubs. The editions the club puts out are inferior in quality and durability. To avoid them buy only from reputable record and tape dealers.

6. Self-Focusing cameras cost less than 20% on average of manually focus cameras. If you don't have an interest in developing photography skills a self-focusing camera should be a good buy.

7. Buy cosmetics from drug stores and discount retail chains such as K-Mart. The same Revlon or Cover Girl lipstick can cost four times more at department stores.

8. You can save over 75 percent by buying Christmas decorations a week or two after Christmas.

9. Alkaline batteries are not worth the extra the extra cost if the device is to be used occasionally. Zinc batteries retain their charge well for an occasional use.

10. Most cars do not need premium gasoline. Also, their is not much difference between different brands of gasoline. Most cars can use regular gas without any problems. If you have an expensive car, read the owners manual to find what kind of gasoline your car needs.

11. It almost never makes sense to buy an extended warranty. On average only 4 to 15 cents of every dollar paid for this service is spent on service. The rest is just profit for retailers.