Prepare your money plan_5

108 The 1-2-3 Money Plan Granted, you don’t need a three-step process for one-time purchases of less than $50, for example. But for bigger purchases or purchases you make repeatedly, it’s well worth it. A recent search for a Garmin Nuvi GPS navigator, like the one mentioned in the introduction of this book, turned up a variety of prices. The exact same model could cost anywhere from $345 to $900. That’s a heck of a difference. How long did it take me to get that information? Less than 10 seconds on MySimon.com. Is 10 seconds of your time worth a $555 savings? I’m not saying you should necessarily buy the least-expensive item for $345, especially if it’s offered by an unfamiliar retailer with an amateurish Web site that doesn’t pass the “smell” test for being legitimate. If one retailer is offering a price far below all the others, there might be something fishy. But after those well-invested 10 seconds, you’ll have an excellent idea about the range of prices for that GPS system. Armed with that knowledge, how likely are you now to visit a retail store and pay $900, knowing the aver-age price is half that? Unlikely. Granted, that was a fun example using a “want” item, a GPS navigator. But you can use this system on needs too. 1. Read Reviews Some people are born researchers of products, while oth-ers are impulsive buyers of them. But if you’ll be spend-ing significant money, whatever you determine that to be, research can help you choose the right product. From the Library of Wow! eBook How to Buy Stuff 109 The right product means one that fits your needs and is likely to be high quality. Nobody can be an expert on every purchase. You might know a lot about automo-biles, but nothing about buying dishwashers. Perhaps you know a lot about cell phones, but nothing about buying a baby stroller. Just as important, some quick research can reveal the range of possibilities within a product line—which fea-tures come with which model. Just a generation ago, research was laborious. Maybe you visited several stores and talked to salespeo-ple about the product. But if you need to buy a lawn mower, are you really going to visit a garden center and ask the salesperson which model you should buy? Salespeople can be very helpful, although it seems nowadays far less so. A salesperson has conflicting interests. He might have a genuine desire to do right by the customer. But a commissioned salesperson makes more money if he or she sells you a more expensive model of lawn mower, regardless of whether it’s right for you. So you need objective advice, or at least a variety of opinions, to make a smart spending choice. Consulting a friend or relative is a good idea, as long as you realize that’s just one person’s experience and not the final word about the product. In the past, you could subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine, which has in-depth reviews. But you would have to wade through dozens of saved magazines trying to find the review you sought. From the Library of Wow! eBook 110 The 1-2-3 Money Plan Because it was so difficult to find reviews, maybe you heavily researched purchases of homes, cars, and a few big-ticket items. And for the rest, you just winged it. Today, because of the Internet, it’s all different. You can research almost anything quickly. For example, now, you can subscribe to Consumer Reports’ online site and have instant access to reviews. Rarely do I suggest spending money in order to save it. But an online subscription to Consumer Reports, found at www.consumerreports.org, is an exception. At the time of this writing, a subscription is a mere $26. That’s a small price to pay for the outstanding product reviews and advice you receive. The advantage of the Web site over the magazine is the site is easily search-able. You can find the review you seek, even from years ago, in mere seconds. The Consumer Reports site also offers blogs on such topics as cars, electronics, and products for babies and kids. Blogs are brief news items stacked chronologically, with the newest on top. ConsumerSearch.com is another good resource. It’s an aggregator of product reviews and gives a summary of what all the reviews seem to be saying. It’s an efficient stop on the Web to get a lot of information quickly. Mega online retailer Amazon.com is a good place to find reviews from actual users. Because Amazon.com sells a wide variety of products, it’s worth a place in your Web browser’s Favorites list, even if you never make a purchase from the retailer. Read a sampling of the good and bad reviews. But with user reviews, take From the Library of Wow! eBook How to Buy Stuff 111 comments with a grain of salt. Pay more attention to comments repeated in several reviews. Many retailers have user reviews on their Web sites now. So, if you were going to buy a particular model of LCD television, you might check large electronics retailer Best Buy to read reviews of the product on its site. Another way to find reviews is to use your favorite search engine, such as Google.com. Type keywords that include the name and model of the product and the word “review.” You’ll likely find several reviews. After a while, you’ll find review sites that you like. For example, I like Cnet.com for reviews of electronics and software. Automobile reviews are available at such sites as Edmunds.com and Cars.com. But if you want to keep it simple, check reviews at ConsumerReports.org, ConsumerSearch.com, and Amazon.com. 2. Research Prices The point of price comparisons is to know what a good price is. Blindly accepting the first price you see is a con-scious decision to be powerless as a consumer. In most cases, it’s voluntarily paying more than you have to. And, come on, that’s just plain dumb. Again, we’ll turn to the Internet to compare prices efficiently. Among my favorite Web sites is Froogle.com, also known as Google Product Search. If you type a specific product into the main Google search window, a sampling of the product search results will appear on top. You can From the Library of Wow! eBook 112 The 1-2-3 Money Plan click through to view more. I also like MySimon.com and Shopzilla.com. These are all shopbots, like robots that go searching for prices on the Internet. After visiting just a few shopbots, which literally could take about one minute, you’ll have an excellent idea about the range of prices an item is being sold for. Be skeptical of prices that are far lower than others, especially if you click through to the retailer and the Web site looks amateurish. Included in some price com-parisons will be refurbished products and listings on auction site eBay.com. So view those listings differently than new products from well-known retailers. Speaking of eBay, that’s also a prudent stop in your quest to find good prices. Many items are offered as new on eBay and are worth considering if you’ll receive a deep discount in return for taking the risk of dealing with a person or merchant who might not be reputable. I’ve had good luck buying new items on eBay. Just because you’re searching online for prices doesn’t mean you have to purchase online. You could still purchase in person locally. But knowing what a good price is before visiting a store arms you with information. Opt for shopbots that include taxes and shipping charges. That way, you can get apples-to-apples com-parisons on the total price of acquiring that product if you decide to buy it online. You might find shopbots you like better, but good places to start are Froogle.com, MySimon.com, PriceGrabber.com, and Shopzilla.com. From the Library of Wow! eBook ... - tailieumienphi.vn