A few items worth checking out.

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Mar 072008
 

Since i’m not writing much posts these days. I figure I might as well write about what other people are writing about.

10 ways retailers trick you to buying crap you don’t need over at JoeConsumer. This is so true at my local supermarket. They also change the aisles every now and then around so you have to look harder for stuff you regularly buy.

Saving Money – 16 ways to save $100 over at Reader’s Digest. Electricity bills, mortgages, etc. nothing I have to deal with at this point in my life but hopefully you guys will find it useful.

Receipt Controversy: Detained and harassed at Walmart for not showing a receipt over at Consumerist. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happening and I have mixed feeling about this. They technically can’t restrain you for not showing a receipt. However these guys get paid like $10 an hour and check receipts all day long and when one customer doesn’t show one it really throws them off their routine. You gotta pick your fights, the $10/hour employee doesn’t know anything about your rights and that as soon as you pay for the item at the cashier you legally own the item and they can’t force you to prove you bought it to leave the premises.

 Posted by dan at 8:30 am

Audiophiles can’t tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers.

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Mar 062008
 

I’m pretty sure most people have encountered the sales pitch for high quality cabling when they purchased their HDTVs. This article from engadgetHD is about how audiophiles can’t tell the difference between monster cable and coat hangers.

It’s true that the markup is extremely high on cables and other accessories at big box stores. My girlfriend use to buy cables that retailed at $30+ for under $5 with her employee discount plan at Best Buy.

I’m sure everyone knows tons of people that actually buy into the hype thinking they’re getting better quality with the overpriced cables. Even if the monster cables did deliver better quality, the quality would only be marginally better at best. I did get my cables from monoprice.com. I also got my wall mount for $30 or so when I found out they were selling them for a huge mark-up at BestBuy for $100-$200.

 Posted by dan at 8:30 am

The truth about bottled water.

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Mar 042008
 

Here’s a fun segment about bottled water on Penn and Teller’s show. It does goes to show you a lot of it is in people’s head.

BTW, New York City tap water is pretty good.

 Posted by dan at 3:52 am

Turbotax

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Mar 032008
 

So I did all my taxes via Turbotax online. It’s amazingly easy and simple. I’d recommend it to all my friends but most of them aren’t filing a return this year ;) . My refund this year is $703.

It’s weird how people are always happy to receive their tax refund. It was your money to begin with. If I was receiving regular income I’d adjust my withholding to get the lowest amount possible via a tax refund. Every dollar you overpay is essentially a interest-free loan to the IRS. However most people probably don’t have enough self-control to actually save money on their own so having it withheld and later refunded is probably a good idea.

 Posted by dan at 3:52 am
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