Forever stamp saves on postal rate hikes
February 12, 2008
On May 12, the US Postal Service will raise the price of a first class stamp from 41 cents to 42 cents. This is not the first postage rate price increase, and it certainly will not be the last. If keeping up with periodic price increases is frustrating and inconvenient, the US Postal Service offers the Forever stamp at 41 cents with a guarantee that regardless of future price hikes, the Forever stamp will be accepted for mailing first class letters forever into the future.
"Who said nothing lasts forever?" stated Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer John E. Potter. "The Forever stamp is a consumer innovation guaranteed to deliver unprecedented convenience and value to our customers. It’s good forever." Forever stamps were introduced last year, and the US Postal Service estimates over five billion stamps have been sold. The US Postal Service expects to sell just as many right before the new price increase for a first class stamp on May 12.
Forever stamps can be purchased online at the USPS website, by by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 or visiting your local Post Office. In addition, Forever stamps will be available through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), as well as grocery stores and convenience stores.
Coupons: Where to find money saving coupons and coupon codes online
January 20, 2008
Looking for ways to save money? Might consider using coupons and coupon codes for additional discounts as a way to save money. In our connected world, finding coupons and coupon codes online are an easy way to save money.
Aside from the traditional coupons found in the advertising inserts of the weekend newspaper, finding printable coupons and coupon codes online saves time as well as money.
For everything from groceries to hotel reservations and air travel, some of the places to find coupons and coupon codes online are:
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Room-A-Day Giveaway: Win $25,000 room makeover
January 13, 2008
Enter to win one of 16 $25,000 dollar room makeovers from Kimberly-Clark and The View Room-A-Day Giveaway sweepstakes.
You can enter online at the Room-A-Day Giveaway sweepstakes website, or by sending a 3-by-5 inch card hand printed with name, address, date of birth and phone number to an address provided at the Room-A-Day Giveaway sweepstakes website. The contest allows one entry per day. Winners will be chosen at random each day.
According to The View and Kimberly-Clark, winners will be announced on The View, as well as the Kimberly-Clark Room-A-Day Giveaway sweepstakes website. Sweepstakes begins January 12th and ends March 7, 2008. No purchase is necessary. To learn more about the Room-A-Day Giveaway and register to win, visit the Room-A-Day Giveaway sweepstakes website. Good luck!
Prairie Tumbleweed Farm: Joke becomes successful web business
November 28, 2007
Tumbleweeds…See them rolling along , Pledging their love with a song
Here on the Range I belong , Drifting along with the Tumbling Tumbleweeds …
Your fortune might be just out the back door. Linda Katz did not start out to be an entrepreneur of an online money making business selling tumbleweeds. No, Katz was simply attempting to learn how to create a website. In order to build a website, the website should have a purpose. Katz, who lives in Kansas, took a look around the prairie landscape and all the tumbling tumbleweeds and jokingly decided to make up a company called the Prairie Tumbleweed Farm.
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Etsy: Handmade gifts
November 24, 2007
Homemade. Handmade. Made in America. Are you a crafter? When you create something, do your friends and family members ask if you can make one for them? Or have you wistfully contemplated the idea of turning a hobby into a money-making venture?
Are you a shopper who has tired of boring and potentially dangerous mass-produced products? Looking for the original and unique item, either for yourself or as a gift? This Christmas season there is a renewed interest in American-made products and one-of-a-kind handmade gifts crafted by individual artists and artisans.
Etsy, an online marketplace of handmade items, might just be the perfect place for crafters looking to sell their products and shoppers interested in one-of-a-kind merchandise.
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Holiday Survival Kit: Smart holiday shopping tips
November 24, 2007
Holiday Headquarters at the National Retail Federation (NRF) offers shopping tips for the holiday shopper that include top ten tips for buying gift cards, shopping on a budget, safe shopping tips and the top ten shopping tips. Some of the top ten tips when purchasing a gift card include asking if the gift card has an expiration date or dormancy fees. Also, there are differences between a gift card from a store and a gift card from a bank. All gift cards are not the same.
According to the NRF’s Top 10 Tips for Smart Holiday Shopping, a few of the top ten shopping tips might surprise the average consumer, such as:
Shop after 6:00 p.m. the evening before a sale is advertised to begin. Many retailers program the registers the night before, so the sale may already come up in the register even if they have not signed the selling floor yet. Ask the associate in advance for any possible upcoming sales, especially on big ticket items.
Cyber Monday: Christmas shopping online
November 24, 2007
For decades, Black Friday has been the official first day of the Christmas shopping season. Blurry-eyed from tryptophan, dedicated shoppers leave the comfort and warmth of their bed and home to brave the predawn cold in hope of arriving close enough to the front of the line to take advantage of doorbuster deals of extemely limited in quantity merchandise.
Dedicated to saving money, but not willing to give up sleep or sanity to accomplish your thrifty goals? Not to worry. There is Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is the online shopping version of Black Friday. According to Shop.com, last year almost 64 percent of retailers saw significant growth on Cyber Monday and approximately a third of online retailers said that their Cyber Monday sales were up more than 30 percent from the previous year.
Cyber Monday is likely to continue to be a popular choice for shoppers looking for the best Christmas sales and deals this holiday season. This year, consumers shopping online can expect to find offers of free shipping, as well as early shopper discounts and first time buyer discounts. Shopping online offers several additional advantages to heading out to the local mall. Online a consumer has access to comparison shopping search engines and customer reviews of products they are interested in buying before they make an actual purchase. With the ridiculous cost of a gallon of gas, the ability to shop without leaving your computer screen can be substantial savings in itself.
However, consumers do not need to wait until Cyber Monday to take advantage of online shopping deals.
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Freelancers Union: Low cost insurance
November 17, 2007
Of the many benefits to working as a freelancer, low cost health, dental, disability and life insurance are not part of the benefits. Over 30 percent of the American workforce are freelancers — independent contractors who work without the security of employer supported benefits.
Traditionally, freelancers have been on their own to negotiate reasonable premiums with large insurance companies. As a result, many freelancers have not been able to afford to buy insurance. The dreaded fear of most freelancers is becoming ill or suffering disability.
According to the Freelancers Union,
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StartupNation: Top 100 in home based business
November 12, 2007
Have you dreamed of starting your own home-based business? You are not alone. Two out of every three people in the US have considered starting their own business and working from home.
StartupNation has announced the top 100 work from home businesses in the first StartupNation Home-Based 100 winners. StartupNation features profiles on home-based entrepreneurs in ten categories including Best Financial Performers, Most Innovative, Highest Vote Getters, Boomers Back in Business, Greenest, Yummiest, Wackiest, Grungiest, Worldliness and Most Slacker Friendly.
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Tesla Roadster: Electric sports car a sweet ride
November 12, 2007
For the sake of all things green in keeping the environment clean, and for the sake of weaning this country away from a dependency on fossil fuels that keep us globally entwined in political and economic crisis, alternative means of fueling our lifestyle is not a choice but a necessity.
As the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention.
One of the environmentally friendly and low fuel cost alternative energy sources to powering a car is electric. However, up until now, the limitation to an electric car has been the frequent recharging required and the lack of speed.
Tesla Motors appears to have solved any limitations to the electric car with the development of the Tesla Roadster.
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