by AnnaMaria Andriotis for Smart Money
Source: Yahoo

When small business owner Kevin Schimelfenig finally examined his smartphone bills, he was shocked to find he was paying 25% more for his indispensible BlackBerry Storm—he uses it to email, text and call clients all day long—than the price he was quoted for the plan. Schimelfenig, founder of a medical-device marketing firm in Cary, N.C., says the extra fees totaled $1,400 over the last three years.

Buying everything from small gadgets to cars seems to be getting cheaper these days, but owning them isn’t. Taxes and fees on cell phone plans, installation and repair costs on home appliances, and hefty financing fees on cars can now add up to more than 50% of the sticker price of the purchase, according to estimates from experts and data analyzed by SmartMoney.com. And the costs are rising, says Linda Sherry, of consumer advocacy group Consumer Action: Taxes are going up, consumers are keeping appliances and cars longer — and paying more for repairs and poor efficiency. “The result is a real budget buster,” she says.

In all of these niggling little ways, consumers keep paying for things, long after they’ve ostensibly bought them. Buyers rarely take into account these financial ripple effects, which can add up to thousands of additional dollars, says Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. For example, over the course of a two-year service contract, smart phone owners may spend an additional $1,000 on taxes, fees, roaming charges, and meatier data plans—all add-ons that are rarely considered when the contract is signed.

This steady drip of ongoing costs isn’t stopping soon. Cell phone users pay about 15% in taxes and fees, on top of the base cost of their plan and usage, up about 2% this year and expected to rise again next year, according to the CTIA-The Wireless Association, a trade group. The average cost of a smartphone app has risen 43% in the last year. And gas prices are up 9%, insurance another 5%. And yes, consumers have noticed: The number of people canceling their lease agreements because of unexpected expenses—like higher insurance or maintenance costs–is up 150% this year over last year, according to LeaseTrader.com.

Of course, sometimes there’s no practical alternative. Renting a smartphone or a home appliance doesn’t make much sense in this day and age; when brakes or tires wear down, replacing them isn’t optional. But that doesn’t mean ownership has to be quite as expensive as it has become. SmartMoney did an analysis of five bigger-ticket items, their true cost, and easy ways to keep the money faucet to a trickle. Here’s what you need to know.

E-readers

The number of consumers buying e-readers, like the Kindle or Nook, tripled this year, to roughly 6.4 million, according to the Consumer Electronics Association. Once they own the device, consumers buy about three books a month, according to Marketing and Research Resources. That totals about $300 to $380 per year on books, plus the cost of magazine and newspaper app downloads (for example, a monthly subscription to The Wall Street Journal costs $15; the most-downloaded magazine, the New Yorker, costs $3 per month). Cases and screen protectors start at $15 and go up.

Total Cost: Voracious readers and media hounds should budget up to $785 extra per year.

Easy Trim: Find a book-share partner. Nook users can lend a purchased e-book to another Nook owner. Amazon will offer a similar service for Kindle owners before the end of the year.

Smartphones

Over the course of a two-year smart phone contract, the average buyer pays $2,140 for their plan, plus talk time, data, and extras, according to BillShrink.com, which tracks the wireless industry. That’s up 13% over the past three years. Then there’s the tax bill. On average, wireless service is taxed at about a 15% rate, with rates higher than 20% in Washington, Nebraska, Florida and New York. Want that hot new app? Prices are rising there, too — up 43% over the past year to about $2.85 per, according to KnowYourCell.com, which tracks the mobile phone industry.

Total Cost: Up to $3,400 over two years.

Easy Trim: If you mostly use your phone to make calls, surf the Web and download music in areas with wifi networks, you can get away with the most basic data plan and save up to $1,000 per year. With AT&T’s limited data plan, the iPhone 4, for example, costs about $2,400 over two years, but with unlimited data, that increases to around $3,300 — one of the priciest packages available.

Video Game Systems

Nearly 70% of U.S. households play video games, according to the Entertainment Software Association. And while major manufacturers, like Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft, haven’t introduced new systems lately, they are rolling out new, pricey accessories. For $150 each, Microsoft’s Kinect motion controller for Xbox 360 has sold more than 2.5 million units since introduced last month, for example. The average gamer also buys four games per year at an average cost of $40 each, although prices run up to $100, says Loren Johnson, senior industry analyst at tech research firm Frost & Sullivan. And then there are the extra remotes. The Nintendo Wii system, for example, comes with only one remote controller, even though up to four people can play; each remote is $30 or more.

Total Cost: About $160 to $300 per year, initial console purchase not included.

Easy Trim: Video game rentals start at about $6 on GameFly.com, and on Gamerang.com—a sort of Netflix for video games—gamers can rent an unlimited number of video games each month for $18. Or swap games at online game swap stores on Swap.com and Goozex.com—you’ll pay swapping fees of 50 cents to $2 depending on the site, plus shipping.

Owning a Car

A car’s true cost of ownership rose about 15% this year, which means that popular car models like the 2010 Toyota Camry and Honda Accord cost a whopping 60% more than the sticker price over the first five years of ownership, according to Edmunds.com. That includes an expected $4,000 on maintenance and $6,000 on insurance. Then there are the incidentals, like parking in a major city ($5,000 per year), or interest on a car loan (say, another $1,600). “Many buyers are in a state of denial, watching a car ad on TV and thinking ‘oh I can afford that’,” says Phil Reed, a senior editor at Edmunds.com

Total Cost: In the first five years, drivers can expect to spend $3,600 per year.

Easy Trim: Dealerships often offer coupons and discounts for maintenance while the car is under warranty. If you’re in the market to buy, consider deals that include scheduled maintenance for cars that are similar—and close to the same price—as ones you already like.

Home Appliances

About one in four consumers don’t consider things like installation and maintenance when buying an appliance, according to J.D. Power & Associates. But the cost of owning that deep-freeze or washer is at least 50% more that what you pay at the register, and shipping and set-up on some appliances can run about $200 or more, particularly if you need, say, a new gas line for an oven or a water line for a washer, says Christina Cooley, manager of the home improvement department at J.D. Power. And repair costs are up about 20%, according to appliance repair experts. That’s partly because consumers are keeping appliance longer in an effort to save money. The cost of repairing a clogged washing machine: $200 and up.

Total Cost: Over 10 years, the ongoing costs of a popular-model refrigerator will run about $1,700 — assuming only one breakdown.

Easy Trim: Skipping the warranty can save $300 or more. A new appliance probably won’t need to be repaired in the first five years, says Cooley.

By Ayn-Monique Tetreault-Rooney Klahre
Source: Woman’s Day

When it comes to decor—or anything, really—small changes can make a big difference. By using just a little bit of color, crafts and nature to your advantage, you can easily and swiftly infuse your holiday headquarters with cheer—on the cheap! Here, get a few simple ideas:

Simple Touches
No need to buy decorations! Look for ways to freshen up what’s already in your home.

1. Hot-glue leaves and pinecones from your garden or berry sprays from a crafts store onto a plain wreath for an organic-looking update.

2. Mix ornaments in with everyday objects to dress up window ledges and mantels. Just don’t go overboard: Geometric shapes in the same color family look best.

Add Sparkle
A dash of something shiny will give your room a holiday glow.

1. Spray-paint leaves, pinecones or silk flowers in radiant silver or gold. Display them in vases of varying heights, grouped in threes or fives.

2. Create a tabletop Christmas tree by stacking stemmed cake platters and candy dishes. Fill it in with green ornaments and trimming.

Adorn the Basics
The things you use every day will feel special if you add a touch of something seasonal.

1. Take a couple of spools of ribbon for a walk around the house. Narrow ribbon can jazz up a decanter or vase, while wide ribbon can be used as a tieback for a curtain or looped around a pillow with a festive bow on the front.

2. Any clear glass vessel can display holiday garnishes. Fill pillar holders with greenery (try holly, pine needles or pinecones). Or use seasonal fruit, such as cranberries or kumquats, to add bright color to a decorative bowl.

3. Simple brown bags are perfect for gifts from the kitchen; a little trimming and a sweet note make them extra-special. Use decorative scissors to finish the opening, then tie them closed with a gingham pattern for a casual country feel.

More Ideas

1. Do a quick sweep of your living and dining rooms and pull out anything colorful that’s not red or green. Your holiday decor will pop against a neutral background.

2. Bring the outdoors in by trading a painting for a wreath or garland. Or make swags of smaller boughs and needles with ribbon; hang them from the top of a mirror or the back of a chair.

3. Look in your crafts drawer for instant updates. Wrap colorful paper around votive holders, use glitter glue on dull ornaments or string big beads around the base of a vase.

By Meghan Casserly, Forbes.com

For a new twist on low-stress holiday shopping, how about applying the Costco mantra of buying in bulk to gift-giving?

LearnVest.com’s Allison Fast is a believer: “This approach can save you time, money and stress.” You can get 10 gifts out of the way with one purchase and you have more bargaining power to negotiate by buying in bulk—not to mention who wants to run to 10 different stores to buy 10 separate gifts?

Exactly. The plan this holiday season is to cut down on the run-around and shipping fees by one-stop shopping. “You know that you can get discounts for buying in bulk at wholesale clubs like Sam’s, Costco and BJ’s,” says Fast. “But buying multiples of an item at a regular store can also earn you a discount since it allows the store to unload inventory. Mention to the store manager that you plan to buy five or more of a particular item and ask for a discount or a “buy four get one free” deal. We’ve seen users get up to 20% off the total price.”

Monogrammed Totes

Depending on the size, the classic carry-all tote bag from Land’s End costs between $12.50 and $30.50, but if you buy three or more you save $3 per bag. Coworkers and kids can use the small size as a lunch bag, the mid-sized works great at the grocery store and the large is more than ample for a weekend away.

The Best Books of 2010

Each year, Amazon lists their top 100 of the annum from editors and customers. It’s serious one-stop shopping for the most voracious to most reluctant readers. Free shipping on orders over $25, which equals at least two gifts on your list.

Trapper Hats

These trendy hats are a great purchase for friends and family, whether they hail from the country or are urban fashionistas. They’re a steal at $15.60 each when you buy a dozen from WholeSaleHats.com.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device

The price has dropped to $139 each at Amazon, just in time for holiday shopping season–which will make both your wallet and your loved ones happy this year.

Droid Phones

The Verizon holiday deal means giving smartphone gifts is easier than ever. For $199, you can both buy one and get one gratis: select from DROID Incredible, DROID Global or DROID X.

Digital Cameras

No one on your list will be less than 100% delighted with a new point-and-shoot camera–even if his or her sister unwraps one too. At $59 each, the Kodak Easy Share can upload photos directly to your Facebook account. Make sure you’re smiling!

Plaid Pajamas

Imagining everyone around the Christmas tree? The photos will be that much better if the whole family’s in plaid. J. Crew has pajama sets for kids, men and woman from $19.50 and free shipping on orders over $150.

Cozy Bathrobes

Bathrobes are luxurious, and can make lazy mornings at home feel hotel room cushy. The price on these red Turkish cotton robes is right at $33.99, but even better if you buy a dozen, which drops $2 a robe and scores free shipping.

Monogrammed Polo Shirts

For coworkers, go with the company logo–for newlyweds their new monograms will do just fine. At Ralph Lauren, you pick a polo shirt and the design or initials and they do the handiwork for the biggest to smallest members of the family. Prices range from $29.50-$79.50. Monogramming up to three letters is gratis.

When You Reach Me

The New York Times called Rebecca Stead’s When you Reach Me, winner of 2010′s prestigious young adult John Newberry award, “smart and mesmerizing.” Pick up a few copies as the critics concur it is sure to please readers of all ages. The coming-of-age story of 12-year-old Madeleine L’Engle fan Miranda is set in New York City at the dawn of the ’80s. Kids will stay up late to read it, and parents will look forward to reading aloud. Starting at $5.99.

Source: Christmas2010.net

Christmas gift baskets have become a new tradition for many people who love a convenient approach to holiday shopping and this will be no different this Christmas. There are plenty of reasons to consider these kinds of presentations this year and for years to come. The Christmas gift baskets offer everything you need to make a memorable impression.

A well chosen basket makes for an ideal holiday present because the recipient gets so much in the package. I like to give Christmas gift baskets to coworkers and to those nearest and dearest to my heart. There are many designs and countless arrangements to consider. You are certain to find Christmas gift baskets for everyone on your list.

This approach is ideal if you are buying one present for a family. You can find many different themes that are perfect for a family of four or you can find ideal Christmas gift baskets for couples. Following are three quick examples of the many basket arrangements that you can consider.

Tradition is important to many of us who celebrate the holiday season. Even though the Christmas gift baskets are relatively new, you can still make choices that are traditional in nature. For example, the gingerbread man arrangement is a popular choice for many people who love the old fashioned theme.

You know that your Christmas gift baskets filled with traditional items like gingerbread cookies, flavored popcorn and hot chocolate will be greatly appreciated. Some basket designers add special touches like a solider nut cracker or a container shaped like a sleigh. Add some ornaments and you have a fantastic traditional present.

What about the office? Christmas gift baskets can have a corporate theme. These holiday containers are filled with various office inspired items including mugs, coffee, gourmet treats as well as handy desk supplies including pens and frames. If you can fit the item in a basket, it can be included in the presention.

Want something a little more personal? Why not check out the many breakfast inspired Christmas gift baskets? These presents are wonderful for any family who loves a nice meal in the morning. Imagine how the recipients will appreciate having all of the ingredients necessary to make the perfect traditional holiday breakfast.

The Christmas morning gift baskets are wonderful because they are so useful. I love presenting this gift to my brother’s family. They look forward to the bed-and-breakfast style meal on the very special holiday morning.

There are countless other Christmas gift baskets to consider. Once you see how convenient and inexpensive they are, you’ll know why these presentations are being adopted as a new holiday tradition.

Source: Christmas2010.net

Everyone loves the thought of an elegant holiday, but without a background in Christmas decorating, it’s hard to know exactly how to go about making your own holiday have that elegant look.

With the tips listed below, you can have the kind of décor you’ve always wanted. Elegance equals unity. This is where many people go wrong when decorating for Christmas. They simply use too many colors – and while that might turn out to be eye catching, it’s distracting and busy.

You want the colors to work together and cool colors are always more elegant than warmer ones. For example, red and green decorations, while traditional Christmas colors, when placed together, don’t project an air of elegance.

The top two choices for elegant color are gold or white or gold and white together. You need to go with those colors throughout your home – one smooth color scheme. It may seem like white won’t look very inviting or seem very much like Christmas, but wait until you have it all together and you’ll be amazed.

On your walkway outside, use white luminaries along the walkway and leading up to the front steps or porch. For elegance in electric lighting, never pick the bigger lights. Opt for the smaller ones inside – and yes, even outside your home.

Have you ever noticed how some restaurants use those tiny white Christmas lights all year round? That’s because those lights project an elegant dining experience. When you’re placing lights on your tree, use the smaller lights and use as many strands as your tree can comfortably hold.

Instead of choosing poinsettias as your flower to decorate with, choose dozens of white roses and put them in delicate glass vases throughout your house. For a table centerpiece, place white pillar candles on a mirror base. Cover the edges of the base with gold or white ribbon.

Decorate the corners of the rooms with different wrapped gifts. Make sure the gifts are wrapped in gold paper and tied with white ribbon bows or do the opposite. Wrap the gifts in white paper and use gold ribbon to form the bows.

Take a collection of Christmas balls in white (or gold if you’re working with two colors) and place them in a large, heavy glass bowl. Place the bowl in the center of your coffee table.

Replace all of the different colored guest towels in each of your bathroom with thick white ones. Lay a small hand towel beside each sink and place a gold ribbon around the middle of it.

When it’s time to serve the meal, serve the food on only white dishes or gold ones. If you use place cards, use white cards with gold calligraphy writing. When you’re finished with your Christmas decorating, your home will have that elegance you’ve been striving to achieve.

By Tom Van Riper, Forbes.com

Yes, the economy is a bit better. Compared to a year ago, the market is up and employment is holding steady. So is this what the Christmas retailers have been waiting for?

No, not really. Employment rates aren

By Cameron Huddleston, Kiplinger.com

You can save money — and avoid the crowds — with these sites that help you compare prices, get coupon codes and more.

Who doesn’t like a deal — especially at this time of year and in this economy? That’s why we’re back with our fourth annual list of web sites that will help you save money on holiday gifts.

There are sites that post the latest deals on everything from clothes to electronics, sites that provide coupon codes, sites that help you compare prices, and sites that feature free-shipping and gift-card deals.

Even if you don’t end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the web before you brave crowded stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices. We’ve tested and picked 15 web sites we think are easy to use and will help you save money this holiday season.

Hot deals!

If your number-one goal is to score deals this holiday season, start by checking out sites that do the bargain hunting for you. Deal sites scour the web for discounted items — saving you both time and money.

Our favorite deal site still is dealnews.com, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site’s visitors tip them off to bargains. The deal hunters hand pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, founder and chief executive of dealnews.

The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you’re interested in and get gift ideas from the site. Dealnews also has added a local deals section to help you find discounts at brick-and-mortar stores near you.

GottaDeal.com is another great source of deals. You may find some here that you won’t find at dealnews (we did recently).

A reader favorite is Slickdeals.net, a user-driven deal sharing site. It features a few deals on its homepage daily, but its forums are where you’ll hundreds of deals posted daily.

You can find lots of bargains at deal-of-the-day sites, such as Woot.com. But it would take a lot of time to check each one of these sites, which list only one deal a day. DODTracker.com does the hard work for you. It lists hundreds of items from deal-a-day sites and daily deal offers from retailers, such as Amazon.com. It shows how long the deal has been posted, time when sale ends, amount of discount (if available) and whether the item still is in stock. When you click on any of the tabs at the top of the homepage (All, Computers & Electronics, etc.), you’ll get a page that lets you sort by retailer, product, price, discount and more.

If you don’t want to rack up credit-card debt shopping this holiday season, there is a safe way to pay with cash online — and get deals. EBillme.com offers you a way to make secure cash payments when you shop online.

Find the lowest price

If you know exactly what you want to get the people on your gift list, use a price-comparison site to find the best deal. To be honest, it’s tough to beat Amazon.com for price comparison. For most of the items we recently searched for, it turned up the longest results lists and lowest prices.

However, we found two worthy competitors. Pronto.com fetches prices on 70 million products from more than 25,000 online merchants, including eBay. It also lets you sign up to receive e-mail alerts when your favorite brands or products go on sale. Google’s shopping search engine, Google Product Search, is great if you want just a bare-bones price comparison tool. What you’ll get are lots of results for your search, product reviews, seller ratings and a “local shopping” option to help you find products at stores near you. What you won’t see is a home page full of hot products, shopping guides, product categories and colorful images.

Shop with cyber-coupons

To sweeten any deal you find, search for coupon codes to get an even bigger discount. Plenty of sites offer coupon codes (and printable coupons) for online and brick-and-mortar retailers. The nice thing about our picks is that you don’t have to register on these sites to gain access to the coupons.

CouponCabin.com has more than 110,000 active coupons and deals. Its staff searches merchant sites, forums, blogs, consumer emails and even the Sunday Paper for coupons and updates its listing three times a day. It shows when a coupon expires and when it was last tested, so you know it still works. CouponCabin.com also offers a downloadable toolbar that displays coupons and deals if you visit one of its 2,500 participating merchants online.

CouponWinner.com has more than 27,000 coupons from about 9,000 retailers. What we like about the site is its Coupon Scout tool that lets you compare coupons from up to five retailers. Click on a category, such as women’s apparel, and the Coupon Scout tool will appear on the left-hand side of the page.

To truly get in the spirit of giving, consider AlexsCoupons.com. Not only does the site offer coupon codes for more than 1,200 stores, but also it helps in the fight against childhood cancer. Alex’s Coupons has donated more than $20,000 to childhood cancer charities.

Gift card deals

Never pay full price for a gift card again. PlasticJungle.com and GiftCardGranny.com sell merchants’ gift cards for less than face value. They’ll also buy gift cards you don’t want (for 80% to 90% of the card’s value).

Buying a discounted gift card to use for your own shopping is a good way to score additional discounts. For example, buy a $100 Gap gift card for $90 (instant $10 savings), use it to shop online and use a coupon code for additional savings.

Free shipping deals

High shipping costs can be a big drawback to shopping online. FreeShipping.org offers free-shipping coupons for more than 3,800 stores, including Amazon.com, Target and Best Buy. And all you last-minute shoppers don’t want to miss Free Shipping Day December 17. More than 700 merchants already have signed up to participate this year and guarantee Christmas-Eve delivery for all items purchased on Free Shipping Day.

Parting tips

On a final note, if you’re shopping online be sure to look for privacy and security seals on retailers’ sites, know the return and exchange policies, and check shipping deadlines to ensure your gifts arrive on time.

And to make sure you’re getting the best bargain online, look for the item at the best price from a merchant with free shipping and a coupon to lower the cost even further — the trifecta of bargain shopping.

Happy shopping!