The Best Bargain DVDs This Christmas

Christmas can be an expensive time, particularly for those who choose to travel to ski resorts or island getaways to celebrate the Yuletide. Add in the food shopping (with luxury items), not to mention gifts, and your credit card will be creaking. One way to focus on the lighter side of life is to settle down on the couch with a pack of bargain DVDs.

With new animations such as Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 – the Squeakquel, The Smurfs, Yogi Bear, Despicable Me and Wallace and Gromit, DVDs make great gifts for kids. Family films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Avatar and Johnny English are good for a light-hearted laugh. Much anticipated adventure films such as The Adventures of Tintin and Spider Man bring a sense of excitement that just about matches the carving of the turkey.

For the not-so innocent, a DVD after dinner by candlelight is a great way to spend the winter break. Make it a marathon with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy box set or opt for a rom-com with Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. Another popular PG15 DVD is No Strings Attached, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Get the benefit of commentary from the films’ directors, casts and crews, watch deleted scenes, alternative storylines, behind the scenes footage and flick through photo galleries.

This time of year can be a financial nightmare, when consumers pay top prices for products in demand and shipping costs can leap through the ceiling. Prepare for the rush by picking up DVDs from your local supermarket and adding them to your trolley (alongside the turkey). Whether you’re stacking them under the tree or slapping them in the player, DVDs are a great way to relax this Christmas.

Nobody wants gold now – told ya so

Back in August I advised a reader to stay the heck away from Gold – If he listened to me – he would be smiling now – Gold is down 17% since September.

Check out this article from CNBC publsihed today:

In just three months, gold (Exchange: XAU=) has gone from the trade that works in every kind of market to the trade that doesn’t work in any market.

Bullion is off more than 17 percent from an all-time high reached in September as strapped hedge funds and sovereign funds sell the metal to raise funds and the strong U.S. dollar (Intercontinental Exchange US: .DXY) strips it of its safe haven status.

For a time, gold rose with stocks and other assets as central banks added liquidity to stem off a global financial crisis. It also climbed in down equity markets as investors crowded into the trade for its traditional status as a store of value in tough times.

“Gold was a safe haven, a hedge and a speculative trade all at the same time,” said Michael Murphy, CEO of Rosecliff Capital, a hedge fund. “Long gold has been a winning trade for years. We expect the selloff in gold to gain momentum into 2012. Traders are finding better hedges, better safe havens, and better speculative commodity plays than long gold.”

Gold was up more than 25 percent in 2011 through early September. The market value of leading gold exchange-traded fund , the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEArca: GLD – News), ballooned to $73 billion in November as investors poured more money into gold funds than any other asset class. In just four days, the gold sell-off has turned violent, plummeting more than $100 to breach the $1,600 level. On Wednesday gold fell with stocks. The next day, the metal fell even as the equity market rose.

“When an asset is thought to work in any market, that is the surest sign of a bubble,” said Stephen Weiss of Short Hills Capital. “I believe we will hear about massive central bank selling to put currency in markets.”

Gold gained some notable backers along its bull run, which only added to the speculative fervor. Most notably, hedge fund manager John Paulson has made the SPDR Gold Trust ETF his firm’s single largest holding.

The flagship fund run by Paulson, who’s received more accolades than anyone for profiting from the housing bust, is down more than 40 percent for 2011 at last count. With the recent drop in gold, it’s likely down even more, if he isn’t selling.

To be sure, gold has always been a volatile trade that can turn on a dime. Unlike a stock, there are no earnings behind the metal. It’s only worth as much as what the next guy will pay for it. That dynamic has been skewed by the ETF and other retail money flowing into the trade this year, say long-term gold bulls.

“Bull markets climb a wall of worry,” said Peter Schiff, CEO of Euro Pacific Capital “These sharp drops shake out the speculators and keep other would-be buyers on the sidelines. Once the weak longs are cleared out, the trip to $2,000 and beyond will resume unencumbered by excess baggage.”

For the best market insight, catch ‘Fast Money’ each night at 5pm ET, and the ‘Halftime Report’ each afternoon at 12:00 ET on CNBC. Follow @CNBCMelloy on Twitter.

Choosing Between Credit and Debit

When it comes to choosing whether to pay for a purchase with a credit or debit card, many people just use whichever card their hand lands on first.  Others have unsupported suspicion of or prejudice against either credit or debit, and only use one or the other.

There are reasons to use both, however, occasions when use of a credit card would be more beneficial or when a debit card might be a better choice.  The key is to understand the fundamental difference between the two, what using credit or debit can do for you, and the consequences of using one or the other.

The Basics

The best way to differentiate credit from debit is this: credit is borrowed, debit is owned.  When you pay with credit you are borrowing a bank’s money with the promise that you will pay them back (with interest); debit purchases are made with money you already have.

Beyond that basic distinction, credit and debit behave differently in the marketplace.  Ideally, you should use a balance of credit and debit for purchases, but that balance can be hard to strike.  Here is a brief guide laying down basic rules for credit and debit card use:

Credit cards should be used for:

• Online shopping.  Credit card transactions aren’t completed the moment you make them — first the bank has to approve the purchase, and then the funds are delivered to the vendor.  It is wise to use credit cards when shopping online because you can protect yourself and your purchase by asking your bank or credit card company to withhold the funds if a purchase is wrong, damaged, or malfunctioning.  If the problem is never resolved, money will not have ever exchanged hands, where if you had paid with a debit card, you would have to get a refund after the problem was fixed, which can be much more difficult.
• Large purchases.  Many credit cards offer warranties on your purchases that extend beyond the manufacturer and store warranty.  Of course, not all credit cards offer this perk, so check with yours before you make a large purchase, but if they do, it is definitely worth using credit.
• Building credit.  The bottom line here is that you can’t build credit with a debit card because buying things with your own money doesn’t suggest to banks that you are a responsible borrower.  So when you want to buy a house for the first time, but have never used a credit card, you will most likely be denied by banks because you don’t have a credit history.  The best way to develop a positive credit history is to use a credit card and make your payments on time.

Debit cards should be used for:

• ATM withdrawals:  You can withdraw cash from any of your bank’s ATMs for free when you use your debit card.  Most credit cards, on the other hand, will charge you for a cash advance if you use it to withdraw cash from an ATM.
• Interest-free purchases: The biggest downside to using credit is that you are charged interest for you purchases because you are borrowing money from a bank.  You won’t accrue any interest on any purchases with a debit card, and you also won’t ever buy anything you can’t afford, because your limit is set by what you actually have.
• Small purchases: Generally anything under $50.

Now, these aren’t hard and fast rules, and some people certainly are successful by doing different things, but following these rules is a good way to start using credit and debit correctly, until you have a thorough enough understanding to make more informed decisions.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes for online universities blog.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.

Why You Shouldn’t Use Retailer Credit Cards

When the holiday season hits, your wallet takes the punch.  No matter how you slice it, Christmas is an expensive holiday, and it starts the day after Thanksgiving!  People have many different strategies for dealing with the financial pressure that comes with the spirit of Christmas, one of which being signing up for retailer credit cards like they’re going out of fashion. Retailers devised an excellent credit scheme that attracts many people during the holidays because they allow shoppers to buy now and pay later.  Plus, stores have recently added the extra lure of saving 10% or more on purchases made the same day you sign up for a card. Applying for retailer credit cards during the holidays (or at any other time, for that matter) is definitely a tempting thing to do, but there are at least three good reasons to run in the opposite direction when a cashier asks if you want to save 10% on today’s purchase.

First: Interest Rates

One of the ways that stores attract so many credit card borrowers is by lowering their lending requirements, meaning that they will shell out credit to almost anyone who applies for it.  Why is this bad?  It’s bad because the store makes up for the high risk of defaulting by raising the interest rates through the roof.  Stores don’t want to be held accountable when you can’t pay your card, so they give themselves what you can think of as a little insurance: usually taken in the form of 15-20% annual interest.  Sure, if you pay off your card right away you won’t have to really worry about interest, but stores are counting on the fact that you can’t pay right away.  Otherwise, why would you be applying for the card in the first place? 15-20% might not seem like a lot, but when you compare it with the 10% savings from the one time purchase you made, it actually leaves you paying more than what you would have paid without the card.  You’re better off using your bank’s credit card, which probably has a much more reasonable interest rate, and which won’t leave you…

Second: Credit Score

… down several points on your credit score.  Every time you apply for a credit card, each of the three credit bureaus takes note — and when you apply for several at once, they take that as a bad sign, and drop your credit score significantly.  What’s more important is that these negative marks stay on your record for a long time (seven years) and can reduce your credit-worthiness for other, probably more important purchases, like, say, a car, or a home.  Store credit cards might seem like a good idea at the time, but they will probably leave you with a headache later, plus they won’t give you…

Third: Rewards

Rewards.  One of the biggest perks of using a bank’s credit card is that they often offer cash back, savings at the retailer of your choice, travel discounts, frequent flyer miles, and a whole host of other great rewards for using credit wisely.  Stores generally don’t offer any such perks, and if they do, it’s usually only good at their store, and the discounts are mediocre.

Retailer credit cards aren’t all bad, but you’re probably better off using the card you’ve got, so that you aren’t buried in interest rates, bad credit scores, and regret over all the cash back you missed out on by not using your bank’s card to do your holiday shopping.  To be fair, some retailers are radically rethinking their credit card policies — but if you do choose to apply, make sure to read the terms carefully, and don’t sign up for anything that will hurt you in the long run.

Byline:

This is a guest post by Jane Smith from background check. She is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to: janesmth161 @ gmail.com

How to Save Money on Common Household Items

Cleaning products, air fresheners, dish soap, laundry detergent, personal care items, toilet paper, and garbage bags are just some of the common items that the average household uses every day. Individually purchased, most of them may seem affordable–after all, they’re common household items, right? In truth, the things that you use every day are the ones that can end up costing you big in the long run. If you take a closer look at the price-tags on these seemingly ordinary products, you’ll realize that they technically fall under the category of “little luxuries.” The prices aren’t as low as you think they are. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to save money on common household items–here are a few money-saving tips to help you.

Use Coupons

Coupons are a great way to save money on just about anything, and household items are no exception. You can find a treasure trove of coupons in the Sunday paper for starters, and by scouring the coupon inserts and sale fliers you’ll be amazed at what you can find. There’s also an endless list of coupon websites and online databases that feature coupons for almost anything you can think of. If you don’t have time to sit and browse the many coupons you can find online, simply do a search for specific products that you would like to find coupons for. Most coupon sites feature item searches by key word, brand, or category, allowing you to find the coupons you want quickly and efficiently.

Look for Items on Sale

If you aren’t attached to a particular brand, you can save a respectable amount of money by choosing items that are on sale. The next time you’re shopping, do some price comparisons to help you find the best deal on the products you need. Just remember: a lower price-tag doesn’t always mean it’s a better deal. Compare sizes and calculate what the cost of the product is per ounce–that will help you determine how good of a bargain you’re really getting.

Buy in Bulk

Buying common household items in bulk is an excellent way to get more for your money–and they’re the perfect items to buy a lot of because you don’t have to worry about them going bad or spoiling. Stock up when the prices are good–what’s discounted this week may not be the next, so get what you need when the price is right. Also, consider opting for the larger sizes of the products you use a lot of. The bigger bottle typically comes with a smaller price-tag, and it usually ends up being the better buy.

Choose Store Brands

Brand names gain the trust of consumers by building a solid reputation for quality products, and there’s definitely something to be said for that. On the flip side, just because a product is a generic store brand, it doesn’t mean it’s any less effective or that it’s of poor quality. In reality, most store brand items are comparable to their popular rivals–and if you look closely at the labels, the only difference you’re probably going to find is the one in price. If you’re not stuck on brand loyalty, choose the store brands. You’ll notice a substantial savings and you’ll still end up with quality products that get the job done.

Shop at Discount Stores

Whenever possible, buy household products at discount stores such as dollar stores and super centers. Laundry detergent, for example, might cost several dollars more if purchased at a small grocery store versus a large discount store. Due to their enormous size, discount centers are able to offer many of the things we use every day at the most affordable prices. Even if you have to drive a little further to shop at a discount store, you’ll usually find that the drive will be worth your savings.

Make Your Own

Making your own common household products is a fantastic way to save a lot of money–and if you know what you’re doing, your handmade items can be just as effective as the ones you purchase at the store. You can find recipes online for just about any type of cleaning product or personal care item imaginable, and most of them are easy to make and require minimal ingredients found right in your own kitchen or bathroom. You’ll save money by making your own items, and you might find a new hobby in the process as well.

As you can see, there are many ways to help you reduce the amount of money you spend on common household items. Find out firsthand by trying a few of these helpful suggestions–you might be surprised by how much you can actually save.

Guest post from Adam. Adam shares many coupons, including Sears coupons, through FrugalDad.com.