Top 10 Money Saving Sites

The original Web-based replacement for classified ads still can’t be beat. You can use it to find items new and used, commission one-off unique items, find services, and even barter for things you don’t quite have the cash for. And in a down economy, you can feel good about putting cash directly into the hands of other people who need it, rather than feeding corporate giants.

Kashless

Craigslist and Freecycle both offer amazing lists of items other folks are giving away entirely for free, but Kashless aggregates both into one seamless feed of no-catch freebies. It also adds some unique extras, like sharing listings on Facebook and Twitter (“This free fridge would be perfect to convert into a kegerator!”) and even real-time text notifications when items you’re looking for are posted. Having scored free firewood, air conditioning units and hot tubs on Craigslist before, we can safely say there’s a bounty out there.

TotallyFreeStuff

You probably spot offers for free samples all day long on billboards, newspaper ads, TV commercials and other mediums, but what if you wanted to look at them all in one spot and find some stuff you actually wanted to try? TotallyFreeStuff posts everything from free stuff you sign up for online, to items you buy at a store in mail in rebates for, and contests to win the really big stuff. You’ll have to cut through some junk to find the stuff with the fewest catches, but it’s one of the most comprehensive listings out there. And hey, it’s free.

Top 10 Money Saving Sites

Ben’s own slogan, “Where ghetto dogs come for the lowdown on deals,” sums up this site nicer than we ever could. The front page offers a no-nonsense list of recent deals with photos, a popularity meter, and trackers for hot items like the Nintendo Wii and Apple iPod. It may not be the prettiest site you’ll ever find, but for spotting deals, not many can beat it.

Woot

Technically, it’s an online retailer, but Woot qualifies for our list thanks to unique selling format, community atmosphere and, well, 99 percent of the stuff it sells it an absolute steal. Woot runs on a deal-a-day format with only one item on sale per day, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. You’ll find everything from flashlights to fire alarms cropping up on the site, but even when the product disappoints, Woot’s spiced-up product descriptions usually never fail to elicit a smile. Just don’t buy when you’re in a hurry – shipping can sometimes take ages.

Twitter

Yes, Twitter is better for more than just announcing to the world the last thing you ate or saw on the subway. Many companies are beginning to use the site for last-minute daily deals. That means deals on flights from JetBlue and United, deals on car care kits from Amazon, and if you’re in Portland, deals on pizza and cocktails from Candy. Googling the name of an establishment or company with the search term “twitter” remains the easiest way to find whether a favorite establishment is sending out deals, until Twitter’s own search engine improves.

CheapTweet

Twitter offers so many deal-related feeds, it can be hard to keep tabs on them all. For those who need a hand, CheapTweet aggregates many deal-related Twitter accounts, and incorporates a rating system to send the best to the top. Unlike tweets from actual companies, most of the deal appearing on CheapTweet come from third-party Twitter accounts dedicated to tracking bargains, like “CouponCabin,” “ShopItToMe,” and “Freebies4mom.”

Craigslist

The original Web-based replacement for classified ads still can’t be beat. You can use it to find items new and used, commission one-off unique items, find services, and even barter for things you don’t quite have the cash for. And in a down economy, you can feel good about putting cash directly into the hands of other people who need it, rather than feeding corporate giants.

Top 10 Money Saving Sites

Score deals your friends won’t quite believe by keeping an eye on these budget-focused sites.

By now, we’ve all heard that money’s tight, that we’re on the end of the verge of financial apocalypse, and that everyone will have to cut back. But don’t start lining your shoes with cardboard and cooking beans over a garbage fire just yet. Stripping out luxuries may be one way to stretch your dollars, but for the careful shopper, being frugal need only mean looking a little harder to find deals, and the Web can take a lot of effort out of the process.

We’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite deal-hunting Web sites, where you can find everything from sales and discounts to coupon codes, daily specials and even outright free stuff.

What’s the catch?

No matter which sites you end up using, keep in mind that deals come and go faster than Michael Jackson’s fortune, so you’ll need to make a habit of checking every day – sometimes multiple times a day – to score the best stuff. They call it bargain hunting for a reason, and you’ll need to be in the right place at the right time if you want to bag a buck or two
FatWallet

Consider FatWallet the mother of all money-saving sites. It combines a deal forum, coupon search, and in-house cash back program, making it a one-stop destination for all things bargain-related. Though it specializes in online deals and sales, you can also use FatWallet for comparing other purchases too, like seeing which gym offers the cheapest membership, which car company offers the best rebates to combine with the government’s new cash-for-clunkers program, or where to find cheap lobster.

Fat Wallet

SlickDeals

You’ll never find a group of more stingy, clever or well-researched folks than the Internet dwellers at SlickDeals, which makes it one of the best user-driven communities out there. Every day’s list of hot bargains comes directly from the community, and they’re rated up and down based on the same collective hive mind, so you don’t have to cut through much clutter to find the primo deals. A string of comments on every deal can also help you find other coupons and offers to stack on top of existing offers, or steer you clear of products and stores that aren’t quite as great as they’re made out to be.

RetailMeNot

Plenty of sites offer coupon codes, but RetailMeNot organizes them into one of the most intuitive directories we’ve found. Just enter a site (like Amazon.com) and RetailMeNot drums up a list of active codes. Since restrictions and expirations make some codes more reliable than others, the site even ranks them based on success rate, so you don’t even up wasting time with codes that haven’t worked for other people.

Another revolution coming in China

Tens of millions of people aren't covered by any health insurance, and millions who had insurance have lost it as a result of the global economic crisis.

Despite the rise in health care spending, the population isn't getting any healthier. Infant mortality rates have stopped declining. Diseases once under control have re-emerged.

Too many people live in fear that they're only one illness away from poverty.

Yep, things sure are bad . . . in China. So bad that, in January, the Beijing government announced a plan to spend $124 billion by 2011 to provide some form of health insurance to 90% of the population.

That's a huge amount of money. Yes, the dollars being thrown around in our own health care debate are larger: The draft bill being debated in the Senate Finance Committee carried a price tag of $856 billion when introduced. But that would be the cost for 10 years.

The Chinese price tag of $124 billion for two years is impressively large when you consider that China is still a relatively poor country. U.S. gross domestic product hit $14.3 trillion in 2008, estimates the CIA World Factbook. The factbook puts the size of China's economy at $4.4 trillion, using the official exchange rate, or $7 trillion at what's called purchasing power parity. (Purchasing power parity attempts to adjust official figures to take into account what people in different countries actually pay for the same goods and services.)

How Entire Short Sell Process Works

The ‘Short sell’ is a term employed in many property circles, and the short sale of your house is a last ditch effort to delay foreclosure. Possibly to worst thing that might occur, is not having the ability to look after your obligations, and this is one of those things that in some worst case examples folk have taken their own lives. It is miserable pondering having your house go into foreclosure, losing your vehicle, and it is small wonder why so many get unhappy.

If you are looking at foreclosure and do not know what to do, there are some options you can use to protect you from bankruptcy or having an enormous fat black spot on your credit. It is known as the short sale. It is largely giving up your house for the sum you owe, and walking away from your debt. If you owe more than your house is worth, then your banks will have to accept your home and take the loss.

Now this is something that is a lengthy process, and you will have to open up and spill your guts out to people who are not your family. In the long run, it is better than having a foreclosure or bankruptcy on your record, and could even save your credit rating. If you are going to do this, you should start as soon as you can, and here are some things that will help you.

First thing you must do is educate yourself on what a short sale is and how much is concerned. A method to do this is to sit with a Realtor who’s experienced in the short sell process. The more experienced they are and particularly if you know them, they can act as a liaison between you and your banks. They can also help you with all of the calculations, like what your debt is on your residence compared to its worth, as well as any other debt against it.

Since every state has different laws about foreclosure, it is a good idea to get started right away, or you may lose your chance. Sit down and write your lenders a hardship letter, and you have to be formal about it, just explain the situation in detail why the short sell of your home is the only option, and be honest. When you are done, make sure that you have all the relevant papers stating the situation as well, so your lenders will know that a short sale is your best and only option.

Be prepared both physically and emotional to move quickly. Have your stuff packed and either moved into storage, or ready to move into a rental. Walk through your home, and let go off your emotions, and say your goodbyes. Get down to the basic living necessities, and that’s it. You may only have a short period of time in which the quick sales will take place and you may have to move at a moment’s notice.

You’ll find much more detailed info about the short selling of your house online, including realtors, lending agencies, and sites that may help you with the mathematical calculations required. You’ll be able to find out what the entire short sell process comprises, how much your credit might be effected, and even support groups that will help you with the strain in these uneasy times.

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To Learning how to go about short sell could literally save yourself thousands of dollars and you can pay your high interest loans visit homesshortsale.org