What is a mystery shopper and how can you become one? Mystery shopping can be a good way to earn extra money and get items for free. All you need is a flexible schedule and the desire to go shopping and try new things. What is a Mystery Shopper? A mystery shopper is someone who gets paid to go to a business, usually a store or a restaurant, and pose as a regular customer. The shopper goes in and usually buys something and then reports on the experience, including the cleanliness of the store, the customer service, how easy it … Continue reading →

Why is it so easy to spend money at Target? It seems that whenever I go in there for one thing, I wind up coming out with several. This week alone, I have found myself visiting Target three times! I am getting way too comfortable in that store. I’m branching out to the point where I make a stop first at the Starbucks in the store for a small coffee. Yesterday, I ordered a medium one and actually contemplated feeding the kids at the in-store Pizza Hut Express. What is happening to me? I think I miss malls. I was … Continue reading →

Yesterday, the extended family went out to a lavish theater production. The sets were amazing, complete with a huge animatronic whale, a “zillion” stars in the theater ceiling and plenty of live animals. Of course, there was the inevitable souvenir shops built into the theater lobby. This place was better than most. There were a few nice quality selections in different price ranges, and nothing was really overpriced. Still, we knew that our budget didn’t account for any additional spending at the gift shop. Sometimes those gift shops can be a real temptation. They are filled with colorful objects that … Continue reading →

Chances are that if you have visited a restaurant, bought a major appliance or looked to contract a service lately then you have been subject to an upsell. Upsell techniques can cause you to spend more money without realizing it. Make sure that you are purchasing what you want at the price you want to avoid the upsell. What Is the Upsell? The upsell is when a customer is offered a higher priced product or service when they are about to make a purchase. So, for example, if you order a chicken sandwich at a fast food place, you will … Continue reading →

Being able to compare prices using smart phone price checking apps or searching online for the best price offer great ways to save on your purchases. When stores price match on the same items, you can save even more. Just show an ad or an online price to the store and they will often match it or beat it by a certain percentage. The problem is that these methods don’t always work. Why? Well for a simple reason that retail stores don’t want them too. Take, in point, two of my personal cases. In one case, I wanted to have … Continue reading →

You may not know this, but I am originally from New York. This past weekend, my family and I drove down to attend my father’s birthday party in the basement of my old church. We stayed overnight in a lovely little hotel in nearby Brooklyn that is off the beaten path, but close to everything and very reasonable. It was five minutes away from the party and probably 10 from Manhattan. I’ll have to post more about how to find such inexpensive accommodations in my next post. The next day, I knew that I wanted to do just a bit … Continue reading →