From Eveningsnews.com
Surprising Ways You Can Save Big Bucks In Bad Economy
By
May 13, 2008, 18:14
(NAPSI)-Are you wasting your money?
You?
No way, because you shop the sales, you’ve switched from premium brands to store labels, and you’ve even given up your $4 Starbucks lattes, right?
Wrong.
Unless you’re an uber-geek, you may not be using some simple, free Web sites that can save you hundreds of dollars a month from the comfort of your own living room.
So get ready to save wads of cash with these good sites for bad economic times. This week we recommend Become.com (www.become.com).
Comparison Shopping 2.0
If you tried a comparison-shopping site in the early days, you might have found the early shop bots a little frustrating-like unruly toddlers.
Bad search results and out-of-stock products weren’t uncommon with the young technology, admits Michael Yang, who created mySimon, one of the first shop bots, in 1998.
But the new, grown-up generation of comparison-shopping Web sites really rocks. Yang founded Become.com in 2005 to take advantage of radical advances in search technology. Here’s how you-and your wallet-can take advantage, too.
Become.com searches over 5,000 legitimate retailers who sell everything from appliances, books and clothing to zebra-print towels.
Type in the product you want and click “Shop.” You’ll instantly see who sells your product and where you can score the lowest price.
And if you think the Internet has leveled the playing field on product pricing, think again: The savings are astonishing. An identical juicer for the kitchen was selling for $124 at one online retailer and $169 at another.
Score Big Savings
“I’ve probably saved $800 since I started using Become.com,” says Paul Templeman of Minneapolis, Minn. “My biggest savings was on a new TV and TV stand. I found a way lower price than at my local chain stores.”
Since you’ll need the total cost including shipping and handling to make an exact price comparison, Become.com automatically adds in any shipping fees based on your zip code. Many merchants today offer free shipping to be competitive, notes Yang.
“I recently needed to buy a new stroller and I saved $40 using Become.com,” said Lisa Barber, an emergency technician in San Ramon, Calif. “The ease of comparisons surprised me.”
So add this surprisingly easy money-saving strategy to your bag of budget-stretching tricks. If like other Americans, you’re feeling the pinch of rising gas and food prices, you can get a little relief with the click of your mouse at Become.com.
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