8 Signs You Overspent

Read HERE for details

1. You couldn’t survive financially without your job’s income for at least six months.

2. You’re saving less than 10% of your pay. 

3. Your mortgage payment is more than one week’s salary.

4. Your credit card balance has remained the same for the past year.

5. You buy big-ticket items through interest-free, deferred-payment offers because you think you’ll be able to afford it next year.

6. You use one credit card to pay another credit card’s balance.

7. You pay an overdraft fee on your checking account every three to four months or more.

8. Before buying something, you often think, “I know I shouldn’t, but…” 

How to do Better Negotiation

Take from HERE. Please read the elaboration on each point there.

1. Butter Up

2. Ask About "Exceptions"

3. Offer Solutions

4. Reference Store Policies

5. Stay Positive

6. The Power of Silence

Don't Put This In Your Wallet

1. Receipts
2. Multiple Credit Cards
3. Passport
4. Check/Check book
5. Spare Keys
6. Password Sheet


More details

Tips Using Credit Card

1) “Pay [your issuer] a few days ahead of your credit card statement date,” Nazari says, which will ensure a low balance gets reported to the bureaus each month.

2) Deciding to pay the minimum each month isn’t going to do much more than cost you money, especially if you’re carrying a particularly high annual percentage rate. The lesson? Don’t forgo payments just to carry a balance month to month.

3) Pay more attention to the information on your credit report (as opposed to its accompanying score) and the risk level that the service you are using to view the information assigns you.

4) Keep your cards open and restrict use to one or two small payments a year to keep your utilization ratio intact and your payment history stellar.

Source

TV Specs That Aren’t Worth Paying For

1. Plasma vs. LED vs. LCD
Not all HDTVs are created equal. If you're getting a new set, the first factor to decide on is the type of TV that is best for you. Your main choices include:

*Plasma - Plasmas feature an older technology, but don't completely count them out. They are cheaper, have deep blacks for rich contrast, and handle sports and fast motion well. But they are energy hogs, using three or four times as much electricity as Energy Star LEDs.

*Traditional LCD - Bright, with middle-of-the-road cost, traditional LCDs are prone to greyish blacks, and budget models can have blockier motion processing than other options.

*LED-backlit LCD - LED displays can be brighter and thinner than plasmas and LCDs. They are more energy conscious, and the top of the line models handle blacks as well as plasmas do.

2. Specs to Ignore (or at least not pay extra for)

Resolution
Resolution is the measure of how many pixels are on the screen. The higher the resolution, the higher definition you get. HDTVs (High Definition Televisions) are generally sold as either 720p or 1080p - which have 720 or 1080 rows of pixels. You might think having more pixels is better, and you'd be right — but only to a point. The real truth is that the human eye can barely discern the difference between 720p and 1080p except at a close distance on really big TVs. So paying extra for 1080p on a smaller set doesn't make a lot of sense.

Internet connected TV
Sometimes known as smart TVs, Internet-connected TVs allow you to stream to your set all that the Web has to offer. While that's a handy feature, you can always add on a device like the Roku for around $50-$70 or the Apple TV for about $100. Also most DVD players these days also have an Internet port or a way to get access to your home wifi network.

Refresh rate (or Hz)
Refresh rates determine how fast the TV repaints the image on the screen. 60Hz models refresh the screen 60 times per second; 120Hz models refresh the screen 120 times per second. It's true that buying a TV with 120Hz refresh rate instead of 60Hz makes a noticeable difference when watching fast-moving programs like sports, where motion blur can become an issue at 60Hz.

But if you get tempted to buy a more expensive 240Hz model because you think it'll make your TV viewing even better, think again. Many tech analysts agree that the naked eye can barely perceive thedifference between 120Hz and 240Hz, making it unnecessary to pay extra for the latter.

3. Specs that Matter

Size
Buy as big as you can afford, but not too big for your room. THX came up with a useful guide that helps you determine optimal screen size based on the distance you'll sit from the screen:

• 32 inch class TV = 3.5-5 feet away
• 42 inch class TV = 4-6 feet away
• 50 inch class TV = 5-7.5 feet away
• 60 inch class TV = 6-9 feet away

If a TV's thickness matters to you, then you may want to take a closer look at LED TVs. Samsung's LED9000 series measures a wafer-like 0.3" in depth; no traditional LCD or plasma TV is that thin. LED displays can be thinner than plasmas and CCFL-lit LCDs because some models are edge-lit, meaning the LEDs that illuminate the screen are only located on the edges.

Dimming
If you've narrowed your selection down to LEDs, consider getting a set with local dimming. LEDs without this feature can look blown out, with blacks that look more like greys. Local dimming turns down the brightness in areas that are supposed to be dark, dynamically improving the contrast. Note that edge-lit models with local dimming don't perform as well as full-backlit units with local dimming capacity.

While LED with its local dimming feature, thinness, and minimal energy use may sound the ideal HDTV set, know that it can also be the most expensive option among the three. The 55" Samsung LED9000 model, for example, costs around $2,500 whereas some of Samsung's 50" plasma TVs can be priced as low as $1,149.99.

Matte vs. Glossy
LCDs used to all have matte displays, which tend to fare better in parts of the house with an abundance of ambient light. Glossy displays have better contrast and sharper colors, but you may want to place them in darker places so your TV viewing won't be ruined by glare from lights and windows reflecting on the screen.

As taken from http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/tv-specs-aren-t-worth-paying-225518304.html

Shopping Secrets Retailers Won't Tell You

Don't Turn Right When Entering the Store

"Retail shopping studies have found that most people turn right when they enter a store. That's because the majority of the population is right-handed and right-oriented," says Underhill.

Knowing this, stores highlight tempting new items and trends to the right of the entrance. You'll find that the music is louder and the displays are brighter to attract you where you will look and turn first. This is also where the most expensive items in the store are generally displayed.

Why Clearance Items Are in the Back

The clearance racks are placed in the back of almost every mall store on purpose — so you'll be tempted by everything else more expensive in your path.

You have to pass all the new trends and displays, all the sales and promotions. Retailers are betting that your hands may be full by the time you reach that clearance area, so you will not be able to stay there and search for the better deals, says Underhill in his book.

Why the Clearance Area is Messy

"It's really hard to conquer the clearance area in some stores because it's actually designed to make you not want to spend time there," says Kay.

Retailers know shoppers want to easily find the size, price and item neatly displayed. So they purposely create the frustration of the poorly marked and poorly organized clearance area to tempt you toward the beautifully displayed and perfectly organized full-price merchandise.

Beware the Small Stuff Around the Registers

Impulse items are tempting goodies such as jewelry, sunglasses, fragrances and magazines that you did not plan to buy. They are displayed purposely near the register. In retail jargon, these are called add-ons (in addition to your main purchase), and they can increase your credit card debt faster than you can say, "Oooooh, pretty!"

More tips at here

5 Things You're Recommend to Buy in Used/2nd Hand

In response to my previous entry regarding on how to save your money, now I would like to elaborate more by posting on the 5 things you're recommended to buy second hand. : )

1. Cars

You can find good used car like anywhere nowaday. If you're lucky enough, maybe the age of the car was not more than one year or without even a scratch! But make sure you do a thorough checking to the car like sending to PUSPAKOM or at least bring your own mechanic to do the checking. This to avoid you being cheated by the seller and you better be save than sorry.

2. Clothes

Even now I still buying at the 'bundle' because it is nice and full variety of cloths. You can get cheaper jeans and still in good condition. But I recommend you to wash the cloths first before you put it on. But now you can find not only shirts or jeans in the 'bundle' but even the curtain, bed sheet, pillow sheet or even shoes! Nice isn't it?

3. Books/Comics/Magazines

Bookstore like Popular, Borders always have discount on the old books at their store. Even in Penang while I was studying there, I came across into one store in Komtar if I'm not mistaken where they sell full volume of Dragon Ball comics at the cheap price! Or if you like magazine, I know one place in e@curve where they sell old magazine at only RM5 (but I forget the store name).

4. Electrical Appliances

You can find these type of used items at any shop selling electrical items. Various things can be found including air-cond, fan, television, radio or etc. Most of these items sometime was recondition item which mean they have damage before but had been repaired by the shop mechanic. So make sure you checked them first.

5. Furniture

I would really love to buy used item from these category. Websites like mudah.my really make the transaction easy for us, just like its name. Sometimes when people moving to other country, the want to sell big furniture instead of moving them to that place. I have one case where one of my friend buying from someone who move out to Kedah because of his job. The combination of TV rack, cabinet and television set for a price of below RM1000!

In conclusion, buying used or second-hand items really save you a lot of money. Trust me, I tried. : )

Top 5 2011's Product Worth the Wait

1. Google Chrome Notebook (Laptop)

New laptop gonna hits this year by Google! After successfully develop Nexus (handphone), now Google developed notebook in their latest project. They still in pilot testing phase but I can't wait for it to appear here in Malaysia. As quote in their website, "The Cr-48 is the test notebook we designed for the Pilot program. It's the first of its kind." Click here to find out more.

2. Nintendo 3D S (Handheld Gaming)

Siapa tak kenal permainan nintendo. Kompeni dari Jepun ini sangat berjaya dengan produk Wii yang begitu banyak terjual di pasaran. Sekarang Nintendo akan mengeluarkan satu lagi produk, also the first of its kind macam Google diatas, iaitu handheld gaming system dalam bentuk 3D. Sekarang semua nak 3D, tak kira TV, movie ke dan sekarang Nintendo 3D S. :) Click here to find out more.

3. Chevrolet Volt 2.0 (Sedan Car)

Sekarang kereta yang famous dan menjimatkan adalah yang menggunakan "Hybrid System". Banyak pengeluar kereta telah mengeluarkan kereta Hybrid termasuk yang latest daripada Chevrolet ini. Masih sedikit yang diketahui pasal kereta ini tetapi antara details boleh didapati di laman web ini dan juga ini.

4. Blackberry Playbook (Tablet PC)

Sejak Ipad dikeluarkan oleh Apple, semakin banyak komputer tablet atau Tablet PC yang dikeluarkan untuk menyaingi produk Apple itu. Antaranya dari Samsung, Lenovo, HP dan sekarang daripada Blackberry pula. Pengguna Blackberry phone sekarang ni pun dah ramai so saya yakin produk ini pun akan famous juga suatu hari nanti. Klik di sini untuk maklumat lanjut.

5. Apple Ipad 2 (Tablet PC)

Everybody seems to know Ipad nowadays. And now they are rumors going on telling that 2nd version of Ipad is coming out! I can't even get a single picture of this said new product on the net. But you can read more details from here, here, here and also here. :)

In conclusion, save more MONEY!! Hehe.

4 Jenis Barang yang Tidak Patut Dibeli di Pasaraya

Berikut antara barang-barang yang tidak patut di beli di pasaraya. So nak beli kat mana? Kat kedai yang menjual barang tersebut secara khusus ataupun dengan diskaun. Sebab utama adalah barang-barang ini dijual dengan harga agak mahal di pasaraya. Tapi ada juga barang2 yang murah di pasaraya so make sure always do the SURVEY first. :)

1. Peralatan masak dan dapur.

2. Alat2 kosmetik, tandas dan barang2 persendirian.

3. Barang letrik kecil2 seperti toaster, coffee maker dll.

4. Bateri, lampu, extension cords dan barang2 hardware lain.

Barang-barang ini agak mahal dijual kat supermarket, kecuali kedai2 special yang jual terus barang2 tu. Ada satu tips kalau korang nak beli alatan letrik macam TV atau lain2. Beli kat the COURTS masa dorang buat promosi. Aku beli TV Toshiba Regza 40 inci dengan harga RM2,400 sahaja. Itu pun unit last yang dorang buat diskaun.

6 Tips nak beli HDTV

Ini antara tips-tips yang aku gunakan masa nak beli Toshiba Regza 40 inci aku :-

1. How big is your room?

Don't leave your home without figuring out where you're going to put your new HDTV. Measure the space, especially if you plan on putting the set in an existing media cabinet. Once you're surrounded by dozens of big-screen TVs in a store, it can be easy to lose perspective and end up with something that seemed reasonable next to its peers but dominates the space in your home.

2. How does aspect ratio affect screen size?

Aspect ratio refers to the proportion of screen width to height. High-definition televisions use a widescreen, rectangular 16:9 aspect ratio. Standard-definition TVs use a square 4:3 aspect ratio. Since screen sizes are measured diagonally (from the lower left corner to the upper right corner, for example), the diagonal measurement is shallower on a widescreen model. So, a 27-inch HDTV won't be as tall as a 27-inch standard-definition TV. You would need a 32-inch HDTV to match that height. As a rule of thumb, add five or six inches to standard TV sizes to find the equivalent HDTV size.

3. What HDTV technology is right for you?

There are currently three major HD display types:

Conventional LCD TVs are the most popular HDTVs right now, offering thin, lightweight, energy-efficient flat-panels at fairly reasonable prices.

LED-Backlit LCD TVs are the big HDTV trend this year. Sometimes marketed as LED TVs, these are actually thinner, more efficient LCD TVs backlit with light-emitting diodes (rather than fluorescent lamps). The technology allows for a brighter, more striking picture than conventional LCDs.

Plasma TVs offer excellent value. They're far cheaper and offer a better picture than conventional LCDs, though they are extremely heavy and relatively energy-inefficient.

4. What resolution do you need?

These days, most HDTVs come with either 720p or 1080p resolution. The numbers refer to the horizontal lines of pixels on the screen. The "p" stands for "progressive scan," which means that the TV draws every line every time it refreshes the picture. This results in a smoother picture than "interlacing" technology allowed for.

Although 1080p is the highest-quality HD resolution, those extra pixels effectively go to waste on screens under 40 inches in diameter. For those smaller sets, 720p provides excellent resolution. However, 1080p is essential on big-screen TVs, as they require more pixels to present the image clearly.

5. Does 120Hz matter?

Manufacturers and retailers are heavily promoting TVs with refresh rates of 120Hz or even 240Hz this year. Refresh rates indicate the frequency at which the picture is drawn on the screen. Higher rates draw the picture faster, reducing any motion blurring that occurs in fast-moving video (like sports).

Is this essential? Not really. If you're a true videophile that desires pristine images, then maybe the extra investment is worth your money. The average consumer and TV watcher won't notice a huge difference between 120Hz sets and TVs with lower refresh rates--and even experts have trouble discerning he difference between 120Hz and 240Hz.

6. What's a contrast ratio?

The contrast ratio is a measure of how well an HDTV displays the color black. Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for this term. Each manufacturer's definition can vary wildly from the next, so this specification is only useful when comparing models by the same manufacturer. In general, plasmas offer the best contrast, followed by LED-backlit LCDs, followed by conventional LCDs.

7. Are Internet-ready TVs worth the extra cost?

Since most HDTVs offer excellent picture quality by any standards, manufacturers now offer models with bells and whistles attached, like built-in Internet access via Ethernet or even wi-fi. These sets allow direct video streaming from services like Netflix. Some even support widgets for Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and the like. These features are all definitely cool, but it's probably worth waiting a while for this concept--and the infrastructure behind it--to mature. If you are going to buy this year, Vizio and LG offer the best Web services so far.

Kredit kepada Liam McCabe