For adding up to $500 on your MUNI Clipper Card, you can save up to $50 for paying through your Chase Credit card. Offer good through 11/30/10 and Chase credits you on 1/31/11.
https://www.chase.com/psmhelp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/help/page/138305_CommuterCash_enroll
Friday, October 29, 2010
Food Co. in the Mission for Grocery Savings
Yesterday, I discovered the Food Co. in the Mission. Food Co. compares their prices to that of Safeway. I used to go to Pete's in Chicago. Food Co. is very similar.
The prices are good to great for many basic items. The selection is very good. For example, a rotisserie chicken cost $4.99, a 18 ounce of Kraft BBQ sauce is $0.98, and hot dogs are any where from $0.98 to $3.99, depending on which brand.
In addition, there are Manager Specials! Food Co. is very close to Best Buy, Sports Basement, Office Max and the Potrero Center. There is plenty of parking too. Check them out! www.foodsco.net.
The prices are good to great for many basic items. The selection is very good. For example, a rotisserie chicken cost $4.99, a 18 ounce of Kraft BBQ sauce is $0.98, and hot dogs are any where from $0.98 to $3.99, depending on which brand.
In addition, there are Manager Specials! Food Co. is very close to Best Buy, Sports Basement, Office Max and the Potrero Center. There is plenty of parking too. Check them out! www.foodsco.net.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Why College Students Should Vote in November 2010
For the Past Two Years, Legislation Has Affected Pell Grants and Health Care. It Has Mattered.
This election, whether you agree with President Obama or your representative or not, it is worth voting. It is worth expressing your opinion. As a college student, you may think that you do not have that much of a stake in the economy. After all, the future is still years away. Over the past two years, two issues affect millions of college students directly. If it does not affect you directly, it most certainly affects some one in your dorm, in your class or at your school.
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which gives parents the right to add their children (married or unmarried) onto their company insurance plan until 27 years of age. On March 27, 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which reallocated $61 billion bank subsidies to Pell Grants and other education initiatives. This has increased the maximum Pell grant award from $5,000 to $5,500 in 2010-2011, and will steadily increase it to $5,975 by 2017.
President Obama and Vice President Biden promised to make change on these issues on their campaigns, but they most certainly did not do this alone. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/CollegeAffordabilityFactSheet.pdf They worked with or fought against all 535 members in Congress, both Senators and Representatives. Each member had a vote. President Obama and Vice President Biden are not up for election this November, but many members of Congress are standing. Every one in the House of Representatives serves for 2 years and is up for re-election. Members of the Senate serve for 6 years and some are up for re-election.
You may think that more money needs to be allocated to education. Your university is really struggling. There are cut backs everywhere. Conversely, you may think that the government should not allocate so much money to Pell Grants because so many people in college should not be attending school. You are entitled to an opinion.
To some students, a Pell Grant means a great deal. A few hundred dollars in grant money might not be important. He or she might be able to get a loan to cover the amount, but it could mean that he or she does not have to spend hundreds of hours working at the student store, or delivering pizzas. In addition, if there is less money for Pell Grants, in a need-based, fixed-resource system, your scholarship could be reallocated. Whether it affects you personally or not, you can be sure that it affects someone at your dorm, in your class and most certainly in your school.
You might think that government has no business mandating health care insurance. You are at the healthiest age in your life, and you might be able to do without the insurance. Chances are you will not need the help, but if you are thinking about a non-profit job that would benefit the community or your resume for graduate school, it might not come with health care insurance. Whether you can find a job or not when you graduate from college may affect whether you need to get back on your parents' insurance plan. If you get into an accident or have a preexisting condition, you may matter. Whatever your opinion, you can be sure that it matters.
You may not think that President Obama is right, or your representative is right, but you should express your opinion. You might not think that this country can afford more Pell Grants or health care insurance, or you could see how these the new legislation really benefits those around you. Either way, as a citizen of this country, you are entitled and should express your opinion. It does affect you and those around you.
It might not seem like a big deal, but what if your date last week could not afford to attend college, or your fraternity brother had to drop out or had to work on a weekend night. About one quarter of college students need and receive Pell grants. Chances are that it affects someone close to you. That is certainly something to think about.
Whether you vote or not, one thing is for sure. President Obama and Vice President Biden will have to work with or fight against 535 members of Congress after the election over the next two years. It may not be as important as Pell Grants and health care insurance, but you should have a say in who makes the decisions for you on what issues are important.
This election, whether you agree with President Obama or your representative or not, it is worth voting. It is worth expressing your opinion. As a college student, you may think that you do not have that much of a stake in the economy. After all, the future is still years away. Over the past two years, two issues affect millions of college students directly. If it does not affect you directly, it most certainly affects some one in your dorm, in your class or at your school.
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which gives parents the right to add their children (married or unmarried) onto their company insurance plan until 27 years of age. On March 27, 2010, President Obama signed the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act, which reallocated $61 billion bank subsidies to Pell Grants and other education initiatives. This has increased the maximum Pell grant award from $5,000 to $5,500 in 2010-2011, and will steadily increase it to $5,975 by 2017.
President Obama and Vice President Biden promised to make change on these issues on their campaigns, but they most certainly did not do this alone. http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/issues/CollegeAffordabilityFactSheet.pdf They worked with or fought against all 535 members in Congress, both Senators and Representatives. Each member had a vote. President Obama and Vice President Biden are not up for election this November, but many members of Congress are standing. Every one in the House of Representatives serves for 2 years and is up for re-election. Members of the Senate serve for 6 years and some are up for re-election.
You may think that more money needs to be allocated to education. Your university is really struggling. There are cut backs everywhere. Conversely, you may think that the government should not allocate so much money to Pell Grants because so many people in college should not be attending school. You are entitled to an opinion.
To some students, a Pell Grant means a great deal. A few hundred dollars in grant money might not be important. He or she might be able to get a loan to cover the amount, but it could mean that he or she does not have to spend hundreds of hours working at the student store, or delivering pizzas. In addition, if there is less money for Pell Grants, in a need-based, fixed-resource system, your scholarship could be reallocated. Whether it affects you personally or not, you can be sure that it affects someone at your dorm, in your class and most certainly in your school.
You might think that government has no business mandating health care insurance. You are at the healthiest age in your life, and you might be able to do without the insurance. Chances are you will not need the help, but if you are thinking about a non-profit job that would benefit the community or your resume for graduate school, it might not come with health care insurance. Whether you can find a job or not when you graduate from college may affect whether you need to get back on your parents' insurance plan. If you get into an accident or have a preexisting condition, you may matter. Whatever your opinion, you can be sure that it matters.
You may not think that President Obama is right, or your representative is right, but you should express your opinion. You might not think that this country can afford more Pell Grants or health care insurance, or you could see how these the new legislation really benefits those around you. Either way, as a citizen of this country, you are entitled and should express your opinion. It does affect you and those around you.
It might not seem like a big deal, but what if your date last week could not afford to attend college, or your fraternity brother had to drop out or had to work on a weekend night. About one quarter of college students need and receive Pell grants. Chances are that it affects someone close to you. That is certainly something to think about.
Whether you vote or not, one thing is for sure. President Obama and Vice President Biden will have to work with or fight against 535 members of Congress after the election over the next two years. It may not be as important as Pell Grants and health care insurance, but you should have a say in who makes the decisions for you on what issues are important.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
How the All-You-Can-Jet Pass and JetBlue Helps Seniors
The All-You-Can-Jet pass http://www.jetblue.com/aycj/ is such a wonderful idea because it gives seniors citizens an opportunity to visit and revive friendships that they have accumulated over decades. Seniors often have many children and grandchildren spread over many states, and friendships that they have made on the highways and byways across the country from over the years. They also have limited budgets and in this financial environment. With recent returns being what they are, discretionary expenditures such as visiting friends often have to wait. The All-You-Can-Jet pass is much more about price, it is about relationships. The one low price of All-You-Can-Jet prices are a wonderful opportunity for them to make all the some days today!
The All-You-Can-Jet pass is particularly valuable for those that have a lot of time flexibility. Recently, applications such as Skype and IP telephony have significantly lower the costs of calling and keeping in touch around the world. My mother can now call her relatives in China for two cents per minute. Jet Blue is a part of this trend. Previously, my mother and her relatives could only afford to write letters to each other, which took weeks to arrive. The lowering of costs is such a wonderful thing.
However, JetBlue does not go everywhere, is not like the major carriers. http://www.jetblue.com/wherewejet/ JetBlue serves most major cities such New York, Los Angeles very well. Then, there are some flights to most major cities, and smaller cities in densely populated cities in Florida and the Northeast. However, seniors with some flexibility can combine many modes of transportation. The All-You-Can Jet Pass of 30 day allows people who are time flexible to combine with other modes of transportation, primarily buses and trains, without overly worry about time pressure.
Among the popular bus systems from Chicago are Mega Bus in the Midwest http://us.megabus.com/routemap.aspx and Amtrak. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage The Northeast has many ground transportation opportunities including trains and buses. Apex in the Northeast serves cities from Boston to Richmond, VA. Amtrak and bus carriers combine to serve even the smallest of towns.
In these tough financial times, it is easy to push off discretionary spending of visiting friends and relatives till a later time. As we all know, time does not wait for anyone. Despite all the young and smiling faces that work for Jet Blue, the company is doing a very wonderful thing for the senior demographic. For many this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am not a senior citizen, but through various trials I do understand the value of time, and I truly applaud Jet Blue for making this opportunity available.
The All-You-Can-Jet pass is particularly valuable for those that have a lot of time flexibility. Recently, applications such as Skype and IP telephony have significantly lower the costs of calling and keeping in touch around the world. My mother can now call her relatives in China for two cents per minute. Jet Blue is a part of this trend. Previously, my mother and her relatives could only afford to write letters to each other, which took weeks to arrive. The lowering of costs is such a wonderful thing.
However, JetBlue does not go everywhere, is not like the major carriers. http://www.jetblue.com/wherewejet/ JetBlue serves most major cities such New York, Los Angeles very well. Then, there are some flights to most major cities, and smaller cities in densely populated cities in Florida and the Northeast. However, seniors with some flexibility can combine many modes of transportation. The All-You-Can Jet Pass of 30 day allows people who are time flexible to combine with other modes of transportation, primarily buses and trains, without overly worry about time pressure.
Among the popular bus systems from Chicago are Mega Bus in the Midwest http://us.megabus.com/routemap.aspx and Amtrak. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage The Northeast has many ground transportation opportunities including trains and buses. Apex in the Northeast serves cities from Boston to Richmond, VA. Amtrak and bus carriers combine to serve even the smallest of towns.
In these tough financial times, it is easy to push off discretionary spending of visiting friends and relatives till a later time. As we all know, time does not wait for anyone. Despite all the young and smiling faces that work for Jet Blue, the company is doing a very wonderful thing for the senior demographic. For many this is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am not a senior citizen, but through various trials I do understand the value of time, and I truly applaud Jet Blue for making this opportunity available.
How to Get the Best Price on Restaurant.Com
I love restaurant.com for casual meals. The basic concept is that you can buy credits for meals for a fraction of the price. So, you can buy $15 of credit for $2-5 depending on whether they have a sale or not. You can buy $25 of credit for $10. The deals depend on the sale that they are having at the time. If you sign up for their emails, you are sure to find the lowest price that they offer.
For most cities, there are many restaurants that are signed up for restaurant.com, which is why I love the website. If you are going out of a casual dinner, generally places that will take you that night, as opposed to Gary Danko or some place special, restaurant.com usually has a option for you.
In the city of San Francisco Bay Area where there is a lot of culinary talent and the marketplace is hyper-competitive, I have always found good options on all nights with restaurant.com. There was one time when I was starting out when I arrived at a restaurant and they informed me that they no longer take the certificates, but for the most part, if you call ahead you will not be disappointed.
There are a number of options on how to take advantage of the website. You can sign up at www.restaurant.com, and you can purchase at the time that you would like to dine. They will let you know if the restaurant has a particular discount available. When I first started out, I used to purchase directly from a restaurant. This is not the best option. You can also purchase general certificates and use them later. This is the preferred method because it does not lock you into any particular restaurant but does lock in the discount.
If you are a bargain shopper, you can also look for these certificates on eBay. Many times, you will find restaurant.com certificates from wholesalers for a price that is even lower than that offered by restaurant.com. For example, one day I thought that buying $15 off coupons of $25 purchases for $2 was a great deal, but later found them on eBay for $1.50 for a lot of 10. (You are required to make some purchase, and do tip on the full purchase amount.) Overall, if you just want to go out, and do not care about a specific restaurant, www.restaurant.com is a great deal. I have found many good restaurant this way.
Groupon, livingsocial and other websites are also great way to try restaurants because they offer a very steep discount. http://bit.ly/cABiMm I hope you will read this and my other articles. http://bit.ly/cLVm5f Thank you.
For most cities, there are many restaurants that are signed up for restaurant.com, which is why I love the website. If you are going out of a casual dinner, generally places that will take you that night, as opposed to Gary Danko or some place special, restaurant.com usually has a option for you.
In the city of San Francisco Bay Area where there is a lot of culinary talent and the marketplace is hyper-competitive, I have always found good options on all nights with restaurant.com. There was one time when I was starting out when I arrived at a restaurant and they informed me that they no longer take the certificates, but for the most part, if you call ahead you will not be disappointed.
There are a number of options on how to take advantage of the website. You can sign up at www.restaurant.com, and you can purchase at the time that you would like to dine. They will let you know if the restaurant has a particular discount available. When I first started out, I used to purchase directly from a restaurant. This is not the best option. You can also purchase general certificates and use them later. This is the preferred method because it does not lock you into any particular restaurant but does lock in the discount.
If you are a bargain shopper, you can also look for these certificates on eBay. Many times, you will find restaurant.com certificates from wholesalers for a price that is even lower than that offered by restaurant.com. For example, one day I thought that buying $15 off coupons of $25 purchases for $2 was a great deal, but later found them on eBay for $1.50 for a lot of 10. (You are required to make some purchase, and do tip on the full purchase amount.) Overall, if you just want to go out, and do not care about a specific restaurant, www.restaurant.com is a great deal. I have found many good restaurant this way.
Groupon, livingsocial and other websites are also great way to try restaurants because they offer a very steep discount. http://bit.ly/cABiMm I hope you will read this and my other articles. http://bit.ly/cLVm5f Thank you.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
List your rental properties for free and effectively
Being a real estate property owner has not been easy during the recession. The mortgage payments keep coming and lessees who lose their jobs or see their business decline have unilaterally decided to reduce, delay or stop payments. In many cases, you have vacancies, but you cannot pay afford to pay a service or a person to list them for you. Furthermore, in this market you cannot count of them to continually list them for you, especially when the property have not moved in a couple of months. It's hard to keep the enthusiasm up for anyone.
Fortunately, I have found three free, do-it-yourself services that have been particularly helpful. First is Craigslist (www.craigslist.com). Second is Rentlinx (www.rentlinx.com), and third is Loopnet (www.loopnet.net). They are all free at the basic level, and if you do manage to rent out some of your properties, you can send them some love and sign up for a membership.
First, we all know that you can do your listing on Craigslist for free. However, if you do not refresh them, they quickly fall to the bottom. Most readers will not have time or patience to scroll through page after page of listing, especially when there are so many vacancies. So you have to refresh them every 48 hours. Craigslist has other limitations, in the you can only post 4 pictures and they cannot total more than 10 MB.
Second, Rentlinx, www.rentlinx.com, has been very helpful. The basic and free level is very good. They aggregate for many other websites, including Show Me the Rent (www.showmetherent.com), trovit (www.trovit.com), and others (including Craigslist every 15 days). You can list up to 10 residential properties, which much more flexibility in the pictures and details in the listing. You can refresh every hour, and watch your web traffic go up and compare month to month. Rentlinx is a real gem. The customer service folks here are really wonderful and responsive even if you are a free member! No strong sales pressure tactics.
Third, for commercial properties, I like Loopnet.net (www.loopnet.com). They allow you to list your first three properties for free. Loopnet.com say that their service will get you 10 times more leads, but I always found that they provide me enough leads as a “courtesy” to keep me going. When the listing are stale, they will prompt you to refresh your leads. Loopnet is also an aggregates many other services. Again, don't forget to send them some love it they manage to help you out.
Fortunately, I have found three free, do-it-yourself services that have been particularly helpful. First is Craigslist (www.craigslist.com). Second is Rentlinx (www.rentlinx.com), and third is Loopnet (www.loopnet.net). They are all free at the basic level, and if you do manage to rent out some of your properties, you can send them some love and sign up for a membership.
First, we all know that you can do your listing on Craigslist for free. However, if you do not refresh them, they quickly fall to the bottom. Most readers will not have time or patience to scroll through page after page of listing, especially when there are so many vacancies. So you have to refresh them every 48 hours. Craigslist has other limitations, in the you can only post 4 pictures and they cannot total more than 10 MB.
Second, Rentlinx, www.rentlinx.com, has been very helpful. The basic and free level is very good. They aggregate for many other websites, including Show Me the Rent (www.showmetherent.com), trovit (www.trovit.com), and others (including Craigslist every 15 days). You can list up to 10 residential properties, which much more flexibility in the pictures and details in the listing. You can refresh every hour, and watch your web traffic go up and compare month to month. Rentlinx is a real gem. The customer service folks here are really wonderful and responsive even if you are a free member! No strong sales pressure tactics.
Third, for commercial properties, I like Loopnet.net (www.loopnet.com). They allow you to list your first three properties for free. Loopnet.com say that their service will get you 10 times more leads, but I always found that they provide me enough leads as a “courtesy” to keep me going. When the listing are stale, they will prompt you to refresh your leads. Loopnet is also an aggregates many other services. Again, don't forget to send them some love it they manage to help you out.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Are Double-Coupons Worth the Effort?
Double-coupons is using two coupons and receiving two discounts for the item. While I have only done it a couple of times, there are many people who do this an art. As an aside, most of the ideas that I write about in this blog are just that, ideas. I would not expect anyone to have the opportunity and patience to implement every single idea, but those that become habits are usually those that mean the most to you.
One place where looking for double coupons is very value is big ticket items like computers and technology that cost hundreds of dollar. I was able to double coupon my Lenovo laptop or a 40% discount off (20% and then 25% off) of the retail price of $2,199. Lenovo put the computer on sale, and I was able to find an applicable discount code that had no restrictions. That is, a savings of $880 plus I received 4% cash back from ebates on the purchase for another $53. ebates and other companies give you cash back, which is okay if they share the data with the retailer, but have privacy issue when they sell your data. I will write about this in the future.
Generally, double-couponing is less glamorous and exciting. It means that the store (be it Safeway, Dominick's, Jewel-Osco, Duane Reade or some other store that has chose to sell an item for leas than the “normal” retail price. The customer is also able to find and use a coupon for the same item that is advertised in the Sunday paper or through some other source. Both discounts or coupons must say not say “no other discounts apply,” otherwise one of them is invalid, and you receive only one discount. If the customer meet all conditions, then he receives both discounts.
This is not that easy to do, and take some effort. This is a good article on double coupons. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1758884/the_myth_behind_double_coupons.html?cat=46. It basically says that merchandisers are aware of double couponing, and they must still make a profit, so they increase the cost of other items in the store to make up for it. Therefore, to truly benefit from double couponing you must not spend more on the other items that you are able to use double coupons.
Second, and this is beyond the scope of this article is that you have to account for the cost of finding and locating the double-coupons, and the extra cost in transportation and time of buying from this alternative store. Remember, you will still have buy the non-double coupon items from somewhere, so you possibly have to go to a second store. After accounting for all of that double-couponing is often not that much more a deal – especially if you place some value on your time.
The double-couponing for a computer was great. I bought the machine on line and finding the coupon and testing it before final payment cost me less than 15 minutes. I saved $933 before addition tax savings for 15 minutes of work. It does not happen often though.
One place where looking for double coupons is very value is big ticket items like computers and technology that cost hundreds of dollar. I was able to double coupon my Lenovo laptop or a 40% discount off (20% and then 25% off) of the retail price of $2,199. Lenovo put the computer on sale, and I was able to find an applicable discount code that had no restrictions. That is, a savings of $880 plus I received 4% cash back from ebates on the purchase for another $53. ebates and other companies give you cash back, which is okay if they share the data with the retailer, but have privacy issue when they sell your data. I will write about this in the future.
Generally, double-couponing is less glamorous and exciting. It means that the store (be it Safeway, Dominick's, Jewel-Osco, Duane Reade or some other store that has chose to sell an item for leas than the “normal” retail price. The customer is also able to find and use a coupon for the same item that is advertised in the Sunday paper or through some other source. Both discounts or coupons must say not say “no other discounts apply,” otherwise one of them is invalid, and you receive only one discount. If the customer meet all conditions, then he receives both discounts.
This is not that easy to do, and take some effort. This is a good article on double coupons. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1758884/the_myth_behind_double_coupons.html?cat=46. It basically says that merchandisers are aware of double couponing, and they must still make a profit, so they increase the cost of other items in the store to make up for it. Therefore, to truly benefit from double couponing you must not spend more on the other items that you are able to use double coupons.
Second, and this is beyond the scope of this article is that you have to account for the cost of finding and locating the double-coupons, and the extra cost in transportation and time of buying from this alternative store. Remember, you will still have buy the non-double coupon items from somewhere, so you possibly have to go to a second store. After accounting for all of that double-couponing is often not that much more a deal – especially if you place some value on your time.
The double-couponing for a computer was great. I bought the machine on line and finding the coupon and testing it before final payment cost me less than 15 minutes. I saved $933 before addition tax savings for 15 minutes of work. It does not happen often though.
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