Shopping Archives

6 Ways to Find Cheap Flights Without Frequent Flier Miles

Although airfare has been slightly cheaper lately thanks to low oil prices, the cost of flights is still outrageously expensive when you consider how little you get out of it. A tiny seat, one free checked bag (if you’re lucky), a soda, and some peanuts? Is that really worth hundreds of dollars? Flying can be expensive. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways to still find cheap flights even without using frequent flier miles. If you have no choice but to fly, there are many ways to avoid expensive airline tickets. Well-seasoned travelers usually get airline-branded credit cards and rack up miles towards discounted or free flights later. However, if you’re an occasional air traveler without … Read more

Which Wholesale Warehouse Club Membership is Best for You?

by Hank Coleman

The two most popular warehouse clubs in the US are Costco and Sam’s Club. Each membership in the warehouse wholesale club comes with its own unique benefits and this comprehensive guide will help you decide which one is best for your shopping needs.

Which Warehouse Wholesale Club Membership Is Best?

Warehouse Wholesale Club Size and Locations

In terms of warehouse size, Sam’s Club averages 176,000 square feet per warehouse, while Costco warehouses average 143,800 square feet. Both retailers sell thousands of items online as well. There are 651 Sam’s Club locations in 47 US states and Puerto Rico, though if you’re a Canadian customer then you may want to go with Costco because the only six Canadian Sam’s Club warehouses shut down in 2009.

Costco has a wider reach with 689 warehouses spread out across 43 US states and Puerto Rico (481), Mexico (36), Canada (89), the U.K. (27), Spain (2), Taiwan (12), Korea (12), Japan (23), and Australia (8).

Verdict: Sam’s Club seems to be lagging when it comes to location availability. Unless you live in a state without a Costco, your best bet for domestic and international warehouse access is with a Costco membership.

Warehouse Membership Prices

Sam’s Club wins the membership price war with their basic “Sam’s Club Savings” and “Sam’s Club Business” memberships selling for $45 annually. These memberships include buying access to Sam’s Club online and warehouse inventory items, discounts on eyeglasses, instant savings deals, free store pick-up, and potential eligibility for the Sam’s Club MasterCard.

The Sam’s Club Plus membership for $100 per year includes the basic member amenities, as well as cash-back rewards on purchases ($10 for every $500 spent, up to $500 cash-back per year), over 200 generic medications for $4 for a 30-day supply and 400 generic medications for $10 for a 30-day supply (as well as 5 free medications with a prescription), and extra service protection for several non-electronic items purchased through Sam’s Club.

Sam’s Club also offers 1-day shopping passes for non-members to check out their warehouse and website; if you decide to purchase something then there will be a 10% surcharge added to your order.

Although Costco does not offer a 1-day pass to potential members, it still offers low-priced memberships starting at $55 per year for the Business and Gold Star memberships. Unlike Sam’s Club memberships – which charge you extra for additional members added to your card – Costco lets you add one member to your card at no additional cost (it must be a spouse or immediate family member living at the same address as you, however).

Costco’s upgraded memberships, the Executive Business or Executive Gold Star, cost $110 per year and come with added benefits such as free roadside assistance for cars covered through Costco’s auto insurance program, 2% rewards on most Costco purchases, and extra discounts on Costco’s travel services.

Verdict: If membership price is the main factor you’re considering when deciding between Costco or Sam’s Club, Sam’s Club takes the cake with lower annual costs and excellent member benefits at all membership levels.

Should You Buy An Amazon Prime Membership?

by Hank Coleman

Is Amazon Prime price worth the cost for the annual subscription? It is currently estimated that there are 54 million Amazon Prime members in the United States, but regardless of the membership service’s popularity, is it right for you?

This guide will explore the benefits of Amazon Prime and discuss potential downsides to help you decide whether to drop $99, the Amazon Prime price for an annual membership.

Is Amazon Prime Price Worth the Cost?

Free 2-Day Shipping

One of the number one benefits offered to Amazon Prime members is the free, 2-day shipping option. Now that free standard shipping only comes to regular Amazon customers for orders over $49 (it used to be $35), the Prime shipping is a huge benefit, especially if you order from Amazon multiple times per year.

In fact, say you place an order with Amazon once per month. If you have to pay for shipping each time – and sometimes want to upgrade it to 2-day shipping – then the amount you pay for shipping over the course of the year might be higher than the cost of a Prime membership! This calculation alone would make Amazon Prime worth it for some folks but if you’re still on the fence then read on.

Can You Really Make Money With Paid Online Surveys? Or Are They a Scam?

by Hank Coleman

We’ve all seen those flashy online ads that proclaim you can make thousands of dollars in a week just by answering questions from your laptop. Clearly, this is a scam, but nowadays, the bogus survey companies are getting sneakier with legit-sounding promises and more subtle messaging. Can you make money legitimately with paid online surveys? Not all paid web surveys are scams, but most of them aren’t worth your time, either. If you’ve been trying to break into the world of paid online surveys, then carefully read the guide below to protect your information and privacy before signing up for any survey site. Make Money With Legit Paid Online Surveys How to Spot a Scam The Survey Police Blog has … Read more

Financial Checklist for Planning a Long Trip Overseas

by Jeremy

Congratulations! You’ve saved up money, gotten a promotion, snagged a job that allows for remote working, or any of a number of other situations. Whatever the case, you’ve decided to travel overseas long term, perhaps for the first time in your life. If this is the first time you’ve prepared for a journey like this, there are many things which will challenge you. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble if you are able to plan these things out in advance. When everything goes smoothly later, you’ll have your earlier preparation to thank for it. Here are some things to think about now with a financial checklist. Travel. International travel is becoming a lot cheaper. Of course, we’re talking about … Read more

Top 5 Tips for Saving Time and Money at Walt Disney World

by Guest Contributor

The following is a guest post by Evelyn Ramsey. If you would like to write an article for Money Q&A, please visit our Guest Posting Guidelines page.

Disney World is two times larger than Manhattan. If you’ve ever wanted to visit Orlando, now is the time. There are so many exciting things to see and do.

Here’s how to save money at Disney World, have fun, and visit the very best areas of the park.

How to Save Money at Walt Disney World

Get a Good Hotel

Staying at a hotel on property gets expensive. Some hotels in the park can be had for $70 per night, but if you’re bringing a large family, it can be more like $500 per night. So, instead of paying steep prices, check out these Orlando hotels and just drive or shuttle to the park.

Most hotels that are near Disney World also have taxis or at least a car rental agency nearby that can take you and your family. If a rental car costs you $30-$50 a day, and the hotel costs you $60 per night, it might be cheaper than staying in park if the park prices are a few hundred dollars.

Watch What and Where You Eat

How to save money at Disney World? Food in Walt Disney World is notoriously expensive, but the prices are coming down a bit. Drink water, and it’s free. Juice is $1 cheaper compared to the soft drinks.

And, the park has relaxed its rules on the whole “no outside food” rules, with a few exceptions. You can’t bring glass containers, hard-backed coolers, or alcohol or food that would need heating up. That’s how to save money at Disney World.

Some ideas for food that works well at Disney include sandwiches, snack foods that are brought in plastic bags, dried meats (jerky), and candy. Since water is free, you don’t really need to worry too much about this unless you want to bring your own filtered water bottle.