Saving 101: The Truth About Dollar Stores

In honor of our less-than-rosy economic situation, I thought it appropriate to start scouring the wide world o' Web for useful nuggets on saving money and shaving costs. Let's face it, a vastly small percentage of us are sleeping like hibernating bears in the wake of higher monthly bills, debt, the job market, etc.

Now to the meat of it. If anyone hasn't perused the library of useful information over at HowStuffWorks, then I suggest you take a stroll and a gander. Tons of categorized tips and information on, well, how stuff works. It's the kitchen sink mentality, so don't be surprised if your curiosity surrounding an octopus' ability to look like other animals or how beer is made will meet it's intellectual match.

Onward to the question of the day. What's up with the dollar store? It's an odd stigma that often prevents many of us from taking full advantage of the ludicrous savings involved, so when I stumbled upon an article over at HowStuffWorks titled What's the deal with dollar stores, I had to stop and window shop.

I've compiled some interesting points from the article that I think are worth looking a bit more closely at.

• Advertising - No brand loyalty and no big bucks and no talking heads to make the off-brands spin across marketing lines makes it hard to sell these brands as legit. I tend to agree.
• Status - This is an interesting point in the article that I think could serve as a series of blogs studying the microcosm of our society's buying habits. No celebrity endorsements = no national branding = dollar stores can't compete with the big dogs to advertise their products.

So it's save to say ( I had to, sorry)  that the stigma of a dollar store offering "cheap" and not necessarily "thrifty" or "affordable" items is perpetuated by the fact that dollar stores simply can't advertise with the larger corporations. I think the article hits the nail on the proverbial head.

But what does this mean for you? Well, right now the dollar store is looking good on several fronts. According to the article, Family Dollar Store's stock index value rose 42 percent in 2008, handily outperforming major companies with the dough to back their products. So win number one for the dollar stores and its employees.

Enter the economic downturn and its effect on shopper mentality. While name brands inspire spending under normal circumstances, saving money inspires frugal shopping, making the appeal of a dollar-store bargain even greater. An even more interesting point, that I was completely unaware of, is the fact that dollar stores will often buy product from larger retailers that are closing stores or going under during hard economic times. Of course, there is no guarantee that the name brand products will last, but it's the fact that you have options to get the items you need, and want in many cases, at a much lower cost than average.

Look, don't take my word that dollar stores are legit. That's really a personal financial choice. We all could use any advice or avenues to shaving costs right now. I think the article raises some very valid points and sheds light on what is really a social enigma. I'll leave it to you to decide whether thrift shopping is on your docket, but I think for the sake of saving money on household items, the dollar store is a worthy option.

Toyota Seaweed Car—Wave of the Future?

File this under the strange and infamous. Toyota is building a car... made from seaweed. Yes, seaweed. Short of offering Aquaman a lucrative endorsement contract, I'm not sure how much stranger the concept could be. The crazy part is that the subtle surge of bio plastics into the green car market makes the Toyota sea car thingy pretty ahead of the curve as far as eco-friendly automobiles. It's bio plastic derived from seaweed to be exact, and Toyota is building this technology within the framework of its 1/X plug-in hybrid that premiered at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show.

Plastic made from kelp? Check out the full article Toyota Wants to Build Car From Seaweed over at Wired.com and let me know what you think. I'm intrigued and a bit mesmerized.

Natural Gas Prices on a Downward Spiral

Did you notice that your natural gas bills were quite low this winter season? I sure did! I had my heater cranked this season and was expecting enormous heating bills but instead was quite shocked when I didn't have to sell a kidney to pay my bills.

I started researching the natural gas market because truly my heating bills were ridiculously low. I stumbled across an article in The Wall Street Journal that answered the mystery.

As it turns out, natural gas prices have hit a record low partly because of the recession. Seems the demand from industrial users has declined and that means the US now has an abundant supply of natural gas in storage so to speak. The supply and demand factor is off kilter, too much supply of natural gas and not much demand.

As this is bad news for natural gas producers, it does mean we, the consumers, can expect natural gas prices to stay low.

To learn more, read the article Spring is Next Test for natural Gas Prices.

Blu-ray and DVD Combo Package on the Horizon

Is Blu-ray more of an inconvenience than it's worth? Big studios have realized that Blu-ray movies are expensive and problematic to watch since most families my not own multiple Blu-ray players. With DVDs, a consumer could play their movie in any DVD player in the house plus on small travel sized DVD players and even on computers or lap tops. This is not the case with Blu-ray, because it is a new technology.

So studios have come up with a good solution. They will give consumers more bang for their buck. Some movies will be packaged with Blu-ray plus a convenient to play DVD. This way consumers can watch their movies anywhere and anytime.

To read more about this, click over to the article on cnet.com.

Searching for a Home Online?

Looking for a place to live can be a stressful situation, especially right now during the current economic climate that we face.Fortunately for us, the Internet exists and makes our lives that much easier. If you can find how to make peanut butter candy, surely you can find something to streamline your quest for the right pad.

CNET has posted some really helpful articles in terms of finding and purchasing the right home for you. The first of these two articles is a list of real estate search sites that cover properties all over the US, and some that even update you instantly when new properties are available. The second article covers 5 Services to Help you Buy a House. In it, you'll find useful information regarding sites that locate real estate agents, neighborhood and mortgage data, and property history.

Hopefully the combination of those two lists proves to be relevant in your home search. I'm currently on the hunt right now, so I've already started digging into them. Good luck!

Universal Cell Charger a Reality in 2012?

Micro-USB technology? Check. Universal cell phone charger? Check. Circa 2012 will see the world's first universal cell phone charger making its rounds with the major handset manufacturers, with Apple being the only missing company as of right now. The USB interface will be adopted and applied to new phones as a standard moving forward. Other possibilities include reducing energy consumption by 50 percent. An interesting aspect of the charger would be eliminating the need to buy multiple chargers for new phones, lessening the impact on landfills and the environment.

Universal Cell Charger

Accent Energy Helps Central Ohio Families Reduce Utility Bills

Accent Energy helped disadvantaged Central Ohio families by donating 970 Conservation Kits to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, which then redistributed to families in need to help reduce their utility bills. The kits contain three compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), a night light and insulating outlet covers. CFLs use up to 75% less energy than traditional bulbs and help reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

The nightlights are a great addition considering families can use the low-energy option to light entryways and other areas of the home at night without leaving wasteful incandescent lights running. The combination of items in these conservation kits could add up to noticeable annual savings on the electricity bill. More importantly, low-income families are often faced with the choice between paying the electricity bill or putting food on the table, so these kits and the money saved on utilities is a much-need commodity in tough times.

Google Testing Energy Tracker

For those of us trying to shave every penny imaginable, there may be some new technology on the docket. Google is testing new software, essentially a home energy tracker, to help households plug and play to better estimate the costs associated with powering a home.

Google PowerMeter is not yet available to consumers, but should be an interesting add to the already large crop of energy monitors world wide. The percentage of energy actually saved may seem small in scale, but over a full year and with dedicated efforts to find out which appliances waste the most energy and subsequently cutting back, people could easily lower monthly utility bills.

More information is available at CNN/World Business.

Going Green with Coffee

I found this article on a green printer that uses coffee dregs as ink. So does that mean your printouts smell like coffee?

Anyway this little printer is definitely not made for mass production but still a pretty good green idea. Click on over to Cnet.com and check out the article Green Printer Uses Coffee Dregs as Ink.

Green Valentines Day Gifts

I've compiled a list of Earth friendly Valentines Day presents you can give your sweetie this year. It's always important to be green when ever you can and gift giving is no exception. So get ready to not only say I love you to your honey but to the planet as well.

Ten green Valentines Day ideas:

• Cards - Pick a card made from recycled material or try sending an e-card. Some cards even come with seeds you can plant.
• Flowers - Choose organic or locally grown flowers.
• Chocolates - Buy organic chocolates or find a store that makes it locally.
• Donation Gifts - Make a donation to an environmental cause in the name of your sweet heart.
• Jewelry - Purchase jewelry from a store that has environmentally safe practices.
• A Romantic Walk - Instead of driving around town, reduce your emissions by taking a long romantic walk.
• Carpool - If you have friends wanting to all go out to a romantic dinner at the same restaurant, then take one car or share a limo. 
• Bed and Breakfast - There are plenty of B&B's that are Eco-friendly, so choose one of them.
• Candles - If your giving candles as a gift or lighting them to set the mood, make sure to use soy candles.
• Alcoholic Beverages - Again choose a wine or champagne that comes from organic farmers or made locally.