Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Savings Tips

!±8± Savings Tips

There are a number of small changes you can make to your everyday life. These may seems fairly minor savings but added together and applied regularly, they can make a difference.

Using ATM's

If you're lucky enough to be with a bank that doesn't charge for using ATM's then good luck to you. For everyone else, there are varying ranges of fees attached to excess ATM usage - you could save a little bit each month by watching your withdrawals and avoiding those fees.

If your account has a limit on the number of ATM/EFTPOS transactions per month, the first tip is to try and stay within that limit.....avoid those small transactions (i.e. - withdrawals) and you'll find you can manage better. Maybe it would be easier to withdraw a little extra cash each time and it keep somewhere safe so you're not tempted to spend it!

Another fee attached to ATM withdrawals occurs when you use an ATM operated by another bank. Most banks charge for the pleasure and convenience of cash withdrawals, so whenever possible, use your bank's ATM.

The big bank charge around 30 cents for excess ATM/EFTPOS transactions and around .50 when you use the facilities of a different lender!

Discount liquor

Check out Dan Murphy's or a similar discount liquor outlet for specials on alcohol. Depending on your choice of beers, you can sometimes save around for a carton of premium beer and around a carton for a carton of VB or Carlton Draught. Same applies for wines and spirits and it's even cheaper if you buy in bulk. My wife like "Pink" champagne and if we buy a case of 12 (we don't drink it all in one go), we can save about - per bottle compared to a regular liquor outlet...that's a saving of - !

Consolidate and save

Do you pay insurance to a number of different companies? Well, if you approach your current main insurer or any prospective insurer and ask to consolidate your insurances (i.e. car, home and contents, life etc) you're bound to get a fairly decent discount on your premium payments.

Companies such as AAMI, RACV and Allianz offer all types of insurance and will definitely provide you with some type of discount when consolidating your policies. Insurance is a pretty competitive industry and it would be worthwhile approaching between 3 - 5 companies to set who can offer you the best rates.

Pump carefully

The day of the week when you buy your petrol can make a big difference. Studies indicate that in Australian capital cities, petrol is cheapest earlier in the week. The previous post "Buying Petrol" provide stats and charts that indicate that buying petrol on a Tuesday can save up to 0 a year! Coupled with the 4 cents of per liter shop-a-docket, and you could save around 0 a year!

Restaurants that offer BYO

Find restaurants that have a BYO policy and you can save big time.

Say you go out to eat twice a month and with every meal you enjoy a pleasant bottle of wine. Let us assume that a pleasant bottle of wine sets you back at your local bottle shop. That same pleasant bottle of wine would probably cost about - is a non-BYO restaurant.

That's right, you can save and every time you eat out if you choose BYO. Find yourself a few decent BYO restaurants that you're happy with and you've saved yourself anywhere between 0 - 0 on the cost of your wine per annum depending on how many times you eat out.

By the way, a carton of Crown Lager can be bought on special for a carton at Dan Murphy's, Liquorland etc, which equates to .66 a bottle. The price in restaurants ranges from anywhere between - ....you can do the math on that one.

Be a smart shopper

Check out the specials online before you shop for your groceries. When you know what you're going to buy, you invariably spend less. Try doing one big shop a week as opposed to several throughout the week....you will spend less. All supermarket chains have promotion days - keep an eye on the commercials or check out the "junk mail" for this week's specials.

Where possible, see if a no name or home brand alternative is available. The quality is usually just as good but the price is usually a lot cheaper. Also, buy bulk when the item is on special, that way you benefit from the reduced prices.

Another tip, don't go shopping when you're hunger, that's when everything looks great and you usually buy and spend more than you need to.

Consolidate your credit card debts

Are your credit cards out of control? Do you have multiple credit cards with excess balances incurring annual fees? Do you know what interest rate you're paying on each credit card?

You know what, you'd probably be better off if you consolidate your credit card debts onto one card. Most lenders offer new customers the ability to transfer existing debts at lower than normal interest for a set period of time, say six months.

Go to http://www.cannex.com.au or http://www.infochoice.com.au where you'll tables which will help you choose a credit card that is right for you. When you're looking at these sites, think about what you want: ability to transfer balances at low interest rate, low interest introduction rate, interest free days, low ongoing interest rate, quality rewards program linked to your frequent flyer program etc.

Remember one thing, it's usually the case that the more bells and whistles, the more you'll pay in annual fees and interest rates.
Either way, if you're serious about eating into your credit card debts and you're getting confused about how you owe and on which card, its time to consolidate and factor serious repayments into your budget.

Credit card debt is expensive debt and needs to be carefully monitored and managed as it can easily get out of control.

Negotiate on Utilities

Do you get phone calls from Telstra or Optus looking to secure your business? What about Electricity and Gas providers such as TRU Energy or Origin? Don't get annoyed and hang up, you could get yourself a good deal if you listen, compare and negotiate?

We consolidated our Gas and Electricity a couple of years ago and saved. Then we got a call from a competitor offering a better deal. We didn't want to go through the hassle of changing providers, so we rang our new provider, told them about the offer and asked them what they could do. They didn't only match the deal, they bettered it.

In addition to that, we consolidated our home phone, mobile phone and internet account into one package and ended up savings about a month compared to having three different accounts with three different providers. If you live in the right area, you can even include you pay TV in the consolidation and save even more.

The utilities market is a competitive space and customer acquisition is pretty fierce. Companies will provide some qualities offers to get or retain your business, it's up to you to negotiate the best possible offer by either pushing your current provider for a better deal or seeing what the competition has to offer.


Savings Tips

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Electrolux : EW30DS65GS 30 Slide-in Dual Fuel Range, 4 Sealed Burners, Convection - Stainless Stee

!±8±Electrolux : EW30DS65GS 30 Slide-in Dual Fuel Range, 4 Sealed Burners, Convection - Stainless Stee

Brand : Electrolux
Rate :
Price :
Post Date : Nov 22, 2011 21:57:26
Usually ships in 1-2 business days



Electrolux

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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Cooktops - Gas Vs Induction

!±8± Cooktops - Gas Vs Induction

I'm often asked by my customers which cooktop is better - gas or induction? I always answer the same way - that depends on what you mean by better! Let me explain...

In the past, if you wanted the best performing cooktop, you wanted a pro-style cooktop, or rangetop as it is commonly referred to in the industry. There are many brands that offer high output burners which will also give you a delicate simmer. These rangetops make it possible to boil something quickly while never having to move the cooking vessel when it is time to turn the heat down to a simmer. (You may have seen the chocolate chips melting on a paper plate demonstration showing how delicate some rangetops can be.) Most brands offering high-end rangetops will give you an incredible simmer. My favorites are Wolf and Viking as every burner will give you the low simmer and high output.

Here is the drawback to gas cooktop - they are NOT easy to clean! I can't tell you how many people tell me about how they've scratched the porcelain or stainless steel on their cooking surface trying to scour it clean. And that's not to mention normal heat discoloration that is easily visible after regular use with stainless steel cooking surfaces. The grates are also hard to keep looking new. Grates should not be washed in the dishwasher as the rubber grommets will wash out. The grates will more than likely develop rust in the dishwasher, too.

This is where Induction cooktops spark the interest of my customers who want the performance of a professional rangetop, but want something easy to clean. Induction - or magnetic induction - works on the molecular level. The magnet creates friction in the cooking vessel (ferrous metal pots and pans are necessary - if a magnet sticks to it, you are good to go) creating the most efficient source of heat at more than 90 % efficiency. Gas cooktops are about 60 percent efficient, depending on the model. Back to the cleaning issue... Because there is no heat passing through the ceramic glass on the induction models, they are a breeze to clean. You don't have the usual burning in on the surface as you do with radiant smoothtop or gas cooktops. Soap and water usually does the trick to clean the induction top.

Induction is very fast to bring water to a boil, too. Depending on the electrical specs of the cooktop, you may be able to boil 1 quart of water in 30 seconds! The fastest gas rangetop will do the same in around 2 mins. 30 seconds. It will also go to a simmer instantly - great for when you've noticed the fudge starting to boil over!

So why wouldn't everyone choose induction over gas? Here are a couple things:

If you need a range (with oven), there aren't many to choose from right now with an induction top. Your choices currently are Viking and GE Profile.

Induction cooktops require more power. If you have a 30" cooktop presently, you more than likely have a 30 amp breaker. Most 30" induction cooktops will require a 40 amp service. You will more than likely need an electrician to make this work.

If you need to boil more than one vessel at a time, make sure to find out about power sharing on induction cooktops. Some cooktops will only be able to produce a boil on one burner while others are being used. This can be problem for large families or for those who hire caterers to cook for dinner parties, etc. Having said this, there are models available that you are able to boil more than one pot at a time. Make sure you know those models that can.

So which is better - gas or induction? That's up to you to decide. If you want high performance and easy cleaning, induction is a great choice. If you entertain and need to boil many pots at once, or even if you lose power often where you live (most gas cooktops can be lit manually with a match), gas may be the right one for you. The great thing about cooktops today is we have so many great choices to choose from in gas and induction.


Cooktops - Gas Vs Induction

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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Viking VGCC5304BSS 30 Professional Custom Series Gas Range - Stainless Steel

!±8±Viking VGCC5304BSS 30 Professional Custom Series Gas Range - Stainless Steel

Brand : Viking
Rate :
Price :
Post Date : Nov 17, 2011 17:34:24
Usually ships in 1-2 business days



30" Pro-Style Gas Range with 4 VSH Pro Sealed Burners w/ VariSimmer, 4.0 cu. ft. ProFlow Convection Oven, Infrared Broiler and 6 Bake Functions: Stainless Steel

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