Be a Smart Last-Minute Shopper

In the run up to Christmas, the rush to get the perfect gift, or the gift someone really wants, can lead to some bad decisions and wasted money. Not everyone can be an expert on every subject, and that is certainly true of high tech gadgets. It’s easy to end up with the wrong thing, or something much more expensive than needed, especially when you don’t know much about the product and you are relying entirely on a salesperson or sales literature. One way to minimize these risks is to be an educated shopper, and know at least the basics about the item you are shopping for.

The blog Tech Toys Explained published the following helpful list, reprinted here by permission. Please note, these are not websites actually selling the specific items, they are informational sites with tons of information.

Apple iphone

Personal Digital Assistant (pda)

Security Cameras

all about Satellite TV and Radio

all about HDTV

What You Need To Know About Digital Photography

High Definition Video Cameras

Bluetooth Basics

Broadband Internet

Cellular Phones

Digital Cameras

GPS Devices

HDTV

LCD and Plasma Televisions

mp3

VOIP

the Apple iPhone

(Reprinted by Permission from Personal and Family Finance)

Online Marketing - It isn't just for geeks anymore

Absolutely anyone can get started and make money online. Online business today is truly a cut-and-paste activity. You don't have to know anything about programming, html editing, ftp or any of those other arcane subjects that used to mean only webheads and computer geeks could set up a website. If you can operate your home computer, you can get started in e-business.

Can you really make a billion dollars and retire next Tuesday without any work at all? I wouldn't count on it. And the truth is, about 80 - 90% of all those who start out to "make money on the web" end up losing a nice little chunk of change before they give up and go home.

This weblog is intended to help you succeed. Are we gurus and experts? Nope. If we were gurus and experts, we'd want you to pay us a few hundred dollars up front before we gave you any information or advice. But we're not gurus or experts, so absolutely everything we suggest or recommend is going to be either free or dirt cheap. And here is free lesson number one: DO NOT pay a bunch of money for any "system", "tool", "program", "investment", product or service until you have some idea what the heck you are doing.

Here's the brutal truth: everybody selling something on the web, who's been around for more than about seven minutes, KNOWS that 80 or 90% of the "newbies" will be gone in a few weeks or months. So there's a tendency to want to get as much cash as possible as fast as possible from each new customer. Consequently, much of what sells on the web is really, really overpriced. Today's $97 "must have hot bargain" is tomorrow's "free bonus".

Here's free lesson number two: before you jump in and start "spending money to make money" take the time to get yourself a basic education. In our next few posts, we'll steer you toward some free sites where you can take your time and learn the basics without spending a dime, or signing up for 500 email lists.