Currently Browsing: Smart Shopping
Mar 16
Everything You Should Know about Porch Pirates
Porch piracy is an ever growing problem in the United States, affecting communities across the country. It’s very common here that delivery services like UPS, FedEx or USPS just leave a package on your front porch. Sometimes they snap a picture as proof of delivery, but still, it’s out in the open until you see … read more
Dec 2
How I became a Smarter Shopper in 2014
If you’ve been following my blog for a while you already know that I really like to write about shopping smart and taking advantage of the many opportunities here in the United States. That’s why I experiment with a lot of things on the side. Little side projects that either help me earn more money … read more
Nov 25
Thanksgiving in the USA – More than just a holiday
It’s Thanksgiving season! The time when American families come together, even travel long distances to meet up, and share a meal together. Not any meal, but the traditional dinner centered around a large roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy. For dessert there’s traditionally apple pie, but also pumpkin pie, pecan pie and other... read more
Sep 30
How we got a $2,500 trip to Bermuda for free + Book Giveaway
During the last 2 years I’ve been trying out a lot of things and took on quite a few projects to explore different opportunities. One of these side projects is Travel Hacking and if you’re a loyal reader of this blog, you probably remember me writing about it before. After reading the Frequent Flyer Master... read more
Apr 7
Leverage Your Savings With Gift Cards
America is on its way to become a cashless society. Almost every store and restaurant accepts some form of cashless payment, be it credit card, debit card or gift cards. I don’t carry as much cash with me anymore like I used to back in Germany. All I have with me is a very small … read more
Dec 9
Credit Cards – Curse or Blessing?
When my wife and I came to America eight years ago, we did not have any US credit history – just like every new expat. And we didn’t really care, because we did not even know how long our American adventure would last and how long we would stay here. We paid our cars in … read more
Nov 19
How to Earn a Commission On Your Own Purchase
Ever since I moved to America, I’ve always been on the look out for new ways to save on my spending, earning cash back or just landing good deals on stuff that I am going to purchase anyways. There are just so many great opportunities out there. Besides Travel Hacking to cut down on travel... read more
Nov 8
When Stuff Breaks
Aaaaah, convenience… that’s what I LOVE about America! I’ve just had the best experience with Lowe’s after having a semi-urgent emergency the other day – our washing machine broke after doing a decent job for over 6 years. Let me start from the beginning… Our Whirlpool Cabrio top loader (in short: washing machine) started... read more
Oct 23
How to Become a Frequent Flyer Millionaire
Dividend miles programs have been out there for many years and even though I signed up and used Lufthansa’s frequent flyer program in the past, I never really paid closer attention to how you could take this system to the next level. I knew that I can earn miles with every flight and then hopefully … read more
Oct 1
Bargain Hunting at Police Auctions
The other day I spent a few hours at an auction for unclaimed property seized by my local police department. The auction itself was hosted by a professional auction company and over 300 items were up for grabs. Every six months they are selling all the items that they seized and the public can try … read more
Aug 10
How to Buy a Car Without the Hassle
One of the first big purchases you have to make after your immigration is buying a car, unless you live in a big metropolitan area with outstanding public transportation. The rest of America is very wide spread – it’s a big country and there are usually not that many sidewalks or bike trails, so a … read more
Jul 31
What’s the Best Wholesale Club?
There are many different ways to save money on your purchases in America. One way is by signing up for a wholesale club, that will currently charge a membership fee of $45-55 per year, so that you can buy items at a lower cost. It does pay off, if you buy in bulk and maybe … read more
Jul 16
5 Daily Deal Sites Worth Checking Out
Not everybody who decides to immigrate to America can afford to bring all of their belongings in a big container. Some people sell a lot of things before the big move to ship only the essentials and others can afford to keep their apartment or house in their native country and newly furnish their home … read more