Canadian Vacation, eh? (brought to you by the JHO)

Being the awesome blogger that I am, my American buddy (an oxymoron for most Canadians) who runs this blog asked me if I’d be kind enough to contribute a post. “Something good,” he asked, not like the rest of the posts on here (I kid, of course).

Well, if you haven’t noticed or learned here on The Vigilant Consumer, the economy is officially in the crapper, and making sure you get the most bang for your buck is now more important than ever before. If you’re like me, you’re probably scrambling to stuff your mattress with whatever little savings you’ve scraped together over the years and doing whatever you can to avoid having squirrel soup for dinner (as one former Canadian politician has pointed out we may be headed for). That being said, in these depressing times (or, “depression times”, if you will), going out and having some fun, while stimulating the good old economy, may just be what the doctor ordered.

If you grew up in Canada, you already know the benefits of the cross-border road-trip to the mall in the US when the Canadian dollar goes up (see video here).



What you may be unaware of as an American citizen about our home and native land is, the 5-star-type cheap vacation opportunities that present themselves to you when the US dollar is strong – like it is now. Often there is some confusion amongst Americans about what Canada has to offer – it’s not all igloos, beavers, and strong beer – however if that’s what you’re into, that type of vacation deal is plentiful.

Did you know, for instance, that Canada is home to the top skiing and snowboarding destination in the world, Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia? The ways to spend your powerful US dollar in our fair land are endless – shopping in Toronto, skiing in Whistler, Banff or Jasper, fine dining in Montreal, or my personal recommendation: visit our nation’s capital Ottawa and thank our Prime Minister (same job as your president) for driving the Canadian dollar down so low that you can now make a killing on Canadian goods and services.

If you find yourself driving by a tired and hungry looking girl chasing squirrels in your new Mercedes S-Class you bought for just pennies on the American dollar in Vancouver en route to your 5-Star+ accommodations in Whistler…don’t forget to wave “hello” to me.

Shrinkage! Get out of the pool and lower your cellphone bill.

With Senator Judd Gregg withdrawing himself from consideration, perhaps President Obama should nominate Ronald McDonald or Walmart's unemployed Smiley character as the next Commerce Secretary. After all, McDonald's and Walmart seem to be the only companies that are still thriving in this economic debacle that we are enduring (even Coca Cola's profits are down). At least there'd be some tasy fries at the cabinent meetings. In a previous posting I discussed how to tighten the physical belt - today let's tighten the metaphorical one.

Ahh, remember the glory years of the Seinfeld era? Back in those days, shrinkage led to embarrassment (see video above). Today shrinkage should be celebrated, especially when it refers to your shriveling cellphone bills. Does The Vigilant Consumer have a tip on how you can easily determine whether these reductions are in your future? You betcha.

BillShrink.com aims to analyze your mobile usage in order to determine the most cost-effective plan. Once you provide info on voice minutes, data and text usage, they'll spit out recommendations on which carriers and plans you should consider. Keep in mind, however, if you are an iPhone junky - you are still tied to AT&T in the US. BillShrink predicts the carriers' projected signal strength in your zip, but be sure to check with friends and coworkers if you are switching to a new carrier - you don't want to become the victim of a dead-zone. If this site doesn't do the trick for you (and you are no longer under contract), try the old fashioned way. Call up your carrier and immediately ask for the cancellations department. Chances are, they'll be willing to throw some freebies your way.

Can you hear me now?

Live in California (OR KANSAS)? Pay your taxes ASAP or your refund might be an IOU.

Ahhhh California, the land of milk and honey! It's the only state governed by a Terminator, and according to wikipedia, California's GDP is greater than all but 8 countries in the world. So, why am I comparing California to a modern day Wimpy (remember that lovable character from Popeye who was always willing to "pay Tuesday for a hamburger today")? Well, according to breaking news reports, Arnold might not have enough money in his coffers to cover the tax refunds for all of his constituents. If you are from California, don't fret too much. You would still get a refund in the mail, but rather than including a check, there would be a Wimpy-esque IOU.

If you think this is a far-fetched conspiracy theory, think again. Back in 1992 California actually issued IOUs to 100,000 state employees in lieu of their paychecks - FOR 2 MONTHS. While a delayed refund would certainly be an inconvenience, it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Or, maybe it should be. Apparently, there are many people out there who don't trust themselves to save for anticipated expenses. They use their tax refund as a savings account, adjusting their withholdings so the resulting refund will cover their property tax bill which is due in April. Unfortunately, an IOU can't pay off a property tax bill.

I've always been confused by those who would rather overpay the government and let it hold onto their money until the end of the year. Sure, it is exciting to get a big check from the government, but I find the time value of money to be much more thrilling (that sounds a bit geeky). Anyhow, a buddy of mine reminded me that not all people have willpower when it comes to saving - a dollar in the bank account is a dollar that will get spent. Frankly, I don't buy that excuse at all. In a future posting, I will suggest a solution. It involves direct deposit, online bank accounts and some of the best interest rates around.

UPDATE (2/17/09): Wake up Toto, looks like you'll be receiving an IOU in the mail this year as well. There's no place like home...No place like home...

Get spammed and save money. Top brands will throw offers your way!

Happy New Year! After some rest and relaxation, I am back at it, refining and promoting the art of proactive consumerism so that you will protect yourself and get more for your money. The vacation included a few terrific days in Oxnard, California. Never heard of it? This sleepy, laid-back town certainly ranks high on the list of The Vigilant Consumer's Value Vacation Spots - more of those in a future posting. It has an amazing beach and excellent proximity to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley wine country made famous by the movie Sideways. If you don't trust me about Oxnard, check out this New York Times article.

Enough of the vacation reminiscing, it is back to business. The post holiday sales are still in full-effect and now is a great time to return those horrendous sweaters you got so you can treat yourself to the gifts you really wanted. In a previous post I covered how to save money by searching for coupon or promo codes to use online. Imagine if that info came straight to you via an email, with offers from your favorite stores and brands. It's simple, just visit the websites of your favorite companies and look for the place to subscribe to their "email updates", "newsletters" or whatever other cutesy branded name they use. Look on the homepage where there is usually a link for this at the very bottom (or they will always ask you if you want to receive offers when you complete an online purchase).

The savings can be huge - checkout this 40% off in-store coupon that I just received this morning from Borders Books (click here to register for their emails). In addition these being popular for bookstores and department stores like Macy's (click to register), many consumers love the weekly airfare sales from Southwest (click to register) or United Airlines (click to register).

As usual, there is always a catch. Be prepared to get inundated by emails from these stores. Some subscribe to the quantity over quality belief, and therefore, send messages multiple times a week. Although you shouldn't have to worry about this from reputable companies, some may also sell your email address to list brokers. The solution simple - always use a secondary email address (I call it my junk email address) when subscribing to any of these newsletters. Those of you already employ that technique know what I mean. If this is new to you, stay tuned for the next posting.

Next up: Unclutter your email inbox. Control spam in 2009.

Do you have a promo code?

When buying online, you should ALWAYS search for a "promo code". Some sites call it a "promotional code" and others refer to it as a "coupon code", but they all add up to the same result for you - HUGE SAVINGS. There is a catch, not every site will be offering a discount when you buy. However, let's assume that you make 10 online purchases a year, spending an average of $100 each time. If you can find 10% off codes for half of those purchases, you'll save $50 a year. That's not too shabby for a few extra minutes of work.

If the code exists, finding it is simple. Let's say you can't wait to get a steal on that sexy new sweater vest from GAP. Simply visit Google, Yahoo or your favorite search engine and type in "gap promo code" or "gap coupon code". The search results will show tons of websites with names like CouponCabin.com, CouponCode.com, CouponHeaven.com - you get the point. Work your way down the list and see which has a current offer to save you money or get you free shipping. You'll quickly see there is a lot of repetition. Some sites display the promo code directly and you simply enter it when you complete the purchase online (or occasionally it also works for in-store purchase). However, it's more common that the site will direct you to GAP via a link, which is perfectly OK . In this scenario, clicking the link will take you to GAP and the deduction should automatically be taken when you checkout. GAP will pay a small referral fee to the coupon website - a win win situation for all.

Although coupon codes are not as common for travel, it never hurts to search for one when completing any online transaction. Now that the post Christmas sales are in full force, tis the season for online savings.

Next up: Do you use a financial adviser? Some basic steps that could help save you from the next Bernie Madoff.