As the holiday season came upon us and the weather went from tolerable to unbearable, I found myself seeing more movies than I would have the rest of the year.  I suppose it is a good time to see movies, as the potential Oscar winners are released, so the quality of films should be greater, but I found myself wondering, is it really worth going to the movies?  Not only in money, but also time, which I feel as just as valuable.  If you go to a first-run, primetime weekend show, it is $10 a person, so for a couple, $20 to get in.  Add in another $25 for two alcoholic drinks (still $12 for a couple of soft drinks), then if you want popcorn or candy, another $10 or so.  So for a two hour experience, was it worth $50-60?  It probably was not.  Of course you could do a matinee show, sneak in your own pop, or alcohol shooters to put in, and skip the popcorn, and maybe see a movie for $10 total, but what is the fun in that?  I am not sure what the correct price point should be to see a movie, maybe $8 a person or so, which is not much of a difference, but the amount it costs of popcorn, candy, or pop, is just ridiculous.

There are so many bad movies that get released every week, alone in a year, so I do find myself going to less movies, not only because of the price, but also I find it more and more hard to sit through two hours of a bad movie, only to leave and say “eh, it was alright”.  To me, that is not entertainment.  Of course not all movies are bad; I do enjoy comedies, and I do make sure I see the potential award nominated movies, and of course I had to go on opening night to see the new “Star Wars” movie.  I know movies are made to make money, so the endless amounts to sequels that come out, and the majority of the movies that are released are some form of a super hero, so unless people stop going, we can look forward to years and years of super hero sequels, reboots, and entirely new casts playing the same characters.  For my money, I think I will wait for most to arrive to rent On Demand or showing on the streaming services.

If you’re the type of consumer that’s always looking for the best deals you no doubt have seen web services, apps, coupon sites, browser plug-ins and more that will make sure that, before you make a purchase, you always get the best price.

But what about after you make a purchase? What if the price of the product you bought last week drops this week?  Sure, if you’re lucky enough to catch that fact you could go back to the store, return the product, and purchase it again at the lower price. Of course that’s a lot of work, time and energy wasted.

Recently however, at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York City, a new service was introduced named Paribus that takes advantage of the low-price policy many retailers already have in place. The best part? It does the checking, and the refunding, automatically.

What the service does, after you sign up, is attach itself to your email accounts and, whenever a receipt is sent to you from a retailer, it scans the receipt and analyzes the content. After that, it starts checking to see if the price of the items you purchased happen to drop in that particular store. It does this for 14 days, which is the typical time frame for getting a refund from a retail establishment for a price drop.

The first drawback that Paribus has is that, as with any service that saves you money, it takes a commission for doing so. Paribus charges 25% of whatever the refund amount is but, frankly, it’s found money and you wouldn’t be getting anything back without the service.

When you consider how most retail stores are pricing these days, using very aggressive, dynamic pricing techniques based on demand and a number of other factors, the service that Paribus offers is more relevant than ever.  There’s simply no way that a typical consumer could possibly track all of the price changes on everything that they purchase. Also, applying for a refund takes a considerable amount of time and effort.

When you consider that prices on practically every consumer item being purchased today are changed automatically using algorithms and software, it’s only fair that consumers have a service that uses those same algorithms to get some money back.

There is a 2nd drawback however and, depending on how you feel about online security and identity theft, it’s a big one.

In order to work, Paribus not only needs access to your personal email accounts but also to your credit card number so that, if it finds a difference in price, it can refund your money. If you use it to track your Amazon purchases, it needs to have your Amazon login information also.

Without a doubt that is a lot of trust to put into a web start up company. Luckily, most credit cards, as well as Google and Amazon, have extremely strong anti-fraud and security mechanisms in place.

The summer is a season many families look forward to. Their children are out of school, and there is so much sunshine welcoming family activities. Unfortunately, these are also some of the reasons families dread the summer. Now, they need to find activities to entertain their children, and the expenses can really add up. Here are three tips to save money on your family activities this summer.

Tip #1: Sign Up For Memberships

Signing up for memberships, even paid memberships, have their advantages. You get great discounts to your favorite local attractions such as the museum, zoos, and fun parks. Even if you may only intend on going to this attraction once a year, for a family of four, an annual pass can still save you money. Some come with discounts to the gift shop, parking, or food court passes.

Tip #2: Keep Up with Online Groups and Activities

Facebook and Twitter can be used to get your hands on amazing discounts as well. Keep up with family friendly pages that promote giveaways to attractions (local and across the country) and free events. Once you are fans on their pages, you will get information in your news feed of what is going on. Be sure to go directly to their website and check out any family-friendly activities on their event calendars. A few places to start checking out include:

• Your local radio station website
• Visit http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/ and enter your destination
• Do a search on Google for “Free Activities in Your City Name”

Tip #3: Get Up Early

If you are off from work during the week, instead of hanging around the house all day, have your family up and ready to hit the early movie matinee or other early morning events. Call your local movie theater and see if there are discounts for kids to get in. You may also want to sign up for any perks program they offer which could lead to snack freebies. If there is a drive-in movie theater, then that is even better since they are typically cheaper. Check them out at night and bring snacks from home.

The above three ideas are just a few ways families can save money this summer and you can find more here. Signing up for memberships, checking out online offers, and getting out of the house while others are at work are the best ways to get your discounts in on your family adventure.

You have to insure your car but you should not have to break the bank to do it. Many people know about the common ways of lowering or keeping their payments low, such as good credit, avoiding accidents, and preferred discounts, however there are other possible ways. Below are seven less common ways to lower the cost of car insurance.

1. Buy the Right Car

You might be surprised to know how much the type of car you have affects the price that you pay. Not only do specific types of cars, such as sports cars, cost more but other characteristics also affect the price. Insurance companies operate off of “what if,” so if your car would be cheap to fix in the case of an accident, meaning the parts are cheap to replace, then chances are you can find a decently low plan.

2. Bundle Your Policies

Many insurers offer discounts for clients who are willing to bundle their different insurance policies through the one company. Similar to internet, phone, and cable services, you can get more and pay less with such a method.

3. Pay For What You Need

Reading your policy is key. Take time to go over all aspects of your selected plan and see if you need all of the benefits offered. You may find that you have double coverage of some benefits from multiple policies, or you might find that you simply do not need certain benefits. Either way, you may be able to remove the coverage and significantly lower your bill.

4. Speak to Your Agent Regularly

Taking time to speak with your agent at least once a year when it is time to renew your policy be very helpful. Your agent knows and understands the different requirements, procedures and possible discounts that the company offers. Therefore, if any changes in your life can help lower your premium, such as you switching jobs and having a shorter commute to work, your agent will be able to assist you.

5. Make Large Premium Payments

When you buy items in bulk, you can usually receive or negotiate a smaller price. The same concept applies to your insurance premium. Even if you cannot pay off the entire year in one payment, paying large amounts of your premium at once, if even four months at a time, can help to significantly decrease your costs.

6. Find a Low Crime Residence

Quite simply stated, a low crime area signifies less of a chance of your car being burglarized or stolen. As such, if you move from a high or moderate crime area to a suburban, low-crime area, you could possibly receive a lower premium cost.

7. Stay Loyal

A loyal insurance customer is a valued customer. Many insurers will employ different incentives or offer discounts to those clients who stay with them for many years. They also will usually be quite helpful in settling their valued customer’s claims quickly and efficiently.

By employing the aforementioned tips along with other common strategies to lower insurance costs, you can be well on your way to quality, affordable coverage. For more details, contact your local agent.