LUNSTON BRYAN BLOG

Learn how you can economize and start saving money now. Be able to save on the things you really need on a daily basis. Follow the steps laid out here and watch your savings increase. Enjoy shopping with a new informed perspective while you save. Most of us have, at one time or another felt the need to economize. I'm sure this statement comes as no surprise to anyone. However, we do still need to make those purchases of items that are needed on a daily basis. These include, but are not limited to, such things as: food, clothing, cosmetics, school supplies, laundry detergent, and far too many other items to list here. It always seems to be a never-ending list, which continually keeps growing and growing no matter how much we try to scale it down. The best thing to do after reading through this article is to use it on a regular basis as a reference guide. It can help you decide where and when to look for the specific items you need to purchase. After a short while you will gain enoug...

If you are looking for safer online shopping you may want to consider a virtual credit card. It takes away a lot of the risk of personal information and credit card numbers falling into the hands of thieves. A virtual credit card offers you the option of shopping online with a disposable credit card number that are single-use credit card numbers, which expire within one or two months. The security benefit of using a virtual credit card for online shopping is your normal bank account is not affected if an online scam artist happens to get your account number. There's no value to hackers because you use a different, random card number every time you shop online. A virtual credit card number is only good on the Web site where you made your purchase. With identity theft and email phising scams rising at an alarming level it's a good way to keep your sensitive information private. Even if a scammer does somehow acquire your virtual credit card number, the disposable credit card numb...

You might be a little shocked and surprised when you start your espresso machine shopping adventure. These machines aren't cheap! Not the good ones anyway. But, if you take out pad and pen and do the math, you will quickly decide that a home machine - a good home machine - will pay for itself rather quickly. Let's assume that you buy just one espresso drink per day at the modest cost of $3.50 (I know most drinks run higher and many of us cannot get by on just one per day!) That adds up to over $1277 per year! If you have friends, roommates, family (my wife, oh my wife!), then you can easily see the cost-effectiveness of an the commercial grade home models. Plus, when you get good at making drinks (and that's a lot of fun), you can wow friends and family. It beats a card trick most everytime. A Word of Caution when Buying an Espresso Machine If you're budget minded, like I am, you might be tempted to snap up a $60 expresso machine at Target. Hey, I love Target too. But y...

Each year, millions of individuals, couples, and families make the decision to schedule a vacation. St. Thomas is a popular vacation destination, unfortunately, a large number of individuals believe that a St. Thomas vacation is out of their reach.  If you are interested in scheduling a St. Thomas vacation, you should not let the cost of vacationing there prevent you from vacationing at your dream destination.   If you are interested in how you could be spending your vacation in St. Thomas without having to be concerned with the price, you may want to examine all-inclusive resorts that can be found in St. Thomas.  Many couples and families find that they are able to save a large amount of money by booking their vacation at an all-inclusive resort. When examining all-inclusive resorts in St. Thomas, you are encouraged to take a number of important factors into consideration. One of these factors is what each resort considers to be all-inclusive. All-inclusive resorts ...

If the thing you look least forward to on vacation is wracking up vicious amounts of debt on your Master Card, then you've come to the right place. I'm here to offer advice on free things to do while visiting San Francisco. Granted, it is not wise to think that you can go on vacation without spending any money and have a good time. However, it is quite possible to be very selective when deciding where to spend your money by having alternative entertainment options that cost little or no money. Rather than a top ten list, which can be a little long winded, I'm going to provide a top five list. My sincere hope is that you will use this list as inspiration for finding your own free or low cost entertainment while visiting San Francisco. On to the list: 1) San Francisco Botanical Gardens. The climate of San Francisco provides a unique atmosphere that allows the growth and maintenance of plants from around the world. As a result the San Francisco Botanical Gardens offers a look...

Anyone who knows me well knows that I like cheap and free things to do with the family. It isn't that I'm not willing to pay good money for good fun, I just happen to believe that the best fun is sometimes as free as the wind. The same holds true when visiting new cities like San Francisco. I will invest a great amount of time looking for activities that me and other members of my family can enjoy for little or no money. This saves money for other things like good food and souvenirs.  I'm also a big fan of David Letterman and in that spirit I decided to devise a top five list of my very own in honor of Mr. Letterman's Top 10 list. My big 5 list consists of things to do for free when visiting San Francisco. 1) Golden Gate Bridge. This is a favorite among tourists for many reasons. One of those reasons is the fact that it is one landmark that belongs only to San Francisco. It is uniquely a part of this city and represents, for many, your entire trip. Another reason is th...

Many of us have been at the car dealership and have been drained by a salesperson during price negotiations for the purchase of a new car. Most people give in too easily or do not negotiate at all to avoid the dreadful act. This only means more money in the car dealers’ pocket, while you are out of several thousand dollars! Yes, they make that much in profit per car. This article unveils the dealer’s selling tactics and how you can get around them. But before we dive into the new car buying tips, we need to understand what makes up the dealer’s profits. In addition to the MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price), which is the dealer’s cost for the car plus an additional 20-25% profit, a dealer also gets financial incentives from the manufacturer when a new car is sold. This is called Holdback. Depending on the car, dealers can make hundreds on each car through holdbacks. Dealers also get additional incentives and bonuses on selling a car before the end of the month and/or quarter. A ...