Oct

7

Back into the World of Online Savings

Filed Under Shopping | 4 Comments

back from a hackWell, I guess I spoke too soon when I said that we were safely back from the hack — several weeks and hundreds of dollars later, I think we’re finally back into savings mode.  Needless to say, I did my very best to fix what was broken at a discount, and was able to snag some help at all steps of the way, but it was a costly and upsetting process.  My warning:  Make sure you ALWAYS back up your computer, and be up to date on all virus software.

I have a Mac, and so don’t worry too much about viruses, but have been searching the web for the cheapest ways to keep up to date.  First, virus protection:  I found a free program called iAntiVirus for Mac (which is scanning as I write)  from PC Tools, a company that my husband uses for his PC protection.   They offer both free and low-priced solutions for all.

Now, let’s talk about back-up.  I’ve been buying from TigerDirect for years, and have always been impressed with the prices and level of service.   You’ll find consistently great prices on back-up drives and more.  I have been buying from them for years — their packages on new computers often include lots of great accessories for practically nothing.

TigerDirect Back to School 2009

Another great place to shop online is called Big Crumbs.  Big Crumbs is sort of a discount clearing house which allows you to shop at many online retailers to find the best price for the item you need, and then get cash back on top of it!  It will also pay you a percentage back when you share with others.  Definitely check it out.  I bought my back-up drive through Big Crumbs a few months back — and trust me, restoring the computer and this site would have been a hundred times worse without it!

In the midst of all this, my back-up drive stopped backing up.  In horror at not having a valid backup, I ran to my favorite local discount spot, WalMart (which also participates in Big Crumbs), picked up a back-up back-up, did my back-up, and checked to make sure that the back-up drive (purchased last year through EBay via Big Crumbs)  was under warrantee.  Although the manufacturer’s warrantee had expired, I was thrilled to find that the extended warrantee I purchased with Square Trade Warrantees would cover it.  I found this warrantee company through B&H Photo, known throughout the New York fashion world as THE best place to buy cameras and more. A good link to keep if you’re in the market for electronics.

More to come, but for now, for more thoughts on saving on electronics, click here.

Happy October (a little late).  Glad to be back!

Sep

23

Just the (FREE) Fax, Ma’am

Filed Under Saving Money | 2 Comments

Free Fax (credit: www.AskBobRankin.com)Sorry for the bad pun, worse than usual, but I couldn’t resist.

Yesterday I received a bill for $139 for another year of my e-fax account ( a special rate for me as a current customer, now up to $169). Divided by the number of fax pages I actually receive, that comes to about $10 a page — really too much, as faxing, and fax machines, are just so passe.  Combined with the fact that I just gave away my fax machine, I decided to search for other options.  Which I found in an article by techie Bob Rankin on his site www.askbobrankin.com, where he answers tech questions in a way that even I can understand.

So, thanks Bob.  In addition to eFax — which actually does still have a free receiving option — his favorite is Faxaway. In business since 1995 with a website that looks it,  Bob says they offer  ”rock solid” service.  Faxaway has begun to charge a $1/month fee for the inbound fax service.  Still, a lot less than $139 (or $169) per year.

Bob’s readers also suggest  k7.net, popfax.com and jconnect.com.

There are tons of services for free outbound faxing.  Visit Bob’s site, or just do a search (feel free to use the google bar above on this page).

But back to e-fax. Now, I joined e-fax several years back when it was free, but could no longer find the free option on their website. After a difficult customer service call to a call center far, far away, I found out it was hidden, and you have to dig through to their site map to find it.  I did so and got a new account set up quickly and easily, although I had to change my fax number to be “downgraded”.  But hey, 20 free inbound page a month should suit me just fine. Just be aware that you will get a non-local number, and if you receive more than 20 fax pages in any thirty day period, eFax may terminate or suspend your account if you do not upgrade to a paid subscription service.

We’re working now on info for free phone service.  Meanwhile, for an interesting idea on all things free, click here.

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