Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

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Google Wallet and the New Wave of Paying for Things

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Imagine going to a store or a restaurant and you forgot your wallet or purse.  No credit cards.  No cash.  No problem!  Whip out your cell phone, enter your pin, tap, and paid.  “What,” you say?!?

Google introduces Google Wallet

Google is revolutionizing the way that we pay for things.  Google has introduced a new application available on your phone that turns your phone into your digital wallet and gives you an alternate form of payment.  This will allow shoppers to pay for groceries or a new outfit at the mall with their mobile device.
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How to Avoid Free Trial Scams and What to Do if You Suspect You are a Victim

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With the economy still stuck in limbo, many people have been looking for a way to save money and cut back where they can. Couponing has had a boost in popularity lately, and deal websites like Groupon and Living Social have been thriving.  Along with these trends, people have been increasingly signing up for free trial offers.  “Try before you buy” has allowed many consumers to give a product or service a test drive before purchasing.  As sweet as that sounds, the FTC has some concerns and want you to be aware of potential scammers, taking advantage of you.
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Planning on Buying a House? Put in the Legwork First!

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So you want to buy a house?  That’s awesome!  Congratulations.  But are you ready to buy a house? Have you done your research and legwork to find out the best house in the best neighborhood for you?  I’m talking about all the other little things that influence your buying decision and the neighborhood you pick.  Read on to see what I’m talking about.

Here are steps you need to take to put in the legwork of buying a house (in no particular order):

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I Bought A NOOKcolor from Barnes and Noble – Review

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So a couple of weeks ago I splurged and bought an eReader – The Barnes & Noble NOOKcolor. I never thought I’d be one for electronic books but so far I’m loving it!

How Did I Come About Buying an eReader?

I always thought the idea of eReaders were kinda neat but I liked the romanticism of turning the actual pages.  As I said, I never thought I’d get into an eReader.

I had seen the Amazon Kindle, both on the Amazon site and in Staples a few times.  It looked really cool but I couldn’t justify the cost.

What changed? I started the school semester, late January, with an economics class.  The professor required us to buy this online package so we could submit our homework online (this was required) and it also included the online edition of the book.  There was no option for just the homework submission.  Not wanting to buy a physical copy (there weren’t any used copies of the book out there to get) and not wanting to read it all on my laptop (I sit in from of it all day already) I started to look into eReaders.  Note: I could have also printed out the book but I didn’t want to blow up my printer.  Bringing a file to a printing store was also an option too (but I kinda got myself psyched up for an eReader).
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Groupon Barnes and Noble National Deal

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Groupon has another of their great national retail deals going.  This one is for Barnes & Noble.

$10 for $20 Worth of Books, Games, Toys, and More at Barnes & Noble!

This deal is good for purchases in-store as well as online.  What is really nice is this deal is also valid on sale items as well as their popular e-reader the Nook! (Though not valid at B&N College locations).

You know what is coming up soon, right? I’ll tell you – Valentine’s Day! I’ve always found that Barnes & Noble had a great selection of cards and small gifts for Valentine’s Day (including the yummy Godiva Chocolates).  Here’s a way to make V-Day a little less expensive.
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