Blog Posts by Cheapism.com

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

A reminder to all you frugal pet owners this holiday season: Remember to pick up a special gift for your furry friend. But don't fret about funding a present for your pet. For as little as $15 you can find plenty of items for under the tree that will provide hours of glee. Here's a roundup of some cheap gifts for pets.

Related: Save money at the vet

Fur-So-Fresh Groominator

Cheap Pet Grooming Tools. Most furballs like a good back scratching or brushing here and there, so check out the wide assortment of cheap grooming gifts. For just $12 the Fur-So-Fresh Groominator Dog and Cat 2 in 1 Deshedding Tool is a good value, especially for dual-animal households. You can use this gift for pets to brush and eliminate excess hair on dogs and cats (horses, too). In reviews at Amazon pet owners award the Groominator high marks for its budget price and its effectiveness; most say their pets like or at least tolerate the brush because it doesn't pull roughly or scratch.

If

By Teal Pelish, Cheapism.com

American consumers expect to shell out, on average, about $750 for gifts, décor, and other holiday items this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey. But is all that spending the true essence of the holiday season? More often it's the family time, rather than the trappings, that yields long-lasting memories. Here are five ways to experience Christmas on the cheap.

Christmas is a time to get together with family.

Related: Affordable luggage reviews

1. Rethink Gift Giving. Perhaps the most obvious impediment to cutting costs at Christmas is the gift giving that lies at its core. But must all those presents come from a mall? Making and giving homemade gifts is one way to celebrate Christmas on the cheap. An abundance of DIY gift ideas awaits on the web; at Cheapism we found inspiration on Pinterest for Christmas. Necessary supplies range from household items to craft-store fare and typically cost little. Best of all, many loved ones may prefer such gifts over store-bought

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

If you're looking for something special for a man in your life this year, whether he be a father, son, brother, significant other, or friend, we've got you covered. Not only will we be keeping the budget at or below $20, we'll focus on a few unique gifts for men that you may not find elsewhere. That means no shaving accessories, watches or video games -- and definitely no ties or wallets. Yes, those can all be wonderful gifts, but how about something that will put a devilish grin on his face, make him laugh, or even make him think?

Scratch Personalized World Map Poster

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Unique Gifts for Men Who Like to Travel. Is the man you're shopping for a world traveler -- or does he aspire to become one? Inspire him or help him remember past trips with a scratch map. The idea is to scratch off countries and states you've visited, lotto-ticket-style, as you complete your travels. Depending on the scope of his wanderlust, you can get him a world map ($20 on

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

Laptops and particularly tablets seem to claim most of the attention these days, as tech writers and consumers debate the merits of the new Apple iPad or Microsoft Surface. For less than the price of one of these devices, though, you can buy a full-fledged desktop computer. If you value power over portability -- or just need an inexpensive desktop to supplement a stable of gadgets -- here are three well-reviewed desktop PCs to give you a sense of what you can get for under $500.This Dell Inspiron 660 desktop computer tops our list.

• The Dell Inspiron 660 (starting at $480) comes with Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system. Reviewers comment that this machine offers a decent amount of power and solid hardware for the price you pay. Included are a 1-terabyte hard drive; 6 gigabytes of RAM; a memory card reader; a second-generation, dual-core Intel i3-2130 (3.1 GHz) processor; and integrated Intel HD graphics. Among the eight USB ports are four faster USB 3.0 ports. The slimmer Inspiron 660s normally

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

Strapped for cash and looking for a unique gift idea for your wife, girlfriend, mother, or sister this Christmas? Full stop. We've come up with five Christmas gift ideas for women that each cost less than $20. But don't panic about the cheap price -- the thought put into the gift will mean more to its recipient than the amount spent. So before heading out to the mall, think about what she actually likes to do in her spare time and then check out this list of cheap gift ideas for women.

Great holiday gifts don't always come with a big price tag.

Related: Top low-priced women's shavers

A Pampering Gift Idea for Women: Home Pedi. For a gift that pampers, remember that many women like their hands and feet to look nice. Some no doubt prefer to go without polish while others prefer regular manicures and pedicures. Regardless, the Ped Egg is a good Christmas gift idea for women. It starts at $7.19 at Target and is the ultimate foot file for smooth feet. Users especially appreciate that the egg catches all

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

For many consumers, Santa's sleigh takes the form of a white or brown truck, and gifts arrive by way of the doorstep rather than the chimney. FedEx, UPS, and the U.S. Postal Service all promise to whisk a package shipped today across the country in time to go under a tree tomorrow. But can they do it without blowing your holiday budget? Cheapism obtained rate quotes for a variety of services from all three providers and, in every case, the Postal Service proved the cheapest option.

Are you shipping packages for the holidays?

Related: How to send holiday cards for less

Take, for example, a 5-pound package going to San Francisco from New York. In its search for cheap shipping, Cheapism found that overnight service would cost $85.07 (for delivery by 3 p.m.) or $91.76 (by 10:30 a.m.) with either FedEx or UPS and $52.20 at the Post Office, with guaranteed delivery by noon. If you print a shipping label at home and schedule a pickup through USPS.com, the rate is only $39.14.

Cheapism's

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

Holiday shopping is in full swing and it seems as though Black Friday deals will never end. Smart consumers know, however, that just because everything appears to be on sale this month doesn't mean this is the moment to purchase certain items. What then, should you buy in December? The answer: toys, select electronics, select home goods, some Christmas goods, wedding dresses, and real estate. Although you may be in a splurging frame of mind, don't get sucked into deals on a gym membership, jewelry, or watches.

Toys like Legos are excellent buys for at the end of the month.

Related: Inexpensive children's toy recommendations

Toys. Toys may be on sale right now, but rushing out today to buy all the goodies that will go under the holiday tree doesn't make sense. The best toy deals of the year are yet to come. The two weeks leading up to Christmas see the deepest toy discounts, so hold off before hitting up the toy store.

Electronics. Electronics are a big holiday purchase for many folks. The best

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

If you have a smartphone, there's a good chance you've installed at least a couple of free apps on it. But free software isn't just for smartphones. There are plenty of free PC downloads available for Windows 7 as well. Why are software makers willing to give away this "freeware"? Some free programs are basic but fully functional versions of paid programs. The software company gives away the free version in the hope that you'll upgrade to the full version. Other freeware comes with additional programs or features, such as toolbar add-ons, that companies pay the software maker to include. However, you should be able to opt out of those extra installs. Some software makers simply want to share their creations with everyone, so they give them away with no strings attached. Here are some of our top picks.

Check out these free computer programs.

Related: Best desktops Under $500

Picasa 3. If you have hundreds or even thousands of photos stored on your PC, you know that managing so