Blog Posts by Cheapism.com

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

To buy or not to buy in November? That's the big question as the official kickoff to the biggest shopping season of the year begins. This is the month when seemingly everything is on sale, from electronics to apparel to appliances and furniture. So what's worth buying in November and what's worth waiting on?

November is an excellent time to grab deals before the Holiday season begins.

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Electronics. If you've been looking for the right time to refresh your TV inventory, November is your moment. With Black Friday and the holidays fast approaching, HDTV's will sink to their deepest discounts this month, and good deals should continue through December. Tablets and laptops will also see bargain offerings as the gift-buying momentum picks up; some simple laptops may even drop as low as $200.

Halloween Items. Halloween is over and done, and retailers are wasting no time clearing the shelves. Now is the time to find next year's Halloween costume at nearly 50% off. Other big buys in

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

In spite of the bad rap surrounding the banking sector of late, most of us continue to use checking and savings accounts associated with the very same banks implicated in the financial crisis. When it comes to storing your money, and earning interest on that money, banks are far more useful than a box under the mattress. But if your checking account requires a minimum balance, doesn't reimburse for ATM fees, or assesses a monthly service charge, consider switching to a no-fee banking arrangement. Most no-fee banking accounts are offered by online banks that cut expenses by not having to pay personnel, rent, and basic overhead to keep branch locations open. These savings are passed on to customers in the form of higher interest rates, lower fees, and free services.

Related: Reasonably-priced laptop recommendations

A no-fee banking option might be ideal for your needs.

No-Fee Banking Providers. Ally Bank, formerly GMAC bank, offers 24/7 phone-in customer service (chat is also available) and

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

Online bargain hunting is both frustrating and exciting. You're out to find a deal on something you love or need and you're determined to stick to your budget. Make price alerts your new best friend. With the power of price alerts by your side, you can easily monitor the changing prices on an item and know with confidence whether that "bargain" really is a steal.

Learn how to use price alerts to score the best deals online.

Related: 4 best travel sites

Know the Past. CamelCamelCamel has three sister sites that let you set price alerts for products on Amazon, BestBuy.com and Newegg.com. You don't need to register or give your email address to benefit from the site's tracking capabilities; it generates a unique URL you can visit to check for changes. If you do register, price alerts for all your tracked products can be sent to your email or Twitter account or show up in an RSS feed.

The real power of the site comes from its price history charts, which allow you to compare a product's current price

By Raechel Conover, Cheapism.com

Laundry day is one of those unavoidable facts of life that costs you time and money and drains resources. According to The Simple Dollar, the cost per load at a laundromat is $3.12 and the cost per load at home is 97 cents (not counting equipment costs). These tallies include travel (to a laundromat), energy (to run the washer and dryer), and water (in a home setting) but exclude the cost of laundry detergent and fabric softener.

Doing the laundry doesn't need to be a drain on your resources.

Related: Inexpensive washing machine reviews

These necessary ingredients up the ante. Tide Original costs $15.08 at Amazon for 100 fluid ounces, which theoretically lasts through 64 loads of laundry and adds 23 cents to the cost of each wash. For 240 Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets you'll pay $14.97 at Amazon, or 6 cents a load.

The grand total for each load of laundry: $3.41 at a laundromat and $1.26 at home. Multiply that by the number of loads you do each week, and, well, that's a lot of change.

Here are

Best travel systemsBy Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

Travel systems combine a stroller, a baby seat, and a base that stays put in your car. The best ones are easy to use, keep your child safe, and save you money by combining three necessities into one purchase. Cheapism has researched the most popular inexpensive travel systems and found three top picks that are safe, stylish, and budget-friendly.

All three are compatible with the LATCH system found in all new vehicles, for easy and safe installation of the car seat, and all use a five-point harness to secure a child. Although the seats are suited only for infants who weigh less than 22 or 30 pounds, depending on the make, the strollers can be used until a child reaches 50 pounds. Cheapism's analysis of online reviews generally turned up only minor drawbacks to these budget travel systems, such as storage baskets underneath the strollers that are too small and or hard to access when the stroller seat is fully reclined.

More

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

When it comes to daily deal websites, Groupon is far from the only game in town. Beyond the big names that dominate the space, thousands of smaller niche sites promise similar savings. How's a bargain hunter to stay on top of all those daily deals? Here are five tips.

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1. Take advantage of aggregators. Many frugal consumers already know about daily deal aggregators such as Yipit. If you haven't tried the site yet, you owe it to your inbox to head on over. Yipit pulls coupons for discounts in your city from a variety of daily deal websites, collecting them all in one email. As a recent Reader's Digest piece points out, looking outside your area can also yield great finds. Here, again, you can rely on the collective eye of the internet to spot the best bargains. Check out sites such as Slickdeals, FatWallet, and Dealnews, which list local deals but don't confine you to a particular city. That

By Louis DeNicola, Cheapism.com

You're about to spend hundreds, maybe thousands, of dollars on a new TV, appliance, or computer. When you reach the checkout counter the all-too-familiar question is popped: "Would you like to purchase the extended product warranty?" The rejoinder, asked silently, of course: "Is it worth spending a little more to buy some peace of mind?"

Are you confused on whether to purchase an extended warranty?

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Well, that depends on the product you're buying and the coverage that comes with it. Many manufacturers' warranties aren't as comprehensive as they used to be but still may be sufficient to weed out lemons. And if you make a purchase with a credit card you may be entitled to extra coverage. Check the benefits for your card; some double the manufacturer's warranty free of charge and give you extra protection during the first 90 days after the purchase.

For any product you buy, it's important to fully understand both the manufacturer's warranty and the extended coverage. Who

By Elizabeth Sheer, Cheapism.com

With autumn come pumpkins. They're everywhere and cheap. You'll find pumpkin-flavored everything at this time of year -- beer, bread, even coffee. So take advantage of the bounty in your very own kitchen with these cheap pumpkin recipes. And forget about pie. Pumpkin, though distinctive in flavor, is fairly neutral and can be the basis of sweet or savory dishes.

Fun and festive pumpkin recipes without the pie!

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As Halloween approaches, scary faces carved in massive pumpkins stare out from doorsteps and front windows. What happens to all those seeds? Instead of throwing them into the garbage or compost, roast them for a snack. Clean off the stringy pulp, place on a cookie sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray or a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and oven roast at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the seeds start to brown. (Frugal cook's tip: Boiling the seeds first for about 10 minutes makes the shells softer.)

Canned pumpkin is