With the rate increase starting on 1/26, postage costs will be rising for all. Here are some tips to save on postage:

1.  Reduce the amount of stamps needed. Pay a bill online, pay it in-store, pay it over the phone. Cut down the amount of stamps you need in total.

2.  If you must mail something, use the correct class. Do you use Media Mail for books, movies, etc? When’s the last time you sent something Parcel Post? Check it out; it still arrives and it’s cheaper!

3.  If you send a lot of mail, use http://www.stamps.com. You can print out the postage and eliminate the insanely-long lines at the post office, plus, there are many freebies for signing up.

How do you save on postage? 

Do you have old electronics hanging around? No luck selling them on Craigslist or Ebay? Don’t throw that trash away, turn it into cash with these websites:

http://www.gazelle.com/

http://www.yourenew.com/

Both of these are super easy to use, offer instant quotes, and free shipping.

If you’d prefer to go the in-store route, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Apple all have buy back programs.

Radio Shack:   Store Credit for the item you bring in.

Apple:  Bring in an old iPhone or iPod, get 10% off the purchase of a new one.

Best Buy:  Check out  www.bestbuy.com/tradein for an estimate, then bring your stuff in for a  gift card.

It may not be a fortune, but every bit helps!

Have you sold anything lately?

What makes you shop at a particular store? If it’s price, you probably think your store has the best ones. This is the myth of the “cheap” grocery store.

In my area, there are multiple grocery stores to chose from: Shaws, Hannaford and Market Basket. Also, Walmart and Target. There is a wide-spread belief that Market Basket and Walmart are the cheapest, while Shaws and Target are pricey. Quite simply, that’s just not true. I shop at all of these stores. I compare their weekly flyers.

There is no one store that’s always cheapest.

That’s because of a combination of sales and coupons. If you’ve always shopped at the same store, I encourage you to branch out. Don’t discount anything until you’ve tried it.

When I compare prices at my local stores, they vary greatly. Take any name-brand product; I guarantee it’s never the same, not just store-to-store, but also week-to-week.

How then, do you know if something is actually a good deal? Enter the Price Book.

Price books are customized notebooks. You record what you buy and what it costs. If you eat Cheerios for breakfast daily, go into every single store in your area. Write down the prices. I suspect you may be in for a surprise.

Which store do you shop at and why?