This hack is one of the oldest in the book – if you want to get the best price on something, shop around. If you’re hiring a contractor to do some home improvement work on your house, request bids from at least three different companies. If you’re going to buy new furniture, shop around at a few different stores. Not only will you get a good sense of what the market price for something is, you also get an idea of who you would like to work with and what types of styles you like.

The same thing extends to insurance. With insurance, shopping around is easy because you can do a lot of the work at your computer. You don’t need to drive around to different furniture stores and you won’t need to set up quote meetings with contractors. One of the places I usually get quotes from, for insurance anyway, is a place called NetQuote.

With financial products, it’s very difficult to know what place is reputable and what is just a fly by night shop happy to sell your sensitive information to the highest bidder. With a company like NetQuote, you enter in a few pieces of information and you get several quotes right then and there. You can easily compare it to what you’re paying right now and make a decision. They will get quotes from some of the biggest insurance names like Allstate, Farmers, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive. They have quotes for auto insurance, homeowners and renters insurance, health insurance, life insurance and even business insurance. They have the whole gamut.

Another nice “feature” I’ve learned is that I don’t get a lot of phone or email spam after I get a quote. When you go with a less reputable place, they will sell you as a lead to whomever will buy an insurance lead. That’s why you get a million phone calls after you request a mortgage quote and why your email is packed with emails from agents. I’ve only done it once or twice with NetQuote but I never got pounded with solicitations.

If you’ve used them before, I’d love to hear your experience.

When you leave something plugged in and in the “standby” mode, it’s probably using electricity. It’s pretty obvious on appliances like your microwave, but it’s less obvious for appliances like your receiver, something you don’t see lit up when it’s in standby. But did you know that appliances can suck away about a hundred dollars a year in “vampire electricity” usage a year? Yep, it’s true. Lots of appliances suck up electricity when they’re in the off position and it’s because our society has fallen in love with instant gratification. I want my appliance to turn on quickly, not take some time to power up. The easiest way to tell if your appliance sucks up vampire electricity is whether it has a hard switch that goes click. Unless the circuit is broken, the appliance will suck up electricity.

Easiest way to prevent it? Plug everything into a surge protector and unplug it when you’re not using it!

Everyone knows the best place to buy stuff is on the internet. You can avoid the lines at the mall or the store, you can often save some cash because there’s no sales tax, and it’s overall a better experience because you can do it while wearing your pajamas!

The only frustrating part about shopping online is the feeling that you’re missing a coupon code somewhere. Well, that time has passed because with RetailMeNot.com, you can find every single coupon code instantly. Not only will you find the codes but you’ll also know if they work. People will indicate whether they were able to use the code and you can see the percentage of success. Lower percentage of success ratings might me the code is dead, saving you some time in trying it yourself.

If you haven’t used it yet, RetailMeNot.com is a definite place to check out!

With the winter months coming up, it’s becoming increasingly important to lock down your home so that all that warmth you’re paying for doesn’t just lead out the cracks in your door and windows. The easiest way to do this is to replace the weather-strip on your old windows and doors, which some estimate can save you 15-30% on your heating bills. If you don’t want to do that, you can always put up plastic sheets and effectively “seal” the window (doors probably won’t work well with this option).

This may be one of those “head smacking moments,” where I tell you something obvious that you totally missed, or this could be “duh moments,” where I tell you something obvious that you already knew… but I’ll write it anyway. One of the simplest things you can do to increase your cars fuel efficiency is lighten its load. That means you need to grab all the junk that’s in your trunk and stick it somewhere else. I personally run a pretty lean ship but I have friends that have all manner of textbooks, sporting equipment (it’s winter!), and even furniture like folding chairs; all stuff that has no real business in the trunk.

Unless you need it within the next few days, put it elsewhere. The only exception are emergency supplies and your spare.

Did you know that Panera Bread offers free Wi-Fi? Or that McDonald’s does as well? They’re just two of many potential places you can get free Wi-Fi if you’re hankering to get your news or stock tickers and your phone is on the fritz. Free Wi-Fi is becoming more and more popular as stores and restaurants try to differentiate themselves. Locally, the Hard Times Cafe, a chili joint, offers free Wi-Fi to patrons as well.

Other options? Starbucks offers you 2 hours but you have to have a registered gift card that you use at least once a month.

Do you have a cell phone? Chances are you do. Do you have a landline? If you do, may I ask why? There are plenty of reasons why you should have a landline (they are required by most security systems so they can phone home, they are far easier to use for young children, etc) but if you can’t think of a reason why you have a landline, other than “everyone else does,” then consider canceling it and saving yourself the $30 a month they typically cost.

Need a replacement landline and don’t want to eat up minutes on your cell phone? There are many VoIP options that are cheaper than a landline and can follow your computer, rather than your residence (which won’t be moving). Skype is a popular option and for $10/mo you can get a phone number that anyone on Skype can call you from (and you can call anyone else) and that you can call anyone else from.

Halloween is coming up in about a week and a half and if you’re like most families, you’re looking to save a few extra dollars on the costumed night this year. My Dollar Plan has 8 great tips for saving money this halloween. The tips include listing places to buy discount candy, some ideas on cheaper decorations, dinner, costumes, and party planning. Finally, there are even tips on pumpkins (carry your own!).

Trick or treat!

Want a great way to save money? Discuss each and every purchase with someone before you make it. Whether it’s a cup of coffee or a flat screen television, talk to someone first. It can be your mom or dad, it can be your best friend, it can be a random person waiting in line with you but talk to someone. It can be a complex discussion about the merits of what it is you’re buying or it can just be a perfunctory “Hey, how’s the coffee here?” Either way, talk to someone first.

Why does this work? First, it puts you in the position of having to do something first. That alone will stop a lot of your purchases. In the event you do get into a discussion, you can argue the merits of your purchase while your foil can argue against it. Finally, this makes the buying decision an active one. Far too many times you might find yourself buying something, like morning coffee, without really thinking about it. This bring the thinking back in.

Give it a whirl, you might make a new friend!

One of our natural inclinations when we try to save money is to do more with less. When it comes to clothes dryers, it means we try to pack in more clothes. Unfortunately, the more you pack into a dryer, the longer it takes and the more energy in consumes.

The clothes dryer relies on circulating the air and sucking out moist air, replacing it with dry air. The constant removal of moisture and the heat works to dry the clothes out. When you pack in too much clothes, there’s less air circulation and the process takes longer. So the next time you go to dry your clothes, don’t jam everything in there or you’ll find it takes forever to dry.

Or, even better, skip the dryer and air dry your clothes. (if you’re not that green, consider air drying all the heavy damp stuff like towels, and leaving the lighter stuff in the dryer)