Coupon Sherpa

There's a big difference between investments and expenses. An investment implies you expect to get some return on your money, while an expense is money you spend and never plan to see again.

Despite the vast difference in money-use methodologies, shoppers tend to get their terminology mixed up. "Investing" in an LCD TV or Blu-Ray player is a misnomer. Just like a new car, these items lose value as soon as you take them for a spin. Though most consumers are already aware of this detail, it doesn't seem to slow their interest when it comes to electronics. The Consumer Electronics Association projects more than $1 trillion in such spending this year, an increase of 5 percent from 2011.

With the Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up last week, tech fanatics everywhere have an itch for the next big thing. If you plan on scratching it, use these tips to help defeat depreciation.

1. Use the News
Nothing kills the excitement of a brand new gadget like discovering a price drop days after you've opened the box. In fact, many holiday shoppers are suffering through this exact scenario, thanks to a recent $100 price drop in several popular tablets. Avoid getting stuck in this predicament by tracking the news on products you're planning to buy. Big cuts are usually announced in advance to help stimulate sales. Read more

If you watched the Home Shopping Network (HSN) this weekend, you might have noticed QR codes appearing in the corner of your screen. These codes are the strangely patterned squares -- similar to bar codes -- that provide data on a product or service when you zap it with your smartphone or tablet.

You've seen the codes littered amongst print publications, in shop windows, and even on restaurant menus. Well now, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, the QR codes have come to TV. Scanning the code on your screen brings you to a product page on the network's abbreviated mobile website or to its application, where you can easily link to the checkout page.

QR codes have come a long way since their inception. Major brands like Rachel Zoe and Ralph Lauren have added color and their own logos into the standard black-and-white mix.

The system is very slowly catching on, but other older forms of mobile commerce have become second nature for many shoppers. For example, technology research firm Gartner predicts mobile application downloads will reach 17.7 billion in 2011, up 117 percent from the estimated 8.2 downloads of 2010. Read more

In celebration of National Coupon Month this month, ILoveCouponMonth.com--an online source for coupon information, statistics and savings tips--shares 30 tried and true, plus some unexpected, places to find coupons for a month-long of savings.

Founded by the Performance Marketing Association in September 1998, National Coupon Month recognizes the impact coupons have had on consumer buying habits. Happily, coupons have become even more pervasive since 1998 and are now available just about everywhere you look, whether it be via the Internet, social media, smartphone or bank statements.

In fact, such digital coupons are galloping to the fore. According to research released June 1 by eMarketer, 88.2 million consumers will use digital coupons as an important part of their shopping experience in 2011. That's 47 percent of adult Internet users, a statistic that's destined to rise in the near future. The study also revealed 92.5 million adult Internet users will use online coupons in 2012, versus 96.8 million in 2013.

Whether you are new to the coupon game or a skilled clipper, ILoveCouponMonth.com is the ultimate destination for coupon-lovers featuring data, 30 days of savings tips, and much more. Helping shoppers save even more money during National Coupon Month, here are 30 places to find coupons for 30 days of bargains. Read more

The countdown has begun to move on from your parents' basement. You can eat pizza and cookies for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But before these dreams become reality, there's a lot of work to be done with the whole relocation thing. To help you combat packing panic, here are 12 moving tips to get you smartly on your way.

1. Start Sorting
Before you begin loading up boxes, go through all your stuff and weed out items you don't want. There's no point in adding this clutter to your new place. Remember, one person's trash is another's treasure. Before dumping and donating unwanted items, give friends and neighbors a chance to dig through for hand-me-downs. They'll appreciate the thought and it's one less thing for you to move.

2. Run Down the Damage
College houses are not always in the greatest condition. Since you don't want to be on the hook for other tenants' wild times, get together with the landlord before you move in and do a walk through. Document any existing damage, snap a few photos and get the landlord to sign off on a list of problem areas. This will ensure you don't get nailed for pre-existing issues. Read more

Group-buying coupons are everywhere, from the monolithic Groupon to sites that service just one or two cities. Some of the coolest coupons are for stuff you never imagined doing, like skydiving. Others offer deals on movie tickets and -- most popularly -- spa services.

Groupon, which recently was heavily courted by Google, is coping with competition from Living Social, which is backed by Amazon.com. Facebook recently launched its own daily-deal program for five markets, and rebuffed Google is now going at it alone in several test markets.

With all this competition, many offers seem irresistible, but how do you know when it's truly a good deal? Here are eight ways to get the most out of your deal-of-the-day. Read more

Imagine a future where nearly everyone owns a small computer that serves as a video camera, a camera, an alarm clock, a GPS and just about everything else you want in a handheld.

Well guess what -- the future is here. The smartphone technology for creating videos has become so popular that Cisco is closing down its FLIP video camera division.

The price tag on these wonder devices can be steep, but with a huge number of features, smartphones are making other tech gadgets obsolete. These are just a few of the ways you can use your smartphone to save some money.

Replace the Gadgets

1. Digital Camera
The idea of the smartphone camera replacing the point-and-shoot camera probably makes photography purists cringe. Camera-phone technology has come a long way and, in many cases, the picture quality is keeping up with digital cameras. Read more