Morning Deals: Tea, digital readers & electronics

Deal Of The Day:

Tea: Free tea from Golden Tea Company

Other Morning Deals:

Digital Readers: Sony and Bookeen digital book readers for very affordable prices

Electronics: 17 media electronics with huge price drops of up to 66% off at OnSale.com

No. 1: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving spirit?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

No. 2: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

If people run like this everyday, we won't need campy shows like "America's Biggest Loser." When it comes to Black Friday Sale, people are strapped on with their running shoes. Beware Usain Bolt!

Snag a free car-history report from eBay Motors

Looking to buy a used car or truck? On eBay, consumers can snag a free vehicle history report thanks to Experian's AutoCheck.

Buying a used vehicle can be tricky and over the years consumers have been known to complain of rebuilt lemons and cars with "secret" histories. And eBay isn't trying to exclude rebuilt cars or vehicles with different histories. All eBay is trying to do is let the vehicle's real history be known.

According to a New York Times article, Nicholas Franchet, senior director at eBay Motors says, "Previously such vehicle background reports were offered by some sellers, but now eBay will provide them on all used vehicles after the 1981 model year."

Experian's AutoCheck places an emphasis on the importance of consumer awareness and knowledge, especially when it comes to the history of vehicles for safety purposes.

However, some don't believe the disclosure is actually useful. Anthony Giorgianni, an associate finance editor for the Consumer Reports Money Advisor newsletter states, "Don't trust it. Don't trust it." Giorgianni has evaluates many services that check vehicle identification numbers and histories. What has he found? Numerous flaws.

Franchet argues that “the history on a used car is not a perfect science." But he says that he believes the Experian information can be a great help to buyers. “In our experience it is very, very good data,” Franchet adds.

What does the consumer learn from the report? Mileage, any damage the vehicle has accrued and a history of where the vehicle has been registered. This is certainly valuable information, however the information cannot be trusted 100 percent.

The best advice for consumers? Check out a range of resources and educate yourself in order to have total confidence when making a purchase.

Morning Deals: Calendars, toothbrushes & Listerine

Deal Of The Day:

Calendars: Free calendar from Betty Crocker

Other Morning Deals:

Toothbrushes: Buy the new Supersmile toothbrush, and get $20 off your order at drugstore.com

Listerine: Save $2 off 1 Listerine Total Care at drugstore.com- ends November 28, 2009

No. 3: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is this week. Can't get into the gift-giving spirit?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

This clip shows how employees keep their spirits high when it comes to working late at night for Thanksgiving Weekend sale. Spare a thought for the sales girls!

Morning Deals: Fabric softener, flights & hotels

Deal Of The Day:

Fabric Softener: Free fabric softener sample from Seventh Generation

Other Morning Deals:

Flights: Lowest airfare guarantee on all winter flights at CheapOair.com and save $10 instantly by using coupon code WINTER10

Hotels: 4-star hotels at 2-star prices- save up to 55% with low Hotwire rates!

Bizarre cellphone pricing baffles economists

Cellphone companies offer strange pricing that baffles economists, while U.S. consumers spend more and more each month on mobile phones.

Apple and AT&T's $199 iPhones are on sales upswing and U.S. consumers won't have it any other way. $399 iPhones with a $20 a month fee ended up costing $4o less, however sales were slacking. Cellphone companies' strange price plans are confusing as well. Barry Nalebuff, an economics professor at the Yale School of Management says, "You pay $60 to make your first phone call. Your next 1,000 minutes are free. Then the minute after that costs 35 cents."

Confusing? Entirely.

Here are a few more confusing pricing schemes:

• Phone companies charge 20 cents per text message...double what they were in past years. They cost the phone company less than a penny to deliver.
• Sprint offered free calling to any mobile number, and customers then switch to more expensive plans.
• Web is provided for a flat rate on iPhones and BlackBerries.
  

So why are U.S. consumers buying? It's all about instant gratification. A New York Times article reports, "Consumers often put immediate gratification and the avoidance of unpleasant surprises above their long-term interests."

This behavior is difficult for economists to predict. In other countries, consumers buy a phone and then purchase minutes. When they run out of minutes, they buy more. No contracts, no ridiculous charges, and no economists searching for a model that can't be found.

U.S. consumers' need for instant gratification pressures cellphone companies to subsidize phones in order to increase sales. The iPhone that is $199 meanwhile costs AT&T $550. The increased monthly charge is in order to cover the subsidy.

Philip Marshall, an anayst for the Yankee Group says, "Service providers don't have a good measure for their costs. They don't have the ability to say if they are going to make money" on any particular plan. So basically, phone companies want to get the most money they can possibly get out of you and hope that they have made enough money to cover their costs.

No. 4: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, hits this week. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

For clip No. 4, folks are falling head over heel on Black Friday at Wal-Mart in 200. Literally. This clip is like the running of the bulls in Spain.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

Morning Deals: Movies & electronics

Deal Of The Day:

Movies: Sign up with Redbox and get one night's rental free

Other Morning Deals:

Frames: $33 OFF! GiiNii Shomi 7″ digital photo frames only $26.99 (was $59.99)

Cameras: $45 off Polaroid i1236 12.0 Megapixel Digital Camera- black only

Hard Drives: $21 off Toshiba 320GB Portable USB 2.0 external hard drive with NTI backup now EZ for PC, NTI Shadow 4 for Mac ONLY $68.99

No. 5: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

All hell breaks loose when there's only a limited supply of on-sale products. In this festive clip, revel in the spirit of the season when folks indulge in spirited WWE Smackdown moves to get their favorite electronic item.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

No. 6: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

Shoppers are lined up from 2.37 am at this Best Buy store. The employees are gearing up to handle the crazy crowds by downing energy drinks and finally the early birds are welcomed to the store like royalty.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

No. 7: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

A serpetine line of deal-crazy shoppers braving sub-zero temperatures and a few hours of sleep forms outside of Target in 2006.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

Morning Deals: Shower gel, travel guides & tickets

Deal Of The Day:

Shower Gel: Free Philosophy Gingerbread Man shower gel

Other Morning Deals:

Travel Guides: Buy one product, get the second half off at Lonely Planet

Tickets: Buy one movie ticket on Fandango and receive a second ticket to the same show free when you use your Visa Signature card

Morning Deals: AmericanHeart.org, wreaths & projectors

Deal Of The Day:

AmericanHeart.org: Free bracelet and journal/planner

Other Morning Deals:

Wreaths: Great deals on holiday wreaths at Flower.com

Projectors: Get the Eyeclops Mini Projector for $74.99 ($45 off!) and watch holiday movies all winter long!

No. 8: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

For clip No. 8, crowds are pushing and shoving to get into this Circuit City in Delaware back in 2007. It's amazing how fast things have changed. In 2008, the cash-strapped Circuit City has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

Free samples at Nature Valley

Sign up and get a free trail mix bar plus their new granola nut clusters

Check out our twtQpon here

No. 9: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

For clip No. 9, watch frenzied shoppers pile into a Best Buy in Wes Lafayette, IN to snag discounted laptops and XBOX 360s.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

Morning Deals: Nordstrom, Nexcare & toys

Deal Of The Day:

Nordstrom: Free gift tag print outs for the holidays!

Other Morning Deals:

Nexcare Cream: Spend $25 on Nexcare, Buf-Puf or Titrilac and get a free Nexcare cream ($15.99 value) at Drugstore.com

Toys: Save up to 40% on the newest and hottest toys of the season at Drugstore.com!

Layaway makes a comeback for the holidays

Low on cash this holiday season? Layaway, a way to purchase an item without shelling out the entire cost at once, is back in style.

Americans are still struggling with last year's Christmas credit card debt... a whopping 13.5 million consumers according to a recent holiday poll by ConsumerReports.org. Combating that debt is making layaway look pretty attractive this year.

So what is layaway and how does it work?

When you bring your item to the layaway department, you put a deposit down on the item, and a service fee to the department for holding your item for you. The good news? Layaway isn't a credit card... so there are no interest payments. You get to keep the item once it is fully paid for. With layaway, you usually put down an initial deposit between 10 and 20 percent. And you usually have between 30 and 90 days to fully purchase the item.

Let's say the item you put on layaway goes on sale shortly after. ConsumerReports.org reports that Kmart won’t make any price adjustment after seven days from the date put an item on layaway, however Sears will give customers 30 days. And before you leave, get a copy of the layaway contract in writing, just so you and the salesperson are on the same page.

Want to know more about layaway? Check out a video from the Atlanta Bargain Hunter here

No. 10: Video countdown to Black Friday 2009

Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the traditional holiday shopping season, is around the corner. Can't get into the gift-giving mood?

Don't fret.

Consumer United Advocate plans to unveil its favorite Black Friday video clips to shock you into the spirit.

For this clip, early-morning crowds are worked into a Wal-Mart frenzy in this video from Black Friday in 2006.

Click here for more Black Friday videos.

Morning Deals: Green tea, flights & rental cars

Deal Of The Day:

Green Tea: Free Lipton's green tea sample pack

Other Morning Deals:

Flights: Save $10 off on all airfare deals this Holiday travel season by using promo code HOLIDAY10 at CheapOair.com

Rental Cars: Take $20 off weekend rentals- ends November 25, 2009

Are you naughty or nice with energy efficiency?

Too early to get into the holiday mood? No worries. Consumer United unveiled its new Holiday Savings Game here to whip you into the spirit of the season.

Are you on Santa's naughty or nice list when it comes to energy efficiency? Does the idea of high energy prices this winter make you feel anything but jolly?

See how much you can save by taking the following steps from Santa.

Happy holidays from Consumer United!

Morning Deals: Hair care & electronics

Deal Of The Day:

Hair Care: Free sample of Empress hair care

Other Morning Deals:

Electronics: Great prices on the best consumer products- prices cut up to 83%.

Wall Mounts: Free Omnimount Systems 23"-45" flat panel wall mount after mail-in rebate when purchased with select HDTVs

Notebooks: Bestselling notebooks at onSale!

Free prints at CVS

50 free prints at CVS

Check out our twtqpon here

What to do now to save money at tax time

At a time when many Americans continue to keep a close eye on their budgets, one place to look for some extra savings may be your tax return.

Though returns are not due until April, as the year nears its end, it makes sense to analyze where credits and deductions could come from. Mortgages and higher education are two categories that can offer much-needed breaks for many families.

In many cases, the interest on a mortgage can be taken as a tax deduction. The interest can sometimes come from more than one property or mortgage, but in general the amount mortgaged cannot be more than $1 million. On the other hand, if the interest is particularly low, it also may not make sense to itemize the deduction. A free tax planning program offered by Turbo Tax may help some homeowners make decisions about what to deduct.

The interest on student loan debt can also be deducted based on a $2,500 break offered to individuals earning less than $55,000. Individuals earning up to $70,000 are qualified for a gradually reduced deduction. The deduction for student loans can be taken each year that you are making payments on the loan as long as you continue to earn less than $70,000.

In addition, if you make contributions to a traditional IRA, you can deduct that contribution if you meet income requirements. The money remains untaxed until it is withdrawn. This can be a particularly important incentive to add to put some money away at a time when saving seems difficult.

Click here for Turbo Tax’s Web site to learn more about their free tax preparation program.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

Morning Deals: Kraft, pet gifts & free download

Deal Of The Day:

Kraft: Free Kraft samples

Other Morning Deals:

Pet Gifts: Save up to 20% on pet gifts- great holiday prices start now at PetSmart

Free Download: Free single of the week download- only on iTunes

Morning Deals: Wine guides, AutoAnything.com & Angie's List

Deal Of The Day:

Wine: Free Spanish wine guide

Other Morning Deals:

AutoAnything.com: Veterans week sale! Get $25 off $199 w/code SALUTE

Angie's List: Find reviews on the services you need at Angie’s List – from electrician to physician – use promo code “SAVE TEN” for $10 off!

New Brunswick spearheads Jersey's solar initiative

New Jersey's largest planned public solar-energy installation? New Brunswick is forging ahead with a plan to turn sunshine into cold, hard cash.

Over the next two years, the Riverside City will place solar panels on 11 public sites. Solar panels will be set up on municipal buildings, parking garages, and schools. Also, a new high school will be the first building to receive the solar panels. The reward of the project? A lot of money and, of course, energy-efficiency.

Once complete, New Brunswick hopes to run half the city by solar power. Mayor James Cahill says, "Given the amount of property that is maintained or owned by the city, the school district and the parking authority, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at a merger of all the properties to see if we could assemble a significant amount of property to make a real impact."

Mitchell Karon, the city’s parking authority director explains: "The Riverside City with a population of roughly 50,000 is not a gloomy, cloudy place like Seattle, but also is not sun-baked New Mexico. Projections of savings were based on realistic data."

New Brunswick isn't alone. By 2020, New Jersey is aiming to have 30% of its energy come from the sun and wind. Although all government bodies are in agreement of approval, PSE&G will be losing business.

According to an article by New Jersey Real Time News, PSE&G offers to lease rooftop space from businesses, Urban Enterprise Zones, and residences, but the utility keeps the energy for its grid.

When asked if the company is threatened, Susanna Chiu, PSE&G director of business development replies, "It’s a different business proposition, but it gets us to the same end goal," she adds.

Reduce gas costs and pollution this Turkey Day

Heading over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house this Thanksgiving? Don't let the costs and pollution associated with the car ride bring you down.

Check out DriveSmarterChallenge.org for tips to reduce your gasoline costs, pollution and CO2 emissions. Regardless of where you are traveling this Thanksgiving, The Drive Smarter Challenge Web site serves up answers to a variety of travelers' questions such as: Where can I rent a hybrid or fuel efficient vehicle? Where can I find cheap gas along my travel route? What public transportation is available at my destination?

Fuel-efficient driving is important for the environment without burning a hole in your wallet. Here are a handful of our fave tips from the site:

Before you go

• Keeping your tires inflated properly will increase your gas mileage by about 3 percent.
• Get a tune up. Fixing your car's failed emissions will improve its gas mileage by about 4 percent.
  

On the road

• Slow down. Each 5 miles over 60 mph will cost your 24 cents or more per gallon of gas.
• Don't idle. Idling get's you 0 mpg.. and bigger cars waster even more gas than smaller ones.
  

When you're done

• Fill up your rental car's tank. If you don't fill up the tank, a higher gas price will be charged to your account.

Free gift card at Academy Sports

Sign up for the Birthday Club and get a free $5 gift card on your birthday

Check out our twtQpon here

Morning Deals: Lubriderm, Neutrogena & Bliss products

Deal Of The Day:

Lubriderm: Text MYSKIN to 467467 to get your free Lubriderm sample

Other Morning Deals:

Neutrogena: Buy any Neutrogena item and get a free Cherry Twist lipstick ($9.49 value) at drugstore.com

Bliss Products: Spend $30 on bliss products and get Youth As We Know It and Soapy Sap shower gel ($17 value) at drugstore.com

Morning Deals: Fuji, luxury hotels & travel packages

Deal Of The Day:

Fuji: 50 free photo cards from Fuji

Other Morning Deals:

Luxury Hotels: Get $10 discount using promo code "4STAR10" on luxury hotel rooms under $99 at CheapOstay.com

Travel Packages: Save up to $150 with flight and rental car package

Morning Deals: First aid kit, notebooks & pcs

Deal Of The Day:

First Aid Kit: Free first aid kit from Advocate Health Care

Other Morning Deals:

Notebooks: Save $180 on Compaq Presario Intel Dual-Core 1.86GHz notebook - 2GB RAM, 160GB HDD, 15.4" refurbished and alto notebook stand only $419.99

Desktop PCs: $160 off Averatec D1205XH1E-1 Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz desktop pc - 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 25.5", only $889.99!

Morning Deals: Body wash, tools & auto supplies

Deal Of The Day:

Body Wash: Free body wash from Dove

Other Morning Deals:

Tools: Save up to 40% on brand-name, manufacturer-guaranteed reconditioned tools

Auto Supplies: Get $15 off $199 w/code KEEP15 at AutoAnything.com

Morning Deals: Face cream, wreaths & pet treats

Deal Of The Day:

Face Cream: Free face cream from Garnier

Other Morning Deals:

Wreaths: Looking to buy some wreaths? Check out Flowers.com for great savings this season

Pet treats: This holiday season, buy your dog some treats at PetSmart.com... your wallet will be happy

'Cash for Appliances' program hits New Jersey

Move over "Cash for Clunkers." There's a new green-driven stimulus project offering a bonus to New Jersey residents who buy a new energy-star rated appliance.

The goal of "Cash for Appliances," a program offering financial incentives for those who buy energy-efficient household electronics, is to provide another way to stimulate the economy in an industry that has seen a 15 percent drop in sales.

So far, "Cash for Appliances" will help residents of the Garden State and is waiting on the the U.S. Department of Energy to sign off on the proposal. Once signed, the rebate plan will closely resemble the expired "Cash for Clunkers" automobile program.

When "Cash for Appliances" is in full gear, how much will you save? Anywhere from $25 to $1200 will be knocked off the price of a new Energy-Star rated appliance thanks to the state's $8.3 million dollars in federal funding. Also, the typical household could save over one-third or about $700 per year by making the switch to the energy-efficient items.

Jeanne Fox, BPU president says, "This proposal will build upon our record of success driven by New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program."

Consumers aren't the only ones thrilled. According to an article in New Jersey's Star Ledger, appliance stores such as Mrs. G TV and Appliance welcome the news as well.

Debbie Schaeffer, president of the electronics store says, "I think people are waiting, absolutely," she says."Rebates stimulate the economy and our business. We’re looking forward to them coming sooner rather than later."

Beware of so-called free credit report sites

Looking for a free credit report from monitoring groups like FreeCreditReport.com? Think again.

The site's TV ads feature slackers singing in their shabby apartments or waiting tables in pirate costumes. If only they had used FreeCreditReport.com, they wouldn't be in such a financial mess.

It also has a Web site name that implies the report is free. Contrary to its misleading URL, FreeCreditReport.com charges a credit-monitoring service that costs $14.95 a month, automatically taken from consumers' credit cards.

The Federal Trade Commission isn't amused. The government is now producing its own spoofs on FreeCreditReport.com singing, "Other sites may turn your head; say they're free, don't be misled. Once you’re in their tangled web, they’ll sell you something else instead.” In the parody, the F.T.C. is focusing on the free-credit-report slogan.

Experian, the company that owns FreeCreditReport.com, has already paid $1.25 million to settle charges for misleading consumers who ended up having to pay a monthly subscription fee. Due to the legal issues, it now has a disclosure on its home page saying it's not affiliated with the annual free credit report program. This disclosure is in fine print on the side of the home page, on a subdued background.

FreeCreditReport.com diverts consumers from the government-mandated free credit report site, and are drawing a lot of F.T.C. attention. This expanding niche is near $1 billion in sales for which millions of people have signed up. The consumer pays to see real-time updates about changes in their credit.

But for most consumers, changes in credit can be easily monitored by a quick peek at their credit card statement every few months. Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org and a former member of Experian's consumer advisory panel asks, “Does the average person really need to see their credit reports more than once every four months? Do you need to look at it daily?” He responds to his own question, "That's paranoia."

The three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion are required to offer reports through the authorized AnnualCreditReport.com but the three groups also make money from their own credit reports.

According to a Yahoo Finance article, Experian is the largest player for credit card monitoring, and their market share is more than twice that of its three main competitors combined. The company invests heavily in marketing and its slacker commercials. In 2008 alone, $54 million was spent, TNS Media reports.

Looking for an alternative? Credit Karma, a site that helps consumers demystify the credit-score game, boasts free credit checks, educational guides and tools.

For more information, click here.

Free trial at Bally Total Fitness

Free 7 day trial at Bally Total Fitness

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Morning Deals: Bags, safety products & toys

Deal Of The Day:

Bag: Free bag from Dansko

Other Morning Deals:

Safety Products: Buy three emergency preparedness products and get 20% off at Drugstore.com while supplies last

Toys: Spend $100 on select toys and get $20 off your next order- sneak peek at Holiday's hottest toys at drugstore.com!

New iPhone app does the driving for you

Remember the remote-controlled BMW in the James Bond flick "Tomorrow Never Dies" in 1997? The ultimate 007 gadget may become a reality thanks to a crew of researchers at Germany's Freie Universitat of Berlin.

The team of artificial intelligence scientists unveiled an iPhone app called the iDriver that allows users to remotely control their car by operating the steering, brakes and accelerator while navigating the vehicle from an iPhone screen.

A street view is transmitted from a tiny dashboard video camera to the remote-control device where the driver directs the vehicle via signals sent from the car's transmission.

Scientists showcased the computer-driven test car, nicknamed the "Spirit of Berlin," at the city's Tempelhof airport.

An era of automatic cars navigating the streets? Not so fast.

While the crew of German researchers have successfully tackled the technical aspects of driving a car from a mobile-phone application, a spokesperson from Freie University said not to expect a release of iDriver this year.

Click here for the lowdown.