I am sure you have done enough researches online or in stores before you buy any appliance or power tool. They cost you from a few hundred dollars to a few thoudand dollars, you’d better be very cautious when you are ready to pay. Unless it comes with defects, there is no free return, because you will be charged of delivery fee or installtion fee or even restokcing fee as high as 10% of the total price. Read following tips before you go out and shop, they may save you hundreds today, or in the future when you need services or extra accessories.

1. Think Again Before You Buy
If you want to upgrade your car, build a new deck, or mow the lawn on your own, please do the math first: how much you will need on the materials and how much you need spend on the tools. Do you really need a new set of tools? Can the old ones do the job?

2. Is Renting Tools a Good Idea? It Depends.
Renting a power tool can be as expensive as buying a new one. If you are going to use the tool more than once or twice – which is very likely, you’d better buy it. If you really need it for once or twice, why not ask your neighbours or friends? In some cases it makes sense to rent one, for example, if you want to complete a single project.

3. Home Depot or Lowes Don’t Have The Lowest Prices
When you are ready to buy appliances or power tools, the first name pop into your mind is probably Home Depot or Lowes. They can get large volume discount on commodities like lumber or drywall, but not on appliances or power tools. If you perfer to shop at local stores, Sears is the best place. But I would highly recommend to buy power tools online at NorthernTool.com, or appliances at AppliancesConnection.com. Shipping are always free, and you don’t have to pay state sales tax. There is no need to compare the prices with Home Depot and Lowes. You can be assured they offer better prices, that is what they live for.

4. Big stores’ serivces are worse than family operated stores
If you think big stores can offer better services, you are wrong. When you make a phone call to their call center, you are probably talking to someone located in India. It is impossible to connect you with either your original salesperson or a service expert. When you call you, you will be directed to representtives one by one, and you need to explain your situation over and over again. This is not the case when you purchased from a mom and pop operated business. The serive man could be the owner of the store. You will get your problem solved much quicker than dealing with those big sotres.

5. Big stores don’t have their own installers and service men
Neither Home Depot nor Lowes has their own service team. They outsource their jobs to small businesses or independent personels. So don’t expect big stores have professionals that are more knowledgeable on how to solve your problems.

6. Ask For Parts Availability
Before you decide to check out, be sure to ask the sales man that if the item you are buying accepts compatible parts & accessories. If not, you ‘d better thank again. If accessaries are needed regularly, for example, filters and batteries, they could be very costly, while compatible replacements could be a fraction of the original prices.

Last week we wrote a post on 10 Priceless Experiences You Should Give to Children. Today we want to continue on 10 priced experiences you should give to your children. Some will cost you $100, some may cost more than $10000. Some of them may be your dream when you were a kid, but never realized. Some of them you can do every week.

Chuck E Cheese
Kids under 10 years old all like Chuck E Cheese. Not beucase of the pizzaa, but the arcade games they can play. Remember the arcade game Pac Man you played when you were young? You can still find it at Chuck E Cheese. Don’t forget to print some coupons online before you go.

Six Flags
When kids grow up, Six Flags is the number one place they want to go with their friends. But you can start to take your kids to Six Flags when they reach 36 inch tall, otherwise there are many rides they can’t go even with an adult. Be sure purchase admissions and parking online. For Six Flags Over Texas, each ticket you can save $17 if you buy within 72 hours of your trip, or save $20 if you buy 3 days in advance.

Water Park
Water parks are all kids favorite. Water slides, wave pool, raft adventure ride, or lazy river can all be hours of fun. If you live in a big city or even a mid-size city, you should be able to find the one in the local. Be prepared to stay there for whole day.

Disneyland
Personally I don’t like it at all. Not because it is no fun, but because the line is too long. Even with a flash pass, you still need to wait. It will be worse if you visit during the holidays. But it is every kid’s dream to visit a Disneyland.

Live Sports
If you or your husband is a sports fan, take your kids to the games you like. If not, try to enjoy the games your kids like most. It is not about what games you like, it is the quality time you spend with them.

Beaches
I used to play sand a lot when I was kid. Now it is my kids’ turn. They seem to enjoy more when playing sand than swimming. A beach resort with a water park built in is perfect for kids of all ages. You can drop off the kids in the park and enjoy some couples’ time with a few drinks.

Ski
Start teaching kids to ski when they are young. Go to Colorado or Utah, the best ski resorts and ski schools are there. If you don’t want to ski, you can leave your kids with a personal coach. One coach can usually teach 6 kids or less at a fixed price. You can save some money if you find someone to share.

Yellowstone
Yellowstone is one of national parks you have to go. Some of my friends even drove there every summer. 2 days in the park is enough. But it would be nicer if you could slow down and spend a few days more.

New York
There is no other city like New York city. You don’t need to go to Times Square, because it is no bigger than a football field and crowded with hundreds of tourist. But Empire State Building, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Statue of Liberty are the places you can’t miss!

Foreign Countries
Visiting Europe is expensive. An alternative is to visit China or India. The majority cost is the airfair. You wouldn’t spend too mcuh on food or lodging. Mexico is another not bad choice.