Your computer is a valuable tool for your education. You want to make sure it’s protected, but you lack the budget to buy the fanciest antivirus software. Is it possible to protect your computer without going broke? Are there advantages to getting the paid versions of programs? How can you tell if you picked a program?

AntiVirus Software – What’s It Good For?

What exactly does antivirus software do? They protect you from malware that can harm your computer and files. It can also detect and remove spyware from your system as well.

Malware is a broad term and can include the following:

• Viruses
• Trojans
• Worms
• Spyware
• Adware
• Keyloggers

While no antivirus software can keep ahead of problems, the best ones can add valuable protection.

Top Free Options

While there are many free antivirus programs out there claiming to be free and safe to use, here are some proven ones.

• AVG Free
• avast!
• Avira AntiVir
• Microsoft Security Essentials

Personally I’ve been using Avira AntiVir for my laptop and so far it’s been pretty good. Microsoft Security Essentials has a good reputation for offering good protection.

Are the Paid Versions Worth It?

The big question is, does the free software work as well? Should you fork over the money to buy the latest edition? I can’t give you a definitive answer, because you have to examine the quality of service you’re getting for a paid version to see if it’s really worth it.

I have relatives that benefit from having the paid service since they tend to call customer service a bit.

If you’re looking for some solid paid programs, you probably have to look no further than the trial versions that come with new computers. Some of the free antivirus software listed above also offer paid versions.  If you’re looking for software that is a bit more known, the 3 most popular ones right now are:

• Norton
• MacAfee
• Kaspersky Anti-Virus

Check them out and see if they offer you any additional benefits. My family has used MacAfee and Kaspersky and has had great success with them.

Your Take – Antivirus Software

For now, using the free programs has worked well for me. If it changes, though, i’m more than willing to switch over to a paid service. How about you? Is getting the free version a frugal choice or is it being cheap? What’s been your experience with antivirus software?

My favorite rebate of course is the instant one. When we were picking up new phones last year we used the instant rebate at Best Buy to grab our phones for more than half off.

Why Offer Rebates?

With some of the steep discounts you can get with rebates, you might wonder why manufacturers and stores offer them. Retailers use rebates to gather information on their customers. While they do forfeit some profits, they know the fast majority of people don’t send in the rebate or fail to follow the conditions. It’s really a small cost to them to have more sales and more information.

The Federal Trade Commission has a list of why manufacturers offer rebates. Besides the ones already mentioned, it also includes:

• Demand Generation
• Product line introduction/extension
• Competitive Response
• Grow the Brand

I think you may be able to use competitive response as a way to get a discount. If company X is offering $50 rebate, could another store price match it without the rebate? It never hurts to ask and you can save both time and money.

Tips on Making the Most of Your Rebates

• Don’t buy it just for the rebate. I’ve actually heard people buy some items just because they had a coupon for it. It’s not a deal for them and it won’t be a deal for you if you buy something just for the rebate. The money you receive back should be the bonus, not the reason.
• Check the rebate rules before you buy. If you want your money, make sure you follow all the instructions.
• Scan and save your rebate paperwork. If you have evernote, you can upload that into your account and have it ready to resubmit if the company claims not to receive it.
• Send it early. Don’t wait until the last week to send out the rebate information. Keep record of when you sent it.
• If it’s a big claim, have delivery confirmation. if the company disputes the timing of your submission, having delivery confirmation can be helpful.

If you have problems and the company is not working with you, consider contacting the Federal Trade Commission. They may be able to get the company to give you your money due.

Your Thoughts on Using Rebates

How often do you use rebates for your purchases? Do they influence you buying a product?

It can be a great time to hunt for deals right now on furniture. I’ve been noticing quite a few sales popping up around town in furniture stores and as it’s been getting warmer I’ve seen more garage sales.

I wanted to include some tips about shopping for furniture.

Plan Ahead and Decide on Your Budget

Look at your budget and see how much you are willing and able to spendon furniture. You want to afford good quality, but you don’t want to take on debt.

Examine what you already have in your home and have an idea of what you need to change. Make a list of what you want and keep it with as you go around shopping.

Have Friends and Family Look Out For You

If you are looking for a specific item, let your friends and family know. They maybe able to inform and update you on yard sales or stores you may have notice.

Shopping for Furniture at a Garage Sale

The weather is getting nicer and with spring comes more and more garage sales. Try and remember these tips when you’re hunting for some furniture.

• Go early and hunt. See if you can find some hidden gems before someone else finds them.
• If you buy some items at a garage sale, see if you can get a ‘bundle’ discount. It doesn’t hurt to ask and you may be surprised to get an item dirt cheap in a deal.
• Double check the furniture’s condition. You want to make sure it’s solid and will last for some time.
• Bring cash. Don’t waste sellers time by asking them to hold an item until you come back and pay.

Shopping for Furniture at a Store

• Think in terms of overall cost. Don’t let the sales person talk you into furniture that is over your budget because you can afford the monthly payments.
• If you don’t see the item you’re looking for, ask to check if there are more options. Sometimes a model may have two finishes.
• Ask for a discount with the sales person. Take advantage of this economy and see if you can lower the price. Maybe you can get a floor model discount.
• Double check the furniture’s condition. If there are any minor imperfections, you may be able to come away with a deal on it.

As you know being  polite and friendly isn’t just good for negotiations ; it should be your default mode when working with people.

What tips do you have when you’re bargaining hunting for furniture? Do you have any success stories?

Welcome to the 167th edition of the Festival of Frugality! There were many great posts and to make it easier to find what you’re looking for, I’ve organized the submissions into categories: Editor’s Choice, Budgets, DIY Frugal Hacks, Frugal Living, Food Tips and Recipes, Banking, Credit, and Investing, Money Management, Education, and Fun.

The theme for the festival is House M.D. I’m a huge fan of the show and thought it would be great to have some of my favorite quotes and some Twitter friends’ quotes.

Editor’s Choice

There were a lot of great articles to read, so this was tough. I tried to pick some great posts from different topics.

• Lower Your Car Insurance Rates! How To Cut Insurance Premiums In Half is a wonderful guide to reducing expenses by The Digerati Life.
• Making Toilet Paper Roll Seed Starter Pots is pretty handy, especially with spring coming up  SimplyForties.
• Think Your Way to Wealth presents Negotiating a Deal and Tips on Becoming a Better Negotiator.
• Madison asks Should We Downsize? posted at My Dollar Plan.
• The Stress of Having Supersized Lifestyle is revealed at  Money Ning.

Budgets

So many good posts and a lot of helpful tips with starting, optimizing, and fixing your budget.

House “It’s a basic truth of the human condition that everybody lies. The only variable is about what.”(SimplyForties)

• Beat Recession Advice #2: Cut your expenses, save money and conserve cash Great post by GeekMBA360.
• Less is More shows how to Adjusting Your Budget for New Monthly Expenses.
• Reduce Spending without Sacrificing Lifestyle #4 – Be Choiceful on Options posted at My Wealth Builder.
• Achieve Financial Freedom By Living Like A Millionaire posted at Find Financial Freedom.
• 9 Excuses Why You Haven’t Started A Budget Yet is explained by Free From Broke.
• What’s Your Long Term Savings Plan? asks Deposit Accounts.

DIY Frugal Hacks

Being Frugal apparently means having many talents.  A lot of bloggers shared their skills and I think you might enjoy learning from their posts.

Foreman: “I think your argument is specious.” House: “I think your tie is ugly.” (Poorer Than You)

• How to Build Your Own Bookshelf was written by the talented and handy Prime Time Money.
• How to Make a T Shirt Quilt is shown at  Condo Blues.
• Secrets for Money shows how to Save Money and Help Your Feathered Friends.
• Brokerages with Free Stock Trading has some great companies found by Investing School.
• 25 ways to save money and bargain shop in small towns and rural areas: Part 1 is a useful post by Engineer a debt free life.
• The grocery pool can help you. Check out Funny about Money.
• 50 Ways to Save on Pet Expenses was great as I’m a pet owner. See more great srticles at  M is for Money.
• Shopping For Low Gas Prices Is A Losing Proposition is argued by Len Penzo.
• The Frugal Musician patches things up? has a way to save your jeans! Thanks the frugal musician.

Frugal Living

Being Frugal isn’t a technique or two. It’s a lifestyle. The great part in that is everyone chooses how they are frugal. There are no hard and fast rules.

• In college and looking for a car? Blueprint for Financial Prosperity has the  Best Used Cars for College Students.
• Consumer Reports 2009 Best New Car Picks is a good review by  The Sun’s Financial Diary.
• Want a unique home? The Greenest Dollar has some with Homes Made From Old Cabooses.
• Free Money Finance explains  How to Save Money Using an Entertainment Book.
• Is the Worst Yet to Come? asks The Tightwad
• Looking at some great deal? Try Off-Season Shopping posted at Domestic Cents.
• Sound Money Matters wants you to  Reconsider Your Subscriptions to Save Money .
• On Being Frugal-Why Bother? Frugal Upstate gives her arguments.
• I’m not frugal posted at LivingAlmostLarge. I think LAL is frugal, just not the stereotype.
• The Smarter Wallet prepares you with  Bargain Hunting Online For Cheap Deals: How To Spot Rip-Offs .
• Keeping Cool on the Cheap – How to Save on Air Conditioning is something you need to keep in mind as it gets warmer. Thanks Personal Finance Analyst.
• My Life ROI shows us how it’s done with  How I Save $4,000/year.
• Surviving With Only One Car is helpful. Check out A Simple Walk.
• How To Be Frugal: The Four Essentials posted at Happy to be at Home.

Food Tips and Recipes

Until this Festival, I did not realize how many frugal people love cooking. If you love food, here’s the section for you.

Dr. House: You let her greedy fingers right into my cookie jar. Which, sadly, is not as dirty as it sounds.

• Eating Out Cheap? is possible as shown by Make It From Scratch.
• Naturally Frugal teaches you  How To Host A Cheap Party .
• How to Save Outside the Grocery Store: Haircuts posted at PennyWise.
• The Easiest and Cheapest Shrimp Pasta Recipe You’ll Ever Make is a delicious recipe at  Generation X Finance.
• Being Boring Saved Me $2,000 was posted at The Writer’s Coin. I’ll be boring for $2k!
• Cheap Healthy Good found out that 1 Chicken, 17 Healthy Meals, $26 Bucks, No Mayo. Tasty!
• Fake wedding cake – hmmm! is a trend noticed by Miss Thrifty. I saw this last week on Good Morning America.
• A Mother in Israel shows you how Creative Cooking Using Leftovers: Chicken Casseroles.
• The Frugal Duchess warns you to remember Scanning for Checkout Errors: Grocery Alert. It has happened once and a blue moon with us.
• How To Make Two Pork Loin Meals in Minutes was posted at HowToMe.

Banking, Credit, and Investing

Watching your money is imporant to frugal people and they have great ideas on keeping it safe and growing.

Dr. House: Less money is made by biochemists working on a cure for cancer than by their colleagues struggling valiantly to find ways to hide steroid use.

• Best CD Rates was posted at MonitorBankRates.com.
• Money Notes from Schwab’s On Investing Spring 2009 was given byt Less is More.
• Cash Back, Award Points, and Gas Cards is offered by Finance Tips 101.
• DebtGoal presents The Cost of Making Minimum Credit Card Payments .
• KCLau’s Money Tips offers How to Refinance your Home Loans Smartly posted at .
• The Dough Roller has some information about a 12-Month Balance Transfer Offer with No Balance Transfer Fee.
• Don’t Pick Investments Based On Taxes warns HarvestingDollars.
• Savings Account was wrtiten by Monitor Bank Rates.
• Portfolio diversification is an important investment concept shown by Monevator.
• Dealsupermarket Blog presents Dealing with the Devil – Getting Better Deals on Your Credit Cards.
• Cash Money Life has gathered Free Stock Trading and Investing Tools.
• High Yield Savings Accounts tells you how to Never Pay ATM Fees Again.

Money Management

These five posts offer sound advice with managing your money. Keep them in mind and you could be a bit wealthier this year.

Dr. House: See, this is why I don’t waste money on shrinks, cause you give me all these really great insights for free.

• Save $50 a Day and Feel No Pain? Hmm…I dunno about that was a great post by Budgets are Sexy. There is such a thing as sacrifice fr long term goals.
• Wealth Junkies gives you 5 Tips For Creating An Emergency Fund.
• Random Linkage: Help a Reader Version was posted at Frugal For Life.
• Why Avoid Bankruptcy? is explained aand answered by Jeff Rose.
• Gas & Electric Bill Update – The Paycheck Chronicles was given by The Paycheck Chronicles.

Education

Education is a great investment and frugal people realize that value is important; not just costs.

Dr. House: I’m a jerk to everyone. Best way to protect yourself from lawsuits.

• Extra College Money for Military Members and Veterans is a great resource. Please check it out at Military Finance Network.
• Beware of Fake IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Phishing Email Scams gives a warning to all of us by Pecuniarities.
• Debt-free College shares helpful tips with Ten Steps to Scoring Scholarships .

Fun Stuff

These posts defy the other categories and so are place in their own. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Dr. Chase: Yeah, she’s got some scheduled for February.  

• Don’t buy stuff you can’t afford – A lesson from SNL is an unusual frugal post by Christian Personal Finance.
• What to do with toilet paper tubes was posted at Stop the Ride!.
• Recent incidents where I avoided spending money and it was good is the personal experience of  Chief Family Officer.
• Redefining Frugal: Preventing Financial Disaster has sound advice. Thanks Modern Gal!
• Do you Stop and Smell the Roses asks Personal Finance.
• Using an Auction to Save Money Never thought about this, so I enjoyed reading it. It’s by Out of Debt – Christian Finances and Debt Help.
• Save your pennies can be very helpful as explained by the ¢entsible life.
• Peak Personal Finance gives some Rent to Own Advice.
• Buying new versus used is a wonderful post by Real World Advice.

Thanks for catching the Festival this week! Next week’s Festival of Frugality will be hosted over at Funny about Money.

Photo Credits: Nessa Land, daughter of chaucer, clegga87

Photo Credit: Ramit Sethi

It’s Friday and I’m waiting for my in-laws to come and visit us this weekend. The apartment has been cleaned several times in preparation for their visit and I’m tired (it’s only 10am). Since I have a few minutes I decided to go ahead and update everyone on how I’m doing with the Save $1,000 in 30 Days Challenge. 

There have been quite a few new tips, so I’m batching the reviews. I haven’t tried all of them (either they weren’t applicable or I haven’t set aside the time to do them).

Tip #14: Use self-persuasion to share how much you’ve saved so far

I’ve been keeping track of my progress and I’m hoping it motivates some people to try at least one tip in their lives. Most of these tips are revolutionary, but hey are doable and many are sustainable. 

•  How Am I Doing With Ramit’s Save $1,000 Challenge? Part 1
•  Reusing & Reducing Saved Us Money on Living Room Redesign
•  How We Saved Money By Creating Our Own Cable, Phone, & Internet Bundle
• No Spend Days and Gasoline Hedging 
• AT&T Wireless: Can’t Quite Optimize, May Leave for T-Mobile
•  Involve Your Friends with Saving 
• Selling My Stuff 
•  Turn Your Thermostat Down 
• Pack Lunches for the Rest of the Week,Really?

Tip #15: Forget going to a bar — ask people over for dinner

This is a wonderful tip and we have enjoyed having dinner parties. While we have had large game night gatherings, keeping guests around 6-8 people seems to be less stressful. Potlucks are a great way to reduce time and it’ll help the atmosphere.  One couple brought the appetizer and another brought desert. We had the main course and side to make.

Amount Saved: $100 ($50 when we have people over and $60 when we visit a friend)

Tip #16: Cancel any large purchase this month

We did get the hotel reservations for our anniversary next month, but this was a planned purchased. We’re not planning on getting a flat screen TV this month, but we’re looking at the sales to get an idea. Costco seems to have some good deals. 

I can’t say we saved money on this tip as we don’t make large purchases without planning. It’s stil a good reminder.

Tip #17: Buy generic for the stuff you don’t care about

We live by this tip! If I get Double Stuff Oreos it’s because I love them and I haven’t found  comparable generic. We buy mostly store brand stuff as a matter of habit. My husband, though, is very particular on the computer equipment he buys. He not a big car guy, but he loves his tech stuff. 

Amount Saved: $50 (we now also use Costco’s Kirkland brand)

Tip #18: No Christmas gifts this year & Tip #20: Change the date of Christmas

Not directly applicable, since I don’t celebrate the holiday, but I see the how the idea works. 

Tip #19: Save Money, Eat Well and Look Hot in Less Than an Hour 

I have got to sit down and really study this one and I”ll let you know how that goes. It looks like a fantastic resource. 
 

Tip #21: Save thousands by pre-paying your debt

That’s what we’re in the middle of with my car loan. As you can see with the chart on the right sidebar, we’re killing it. The “please buy me a cup of coffee” link doesn’t buy me coffee, it goes to the paying down the car loan. We have a coffee maker at home.

Tip #22: Analyze your progress in the 30 Day Challenge (plus, see how I’m doing)

• What were your goals when you started the Save $1,000 in 30 Days Challenge? My goal for this Challenge is to save $500 this month. Not only do I want to save money with this challenge, but I’d like to reduce our expenses by $200/month. I have reached my goals and now I’m trying to see if I can make these tips a monthly habit.  
• How much have you saved? See below!
• Have you really tried your hardest? If not, could you double your efforts over the next few days to finish off the 30 Day Challenge? I’ve made an effort, I wouldn’t say I tried my hardest.

For those keeping track with me with Ramit’s 30 Days to Save $1,000 Challenge:

•  Grand Total Saved:$1,002.25 *what I actually save during the challenge, not including future purchases
• Monthly Savings: $292.95