The Chronic Consumer

I’m trying to plan for a family vacation to be taken in either February or April of next year. Yes, I know it’s pretty early to start making arrangements, but sometimes there are good deals to be had when booking so far in advance.

But one question I wanted to pose to you out there is: What are your favorite discount travel websites? Where do you go for the lowest prices on airfare, the cheapest hotel deals, and the best rental car rates? I’ve pretty much tried all the big sites that are advertised on TV, but actually haven’t had much luck with them, as their rates for the places I want to go to are not much cheaper at all.

Are there any good sites out there that consistently get you the lowest rates and biggest discounts available? If so, please let me in on the secret!

I watch and recap a lot of television shows for Reviews and More, and as a result, was looking around for some additional resources to help me keep up with the workload. Essentially, I wanted to be able to access the scripts to my favorite shows so I could write more accurate recaps, which is how I came across the Showfax.com website. (Click all images for larger.)

Showfax.com is actually geared towards actors — specifically, those who want to audition for guest starring roles in weekly episodic series. The site gives wannabe actors access to “sides”, which are the script pages for a specific guest role on a series, thus allowing them to prepare for their auditions with the latest scripts.

Sides are grouped according to the regions where auditions will take place, and currently includes the following: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Texas, and the Southeast. If you’re looking for an audition, you simply click on the region closest to you, which then brings up a new menu of role types, such as Episodics, Pilots, Features, Movies of the Week, Commercials, Plays, and a bunch more.

Click again on the type of production you’d like to appear in, and you get a screen listing all the sides available for all the different projects currently in production. You can then click on the production name to see the various roles available, and when you’re ready, you can download the script in .pdf format.

I’m not an actor (aspiring or otherwise), but I’ve still found Showfax to be very helpful. As I said, I can use the script pages to write more accurate recaps for my favorite shows, and, since episodes are usually written several months in advance to actual air date, I can kind of get a glimpse at what’s coming up on the shows I watch. Unfortunately, Showfax doesn’t publish entire scripts, so I just get bits and pieces of info.

For example, here’s a script page from the Bones season 4 opener, which has yet to air:

As you can see, the character Zack Addy is back in the opener, a development I wasn’t expecting since he was revealed as a killer in the S3 finale. From the sounds of the dialogue, it seems that Sweets (the psychologist) will be making a habit of visiting Zack in the criminal mental facility, so maybe Zack will still be a regular after all. Again, this is info I wouldn’t have if not for accessing the script on Showfax.com.

Showfax can also be used as a tool for aspiring screenwriters who are interested in finding out how certain television shows format their scripts.

A one-year membership to Showfax, which gives you access to 25 downloads per day, costs $68. I think this is a very reasonable price for all the scripts that are available, but then again, I don’t know if similar free services exist, so you might want to check into that possibility.

Alternatively, you can download individual sides without having to pay for a yearly membership. Individual downloads costs between $2 and $4 each, so it seems that going for a membership is a much better deal, especially if you’re going to access lots of sides.

Overall, Showfax.com seems like a terrific resource for actors and writers (and even just television enthusiasts) alike. The sides are updated frequently, downloads are quick and easy, and membership fees are affordable. Check it out today!

I graduated from high school more than 15 years ago, and have since lost touch with most of my classmates. Every once in a while when nostalgia strikes, I think of how nice it would be to reconnect with a few of my old buddies to exchange an email update or a phone call.

My generation (I’m 34) missed out on the MySpace and Facebook craze, so hardly anyone I know is on those sites. Plus, places like Classmates.com charge recurring membership fees to be able to view email addresses, which is something I don’t want to get into.

So I decided to try the online version of Net Detective to see if I could use their resources to help me find what I wanted. A one-year membership costs just $29 and permits me unlimited lookups during that time period. Not a bad deal — or so I thought.

Getting signed up and entering the site were both very quick, easy processes. Once in, I spent a bit of time looking around at all the different options available for my basic membership. I had access to:

• People Search (look up a person by name and city)
• Neighbor Search (look up an address to find info about neighboring properties)
• Search by Phone Number
• Business Search
• Social Security Validation (just checks to see whether or not an SSN is valid)

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In addition, the site offers articles about how to search for info the right way, as well as a guide to getting your hands on your FBI file (through the Freedom of Information Act) if you’re so inclined.

I’ve been using Net Detective online since the end of May, and I have to say that I’m not overly impressed by my experience.

First of all, the basic People Search function is flawed. For one thing, you MUST enter a state to search, which means you can’t search the entire U.S. at once. This is fine if you have a general idea of where the person lives, but if not, then you’re stuck doing a brute force state-by-state search until you come up with a hit.

A second problem with the People Search is that you can’t enter a city or zip code. This sucks for those times when you DO know a bit more about where the person lives, but don’t have an exact address. For example, say I’m looking for a John Smith and know he lives in Woodstock, IL. On Net Detective, I have to search for John Smith in ALL of Illinois, which of course returns hundreds of results that I then must sift through — whereas there might be only a couple John Smiths in a small town like Woodstock. So the option to enter a city/zip is really necessary here.

The Neighbor Search function is also faulty. In many cases, this search simply returns information about the property that you listed in your search — NOT the neighboring properties, which is what it’s set up to do. I’m not sure why anyone would need Neighbor Search anyway (I was just checking to see what it was), but I still think it should actually work properly.

And finally, the search results that I’ve gotten from Net Detective haven’t been anything that I couldn’t come up with by simply using the Google White Pages or Yahoo! People Search. Basically, if I can’t find a person on Google or Yahoo, I won’t find them with Net Detective either. If I can find them with Google or Yahoo, then yes, they will be on Net Detective — but what’s the point of that? The only difference I can see is that Net Detective sometimes gives a more detailed address history, especially if the person you’re looking for has held several addresses in the same state.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a membership to Net Detective. Although they say they use more powerful tools than free online searches, that has not been consistent with my personal experience. I say save your money by sticking to the free people searches!

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If you’re a pet lover like I am, then I know you’ll be interested in a website called ZooToo.com. Even though I just discovered ZooToo a couple of days ago, it’s already becoming one of my favorite sites! That’s because it’s a very active social networking site devoted to people who love pets of all kinds, from the usual dogs and cats to fish, birds, horses, reptiles, and more.

It’s free to register on the site, and once you become a member, you can do things like create a profile, upload pictures of your pets, participate in lively discussions, engage in “Pet Wars” to see who has the cutest pet on the site, or enter photo contests. Best of all, you can meet new people and make tons of friends who have the same interests as you!

And if you need even more incentive to join ZooToo.com now, check this out: they regularly have different promotions designed to benefit pet shelters and animal rescue groups across the country. It’s social networking for a good cause… you can’t beat that!

One of the keys to having a successful online shopping experience is to do your research before spending any money. The best way to do this is by checking for reviews of both the product you plan to buy as well as the merchant you plan to purchase from. This could end up saving you a lot of grief in the long run by steering you away from faulty products or disreputable sellers.

For example, I know a lot of people like to buy diet supplements and pills online because of availability and price. However, there are so many products on the market today that it can be tough figuring out which ones are worth paying for and which ones aren’t. So my advice is to read a few reviews before plunking down your money for Leptitrex, Phentermine, or similar items. ResearchDietPills.com is a good place to start for finding these types of reviews, and you can go on from there.

As someone who has been disappointed with many diet supplement purchases in the past, I can tell you that I’ve saved a lot of money by reading reviews first!

Web hosting is one of those services that you never actually think about until you need it. It’s only after you decide to create a website that you start researching hosting options, at which point you’re positively bombarded with information. There are so many different services and hosting packages available these days that it’s practically impossible for a newcomer to sift through all the offers to find the best one — which is where Web Hosting Geeks comes in handy.

WebHostingGeeks.com is a site that provides comprehensive ratings and reviews of all the top web hosting companies out there. Web Hosting Geeks goes beyond simple price comparisons to break down exactly what you’ll be getting for your money, such as data transfer limits, web space, email accounts, and even Google AdWords credits. Moreover, you can also read comments and reviews from actual customers to see what it’s really like to deal with a particular hosting company.

In addition, Web Hosting Geeks has published a number of informative articles to help would-be customers navigate through the process as painlessly as possible. For example, their article about How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Service is a great place to start if you’re doing this for the first time.

All I can say is I wish I had found WebHostingGeeks.com back when I signed up for hosting a couple years ago. If I’d had access to all the information on that site, I likely would have gone with a different provider and would have saved myself some money along the way. Now I just have to wait until my current contract is finished before switching over.

Don’t make the same mistake I did. Be sure to check out WebHostingGeeks.com to discover the best and most affordable hosting package for your needs!

As someone who loves to shop a lot, I’ve learned how to stretch my dollars as far as they can go by taking advantage of sales, discounts, coupons, and other bargains. The key to being able to buy what I want is never to pay full price for anything if I can possibly help it.

Another important lesson I’ve learned over the years is that not all credit cards are created equally. In addition to varying interest rates and annual fees, credit cards differ in the types of rewards they offer to customers. For instance, some cards provide cash back, airline miles, or free gasoline, while others don’t come with any extra perks at all. I think it’s a complete waste to use a credit card that doesn’t pay you back in some way, so if you’re not getting any rewards from your current card, maybe it’s time to look for a different one.

That’s where Credit Cards Club can help. Credit Cards Club is a website where consumers can get tons of free information about some of the best credit card offers online. The Credit Cards Club site arranges offers by category, making it very easy to find the best cash back credit cards, business credit cards, instant approval credit cards, bad credit credit cards, and more.

The benefits of each featured card are highlighted for you, which makes comparison shopping a breeze. Moreover, you can even apply for any cards you like right there on the site so you don’t have to worry about losing track of great offers.

If you’re looking for a brand new credit card that provides benefits and features that fit your lifestyle, then check out CreditCardsClub.com today. They’ve done all the legwork and have gathered the best offers in one spot, so finding the right credit card is easier than ever before!

Like most people, IMDb.com is the first place I go whenever I need to find info related to movies, TV shows, or actors. The regular site is completely free, but there’s also a “Pro” site that requires a paid membership. IMDb Pro promises more in-depth information about productions, from business figures to contacts and analysis. The site is also promoted as a way to network with others in the industry to find jobs or perhaps even get funding for a project.

I thought the site sounded interesting, so I decided to sign up for the IMDb Pro free trial which grants two weeks of access in exchange for a credit card number. I didn’t get charged anything, but if I don’t cancel within the proper time frame, I’ll be out $12.95/mo until I do cancel.

I’ve spent the last few days browsing around the IMDb Pro site, and I honestly don’t think the information is any better than what’s available on the free site. From what I understand, the info on IMDb Pro is still user-contributed, meaning that it’s not any more reliable than on the free site. Moreover, the “job board” mostly consists of independent screenwriters and out-of-work actors hoping that someone will notice them. If you’re looking to break into the business, I don’t know how useful this type of information would be.

IMDb Pro also purports to list contact information for actors, directors, agents, producers, etc., so I had a look at what that was all about. Johnny Depp was listed at the top of the first page, and by clicking on his link, all I found was the phone number and address for his talent agency. I obviously wasn’t expecting to get aerial views of his French home, but still… agency stuff isn’t exactly top-secret info that would justify paying $12.95 per month or $99.95 per year.

The bottom line is that while IMDb Pro might sound like fun because of the feeling of being on the “inside”, the truth of the matter is you’ll be just as far away from Hollywood and celebrities as ever. I see absolutely no reason to spend $100 per year on the site, so my recommendation is that you save your money!

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After a bad experience with a CPA last year, I decided to go back to Turbo Tax for my federal tax returns for 2007. I used Turbo Tax once before (in 2005) and liked it, but had to go to a CPA for 2006 because of some complications that cropped up during the tax year. I wasn’t all that impressed with the service I received from the CPA (or with the $350+ price tag), so opting for Turbo Tax again was really a no-brainer.

This time around, I decided to use the online version at www.turbotax.intuit.com instead of purchasing and installing the software, and I’m happy to say that it performed beautifully.

Because I’m self-employed, I had to purchase the Home & Business edition, which is significantly more expensive than the Deluxe version that most people with straightforward returns can use. I paid $74.95 + Illinois state sales tax of $4.68 for a total of $79.63. The Deluxe version goes for a mere $29.95, but what can I do. I still made out a lot better than I would have with the same CPA.

Anyway, Turbo Tax Online works in much the same way as the traditional CD-ROM software would, except that you enter all your data online at the secure Turbo Tax site. I know a lot of people might be worried about putting that kind of sensitive information on a third-party website because of concerns about identity theft, but I’m not. Yes, identity theft is a major problem these days, but I feel confident about Turbo Tax being able to protect my info. After all, their business pretty much depends on this, don’t you think?

As I said, the online version is just as easy to use as the traditional version. Turbo Tax walks you step-by-step through whatever tax forms you need to fill out, points you to frequently asked questions if you get stuck, and of course does all the math for you so you know it’s completely accurate (as long as you’re entering correct info to begin with). I also love how the software keeps track of the amount of your rebate or tax bill in “real time”. In other words, with every applicable deduction you enter, the amount changes so you can see exactly how certain things impact your taxes.

You obviously don’t have to complete your taxes all in one sitting either. Turbo Tax Online saves your return and remembers where you were so you can pick up from the same spot the next time you sign in. When you do finish, you can file electronically or print everything right from the Turbo Tax site if you prefer to mail in your return. In addition, you can download and save a copy of your return in a pdf file or simply access it from the Turbo Tax site whenever you want to check it again.

All in all, I had a fantastic experience with Turbo Tax Online. This product is definitely deserving of its title as the best tax return software around, and I highly recommend it!

I would say that a majority of my everyday wardrobe is made up of T-shirts. I sleep in long-sleeve tees in the fall and winter, and wear short-sleeve shirts throughout the spring and summer. I pair them with jeans, shorts, and sweats, and wear them just about everywhere (where casual attire is appropriate, I mean).

So I’m always looking for new tees to wear, which is how I stumbled across the Shirt Woot website. Shirt Woot is run by the same people behind the very popular Woot.com, a site that sells one product — and one product only — on any given day.

The Shirt Woot concept is similar. They sell one t-shirt design in one color per day until the shirt is sold out or until the clock hits midnight. The designs are all original, and they even hold weekly contests where people can submit their own designs for consideration.

All shirts sold on Shirt Woot cost just $10, and standard shipping is free. Overnight shipping costs $5.

I haven’t actually bought anything from Shirt Woot yet, but I check in nearly every day. I’m surprised at how many of their designs actually sell out. I guess I’m not the only one that likes cheap tees!