In November cruise ships head out to more profitable waters. They take long voyages to reposition ships for a season of winter cruising.
That means there are deals to be had. Cabins will go for half their lowest daily rate. There aren't many ports of calls -these ships are on the move- but the on board amenities are just as good. There are generally plenty of cabins available so the best deals come to those who wait.
The brilliant researchers at dealnews have issued a study saying the worst time to get a discount on an Apple product is on the first day of release. Thanks Sherlock, we didn't really need your study to figure that out. However those dealnews detectives did find the retailers most likely to offer deals... and when. OK, now we are getting somewhere!
Have you been thinking about springing for a Verizon iPhone? Take action! The website Consumer World says move fast or miss out, "... effective July 7, the company is doing away with unlimited data plans on SmartPhones. If you already are paying $29.99 for a data plan, you will be grandfathered in. If you are planning to upgrade your phone or plan, do it by July 6th, or you will pay $30/$50/$80 a month, for 2-GB, 5-GB, or 10-GB plans, respectively."
Commodity prices are changing your summer vacation. Oil prices are spiking and that causes a ripple effect: Campgrounds have to charge more because maintenance cost increase. Airlines fly fewer and smaller aircraft, making a cheap seat harder to come by. Even some cruise ships will start cutting back on the buffet to close the gap between the cost of a ticket bought last year and the price of fuel currently being paid. Locking in prices now, by paying up front, is the best hedge against escalating costs. That and staying closer to home.
The cost of clothing is about to go through the roof. If you need jeans or underwear, buy it now. For the past decade commodity prices have been stable and labor costs have been going down.
Clothing buyers are being hit with a double whammy: increasing costs on both labor and materials. China is paying more for works because of shortages and cotton prices are hitting a 150-year high.
Brooks Brothers’ shirts that used to cost $79.50 now cost $88. Other prices will being up soon as well... way up. So it is a good time to stock up on underwear, socks and jeans; the items you would buy even if prices double... because they may.
Will your car’s warranty be cancelled if a third party mechanic does the maintenance? No. The federal trade commission is making a big push to make sure car owners know their rights. “Under federal law, it is illegal for manufacturers or dealers to refuse to honor a warranty or to deny coverage simply because someone other than the dealer did work on the car. And dealers must be able to demonstrate that improper repair caused the damage that they refuse to cover.” So there!
AT&T has rolled out its 4G network, which is supposed to be faster and better. Techies questioned what was really happening, controversy erupted and the rest of us said, “huh”? Well here is a good wrap up on who is saying what to whom… and what it means to your cell phone bill.
