Sure. Just like any item, there’s always a profit margin. Definitely for everyday items though, the margin’s a smaller gross amount since stores often rely on bulk. Here are some tips to help you pay less and save more.

Haggle. Negotiation skills always come in handy. Ask for discounts from the store clerk. If they say they’re not authorized, ask the store manager.

Pay in cash. Credit card transactions cost merchants at least 7% of the sale price when you pay using your card. If you pay in cash, merchants avoid paying the transaction fees so you can use this as leverage when buying and paying in cash.

Ask for the sale items. Most stores feature a sale section where you’d always find items at lesser prices. Most would have bins scattered around the store where sale items can be had.

Time purchases right. Some stores feature seasonal sales where you can get items at fraction of the cost. Most salespeople are aware of when these sales happen so feel free to ask them. If they’re not aware, again, ask the store manager. These things are planned months in advance anyway.

Hit the electronics store

Don’t feel guilty if you want to spend it on technology – just make sure you get a great deal. One of the best electronics buys for just under $1,000 right now is the Sony Bravia KDL-46EX500 at $990. You get better black levels, better contrast, and better brand name than the cheapest $800 LCD in the market.

Grow your investing knowledge

Your ability to handle your money and understand risks can lead you to a more stable financial standing in the future. Buy, read, and live what you have learned from good books, such as Peter Bernstein’s “Against the Gods”. Take an investing class at a college near you (cost: about $200 to $500). Or go to conferences where you can learn from the bests in the field, such as Morningstar’s Stocks Forum in Chicago on November 3 and 4 ($349).

Do some good

You can also transform your money into something tangible for a worthy cause. Based on Charitynavigator.org ratings, these top three charities can help you 1) restore 5 acres of Louisiana wetlands for wildlife through The Conservation Fund; 2) buy 13 work uniforms for the homeless people through the Coalition for the Homeless; and 3) supply 8,000 vitamin A capsules for needy children overseas through Vitamin Angels.

CNN

Samsung Galaxy Tab. The Samsung Galaxy Tab is considered as iPad’s emerging top rival. It’s only at 7 inches (versus the 9.7 inch iPad) and it’s also lighter. It comes with Android 2.2, Flash 10.1, 16 gb or 32 gb of memory, GPS, a gyroscope, an accelerometer, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, with autofocus and flash. The Galaxy Tab can only be bought through a carrier. And yes, that also means that there’s a phone in the Galaxy Tab.

Toshiba Folio. Like the iPad, the Toshiba Folio doesn’t have to be bought through a carrier. You have the option for Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G. It has a 10.1 screen, an Nvidia Tegra processor, stereo speakers, a 3.1-megapixel webcam, two USB ports, an SD card slot, an HDMI connector, Bluetooth, and 16 gb of memory. It also comes with Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1.

The Streak. Dell’s 5-inch Streak is more of a phone than a tablet. Compared to most of the new tablet, the Streak only comes with Android 1.6. If anything, it shows that Dell is being aggressive in getting out this kind of product early in this category.

The Blackpad. The Blackpad from Research in Motion is reportedly being made as a companion to the BlackBerry. But, at this point, nothing much is known about this product; everything about it is still a rumor.

HP Slate. The company Hewlett-Packard has been making PC tablets for years. HP Slate runs on Windows 7. But the reaction of the market to iPad’s release demonstrated the demand for a light-weight, non-Windows tablet.

Source: CNN

Eliminate potential mosquito motels

Mosquitoes love standing water. Get rid of any standing water for mosquitoes breed in them. Also take away things that emit non-natural scents, like scented candles and even garbage. These things attract mosquitoes as well.

Make yourself into a less appetizing meal

Mosquitoes are attracted to flowery, sweet perfumes, hair products, and lotions. Avoid them. But if you insist, use products that contain lavender and rosemary oil, since those are scents mosquitoes don’t favor. Adding a few drops of citronella, eucalyptus, cinnamon, or castor oil to you products can serve as effective repellants.

Use garlic

Mosquitoes (like blood-sucking vampires) hate garlic too. Eat more garlic. But if you hate garlic, just sprinkle minced garlic at three foot intervals around your porch to keep those bloodsuckers away.

Blow some air around

If you weigh a millionth of an ounce, the wind is definitely not your friend. Use a stand-mounted fan or ceiling fan to blow the mosquitoes away.

Make your own natural repellant

It’s as simple as mixing 5-10% of one of the essential oils that mosquitoes hate (see list of oils in step 2) with 90-95% of carrier fluid, like olive oil, other cooking oils, or alcohol (yes, even vodka would work!). But always remember to use with caution; don’t apply it to sensitive areas.

You don’t have to suffer from itching. Avoid mosquito bites and stay away from the diseases they bring with these five cheap steps.

Money Talk News

Movie Theater Popcorn. Grocery stores sell microwave popcorn at about $3 per box. Each box comes with 3.5 ounce bags. Movie theaters sell a single medium-sized bag of popcorn for $6. The average markup? A whopping 1275%!

Greeting Cards. Creating a home-made card will only cost you a few cents. And yet, people are still willing to pay an average cost of $2 to $4 for a greeting card. That’s a markup of between 100 to 200% for the fancy picture and the cleverly written message.

College Textbooks. Since 1986, the prices for college textbooks have skyrocketed to 186%. Books account for the 26% of the overall cost of college. Broke college students are required to purchase these costly books, hoping that, at the end of the semester, they can sell the books back to the local book store for a few bucks.

Bottled Water. In 2009, the U.S. Congress revealed that 45% of bottled water comes from municipal taps. Bottled water companies can choose to whether or not filter the water before selling it to you for $3 a bottle.

Printer Ink. Think about this: the Red Cross charges $200 for 500 ml of blood. That’s 40 cents per ml. A 42ml cartridge of blank printer ink is sold at $30. That’s 71 cents per ml. So over the life of your printer, you’ll be spending more than 500% of the total price of your printer for ink refills.

Brand-name Fashion. The mark up for branded clothes is at 500 to 1000%. Yet, some consumers still deny the fact that a pair of jeans from a budget store will work as fine as a pair from True Religion or Calvin Klein.

Source: Investopedia