Brilliant Bargain Bordeaux

             

Sometimes you're actually grateful for a wet summer. That seems to be the case if you enjoy bordeaux. Business Week has found an affordable bordeaux, vintage 2007 (a growing season of awful weather), that you can proudly pour at your table.

"The Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux -- an association of top Bordeaux producers, though not the First Growths -- held its annual U.S. road show recently. Tempted by the chance to sample the 2007 offerings from what is still the world's most important wine region, I put aside my dislike of walk-around tastings and sallied forth, sticky notebook in one sticky hand, sticky pen in the other.

My overall impressions confirmed the conventional wisdom about the vintageâ€"namely, that a wet summer resulted in an extremely mixed bag of wines, some that will make for pleasant early drinking and some that should be avoided at all costs..."

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Free Tax Preparation Software Recommendations

             

Yes, you can...do your own tax return for free (or at minimal cost). Our buying guide to free or cheap tax preparation software walks you through the features you should look for when choosing a vendor and fills you in on performance attributes, like ease of use and customer service.

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Savings Experiment: Are student services cheaper and better?

             

Students do know a thing or two, and when that expertise comes at a discounted price, you can't turn it down. WalletPop reminds us that professional schools need real live customers to further their students' trianing. So next time you need your teeth cleaned, or hair cut, or back massaged, don't overlook your neighborhood schools.

"Would you trust a student driver to get you to the airport fast? Probably not, but you certainly wouldn't mind getting a free massage from a student at a top-notch massage institute. With students training to be tomorrow's masters, there's money to be saved using their services.

Beauty New York City is the fashion capital of the world and also one of the most expensive when it comes to keeping your hair in step with the high fashion. Luckily, a lot of these world-famous and celeb-adored salons have student training programs..."

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Pay cash? Ask for a discount

             

You know that green stuff you used to carry in your pocket? Well, it's making a comeback. Why? Because, as Bankrate.com points out, a surprising number of merchants and service providers give discounts for cash customers. The deal might not be posted, so just ask. You've got nothing to lose, but real dollars to gain.

"Cash is king. It's also the preferred method of payment for a wide range of businesses that offer a discount to their customers who pay cash.

Discounts can range from just a few percentage points to nearly half off, depending on the merchant and product. Though most people don't always know they're available, sometimes all you need to do is ask for it..."

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Spring break goes thrifty

             

Students know a thing or two about cheap travel, and this year that applies to spring break, as well. According to Statepress.com, mid-semester revelers are partying in less pricey, some might say, old-school places. Europe, anyone?

"Spring break is rapidly approaching. Are you ready to get crunk?

As the annual weeklong break from school gets closer, students across the country are searching for the top vacation venues. College students will inevitably head to popular sites, like Florida or Mexico, in a widespread alcohol-induced frenzy. However, the typical spring break may be dying out, or at least suffering in a recession.

While traditional hotspots â€" anywhere with a beach â€" will by no means become ghost towns, the high costs of travel are forcing many people to seek alternatives..."

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Cheap VOIP Service Recommendations

             

Prices don't vary much among the main VOIP providers, but our research found significant differences in customer satisfaction. Read our cheap VOIP review to learn more about critical features and performance, and to see which VOIP services we recommend.

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10 Must-Read Money Books Recommended by Frugal Bloggers

             

There's an art to living frugally. On the off chance you haven't yet marshalled all your hidden talent, the Money Saving Blog points you to 10 books that can help you break through and live cheaply, simply, and with flair.

"One of the best ways to keep yourself on track with saving money and living a frugal lifestyle is to keep informed about this way of life. This is the reason that we read blogs and books about saving money; the more information that we have, the more capable we are of setting and sticking to our money-saving goals. But with so many different books out there about frugality, simple living and learning to save money, which books are the books that you should really be reading?..."

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Dell Inspiron i1545-4266IBU

             

The price may be right and the look will appeal, but you can do better. At least that's what CNET concludes in its review of a new, cheap laptop from Dell. The experts point out several shortcomings in features and performance and say low-priced models offered by competing makers give ou more bang for the buck.

"The $529 Dell Inspiron i1545-4266IBU is available in a rainbow of colors, but no matter which hue you choose, the polished design masks a substandard feature set. We love the fit and feel of this budget laptop--comfortable keyboard, roomy display, still light enough for daily travel--but competing models offer better features for the same money. By comparison, the $529 Asus K60I-RBBBR05 boasts an LED-backlit display and Wireless-N Wi-Fi--two features absent on the Inspiron i1545-4266IBU--plus double the hard-drive capacity..."

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FirstView's $95 Android / Windows CE PC607V tablet

             

Small smartbooks are all the rage these days, so why not treat yourself? Engadget reports that Chinese and Taiwanese are making it oh-so-easy to have a little fun, all for less than $150. You may sacrifice a bit on the quality front, but who cares?

"Doesn't look too bad for a $95 Android tablet, huh? Well, there's plenty more where that came from. Scattered along the main halls of CeBIT are dozens of Chinese and Taiwanese consumer electronics resellers looking to sell products to new customers, and this year they sure loaded up the suitcases with cheap Android / Windows CE tablets..."

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World's Fastest, Easiest, Cheapest, and Best iPhone Stand

             

All you need is a bit of plastic and strong fingers to fashion a cheap stand for your movie-viewing device of choice. Follow these links, courtesy of PC World, for all the necessary instructions.

"So you're on the airplane, ready to watch Zombieland on your iPhone, when suddenly you realize you have no stand, no way to prop it up at a comfortable viewing angle.

Take it from me, holding your iPhone (or Droid, iPod, Zune, or any other movie-viewing device) for two hours is no fun. No fun at all..."

Read more on PC World »