The GauchoBlog » Product Reviews

GauchoTV: Weird Products and Bad Breakfasts

MarvPratt — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:27:53 +0000

You know that feeling you get when you see a strange new product advertised on TV and you think, “Who would buy this?!?” Well, Marv gets that feeling all the time. Putting together episodes of GauchoTV gives him the opportunity to run across all kinds of weird items. When he sees them, he saves them and tucks them away for episodes like this week. That’s right, it’s Weird Products Update! And there are some weird ones. For some reason, the most disturbing items are always food. Because while a Snuggie may be weird, a sandwich in a can (spoiler alert!) is way, way weirder. But the Candwich is just the tip of the iceberg!

This week Marv also gives you the Top 5 Worst-for-you/Grossest Fast Food Breakfasts. You probably won’t be surprised by the results. Also, there’s an update on Marv’s Lose Weight 4 Less. It’s only been one week, and Marv was still getting over that chest cold, so it’s been pretty dicey getting back into the gym. But despite all that, denial of food and even a modest increase in cardio has already shown results. 16 weeks to go! Join him on this journey of making his jeans fit again.

GauchoTV: Health and Beauty

MarvPratt — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:00:30 +0000

This episode is rated PG-13 for partial nudity. No, seriously, Marv hops out of the shower to review the new Vaseline MENS moisturizing lotion. (Spoiler alert: He likes it!). Product reviews are fun, but instead of picking a more tangible item that you can physically see the advantages of – like a cell phone or a tech toy – Marv chose the considerably more esoteric Men’s Grooming Care item. I guess the moral of this story is: Send Marv more tech toys to review. He really wants to play with a Chumby (chumby.com/), so you can start there.

As the theme for this episode is Health and Beauty, and with the beauty covered by a very well moisturized Marv, it’s time to focus on health. Marv is embarking on a 16 week journey, and you can join him. With the help of the free internet fitness tool Traineo, Marv will try to lose 36 pounds. Sound like a lot of weight? It IS! But he went to the doctor with the cold he had last week (see Episode 29) and the doc was nice enough to mention that Marv has put on a few (read: 20) pounds since last year. So let’s go on this fitness journey together. Follow Marv’s progress at gauchomarv.traineo.com, on Twitter at @GauchoMarv and in future episodes of GauchoTV.

GauchoTV: Smartphones and Secrets

MarvPratt — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:00:53 +0000

Full disclosure: Marv is a dyed in the wool, double stamped, Apple fan. In fact, as you watch this episode he is probably STILL standing in line to pick up his iPhone4. But what if you don’t want an iPhone? What if you don’t want to get locked into an AT&T contract? Even though Marv cannot possibly understand what would motivate this kind of insanity, he respectfully offers up one of the more comprehensive Top 5′s he’s ever put together. If you want to get a smartphone, and for whatever crazy reason you don’t want an iPhone, Marv will show you the best alternatives available. While he would never want one for himself, he gives you a “pros and cons” of the best smartphones that don’t have a lower case I in front of their names.

Also in this episode, learn the secrets to getting the best clearance deals at Target. You may think you know when to get a good deal at Target, but Marv goes deep undercover to find the real deal. It’s the secrets that even the most secretive secret keepers have tried to keep secret. But they are secrets no more, because Marv will spill the beans in this episode. Beans will be spilled! I hope you’ve ScotchGuarded your carpets!

Earth Week: A Way to Save with Planet Earth in Mind

damianom — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:00:10 +0000

Many of us North Americans purchase water on a daily basis and some of us use solely bottled water for our homes. Here are some hard facts about plastic bottles from the Green Upgrader:

Plastic bottles take 700 years to begin composting
90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the bottle itself
80% of plastic bottles are not recycled
38 million plastic bottles go to the dump per year in America from bottled water (not including soda)
24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles
The average American consumes 167 bottles of water a year
Bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply water
Bottled water is the second most popular beverage in the United States

Those are some pretty unreal facts, especially when you see that 80% isn’t recycled and then think about how long it takes to decompose.

321 Water is a beautifully designed water bottle with an e easy-to-use plunger mechanism that contains a carbon block filter. One push removes any chlorine, unpleasant tastes and odors in an instant, leaving you with fresh, filtered water anytime you need it. The downside is that it’s not exactly a one time investment so you might be skeptical about the savings. The carbon filter last for up to 100 uses and a 3 pack replacement cost $12.50. Essentially this is going to cost you much less with the purchase of plastic bottles.

The bottle itself cost $44.50 but the company requires a pre-orders of 10,000 to begin production for shipping by June. So this Earth Day, think about what you will do to help the planet. What other ways to save and help the planet do you have in mind or plan on doing? Share them in the comments, below!

GauchoTV: News and New Views

MarvPratt — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:54:00 +0000

Episode 13: In this episode, Marv updates on his new specs (purchased online on the cheap) and other updates, as well as shopping news for the affluent. Catalogs, cheap road trip tips and more. All that squeezed into just about 8 minutes. Not bad.

7 Sweet Savings Blogs

Max — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:35:00 +0000

Did you ever wonder what the best blogs are to help you save money?

Yeah, me too.

I’ve only been blogging about savings for a little while. So I’m always finding and reading savings blogs now. Man, when I was putting myself through grad school … if I only knew then what I know now. Live and learn, right?

Anyway, savings blogs are really a very interesting animal. It seems like everyone has their own focus, style, and personality — but everyone genuinely wants to share their insights on how to save money, whether that’s through a coupon or a word of advice. There’s a huge range.

That’s a good thing. In times like these, that diversity and enthusiasm is super important. There’s something for everyone out there.

Here are my personal favorites. At least for now.

the simple dollar – There’s something very real, honest, and down-to-earth, about Trent Hamm’s financial wisdom. I swear, if everyone just followed Tren’ts 14 Money Rules, this country would be in a much better state.

The Frugal Find – Julia seems to know about every deal out there. Plus, she’s really nice.

Frugal Living – About.com always has good content, and Erin Huffstetler does her part with solid info on frugal living, money management, and ways to save by doing things yourself.

Entrepreneur Daily Dose – I’m fascinated by business. If you’re a small biz or entrepreneur interested in saving (and making) money, the Daily Dose is a constant contiuum of ways to save in running and marketing your business. With more and more people running their own small businesses every day, out of desire or necessity, this type of quality content is very valuable.

Pinching Your Pennies – Full of grocery deals and coupons, Pinching Your Pennies provides more than just penny pinching. It’s filled with kitchen logic and ways to stretch a dollar. The kind of things you never think about, but make complete sense.

Baby Cheapskate – Okay. I don’t really read this blog. I don’t have a baby. I subscribe to the RSS feed because I like the pictures. Maybe this is my way of prepping for someday when we do have a baby. I know. I’m weird. But if you have a baby, you’ll probably think it’s great.

SavingAdvice.com – Pure, practical advice. The Swiss Army Wrench of savings blogs.

Oh. Yeah. I forgot. YOURS.

There’s always room for more savings, so there’s always room for more savings blogs.

That’s why Gaucho launched Gaucho Pages — to make it easy for you to blog about savings without having to design a blog. Check it out.

The Whole Deal

Max — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:47:10 +0000

Looking to eat healthy and still save money?

Whole Foods Market offers some online resources to help you do just that.

Here’s the Deal With the Whole Deal

The Whole Deal is a savings specific part of the Whole Foods site. First off, it offers some good Coupons that you can print out. Then there’s Sure Deals, which is a list of everyday low-priced items that give you high-quality goods for less. Lastly, there’s Three Under $3, which is exactly what it sounds like. That’s a nice bunch of specials to help you save when shopping at Whole Foods.

Get Cooking

On top of the deals, this section of the site offers some very useful information and resources.

Their money-saving meal plans can help you cook up some cost-conscious meal ideas for one or a whole family. Some of them are pretty tasty looking. Worth checking out.

Learn to Cook, Learn to Save empowers people to save money by teaching them to cook their own food. Right now, the focus is on quinoa.

Quinoa is a great Peruvian grain that’s very high in protein. It’s quite filling, but easily digestible and can be used like rice with just about any sort of food. It has a slightly nuttier, more roasted flavor than rice. Kids like it and it’s healthier for them than rice, too.

I’m really a huge quinoa fan. It’s great to mix with sauteed mushrooms, peas, dressings, or you serve as a side with almost anything. If you’re going to a BBQ or potluck, cook the quinoa with some soup stock and mix in some veggies after you cook it. Makes a great dish.

Anyway, check out the Whole Deal — good deals, good savings, and good grub.

Bevmo!’s 5 Cent Sale

Max — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:56:14 +0000

It’s that time again. If you drink wine and you live in California, you probably know about BevMo’s 5-cent Sale that’s going on right now.

If you don’t know about it, well then I’d like to welcome you to the wonderful world of wine exploration. There are very few things about living in California that you get at less expense than those living elsewhere. Great wine happens to be one of them. Take advantage of it.

The Real Deal About this Sale

With over 200 bottles to choose from, BevMo members can buy one bottle of wine and get the second one for 5-cents.

The BevMo Drama

Now, there are complaints online that BevMo marks up the cost on the first bottle. I’ve had friends mention this, too. However, this is really a ridiculous argument. Of course, the savings varies by bottle, but even if they mark a bottle up 30%, you’re getting 2-for-1. According to my English-major math, you’re usually coming out with a general savings of 20% – 35% on two bottles of wine.

That said, you do need to be a bit wary. On a day-to-day basis, BevMo has some questionable pricing on a few items and this can carry over to the sale.

Look Closely

You know, if you go to CostCo, you’re pretty sure you’re going to find a competitive price on whatever you’re looking to buy. That’s not the case at BevMo. Most of the time they have good prices, but then they’ll drastically overcharge on a few random items for rather mysterious reasons.

But, is it any real surprise to learn that you have to pay attention to find the best deal? Our savings savvy readers know this.

So, when shopping on a regular basis, frugal Gauchos who enjoy good wine will compare the prices of their favorites at places like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.

You’ll Probably Score a Deal

With the 5-cent sale, the chances are that you will get a good deal on anything on the sale list. There are exceptions to that, so it’s best to not go in totally blind, but this really is a sale worth checking out.

No one ever seems to know the exact end date for this sale, they always say it’s for a limited time, but it’s better to go sooner for best selection.

Why This is Great for Winos

Living in the Bay Area, everyone loves wine and many of the winos I know love to take advantage of this sale.

It’s perfect for stocking up on a favorite, but it’s also a great way to learn about new wines.

Half of the art of wine is knowing what type of meal to drink it with. So, take advantage of this sale and mix it up. Try a new bottle with dinner and think about what it would go well with. Store it away, then pair it with with more purpose later. It’s a fun way to explore wines and how they interplay with food.

What to Get

The BevMo employees might help you find a bottle, but they aren’t wine experts. I wouldn’t go in there seeking their council on what to get, or take it too seriously if it’s offered. You’re almost better off just guessing.

Now I’m no wine pro, but I did bartend my way through college and I’ve been to Napa enough to tell you what I like and why. If you don’t know what to get, here are my picks.

Cosentino “the Cab” – The classic big cab. Dark cherry and tobacco flavors. I don’t think it’s quite as good as it used to be, but, that goes for most of the Napa cabs. At $16, this is a great deal for 2 bottles of a big, well-rounded cab. You can’t get it at the winery that cheap. Great with steaks and heavy meats.
Elodian Cabernet ’05 — I’m probably too cheap to spend $35 on a bottle of wine, let’s be honest here. But, for 2 bottles of wine, this is the type of thing that might catch my eye. Why is this a great deal? Because ’05 was THE epic big year for cabs in Napa. This seems like a late release which means it could have some big flavors. Worth the gamble. This wine probably sells for $25 elsewhere, and they’re marking the price up here, but for 2 bottles of wine, $35 is better than $50. This is where I’d consider trying one sometime in the next few months, then saving another for a later date.
Shiloh Road Cabernet ’07 — I’m not sure why, but BevMo really seems to push this wine. They must get a lot of it at a good price. If I was paying $17 a bottle, I wouldn’t get it. For 2, this is a good deal for a decent, middle-of-the-road cab. It’s not fantastic, but it’s pretty tasty.
Carneros Creek Pinot Noir Reserve ’07 — Carneros Creek, which sits in a fog belt south of Napa, does a great job with sparkling wines and pinots. 2 bottles for $25 is a great deal.
Irony Pinot Noir ’07 — I like Monterey County pinots. This one can usually be found at Safeway for $13 – $14 bucks. At $16 for 2, this would probably be my pick of the day.
Red Bicyclette Chardonnay ’07 – $13 for 2. If you’re a chardonnay drinker, I think this one is worth a try.
Cosentino The Novelist Meeting — $17 for 2. A nice Sauvignon Blanc-based blend.

So those are my choices. What would yours be? I’d love to hear.

How to File Your Federal Tax Return Online for Free

Max — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:59:26 +0000

Can you believe it? According to the IRS, people have been e-filing their taxes for 20 years.

In fact, 4.2 million tax returns were filed electronically in 1990, the first year the service was offered. Last year, 95 million tax returns, or 66% of taxpayers, filed their returns electronically.

Starting in 2003, taxpayers have been able to e-file for free.

Where to File for Free

According to the IRS, there are three ways to e-file: via tax preparers, through the tax prep apps and products provided by private companies like H&R Block, TurboTax, etc., or through the IRS Free File program.

Tax Preparer

If you hire a tax preparer, these pros can use e-services to file your return for free. If you have a standard Federal and state filing, then last year the average fee for tax preparation varied between $115 to $188.

So, in reality, your Federal filing will still cost you. Also, the charges for filing your taxes are likely to increase for complicated and poorly organized returns.

However, the more complex the tax return, the more benefit you’ll derive from a tax preparer. So, if you’re self-employed, run a small business, or sold a lot of stocks last year, you should probably hire an accountant or other tax pro for the best shot at the most savings.

Traditional Free File Software

This year, you can use tax software to file your Federal return for free if you had an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $57,000 or less in 2009.

The IRS will help you choose a free file company, but here are some of the most popular:

H&R Block — They offer the ability to file your taxes by using their online app, or by downloading their free H&R Block software.

Online: Free package for the most basic tax situations, a Deluxe package for investors and homeowners that costs $29.95, and a Premium product for self-employed people and rental property owners that’s available for $49.95. State filing is $29.95.

Download: $19.95 for Basic, plus $29.95 for State. Download Deluxe is $44.95 and Premium is $59.95. Download Deluxe and Premium packages include State filing.

TaxAct — Claims free Federal filing for everyone, but we have to think this can’t be entirely true — based on the max income level for free filing. Despite this, we can forgive TaxAct because of their low prices. Free for basic, $9.95 for Deluxe, and $17.95 for the Ultimate Bundle – which includes State e-filing.

TurboTax — TuboTax offers a whole suite of tax products at various levels of sophistication for personal and small business use. Both online and downloadable/cd versions are available.

Free Edition. Online only. State is $27.95.

Basic. Online: $14.95 for Federal and $36.95 for State. Buy CD/Download: $24.95 for Federal (e-file up to 5 Federal returns for free) and $19.95 State.

Deluxe. For maximizing deductions. For Online: $29.95 for Federal and $36.95 for State. Buy CD/Download: $59.95 for Federal (e-file up to 5 Federal returns for free). State included.

Premier. For investments and rental property. Online: $49.95 for Federal and $36.95 for State. Buy CD/Download: $59.95 for Federal (e-file up to 5 Federal returns for free). State included.

Home & Business. For self-employed, income from side jobs, sole proprietors, consultants, 1099 contractors, or single-owner LLCs. Online: $79.95 for Federal and $36.95 for State. Buy CD/Download: $99.95 for Federal (e-file up to 5 Federal returns for free). State included.

Business. For S Corps, partnerships, C Corps, or multi-owner LLCs. Only desktop version available. $129 for Federal (e-file up to 5 Federal returns for free) and $19.95 State.

OLT OnLine Taxes — Free Federal and State return filing for everyone 20 and under. For everyone else, Federal and State returns are $7.95 each.

IRS Free File Program

With all of the companies above advertising free e-filing for Federal returns, many people go ahead and do their taxes, only to wonder why they end up getting charged for it at the end. It’s because their AGI was over the limit.

However, even if your AGI is over $57,000, you can still file your Federal return for free.

There are no income limitations if you use the Free File Fillable Forms. You fill in their forms and file them without the tax software. Not recommended for the faint of heart. Of course, this doesn’t apply to State returns, which you’ll have to take care of elsewhere.

What’s the Best Deal?

Well, it depends on the level of support you need.

H&R Block and TurboTax have great prices for people who have more complex tax situation, but can still do their taxes themselves. OLT has some killer pricing for those filing simple returns.

Outright: Tax Savings for Small Businesses

Max — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:45:02 +0000

Outright is a online app for keeping and managing tax records. It’s intended for freelancers, the self-employed, and small businesses.

I’ve mentioned it before, but with tax season heating up, this product has had some buzzing discussions take place (no, I don’t mean that Buzz), and warrents a closer look.

Free is Good

First of all, Outright is free. That’s a popular price for items preferred by Gauchos. According to Kevin from Outright (who responded to a comment on this FreelanceSwitch post):

[...] this is Kevin from Outright.com. Just wanted to let you know that the core service will remain free. We will add other paid services (like the online 1099 filing service we launched last month: http://outright.com/contractors/1099) but the core bookkeeping will stay free. Hope that helps.

It does help, Kevin. Tracking and reporting income and expenses in an effort to estimate and stay prepared and keep your taxes on track, or playing catchup at the beginning of April, is usually a difficult and time consuming activity. By automating this process, small businesses can spend more time making money and less time accounting for it.

By the way, all information you keep on Outright is encrypted, so your data is kept secure.

The Live Feed

Many small business owners and consultant will tell you how important it is to use a real, living, breathing tax pro when tax season rolls around.

I’m not going to suggest that Outright might replace getting a real pro to help you. But, if you’re truly running on a shoestring budget, Outright will likely save you a lot of time and frustration. It will help you organize, compute, and report the information necessary if you elect to use a service like TurboTax, H&R Block, or another desktop or web-based product to file your taxes.

If you’re still going to use a bookkeeper, tax consultant, or accountant for help filing your taxes, that’s great. Imagine the time you’ll save when you walk in and drop a highly organized file on their desk with all the reports you’ve provided. You’ll save additional money by paying for less of their time. And, by empowering them to focus on finding additional tax deductions — instead of having them babysit you while you get your basic tax needs in order — they might find a way to save you even more.

Simple

Outright is dead simple to use. I was impressed with its easy navigation and its ability to import data from credit cards accounts, PayPal, eBay, invoicing apps, CSV files, and more.

Once such data is imported, Outright offers flexible and powerful reporting features. These include profit & loss statements, 1099 reports, plus reports on income and expenses by customer, vendor, and category.

Outright helps you to know what deductions you can take at tax time, reminds you about deadlines, helps you to avoid late fees, and has a knowledgeable user community helping to answer each others questions. You can even pay your estimated taxes via a secure payment portal.

It also supports users living in several countries outside the US.

Effortless

If you’re a Freshbooks user, as more and more small businesses and freelancers seem to be, you can link your Freshbooks account to Outright and it will import all of your data. Set the dates you want to import (it defaults to importing only current data), and then in literally a few seconds you’ll be ready to run profit and loss statements and expense reports. Think of Freshbooks as your cash register and Outright as your bookkeeper.

Outright also integrates with shoeboxed, a web product offering free and paid services for managing business receipts. (Use the Outright referral link to get $10 off annual plans.)

Nothing to Lose

Keep in mind that Outright is intended for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs who file a Schedule C tax form.

If you fall into that bucket, then there aren’t many, if any, good reasons for you not to give Outright a try. It will only make your tax season easier and it’s a useful year-round tool for figuring out estimated taxes.

Surprise! No more tax season surprises.