Bargains

During the 1920's, photographer Ansel Adams was the custodian of a lodge in Yosemite National Park, so it is no surprise that many of his most iconic landscapes were of features such as Half Dome and El Capitan. Now a California man, Rick Norsigian, believes the 65 glass landscape negatives he bought for $45 at a garage sale were taken by Adams. If so, one estimator puts their worth at $200 million.

There are a couple of reasons to doubt that this figure is grounded in reality, however. First, there is debate that these are indeed authentic Adams photographs.

Those claiming authenticity cite various pieces of evidence from their team of experts, which included, according to the Wall Street Journal, handwriting analysts, a photographer and an art adviser. None, however, were experts on Adams' work.

You might think that the power to compare travel prices online has created a buyer's market, since hotels and airlines must always jockey for your business with the best price. But that's an illusion.

Economics dictate that companies will do whatever they can to secure a profit, and so checking the Web for cheap airfare and vacation prices can be a process fraught with hidden pitfalls that aren't evident to you. Behind the scenes and under the hood, travel vendors have sneaky ways of making sure they still get the money they need to please shareholders despite the fact customers are always hunting for the lowest price.

I talked with Lauren Volcheff, a marketing exec for the company behind the Internet hotel discounter LastMinuteTravel.com, and she agreed to fill WalletPop readers in on a few tricks of the trade. Before you click "buy," know about these common mistakes people make when booking travel online:

Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas! No, you haven't fallen asleep for six months, but stores are trying to stir up sales and are offering deals like it's December. Or more specifically, the day after Thanksgiving.

Target is hosting a Black Friday event: only today, July 23 and only online. There are toys, electronics, apparel and beauty products with some seasonal clearance items thrown in for good measure. Get up to 50% off items for the home, music, movies and video games. A Cepia Zhu Zhu Hamster three-pack is just $18.99 (30% off).

Some items are in limited supply, like the Philips 47-inch LCD HDTV. The website lists it at $300, marked down from $699, but it's already out of stock. You can still score an inflatable outdoor movie screen at a significant discount and free shipping. Chi styling products are 15% off, including the coveted ceramic flat iron for 20% off at $79.99. Again, quantities are limited.

Ho ho ho ... !

Zoos and aquariums are knee deep in visitors this summer, forcing some facilities to accept early reservations and others to close their doors to additional patrons after selling out of tickets.

Several aquariums, including Chicago's John G. Shedd Aquarium and the Georgia Aquarium, have been so busy lately that they resorted to a system that requires visitors to call a day in advance and book a ticket for a specific time the next day.

"The attendance figures are pretty much through the roof," said Rudy Socha, chief executive of Zoo and Aquarium Visitor. "When Georgia Aquarium first opened they were so swamped that no one could see the exhibits. It took them a while to figure out what the right flow of visitors was."

Zoo and aquarium experts say that an ongoing recession has at least temporarily changed the way Americans vacation, prompting many of them to stay closer to home.

The $3 Quiznos coupon has returned. For $3, okay technically, $2.99 plus tax, you get a small sub, chips, and regular fountain drink. You're not going to find a cheaper lunch - unless you brown bag it. It's not clear how many times you can print the coupon, which expires July 27, 2010. Copies of the coupon are not accepted. Click on the image at right to print the coupon.

Caveats: in HI and AK the cost is $3.99. Not valid on delivery orders. Cannot be combined with any other offer or discount. Valid only at participating Quiznos locations. One coupon per person per order.

Printing this coupon supports WalletPop.

Spend $18, get $10 back. That's a pretty nice discount, eh? This deal is at TGI Friday's restaurants and you will get a $10 gift card when you buy two entrees, which start at $9, from their "Caribbean-inspired" summer menu. The special menu features 14 new appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrees cooked with Caribbean spices, mangoes, coconut, and rum. Sounds quite tasty, actually.

This deal is valid today through September 5, 2010.

Caveats: the $10 gift card is valid on your next purchase.

You have joined your local Groupon, right? The "social buying" site operates in 103 big and small cities across the country. Basically, a bunch of people buy into a local deal to get a super discount, usually a minimum of 50% off and sometimes as much as 90% off. The deals are for restaurants, salons, gyms, and other services.

If Groupon doesn't provide deals where you live, Check out Living Social, Tippr, FreshGuide, or SocialBuy. And if THAT fails, there is a new site called CoupReCoup that where you can buy and sell unused social coupons.

Joining Groupon supports WalletPop.

Thanks to inflation, what cost just a buck in 2000 would cost $1.27 today. Happily, the price of some products has not kept up with that inflation; and in some cases, they are even cheaper today than ten years ago. What can you buy today that gets you more bang for your buck? WalletPop uncovered some of these treasures and teamed up with Mint.com to present this infographic on the top items on our list. See below for the raw data from the 20 most unusual items that cost less today:

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<p><strong>Embed the above image on your site</strong><br /><textarea id="txtarea" style="width: 200px; height: 35px;" onclick_fckprotectedatt="%20onclick%3D%22select()%22" rows="3"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.walletpop.com/blog/media/2010/06/mnt-inflation-r4454ver2.jpg" _fcksavedurl="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.walletpop.com/blog/media/2010/06/mnt-inflation-r4454ver2.jpg" /><a href="http://www.mint.com/" _fcksavedurl="http://www.mint.com/">Budget Planner - Mint.com</a>

In every real estate downturn, some home owner whose having a hard time selling their home has what they think is an original (and brilliant) idea: Hold a sweepstakes and raffle off the house! Just charge $1,000 a ticket and require that at least 300 of them be sold before you turn over your keys, you've in essence, sold your house for $300,000 -- right? Not so fast, Einstein.

For one thing, it isn't legal. When the state runs a raffle -- like the lottery -- that's legal. When you do it as a private citizen, it is not. Nonprofits may hold raffles but despite your dwindling savings account, you likely aren't a nonprofit except in the eyes of your mother-in-law. No matter how you cut it and despite those who try each year, an individual homeowner can't legally print up raffle tickets and advertise his home as the prize.

Nevertheless, people have found a couple of ways to get around this whole nonsense of legality -- or lack thereof.

Lonely Planet, the popular Australia-based guide book company for budget travelers, has named the "best places to go around the world right now" in its Best in Travel book series, and there are some surprising entries on the list. The good news is that most of them are inexpensive to visit, at least once you get there.

The list is not numbered, there is no definition of what "best" means, but we can assume that these are the places where you would want to live and travel because they're off the radar of mass tourism at the moment. The list was also complied in 2009, before the BP oil catastrophe in the Gulf and the Greek financial crises.

Here are Lonely Planet's 10 best places to go in alphabetical order, along with their reasons why each one made the honors. I also update this list in light of big events that have occurred in the past six months.

Outlet shopping is such big business, it stands to reason that retailers try to slip some tricks past shoppers to make a little more money. The next time you hit your nearest outlet center, keep these tips in mind, and avoid the five ways that retailers try to divert you from the true discount shopping opportunities.

The foot traffic at America's outlet malls is immense, and everyone is there to spend. Many of the country's biggest malls are tourist attractions unto themselves. Franklin Mills Outlets, outside of Philadelphia, attracts about 18 million visitors more than ten times the number who visit Independence Hall. And because of its strong attraction for international tourists, Florida's Sawgrass Mills, outside of Fort Lauderdale, is estimated to rope about 26 million shoppers a year, or about two and a half times the estimated draw for Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Most outlet stores are located far from town, and not just because that's where the rent is cheap. It also helps shoppers believe that inaccessibility means there must deals there. The truth is shoppers arrive at outlet malls assuming that everything they see will be a bargain off the prices they'd pay in town. Some retails take advantage of your convenient assumptions:

Six Flags and Walmart are teaming up to offer customers $99 Family Days, a special promotion that includes four tickets to Six Flags' theme parks and discounts on food, drinks and other activities.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout June, Walmart shoppers will find the special promotion code on store receipts and must type the code in on sixflags.com/walmart. Confirmation will then be sent to shoppers via email.

Six Flags estimates that the package will save a family $120 per day based on average ticket prices and the discounts included in the package. In addition, Six Flags is offering "Walmart Wednesdays Rise and Ride" in which customers who hold Family Days promotional tickets get an extra hour of rides in the morning.

The promotion should turn out to be a win-win deal for both companies. Six Flags has faced some financial difficulties, while Walmart is trying to boost sales in a sluggish economy. Shoppers are always on the lookout for bargains, but we also like to have fun. This promotion combines both.

Use this Borders coupon to get 25% off the list price of almost everything through Monday, June 14, 2010. Online use coupon code BHF7842Y. The coupon is also valid at Borders Express and Waldenbooks. Make sure you have your Borders Rewards card with you -- belonging to its free loyalty program is a must to use this coupon. One use per person during the valid period.

Online the coupon expires at 11:59 p.m. PST June 14, 2010.

Caveats: cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, sale pricing, coupon, or discount, including group discounts. Excludes previous purchases, special orders, shipping, gift cards, coupon books, newspapers, magazines, comics, eBooks, digital downloads, vinyl LPs, Smartbox products, Rosetta Stone® software, tax software, video games, and all electronics.

The nickel wine sale at Bev Mo just started! Hundreds of wines (263 to be exact) are just a nickel when you buy a first bottle of the same wine. Confused? The first bottle is the regular price, the second bottle of the same wine is $.05. Join its free ClubBev! membership program to get the deal.

Caveats: prices may vary by region. Limited to supplies on hand. Vintages subject to change. No adjustments to prior purchases. Prices and sale effective for a limited time only. Prices and items in Arizona may vary. All items are 750ml unless otherwise noted. Unclear when the nickel sale ends.

Other great options for tasty low-priced wine are Trader Joe's and Costco. The chain grocery stores in my neighborhood -- Ralphs, Vons, and Albertsons -- occasionally have really good prices if you buy six bottles or more. Look for for super sales!

A surprising thing happened to me yesterday as I flew back to America from the airport in Berlin, Germany. I was given the option of receiving change back in Euros or American dollars. Faced with quickly deciding which currency would hold its value over the next few weeks, to my surprise, I found myself thinking of the dollar as the better bet. I haven't had that feeling in the better part of a decade.

The Euro's at a four-year low, and signs points it to going lower this summer. Greece and Spain already already having fiscal woes, and Hungary is reportedly joining the ranks of the ailing. As some participating economies are sag under debt, the whole Euro currency system is dragged with them, and some pessimistic experts even predict that the Euro as we know it will cease to exist in five years.

In the face of such apocalyptic warnings, there can be only one prescription for Americans: Go to Europe!