Are you in need of a new couch? New couches are nice, but they will cost you an arm and a leg. If you are on a budget, you may consider turning to Craigslist.org. This classified website has lots of used couches for sale at very good prices, but what should you consider when buying?

Always see pictures first. A picture speaks a thousands words, especially when it comes to furniture. If a Craigslist seller has a great price on a couch and they didn't post pictures, email them requesting those pictures. Save yourself a drive to look at a couch that is covered in cigarette burns and so forth.

Make sure the picture is of the couch and the couch alone. Some Craigslist sellers are crafty. They know their couch is crap, so they head on down to Bed Bath and Beyond and buy a $10 couch-cover on clearance. They cover the sofa and take a picture. You think "oh I will take that cover off when I get home," but are shocked when you do. You are buying the couch for the couch, not for the cover.

Never buy a sofa that has been sitting outside for weeks. Craigslist sellers who do this aren't crafty, but rather not thinking. These sellers don't think to sell their old couch until a few weeks later. During that time, it sat outside possibly coming into contact with rain, wind, snow, sun, insects, rodents, and bird poop. Do you really want that in your living room? I would hope not.

Have a transport plan first. Never contact a seller and say "I will buy your couch, but I need a few days to figure out how to pick it up." Never do this especially if they say couch must be gone in 24 hours. Cover this base first. If you don't have a large van or truck, buddy up with a friend who does. Tell that friend, "I want to buy a couch in the next couple of days, will you help me?" There you go, you now have a plan.

Always keep bedbugs in mind. Due to the name, we often make the mistake of assuming bedbugs are only found in our beds. They aren't. They also live in sofas and other types of fabric furniture. Did you know that Colorado State cancelled their Great Sofa Roundup in 2009 due to bedbug fears? They did. Bedbugs are tricky because they are easy to spread, meaning they may appear in an otherwise clean home. However, always use your best judgment. If you have to walk around piles of garbage to see the sofa, kindly say "no, that wasn't what I was looking for."

Now what you know what to look for when buying a sofa from Craigslist? Are you ready to shop? Visit Craigslist.org or download a Craigslist search tool to search multiple locations at once and do more.

Click here to try a Craigslist search program for free. Let the Craigslist Reader help you find a used couch on Craigslist with ease.

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Have you heard that Craigslist.org is home to some great local deals? It is. You can find amazing prices on a wide range of items, including kid's toys, clothes, movies, books, furniture, home decor, computers, building supplies, and much more. However, if you are new to buying on Craigslist, there are some important things you need to know first.

Contact Does Not Mean Confirmation

So you found a bedroom set listed on Craigslist and loved the price; what a deal! Just because you emailed the seller to say "I will take it," doesn't mean you will actually get it. If it really was a great price, 20 emails or more might have been sent before yours. Don't get all excited and start redecorating to fit your new bedroom set until you know for sure. This is when the seller contacts you and says "okay, when do you want to pick it up?"

Price is Firm Means Price is Firm

It is only natural to want to get the best deal possible. You might be able to convince a seller to take $25 less for their TV stand, but there are some cases in which you should save your breath. This is when the seller says price is firm. Guess what? Price is firm means "this is my price and nothing you will say will change my mind." You might think you have some neat tricks or some make believe sob story that will change their mind, but it almost always backfires. In fact, expect a "don't you know how to read," email.

There are Crazies on Craigslist

For the most part, the people selling on Craigslist are just like you and me; they are normal. However, you will run into a few crazies on the website. Who are these people? They are the people who try and scam you. The people who want to stalk you. The people who think meeting to buy a couch is a date. It is always best to exercise good judgment when buying on Craigslist. For you, this could be meeting in a public place or telling a seller no when they insist on a home delivery for your toaster.

In short, Craigslist.org is a great classified service and you are sure to find lots of deals. However, when trying to score those deals, please keep the above mentioned points in mind.

Click here to search Craigslist nationwide and more; try the Craigslist Reader free for 3-days.

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Students discount cards help you to receive a good amount of discounts to which a student is entitled when traveling abroad. Students enjoy a number of discounts, including concessions at museums, restaurants, railways, airlines and other forms of transportation. So, if you are one of students who prefer traveling while studying years, take advantage of the interesting deals offered to you.

However, many organizations and institutions have different policies for giving discounts. In order to receive discounts, most of establishments require students to be a full-time student with a recognized university and institution. Only full-time students are given discounts as some institutions believe that if the students are engaged in full-time studies there will be no time for them to hold a job, thus they should get some discounts.

The second determinant for availing discounts is your age. Some establishments may not give discounts to students over 25 years of age. Hence, they require you to produce your identity cards having your enrollment status and student ID card when you travel. So, you need to carry your identity cards along whenever you are planning to go.

There are cases when you have to face some unpleasant situations such as robbery or money loss, you can easily contact many retailers and companies across the world to lend a helping hand. In USA, students can enjoy great discounts and save cash to get a Student Advantage card. By having this card, you can easily save $20 per year and you are entitled to have tons of discounts in various stores, travel agencies and more.

Plastic Card Monster offers Discount Cards and Discount Card Printing at an affordable price.

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If you are looking at gas BBQ grills you might want to be very cautious about which one you invest in. It pays in the long run to buy a good, quality one.

Many of the cheap grills that are made today, look and have many of the features of the gas BBQ's that cost hundreds and even thousands more. They are usually sold in big-box stores and on the internet.

They may come in stainless steel, with one or more side burners, infrared burners. They look impressive and well-built, but most are not.

They are not designed for heavy use and will not hold up, or perform as well as well-built gas grill. Remember you get what you pay for.

If you are trying to save a few bucks, forget it, you'll probably be sorry you didn't spend a little more to buy quality a gas BBQ, maybe even sacrificing some features that you would have liked to have.

If you purchase a cheap one you run the risk of having to figure out a way to transport it to the local dump, or having to bribe your local garbage pickup person to haul it away for you after using only for a short while.

And, you will ask yourself, "Why didn't I buy a good one to start with?"

In 1989, I invested in a top-of-the-line gas BBQ that I had converted to natural gas. At the time I paid top dollar for it. I still have that BBQ. And, I use it all year around!

I live in an adverse climate for barbecuing during the winter months. Of course, I have taken care of barbecue. It is kept under a covered area, and I put a heavy duty cover on it when not in use. Further, it is maintained and cleaned on a regular basis to keep it in tip-top-shape.

Now, had I bought a gas BBQ grill from the local "big-box" store for a couple of hundred bucks, I don't think I would have had the same luck.

In essence, you may have to spend around five hundred dollars or more to get a good one that will last. Plus, you will get more features and a better warranty.

Cheap gas BBQ grills are more of a hassle than you may want. Read all the reviews, spend the money and get quality. You will thank yourself for doing so.

Thom Richards absolutely loves to barbecue for family and friends. Please join me at http://barbecuegrillsplus.blogspot.com/ for all kind of information, recipes, tips to make your barbecuing outstanding.

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Are you sick and tired of paying for late fees with your movie rental provider? Perhaps that local movie store has just lost its luster for you. The four copies of The Dark Crystal proudly displayed in the store's window aren't quite what you'd call "new releases" after all. If you're searching for something a bit better, then Blockbuster has what you need. How does the Blockbuster DVD rental site stack up? Let's take a look:

Movie Title Availability

Blockbuster offers more than 90,000 titles for DVD rental, which is pretty impressive. While there are companies out there with more titles, this is still a very respectable figure. In addition, those 90,000 titles stretch across every conceivable genre - Blockbuster has done an excellent job of replicating their traditional store setting in the online environment.

If you're not really that into mailing and waiting for your movie rentals, then you can take advantage of Blockbuster's streaming capabilities. A surprising number of titles can be accessed through your computer. However, as Blockbuster has not rolled out any TV/computer accessories, you'll need to have either a good monitor or the means to transmit to your TV for better viewing. However, there's much to be said for lounging with your laptop and a pair of headphones.

Website Usability Stats

The Blockbuster website stacks up pretty well against other heavy hitters in the industry. It's easy enough to navigate and you'll find handy tabs that can take you to the most searched areas. Categories include Top Downloads, Top DVD rentals, Top Sellers and more. In addition, for you hardcore personalization fanatics, you'll find a subscriber's tool bar across the top of the Web page. You can view your movie queue, check your downloads or add stuff to your shopping cart (yes, you can buy movies, as well as enjoy DVD rental capabilities here).

Plans Available

Blockbuster might have taken the lead in the number of plans available. You'll find four options for DVD rental via mail, while you will also find options such as the Total Access packages, that grant you movie rentals through the mail, as well as in-store exchanges, and streaming content downloads to your computer.

The benefits of their plans closely resemble other programs on the market, including free shipping, and the ability to keep your movie rentals for as long as you want. However, you'll find that the Total Access packages offer you free upgrades to Blu-ray discs, which will appeal to those technophiles who have already upgraded their home theater system.

George Michael Turner is a movie buff who writes movie reviews to a variety of publications. Now you can find Blockbuster and Netflix reviews and more from http://www.RentalReviews.info.

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