Getting ready to move is always, always a stressful time.  Even if you’re the most prepared person on the face of the planet, something is bound to go wrong.  That said, though… there is a lot to be said about actually being prepared to move, and it really cuts down on the amount of things that can go wrong.  Here’s seven tips to help you save not only money, but time and frustration on your first (or next) apartment move.

Never, Ever Pay for Boxes

Here’s the deal… you should never have to buy a cardboard box.  They’re everywhere!  You simply just need to know where to look, and suddenly you’ll have all the boxes you’ll ever need.  So, for starters, if you have a job, chances are you can get plenty of boxes there.  Retail or food?  Ask for some empty boxes from the inventory deliveries.  Office life?  Printer paper and other goods often comes in boxes.  Also, certain places like liquor stores are well known for stacking their empty boxes near the store entrances for anyone to take.  If you look, you’ll find more than enough boxes to pack up your stuff–just make sure to grab more than you think you’ll need, as you always need more than you think.

Pay Attention to Your Area, and How That Affects Rental Prices

It may not be immediately obvious, but the rental industry goes through high points and low points, much like any service industry.  During certain points of the year, a bunch of rental companies will offer movie in deals to get their apartments filled, but what time of the year depends on the area you live in.  For example, I live in a town with multiple universities–as such, a lot of rental places offer deals during the summer, at first to get people in place of the students that graduated and left in the spring, and then to rope into new students coming to the town in the fall.  If you pay attention to the trends, and have the time to wait until rental companies bring out the deals, you can save a lot of money on your move in costs… which is important as it’s usually the most costly part of the moving process!

Always Try and Find Ways to Save on Transportation

You don’t need a car in every city in the U S of A.  If you’re moving to a new city, or even staying in the same town, do some research on the transportation options available to you.  How are the bus and/or subway systems?  Are there a lot of bike friendly roads or trails?  Is the weather fair enough to consider the possibility of a scooter or moped?  If you are a student living on or near a college campus, for example, you probably won’t need much transportation for what you need other than your own two feet.  Even if you’re in an area with poor public transportation support, there are still other options available like carpooling that will help you save money on pricey transportation costs.

Think about Apartment Size and Figure Out What Sizes are Right for You

While it’s always great to have a huge, spacious apartment, it’s not always a financially viable option.  Especially for your first apartment, it’s important to know what size is both right for you, and appropriately priced.  For example, if this is your first apartment and you’re living alone, maybe a studio apartment is best–they are the cheapest option available, and if it’s your first place, you probably don’t have as much furniture.  On the flip side, if you’re moving in with a roommate, it’s important to have enough space for each person living there to be comfortable.

What do You Actually Need?

Cluttered living spaces are never great, but they can be an absolute nightmare when trying to move.  If you have a lot of stuff, there’s never a better time than when packing to ask yourself “do I need this?”  Something like tools and basic cooking utensils?  Yes, you are probably going to need those.  But that rice cooker you used one time, or the inflatable Pepsi man?  Maybe not so much.  It’s important to be able to distinguish things you need, things that maybe you don’t need but like, and just stuff you don’t need.  None of that “oh I might need it in the future!” stuff either… oftentimes you either never need it, or you’ve lost it when you do need it.

If you need help decluttering your space (while you’re moving or anytime), it might be worth it to check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, as it has a bunch of good stuff.  As for what to do with your clutter… you can sell a lot of it on sites like Craigslist, earning you a bit extra moving money, and saving a bunch of time on packing stuff you really don’t need!

Roommates Are a Possibility

No matter where you live, it will always be cheaper if you live with at least one other person.  Sure, a two bedroom apartment will cost more than a one bedroom or studio, but once you cut your rent and all apartment expenses in half (or more!), it’s easy to see how much you’ll save.  Of course, there’s a lot of consider about roommates other than the cost–you have to make sure you and your roommate get along!  As for finding a roommate, if you don’t have a friend or a friend of a friend to ask, you can always check Craigslist–just make sure to meet up with them a few times to make sure you two match in terms of living philosophies.

Keep An Eye Out for Furniture Deals

The biggest expense for an apartment, aside from the rent and move in fees, has to be furniture.  While it would be great to have matching living rooms and kitchen sets, getting brand new full sets of furniture is extremely expensive, and not viable for most people moving.  Instead, it’s best to piece together your furniture collection via other means.  There are a lot of options available to the bargain hunter, provided you keep a regular eye out.  Some great examples include Craigslist, local Goodwill locations, and garage sales.  You can even pick up furniture off the side of the road if you want, but be careful if you do… make sure it hasn’t been rained on or have any kind of bugs in it!

What tips have helped you save money on moving?  Let us know in the comments!

7 Ways to Save When Moving into an Apartment

If you’re interested in installing a smart thermostat in your home, congratulations! This is a great way to control your home’s heating and cooling more efficiently, saving you some money over the long run. (And you’ll save even more if your AC unit is clean and running at top efficiency!) But performing this type of DIY installation isn’t for everyone. Learn how to install a smart thermostat — and whether this is a task you can handle — with our tips.

Time Required

If you have the right wiring in place, you can expect this process to take about 20-45 minutes. If you need an electrician to change some wiring, that task could take an additional up to 60 minutes, depending how easy it is to fish a wire through your wall and connect it to the HVAC unit.

Tools Required

If you’re ready to tackle the process of how to install a smart thermostat, you may need the following list of tools.

• Philips screwdriver
• Flathead screwdriver
• Masking tape
• Voltage tester
• Level
• Drywall repair spackle
• Paint brush and touch-up paint
• WiFi network password
• Smartphone

Savings

Certainly, you could pay to have a smart thermostat installed. Many electricians will do the job, as will heating and cooling system technicians. Electronics stores or hardware stores often will provide technicians too. However, if you need to change out wiring, only an electrician will do this part of the job.

If you purchase the smart thermostat at a store that offers installation, you may receive a break on the cost of installing it. Such technicians may also help you download the right app and connect the unit to your home WiFi network. Without a price break, anywhere from $50 to $100 is a common cost to install a smart thermostat.

If you need to have wiring added to accommodate the smart thermostat, you could pay another $75 to $200. However, some electricians will give you a break on the cost of the installation of the thermostat, because they already will be at the home to install the new wiring.

As long as you have the right type of wiring, this is a pretty easy installation process. So it’s worth saving some money to try it yourself. But if you’re at all uncomfortable around electrical wires, it’s probably worth spending a bit more to have it installed for you.

Do You Have the Correct Wiring?

If you live in an older home or you have an older furnace/AC system, the wiring needed to hook up a smart thermostat may not be present. To check your wiring situation, you’ll have to remove the current thermostat from the wall mount, as described in the next section. (After cutting the power, of course.)

Look at the wiring. You need to see multiple wires available, rather than a large cable with two copper wires inside it. If this is what you see, it’s likely a high voltage setup that’s common in older wiring systems. Most smart thermostats cannot work with high voltage wiring.

If you have small wires of multiple colors available — either separate or within one cable sleeve — this is a low voltage system, which works with smart thermostats. Each wire connects to a certain terminal on the smart thermostat. The “C” wire, short for common or continuous, is the most important wire to find. If you have a low voltage system, but you don’t have a C wire available, you will need to install one that connects to your HVAC unit.

It’s possible — but unlikely — that your smart thermostat doesn’t need a C wire to provide continuous electrical power. Read through the installation materials with your smart thermostat to see if a C wire is required.

A few smart thermostats can work with a high voltage system, but will still need a C wire. (Again this is possible, but unlikely.) You can try to install a C wire yourself and connect it to your HVAC system, but we wouldn’t recommend it. This is a job better served by hiring an electrician. And if you need to convert a high voltage system to a low voltage system, this again is something an electrician needs to handle.

Disconnecting Your Current Thermostat

To disconnect your current thermostat, turn off the circuit breaker for it. It may be the same breaker as for the furnace. It’s also possible that your furnace, AC unit, heat pump, and thermostat wiring are all on separate breakers. (Hopefully your system is well labeled.)

Additionally, turn off the switch that’s mounted near the furnace. (This switch will look like a light switch.) It’s important to cut all power to the HVAC unit and the thermostat before beginning this process, or you could cause damage to the unit.

Understand that some thermostats have batteries to power a display screen. So even if you cut the power at the circuit breaker, the thermostat may still appear to have power. Remove any batteries from the thermostat too. We’d suggesting using a voltage tester to ensure the power is off to the wiring for the thermostat before disconnecting the wires.

Remove the thermostat’s face plate, if it has one. Otherwise, the thermostat should lift away from the mounting bracket.

Once you can see the wires, use the voltage tester. After you’ve ensured the power is off, look at how the wires are connected to the current thermostat. If there are no labels on the wires, use masking tape to wrap around the wires and create your own labels. The labels you create must match what’s printed on the terminals of the current thermostat.

You may also want to snap a photo of how the wires are connected to the current thermostat, so you can see which wire colors connect to which terminals of the current thermostat. The photo will be a backup for you, should the labels fall off the wires.

Now disconnect the wires from the terminals on the current thermostat. Most will be connected via a screw, although some may fit into a clip.

Some thermostats make use of jumpers, which are short wires that connect one terminal to another. (You can see a jumper connecting the Rh and Rc terminals in the photo above.) You can remove any jumpers without labeling them. If your smart thermostat requires jumpers (which is rare), the unit’s instructions will tell you how to install them.

One problem you may find is that the wires coming out of the wall are very short. Once you disconnect them, it’s possible they could fall back into the wall. If you’re concerned about this, tape the cable to a pencil or screwdriver as you disconnect it so it can’t fall back into the wall.

Now carefully remove the mounting bracket from the wall. As you’re jostling the bracket, this is another time when a wire could slip back into the hole in the wall, so be very careful with this step.

Connecting the Smart Thermostat

The guidelines here for hooking up your smart thermostat are general in nature. Follow the instructions with your particular model of thermostat if there is a difference from our guidelines.

Attach the new mounting bracket to the wall. Make sure you center it properly so the wires from the wall are centered on the bracket. It’s important that the mounting bracket is level. (Some smart thermostat mounting brackets have built-in levels, as shown in the picture here.)

Most smart thermostats weigh very little, meaning you won’t need to drill into a stud or use drywall anchors. However, if your system ships with drywall anchors or if the instructions recommend using them, do it.

If the new bracket is quite a bit smaller than the bracket for the current thermostat, you may have to patch a few holes in your drywall. Depending on the last time the wall was painted, you may have to do some touch-up painting too.

Most smart thermostats will have you connect the wires to the mounting bracket/base plate. Each terminal on the base plate should be labeled clearly, so you know which wires to connect. You’ll either connect the wires to a terminal with a screw or with a built-in clip. After connecting a wire to a terminal, tug on it to ensure it’s tightly connected.

Make sure any extra length of wire is tucked back into the wall, so there’s room for the face plate.

It’s possible you may have extra wires that have nothing to connect to on the base plate. This is rare, but possible. Use a wire nut to protect the exposed area of the extra wire.

Next you’ll pop the face plate onto the mounting bracket/base plate. If the face plate requires batteries (which is rare) install them first. With a smart thermostat, there should be only one way to connect the face plate. If it doesn’t seem to fit quite right, look closely at the instructions. You shouldn’t have to use a significant amount of force to snap the face plate onto the base plate.

With everything hooked up, turn on the circuit breaker again. You should see the screen light up.

Connecting to the Network

Now you can make a connection between your home WiFi network and the smart thermostat. Most devices should give you on screen prompts for making the connection. Have your WiFi password handy. You’ll also may need to have the smartphone app for your particular model of smart thermostat installed before you can connect the thermostat to your WiFi network.

You’re then ready to use the unit! Take bit of time to study how the smartphone app works so you’re of the receiving all energy savings you can reap from using your new smart thermostat properly!

Saving Money With DIY: How to Install a Smart Thermostat

It seems like the school year starts sooner every year. With tax holidays, sales flyers and special promotions to keep track of, it’s tough to make sure you’re saving money when filling up your shopping basket with back-to-school clothes, electronics and more. Be sure to check out the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed updated multiple times daily with the latest back-to-school deals for the new school year.

With nearly two decades of experience under our belt, we have seen countless back-to-school sales and promotions. In order to give you an accurate forecast on when you will be able to get the best deals on back-to-school shopping, we compiled historical data on all back-to-school sales and deals.

Specifically, we looked at the popularity of each deal within our community, the volume of deals within a product category and the average price of those deals. On a monthly basis, our data set included between 4,100 to 4,400 deals. That’s approximately 17,000 deals over the four-month period between July and October.

While we have provided a handy guide below to help figure out when to start shopping for  back-to-school products, here are a few of the highlights:

1. When shopping for back-to-school clothing and shoes, there’s no better month than August. Specifically, prices of apparel deals are about 18 percent lower than September and October. Shoes are discounted at an even larger margin, approximately 30 percent cheaper than waiting until September or October.

2. If you can wait until early October to purchase a new laptop for your student, you will end up saving nearly 10 percent over prices in July and August. Obviously, waiting until the Black Friday shopping period would offer even greater savings, but your student would be without a laptop until the end of November. Keep an eye on Amazon, Newegg, Dell, HP and Lenovo for the best deals.

3. Mid to late September is the best time to purchase mobile devices like smartphones, tablets and eReaders. Many manufacturers introduce new models prior to the fourth quarter, thus previous generation models are heavily discounted. Smartphones are a particularly good buy during September at Best Buy and Amazon, about 15 percent less than other back-to-school shopping months.

4. If you’re outfitting a dorm room or college apartment with home theater gear like televisions, headphones, media players or speakers, September is your best best. However, if you need furniture, kitchen appliances or tools for that first place away from home, it’s best to wait until October in order to save the most money. Of course, your college student will have to get by on cheap Craigslist couches and a handheld can opener until then.

Ben’s Bargains Back-to-School Shopping Guide

(Click to expand)

6 More Back-to-School Shopping Tips

1. Take an inventory of what you already have. There’s no reason to purchase a duplicate of something that you purchased last year, as long as it’s still useful. For example, with computers, look to upgrade your current hardware over purchasing an entirely new laptop or desktop computer. Simply adding an SSD hard drive or more RAM can significantly boost the performance of your computer without breaking the bank. Simple tutorials for both upgrades can be found on YouTube.

Regarding basic school supplies, set up a central location within the home to collect and store all supplies. This will help you see what you have and restock as the school year progresses. Watch for major back-to-school sales at Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples during the first half of August.

2. Figure out what you shouldn’t buy. Put yourself in the shoes of your student. Do they really need a printer or can they print off their assignments in a computer lab? Do they really need a USB flash drive or can they simply use a service like Dropbox to share data between computers? Are the majority of school assignments going to be submitted digitally? If so, reduce the portion of your budget dedicated to office supplies.

3. Don’t pay sales tax if you don’t have to. Be sure to check out the list of 2018 sales tax holidays to see if your state participates. While mostly offered in Southern states, some states offer huge savings for families. For instance, South Carolina has no cap on back-to-school purchases that qualify for the no sales tax benefit.

4. Team up with other families for bulk purchases. Reach out to other families within your school’s community and talk about purchasing school supplies in bulk. Many times, warehouse clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco will offer great deals, but the quantity is too big for the traditional family. Joining forces with another family can cut down the cost even more and allow you to split up the supplies.

5. College students should investigate textbook rentals. Textbook rentals are extremely helpful in order to avoid insane textbook prices at the college bookstore. While the go-to retailer is Amazon for physical textbook rentals, be sure to check out the Google Play store if your student has an Android device and wants to rent a digital textbook. Chegg is also an option.

6. For big ticket items, set up a deal alert. If you are shopping for something expensive like a laptop, let us do the work for you with a deal alert and send you an email notification when something hits your price point. With the 17,000+ deals we publish during the back-to-school period, we can definitely help you save money this year. You can also take a quick look at the main Ben’s Bargains deal feed to see the best deals on any given day.

The Best Time to Find Amazing Back-To-School Deals

If the lead up to Father’s Day usually involves dad telling you he doesn’t need you to buy him anything, and then you purchasing him something anyway, well, first, your dad probably is displeased to know that he raised a disobedient child.

And secondly, let us try to translate what dad actually means. He means he doesn’t want you to waste your hard-earned money on a gift for him that isn’t practical.

So we have the answer: Buy him something inexpensive — say less than $10 — to ease his mind. Additionally, make sure it’s practical, something he really can use. We’ve developed a list of the five must have tech gadgets for less than $10 that work great for the dad who doesn’t want anything. (On the down side, dad won’t be able to add to his collection of ugly ties in the back of the closet.)

1. USB Hub

Everyone has plenty of USB powered devices these days. So adding a USB hub to your collection of tech gadgets will give you plenty of places to plug in your devices.

The Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub offers four output ports and one USB input port with 5Gbps speeds for USB 3.0 devices. Each port has an LED light for indicating its power status, which is helpful for ensuring you’ve connected your device correctly.

Check Price on Amazon

2. Smartphone Screen Protector

Dads probably don’t take care of their phones like they should, shoving them in a pocket … or worse. So take better care of the phone with a screen protector. Glass protectors provide the most protection for a reasonable price, preventing scratches. Just make sure you pick the protector that matches the phone.

For iPhone 6 and 7:

Check Price on Amazon

For Galaxy S7:

Check Price on Amazon

3. USB Phone Charger for Car

If dad spends a lot of time in the car, make sure his smartphone is always ready to go with a USB phone charger. This unit plugs into the 12V power outlet on the car, and provides power to devices through a USB connection.

The Anker 24W Dual USB Car Charger PowerDrive 2 is a nice charger with a great price point and two USB ports.

Check Price on Amazon

4. Earbud Headphones

Don’t expect great audio quality with earbud headphones that cost less than $10. Then again, with the dinosaur music dad listens to, perfect audio quality probably isn’t a priority.

The best thing about inexpensive earbud headphones is that if they break, you don’t have to feel bad. We like the MEE Audio RX18 headphones, as they deliver a controlled bass level. And they’re available in multiple colors, should dad appreciate pink or purple headphones. (They’re also available in black in case that’s more his style.)

Check Price on Amazon

5. USB Thumb Drive

Everyone needs to make backup copies of their data more often than they do. So a USB thumb drive is a very practical gift that will help push dad in the right direction concerning backing up his data.

Additionally, USB thumb drives offer a ton of storage space for inexpensive prices right now. We love the SanDisk Cruzer Blade flash drive, as it offers 32GB of storage space for less than $10. It’s a USB 2.0 device, so it’s not the fastest model on the market, which is why it carries a low price right now.

Check Price on Amazon

5 Useful Tech Gadgets Under $10 for Father’s Day

One of the best ways to save money around your home is to perform some types of repairs and maintenance yourself. But some types of work are easier to do yourself than others. In this edition, we’ll help you learn how to prep an AC unit for summer and figure out whether you can do this work yourself, saving some money in the process.

Savings

If you can do the general maintenance work on your air conditioning unit yourself, you may be able to save anywhere from $75 to $150 for a service call.

Some companies will offer good deals on air conditioner “tune-up” services in early spring, so you may find this service at a special price of $50 to $75. But some shady repair services use this “tune-up” deal to convince you your AC unit needs repairs that it actually doesn’t need. Finding a trustworthy repair person who will be honest with you is more important than saving a few bucks with a special on a “tune-up” for your AC unit.

If you can only do some of the basic maintenance tips listed below, at least you’re going to make the unit more efficient, saving some money on your electrical bill this summer. And a clean air conditioning unit will have a longer lifespan too.

Time Required

Even if you’ve never worked on an air conditioning unit before, you should be able to complete this type of maintenance in a couple of hours. An AC unit that hasn’t had maintenance performed on it previously will take longer, as it will be dirtier. If you perform maintenance on it a couple of times per year though, the process may only take an hour as you’ll be familiar with the work and the unit will be cleaner.

Tools Required

Cleaning and maintaining an air conditioner requires some simple tools, but they do have to be the right size. The exact sizes and tools you’ll need depend on the types of screws used to secure the unit’s panels, both indoors and outdoors.

• Screwdriver with varying bits
• Socket wrench with varying sockets
• Putty knife (or butter knife)
• Insulation tape
• No-rinse coil cleaning spray
• Soft-bristled brush
• Level
• Garden hose with pressure nozzle
• Wet/dry vacuum
• Hedge clippers

Preparation

Pick a reasonable weather day to perform this work, as you’ll be outdoors. You don’t want to be working in really cold temperatures, as you’ll be using water.

Find the fuse for the air conditioning unit and turn it off at your electrical box. Sometimes an AC unit will have its own fuse box near the unit outdoors that you’ll need to turn off too.

Simple Maintenance Jobs

Here are some simple, specific tasks you can complete to perform maintenance and learn how to prep your AC unit for summer.

• Clean up: Outdoor air conditioning units will collect debris on their grates over time because of the way they draw and expel air. You’ll see leaves, twigs, seeds from trees (such as cottonwood), and even animal fur stuck on the various parts of an AC unit. Removing this debris will allow the unit to run more efficiently, as it can move air easier. A wet/dry vacuum may work well for cleaning the exterior grates if the debris is dry. You then may need to remove the grates to clean the unit’s metal fins properly. Most of the grates are attached with screws or hex screws.
• Washing with water: You also can use water to clean any debris from the metal fins on the AC unit. (These metal fins will look like a zig-zag pattern, and they’ll be tightly packed together.) It’ll work well to use a garden hose with a power nozzle to gain enough water pressure. If you can get inside the unit and spray toward the outside, you’ll be able to remove the debris easier. If you can only spray from the outside, the water may clump the debris together, pushing it toward the edge of the unit, where you can remove it by hand. If you have pets or trees in your area that produce seeds that fly through the air, you may want to wash the fins a few times during the summer.
• Straightening fins: Once the fins are cleaned, you may notice some are bent. You’ll want to straighten them to ensure they can work in the most efficient manner. They don’t have to be perfectly straight to work properly, but ensuring they aren’t touching each other will help. You can use a flat head screwdriver to straighten the fins. A small putty knife or even a sturdy butter knife with a thin blade will work too.
• Free space. Make sure vegetation and foreign objects are at least 24 inches from the unit. If you have plants near the AC unit, you’ll want to check this free space occasionally during the summer, so the air conditioner has enough room around it to draw and expel air properly.

Tougher Maintenance Jobs

If you feel comfortable working around the air conditioning unit, you can perform a few other tasks that require a bit more know-how. But if you’re leery of these tasks, call in a trustworthy professional.

• Leveling. As an AC unit ages, it could slip out of a square alignment (such as the unit pictured above). Place a level onto the air conditioning unit, just to make sure it’s in alignment. Some air conditioners are braced with brackets against the home. Others rest on a platform on the ground. If the unit is not level, it could cause problems with the compressor over time. You can use shims to adjust the level of the unit as a temporary fix.
• Clean evaporator tube. Inside the home, you may have an evaporator coil inside the blower unit near the furnace. As moist, warm air inside the ducts strikes the coil, moisture from the air collects on the coil. It usually then drains through a flexible tube to a floor drain. This tube can become clogged with algae and mold over time. (Yes, that’s gross.) But you can clean this tube for a better performance level. Use a wet/dry vac to clean out this tube. Or if it’s especially clogged, consider swapping it out.
• Clean evaporator coil. The evaporator coil described above will collect dust over time. (You can minimize the dust by regularly changing your furnace filter.) If you feel comfortable working inside the unit, you can clean these coils. You’ll have to remove a panel from the unit that has screws or hex screws holding it in place. It also may have some insulation tape around it. Once you can see the coil, you can sweep it with a soft-bristled brush. Then finish cleaning it with a condenser coil spray that you can purchase in a hardware store. This special type of spray doesn’t require rinsing, so it’s great for this type of work.

Final Tips

Before you switch over from heating to air conditioning for the summer, be sure you’ve inspected both your interior and exterior units for any odd damage. If you can easily see the wires, inspect them for any cracking. If you suspect anything out of the ordinary, call a professional.

Outdoors, look for nests that mice may have created. This is a potential problem if you covered the unit all winter, creating a habitat protected from the weather. Or look for any cracks in any portion of the unit where water may have penetrated and frozen, causing a crack.

Indoors, make sure to change all filters. Inspect the unit for any corrosion or cracks. This would be rare, but it could happen with an older unit if water was building up in the area.

Certainly, if you see any cracks or damage, it’s time to call in a professional. But if the all of the components look good, and if you’re able to complete the maintenance tasks described above yourself, your air conditioner will now be ready to run at full throttle for the summer (as long as you remember to turn the power back on at the fuse box). Plus,  you’ll have saved some money in the process!

Saving Money with DIY: How to Prep an AC Unit for Summer

Meal planning is a fantastic way to save both time and money week to week.  With life being so busy nowadays, cooking every night seems far from ideal, but constantly ordering take out and fast food is both unhealthy and can add up quickly.  Setting aside some of a day to meal prep is a perfect solution, but it can be a bit overwhelming for a newbie.  Don’t worry though, as here’s a step by step guide to help you get meal planning in no time:

#1: Figure Out Your Dietary Needs, or Wants

The first step is the probably the hardest step, but it’s the most important.  If you’re trying to plan out meals, you need to understand what your body needs, and maybe what your body doesn’t like, too.  Also, you need to ask yourself why you’re doing this–is this only a money and time saving measure, or are you trying to lose weight?  Gain muscle?  Maybe an attempt to stick to dietary restrictions?  Once you can clearly answer why you want to begin meal planning, you can actually begin to plan.

#2: Find Some Recipes You Want to Make (and are within your skill level)

Another difficult step for some, if you’re new at cooking.  It’s very important to know what you need to cook when you’re meal prepping, and unless you’re really good at making up meals in your head, the best way to do that is by amassing a bunch of recipes.  Try to find things that sound fun or tasty to make, but also try to make sure you’re not overstepping your skill level.  Of course, cooking is the type of skill you’ll only get better at by doing it, but it’s not the best idea to try to make a soufflé if you’ve only boiled pasta before.  An example for me, I have trouble with recipes that require too many odd ingredients, as I’ll probably only use them with the recipe I’m looking at or a few others, so not only am I unfamiliar with the stuff, but it feel almost like a waste of money.  I tend to stick to recipes with less overall ingredients, as I am less likely to forget or mess up something along the way.

#3: Actually Plan the Meals

An easy step to forget in the hustle and bustle of everything, and easily the one I mess up most often.  When meal planning, looking up recipes, and making grocery lists, make sure you’ve actually planned enough meals to last your prepping timeframe (typically a week for most, some prep twice a week though).  If you don’t have enough to cover you for all your meals and all your days, then you’re going to left desperately looking for something to eat on those empty days… and that can do a number on your wallet and your diet plan!

That said, it’s always a good idea to prepare for the worst.  If say, you burned a meal or something went bad earlier than expected, it can be quite helpful to have a few ’emergency meals’ on hand to help bridge the gap.  Ideally, this would be something you cooked well in advance and froze some portions of, but additionally things like frozen dinners (provided they pass the dietary test!) and protein bars can help with meal failures.

#4: Make A Grocery List

We’ve all done it at least once, right?  “Oh, I only need a few items, I don’t need to make a list.”  Then you go to the grocery store, and come out with twenty things you didn’t need, and only half of the stuff you did need.  If you want to save money and be efficient at meal planning, you really have to make a grocery list to keep yourself on track and get only what you need.  Not only does it help with you not buying unnecessary stuff (if you buy spinach 50% off but it goes bad before you use it, that doesn’t save any money), but also makes sure you don’t buy an item you already have some off (assuming you check your pantry before making the list).  Wasting money on stuff you don’t actually is, obviously, a huge money waster after all!

#5: Set Aside Time to Cook

The last step, but the one you’ve been preparing for… time to actually cook and prepare the meals!  For all its time saving during the week, meal prepping can be a bit time consuming on the day of prepping itself.  Depending on how many recipes you’re making, it could take multiple hours.  Of course, that depends on how and what equipment is needed to cook the food.  A slow cooker cooks food in six to eight hours, but having something in the slow cooker frees the oven and stovetop up for other recipes, and a slow cooker is very much ‘set it and go’ in terms of cooking.  If you properly manage your kitchen space and recipe times (which will take practice, of course), you can cut down on prep time drastically.

Do you meal prep?  What are your tips and tricks?  Let us know in the comments!

Eat Smart: A Beginner’s Guide to Meal Planning

All vehicle batteries eventually fail, unable to hold a charge over time. If you own a riding lawn mower, a golf cart, or an ATV and the battery is several years old, it’s probably time to learn how to replace an outdoor power vehicle battery. Such batteries don’t last much more than three to five years typically.

When you’re ready to replace an outdoor power vehicle battery, you don’t have to call for help. This is a task you can perform yourself, saving quite a bit of money in the process versus having an in-home service call that can cost $100 or more in labor costs. We’ll show you step by step how to replace a lawn and garden battery.

Before You Replace

If the vehicle makes a clicking noise when you attempt to start it, it’s possible that the battery needs replacing.

First though, check the condition of the battery. If you’re lucky, the battery will have a date it was created printed on it. As you can see from our photo above, this battery was created in March 2012, so that’s a strong clue that it’s time to replace the five-plus-year-old battery.

Then check the terminals. (These are the metal posts sticking out of the top of the battery.) If you see corrosion on the terminals, which looks like a white, fuzzy substance on and around the terminals, you need to clean them. Leaking acid from the battery causes the corrosion. A 50/50 mixture of baking soda and water applied carefully with an old toothbrush will clean this leaking acid. Use just a little bit of this mixture at first, only adding more as needed.

You must remove the battery cables from the terminals to perform a proper cleaning. We discuss this process further down in this article.

Once you’ve cleaned the terminals, try starting the vehicle again. It may work now.

If you don’t see corrosion or if cleaning the corrosion didn’t help, you can determine the battery’s voltage level with a digital multimeter.

If you have a 12-volt battery (which most outdoor power vehicle batteries are), any reading less than 11V or 10.5V indicates a battery that needs charging or replacing.

One of the best battery testing options is the Etekcity MSR-R500, because it’s easy to use with a backlit LCD with large numerals.

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If the voltage level is low, you can try charging the battery before replacing it.

Batteries for outdoor power vehicles will lose their charge if they’re left idle for several weeks at a time or subject to cold weather. The more times a battery loses its charge, the faster the chemicals inside the battery break down, eventually rendering the battery useless. So it’s a good idea to charge the riding lawn mower or golf cart battery every month if you aren’t using it to preserve the longevity of the battery.

To charge it, you can purchase a portable battery charger that plugs into a wall outlet and converts that power to charge the battery. Such chargers are smaller than the battery itself and easy to move around. One of our favorites is the Black & Decker BCS10B 10 amp charger, because it’s easy to use. Additionally, a 10 amp charger does the job two to six hours faster than a slightly less expensive 2 amp or 5 amp charger.

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If the battery still will not hold its voltage after charging, it’s time for a replacement.

Finding the Right Type of Battery

The type of replacement battery you choose will depend on the type of vehicle you have. The replacement battery must match the voltage level of the current battery.

You don’t have to purchase a battery from the manufacturer of your vehicle, although you can. Third party battery makers will offer batteries that are compatible with many outdoor power vehicles, and they typically will save you 15% to 35% from the manufacturer’s brand name cost.

Any third party battery should include a list of outdoor power vehicles with which it’s compatible. Only select a battery that is compatible with your vehicle, or you could cause problems with the vehicle’s operation. Additionally, some replacement batteries designate left or right orientation to allow the battery to line up with the power cables from the motor in the outdoor power vehicle, so pay attention to this.

Replacing the Battery

Once you have the replacement battery in hand, you’re ready to proceed. Tools you’ll need for this job include the following.

• Eye protection
• Gloves
• Old clothing
• Old toothbrush
• Baking soda/water 50/50 mixture
• Stiff bristled brush
• Shop rags
• Pliers or locking pliers
• Socket wrench or another set of pliers

You’ll want eye protection and gloves to protect you from any acid leaking from the old battery. Such acid will put holes in clothing too, so wear old clothes. Even if you can’t see any acid leaking from the battery terminals, it might leak when you move the battery. Keep any acid away from your skin or it will cause burns.

Two cables from the vehicle’s motor should be attached to the battery. Most of the time, the cable attached to the positive terminal is red and a black cable is attached to the negative terminal, just to make things clear and easier for you.

The terminals usually are in one of two shapes. It might be a U-shaped piece of metal with one hole in it that extends out of the top of the battery. Or the terminal is a round post sticking out of the top of the battery. The positive terminal is marked with a plus sign, while the negative terminal will have a minus sign or no sign. The positive terminal also may have a small plastic or vinyl cover that you can lift and slide out of the way.

Now remove the battery cables from the terminals. The end of the cables may consist of a bracket or a simple piece of metal. Either way, the metal end of the cable must be touching the battery terminal or the battery will not work. Both types of cables will attach to the battery terminal with a bolt and nut. You’ll have to hold the nut with pliers while turning the bolt with a socket wrench or another set of pliers.

Once the cables are completely removed, set the bolt and nut aside in a safe place, because you’ll need them again. Look for any straps or fasteners that are holding the battery in place and remove them.

Lift the old battery out of its compartment and set it aside. (It’s heavier than it looks, so you may need help.)

Look at the metal ends of the two cables to ensure they don’t have any corrosion on them. If they are discolored in anyway, clean them with the baking soda/water mix with the old toothbrush we described earlier. If you see rust, clean it with a stiff bristled brush. Dab them dry with a clean shop rag. Clean the nuts and bolts if needed too.

Lower the replacement battery into the compartment. Make sure that the positive terminal on the battery is on the same side as the positive cable from the motor.

Connect the terminals on the replacement battery to the battery cables, using the nuts and bolts that you removed earlier. Make sure everything is tight and that the metal on the battery cables is clearly touching the metal on the battery terminals.

If you’ve attached everything correctly, the mower should start immediately. If it doesn’t, use your voltage tester to ensure the battery has a full charge. (All batteries you buy for outdoor power vehicles should be sold with a full charge.) If the battery is charged and the vehicle will not start, you likely have another problem with the vehicle.

But this is rare. Most of the time, simply swapping out an old battery for a new one will ensure your riding lawn mower, ATV, or golf cart is up and running again.

Don’t Forget to Recycle

Make sure you take your old battery somewhere to be recycled. In fact, many stores where you buy the replacement battery will charge you an extra fee at the time of purchase that you’ll have returned to you once you bring in the old battery for recycling.

Never dump this old battery into a garbage can to be sent to a landfill. The corrosive components inside these large lawn and garden batteries are poisonous and could contaminate soil and groundwater. Recycling is the only safe option.

Save Money With DIY: How to Replace an Outdoor Power Vehicle Battery

Long before Macklemore made it cool, thrift store shopping, or just “thrifting” as I like to call it, has been saving (and in some cases making!) people a lot of money. If you’re new to thrifting at places like Goodwill, here are 20 tips that will help you make the most of your experience.

1.Go often! Part of the fun of thrifting is that you never know what you’re going to find, as they’re constantly putting out new items. We end up at Goodwill at least 2-3 a week most weeks. Some days we walk out with a cart full of awesome finds, and other days we leave with nothing. If your first visit is a wash, don’t assume your next will be the same way.

2.Be smart about which stores you shop at. I think a lot of people think thrift stores are full of junk, but you’d be really surprised at the super nice, brand-name things people get rid of. If you’re looking for higher-end items, try the Goodwill in the rich side of town. I’ll sometimes drive an extra 30 minutes to a specific Goodwill in a certain fancy suburb because I know they always have tons of designer jeans there.

3.Always check the “just donated” bins and carts first. Most thrift stores will have carts of random stuff around the store. These are items that have been priced but not yet put out on the floor. A lot of the best deals get snatched up before they even hit the shelves by people who know where to look.

4.Get coupons by donating your old stuff. Around here, Goodwill gives you a 25% off coupon whenever you make any donation, and most of the other local thrift stores offer similar discounts. You probably have stuff laying around that you would like to get out of your house anyway, and the donation process is generally easy and fast. In most cases you just drive up to their donation garage (usually behind the store), and someone comes out and unloads the stuff from your car and gives you the coupon good on a future purchase.

5.Shop on holidays for 50% off everything. Most thrift stores offer 50% off on these holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus Day and Veterans Day. Definitely go early in the day as things get picked over pretty quickly.

6.Be aware of other discount days. Many stores have a seniors day every week (where seniors may get 25% off, for example), or a kids’ day (our local Goodwills offer 50% off kids’ toys and clothing every Thursday). Most stores also have 50% off certain colored tags every week. If the store doesn’t make it obvious which specials they have running, just ask! Usually you can find a list of discount days/weeks near the checkout register.

7.Sign up for free rewards programs. Many thrift stores have free “loyalty” cards you can sign up for. Some are punch card-type programs where you get a discount after a certain number of purchases, while others give you access to special sales and discounts reserved only for card members.

8.Shop thrift stores for Halloween costumes and holiday decor. Seriously, Goodwill is where it’s at when it comes to costumes. They save up all the costumes that are donated throughout the year and put them all out on September 1st (or around that date). The selection is amazing if you go early! I not only buy our familys’ Halloween costumes, but stock up on dress up outfits for the kids to play with all year.

A lot of people think of thrift stores for Halloween, but they’re also the best place to shop for other holiday decor. One of the local thrift store chains around here (Arc’s Valu Village) sets up a whole “Merry Thriftmas” area every year, with huge displays of ornaments, stockings, tree skirts, lights, decorations and more. It’s a great way to build up your collection, especially for young families.

9.Don’t pass on something just because it’s dirty. You might be surprised at how well things clean up with a little bit of effort. You can make a pair of Chucks look like they just came out of the box with a little bit of nail polish remover and laundry detergent, and can get a rusty cast iron pan looking looking good as new by simply heating it in the oven and scrubbing with steel wool. Google will tell you how to clean just about anything you can think of.

10.Thrift stores are a DIYer’s dream come true. Browse the home goods and furniture sections for cheap pieces that can be restored. Just because something is ugly, doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful with a fresh coat of paint and some new hardware. These chairs were $1.99 apiece at Goodwill and all it took was some sandpaper and a couple cans of spray paint to freshen them up:

11.Know how to spot high quality items even if you don’t recognize the brand. Widely known brands are often marked higher at thrift stores simply because the person who priced the item knew the brand was popular. But there are plenty of expensive, lesser-known brands that end up flying under the radar. Be on the the lookout for stuff that looks and feels high quality regardless of the name on the tag. For shoes, that might mean anything with a genuine leather sole. For sunglasses that means heavy duty hinges and thicker lenses. You might see a pair of $60 MRSP Oakleys priced at $20 next to a pair of $200 MRSP Maui Jims priced at $2.99 just because Oakley has the better name recognition.

12.Ask if your local thrift store has a relationship with any retail stores. Here in Minnesota, Target sends their leftover clearance items to local Goodwills. You can get brand-new clothing, toys, home goods and more for a fraction of what you’d pay at Target.

13.Be aware of return policies. Some thrift stores, like Goodwill have a 7 to 14 day return policy, while it’s final sale for some of the smaller shops. If there are no returns, definitely be sure to test all electronics before leaving the store–you can always ask to use an outlet if you don’t see one on the sales floor.

14.Don’t go looking for something specific; go looking for something awesome. If you walk into a thrift store thinking “I need to find a new cookware set today,” you will likely be disappointed. Target is where you go when you know what you need; the thrift shop is where you go when you to find that treasure you didn’t know you needed.

15.Follow your local thrift stores on Instagram/Twitter to get heads up on awesome scores. Lots of local thrift stores have social media accounts and will post when cool items come into the store.

16.Buy things to sell on eBay. You can actually make some really good money buying stuff at thrift stores and flipping on eBay, but certain types of items are definitely better for that than others. Before buying anything you intend on reselling, make sure to look up similar items on eBay to see what they’re selling for so you know it’s worth your effort. More on good items for flipping ahead…

17.Check out the watches in the glass case. Many thrift stores have a glass case with jewelry, watches, cameras, and collector’s items. My dad, who I consider to be the Thrift Store Master himself, has found some legendary deals on old watches this way. A few months ago he bought an old Seiko Mickey Mouse watch for $2.25 and sold it on eBay for over $200. A lot of the time, the only thing wrong with the watch is a dead battery, which is cheap enough to replace.

18.Get a sweet deal on a lens by buying an old film camera. Another thing to look out for in the glass case is old film cameras. Often, especially with Canon models, the lens that is attached to the camera actually works on newer digital SLR cameras. So while the camera itself might not be worth much (and priced very low), the lens might be worth hundreds.

19.Keep in mind “vintage” today isn’t as old as you might think. A lot of people assume something needs to be super old to be worth anything in the vintage market. But the reality is there are a ton of people looking to recapture items from their childhood–things from the 70s, 80s, even early 90s. Old Gameboys, old Apple computers, certain vinyl records, discontinued LEGO sets/minifigures, these are all items that are good to snatch up when you see them.

20.Be curious. I saved this one for last because it’s one of the most important. After you’ve gone thrifting a few times, you’ll realize there are all sorts of weird things out there you didn’t even know existed. It’s often those oddball items that end up being the real money makers. If you don’t know what something is, but it looks interesting or expensive, whip out that smartphone and do some research!

Annnnd of course, have fun! Enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the pure delight that comes with knowing you just got yourself one heck of a deal.

20 Thrift Store Hacks for Saving and Making Money

The first year (or two) after college can be both incredibly fun and incredibly scary. You go from “college world,” with its parties and dining center meals and all-night cram sessions, to the “real world,” full of jobs and bills and waking up before the crack of dawn. And most likely, you’ll be broke.

But that doesn’t have to mean you can’t still have the time of your life. Here are a few tips to help you stretch your money and have fun in the process in the first year after college.

Ditch the Cable

Instead of paying for cable, get a Netflix subscription. The monthly streaming-only package is only $8 a month — easily $50 less than what cable will probably end up costing you (you know, once the “introductory offer” expires and your bill quadruples without warning). Their movie selection has become kind of “meh” lately, but the TV shows they offer are great. From Parks and Rec, to Mad Men, to Workaholics, to all 4,000 seasons of Law and Order, the selection is pretty good. Plus, they have exclusive rights to stream the new season of Arrested Development next month, so you’ll need to sign up for that alone.

Also, don’t make a habit out of renting movies from Redbox. If you’re anything like I was, you’ll never return them and end up accidentally adding titles like 17 Again, Grizzly Park and Doll Graveyard to your film collection (at like $30 apiece). 

Learn to Cook (and while you’re at it, learn to brew)

I shudder to think about how much money I spent eating out (and ordering in) my first year post-college. Going out to eat was just as much about entertainment as it was about, you know, needing to eat. Once I discovered that not only was making food at home not that hard, but actually kind of fun, I saved a lot of money. My friends and I would have sushi nights at home, or get together and down a bottle of wine while attempting to make the perfect Pad Thai. The internet is full of great food/cooking blogs to help you get started (Here’s a list of some of the best; also check out the hilarious Thug Kitchen).

You know what’s even more expensive than eating out? Drinking out. You can get a starter homebrewing kit for less than $75. Making your own beer or hard cider is easy, fun and saves a lot of money in the long run.

Just Say No to Credit Cards

I guess if you are uber-responsible and can resist the temptation to spend more money than you actually have in your bank account, go for it. But for me, credit cards were just bad news. I’d see a pair of $100 jeans I wanted but couldn’t afford and think, “No worries! I’ll just put them on my card!” Thankfully none of the credit cards I got right out of college had very high limits so I didn’t dig myself too far into debt, but I certainly would have been better off without them!

Treat Yo’self

It’s very important to make a budget, be smart about spending, and put as much money away in savings as you possibly can. But for every 10 days you’re stingy, you should have one day where you allow yourself to splurge on something special. As Donna and Tom from Parks and Rec would say: sometimes you just have to treat yo’self. Get that urge to splurge out of your system every once in awhile and you’ll be more likely to spend sensibly the rest of the time.

Pop Some Tags

Thanks to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, thrifting is like the new hip thing. But it’s also a really great way to get yourself cool stuff without spending a lot of money. There are few things more exciting than scoring the ultimate thrift store find. I’ve gotten a $200 wool Pendelton blanket for $5, dozens of designer jeans for under $10 apiece, tons of $0.50 records, a brand-new Timbuk2 bag for $7…the list goes on and on. The secret is finding a shop in the right part of town, usually a more affluent area where rich people donate their stuff.

Craigslist is also good for getting cheap furniture and stuff, but not nearly as much fun.

Get a Bike

Right out of college I signed up for a Lifetime gym membership for like $60 a month. I think I literally went three times in the four months I had it. A much better way of staying active is to get a bike. Not only will riding around help you stay in shape, it will also save you a lot of gas money. Instead of driving to Target, bike. Or instead of driving to the bar, bike (another perk of biking is never having to pay for a taxi home). Obviously, certain cities are going to be better for biking, but you might be surprised that most probably have pretty decent trails/paths for you to use.

Make sure to watch Ben’s for deals on bikes (you can get a decent one for a couple hundred dollars).

Surviving the First Year After College Without Going Broke

Several years deep into the latest console releases, you’d think it would be easier to discuss the many options available at the hands of video game shoppers over the holidays. Heck, maybe there’s even a new inexpensive bundle box or two that’ll have items includes alongside the console, making for an attractive box and perhaps a free game or two to spark excitement. Alas, it’s the year 2022, where we’re stuck in the tidal shifts between supply-chain production issues and rising costs due to inflation (disproportionate as they might be). Instead, we’re left with a different sort of exciting aspect of shopping for video game systems over the holidays, one folks haven’t been able to enjoy for several years: if they shop early, they should be able to get a system this year without all the hoops.

Will this actually be the case this year? Who knows, but more and more retailers have been able to put stock of the ever-elusive PS5 on shelves over the past few months, and more online retailers have made pockets of stock available in one way or another. If you’d like a few hints on how to keep tabs on stock of the various systems through trackers, please check out Ben’s Bargains 2021 Video Game Hardware Guide about halfway down. Beyond, give this year’s guide a look and see what’s new in the landscape of consoles and accessories for the players in your life.

For Fans of Kratos, Comfy Controllers and 4K Horizons, Gift This.

PlayStation 5 Console – God of War: Rganarok Bundle

Pros: 4K Gaming, PS4 Compatibility, HDR Disc Playback, GAMES | MSRP: $559

But wait! Look! Is that a bundle I see before me? As someone who’s been covering the most unique, all-inclusive ways to give video game hardware as awesome gifts over the years, it’s admittedly been quite a bummer to see the snazzy All-In-One Bundle dry up and become such a scarce item.  This year, however, despite the rampant demand and chip supply/production complications, Sony will be offering a brand-new bundle that coincides with the release of the hotly-anticipated God of War: Ragnarok. How easy this will be to find remains a mystery; however, the optimist in me seems to think that if they’re designing specific PS5 retail boxes to draw attention to the bundle and, of course, will be including the digital info in the paperwork included with the system … then they’re going to be reasonable available.

Opinions about the power of the PS5 over the Xbox Series X have largely become moot, as they’re quite similar under the hood and will play most of the games anyone’s wanting to play, so the topic once again gravitates towards other factors: exclusive titles and the strength of supplemental features. PlayStation added several noteworthy games to the PS5-only roster this year, notably the sequels to sprawling action franchises like God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon: Forbidden West, to which their execution of both gameplay and aesthetics result in not-to-be-missed adventures. There’s also the remake of PlayStation darling The Last of Us, and that’ll become relevant at the beginning of next year when people are wanting to replay the game before the HBO series gets started.  Couple those things with an outstanding, comfy controller and continuously reliable 4K disc playback, and you’ve got the makings of a console that’s moved ahead of the pack in desirability.

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For Fans of High-End HD Tech, Legacy Gaming, and Bethesda, Gift This.

Xbox Series X Console

Pros: 4K Gaming/Media, Multi-Gen Back Compatibility, Not THAT Big | MSRP: $499

Both primary systems have been a pain to buy over the past few years, and that conversation usually lumps the Xbox Series X and the PS5 together as simply “hard-to-find” without much need to emphasize which is more difficult. When it comes to power under the hood, the specs may give the Xbox Series X a slight processing advantage, but if they’re viewed side-by-side it’s about as close as you can get … and outside of exclusive titles and compatibility choices, there aren’t many factors giving the edge to either one. Truth be told, it’s been a quieter year on the Xbox side of things, without much in the way of attention-grabbing exclusives that might push this decision any further in their direction; heavy hitter games like Bethesda’s Starfield and Arkane’s Redfall were pushed to 2023.

Instead, the Xbox Series X continues to rely on the pillars from which it was built: rock-solid operation, stunningly up-to-date graphics, and a dedication to backwards compatibility.  While it’s true that the Xbox team halted its efforts this year to add any further backwards compatible titles, this BC dedication resulted in the current generation of Xbox consoles being able to play close to 5,000 games across the platform’s history: 600+ of them being Xbox 360 titles and several dozen being original Xbox classics. It also shouldn’t go without saying that the process of unplugging the previous generation of Xbox peripherals from the One system and reconnecting/resynching them with the new Series console is a generally seamless process, all of which makes the choice of upgrading someone’s console as a gift pretty much a no-brainer. And it’s still a perfectly fine 4K disc player, too!

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For Those Who Want Available, Reliable, Family-Friendly Fun, Gift This.

Nintendo Switch OLED Edition

Pros: Improved, Larger OLED Screen, Metal Body, Available | Cons: $50 More | MSRP: $349

Rumors have circulated over the past 2-3 years that Nintendo might be working on a beefed-up version of their Switch console – a higher-end “Switch Plus”, if you will. Given the age of the console’s life cycle, one would expect for this to be coming in the not-so-distant future; the Switch launched in 2017, after all. Instead, what materialized is an OLED screen model of the console everyone’s come to know and love, providing a dose of disappointment to those who expected improved graphics or performance … but also a satisfying new version with improved hardware all-around.   

Released last October, the Switch OLED model obviously boasts an improved screen, jumping from a 6-inch LCD to a 7-inch OLED for improved on-the-go play. A further adjustment to this comes in the widened stand for the screen that assists with Tabletop mode, further making this an appealing portable system even in comparison to their Switch Lite models. On top of that, the OLED model doubles up on the internal storage available, giving it 64GB of available space, and encases the system in a metal alloy body. Yes, these are upgrades to a system that’s 5 years into its product cycle – the Gamecube stuck around for 6 years and the Wii U lingered for 5 – and there’s a $50 upcharge, but there are a lot of great things still going for it. For instance, the Switch library has grown into an impressive range of both Nintendo franchises and third-party heavy hitters — Skyrim, The Witcher, Dark Souls and Minecraft are all options – and the upticks in material build quality suggest forward thinking for the Switch’s future.

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For Those Who Light Up at Steam Sales And Want Their PC Library Mobile, Gift This.

Steam Deck

Pros: Play Steam Game Library on Strong Mobile Device | Cons: Battery Life | MSRP: $399-649

A specific piece of equipment designed to play PC games from a user’s Steam account on-the-go isn’t the easiest sell, because you’ve got to explain why this isn’t essentially a laptop and what it does that, say, a Switch wouldn’t. Once you’ve worked yourself into the conversation and learned that the Steam Deck does exactly what’s being described, focusing on the nuts-‘n-bolts of gaming instead of other PC noise and making it straightforward to play computer games on a ready-to-go device, the question kind of answers itself. The mastermind at Steam/Valve, Gabe Newell, has stated that he’s always wanted this product as a gamer and further wanted it for PC developers, and it’s easy to see why. Broad questions like “When will this game come to consoles?” and “Why is it worth it to build a gaming PC?” could reach an end with a device like the Steam Deck that makes it all … easy.

With a processor named after one of the main characters from Final Fantasy VII, a Linux-based version of the Steam desktop client, and a team of people curating and ensuring that games are “verified” to run on the device, the Steam Deck has a lot of thought poured into its power and accessibility.  Consoles have been priced relatively affordably — $399 for 64GB of storage; $520 for 128GB; $649 for 256GB – and the anticipated delivery dates have been trimmed down to just 1-2 weeks.  There’s also a peripheral charging and connection dock now available, which makes it easier to plug-and-play the system into conventional TVs and hook up other devices via USB-C ports. If someone has ever seen a PC gamer get all googly-eyed over the prospect of the “Steam Sale” and its heaps of cheap games, and wanted to revel in the good times, the Steam Deck might just be the way they finally take the plunge.  

Click to Buy Steam Deck Or Search Ben’s for Steam Deck Deals

For Those Into Getting Lots of Gaming For Their Buck, Gift This.

Xbox or PlayStation Branded Gift Cards – Pre-Paid Subscriptions

$100 Xbox Card on Amazon $110 PS+ Wallet Funds on Amazon

There has been lots of talk over the past few years about when and how the subscription services would ultimately change, moving into their next evolutionary step as the old, simple paradigm of “free downloads + online gaming” reaches its end. Sure enough, that finally happened this year as PlayStation Plus transformed into a 3-tier subscription service: the $9.99/month tier is the “free games + online” as it’s known; the $14.99 tier unlocks a gaming library similar to Xbox’s Game Pass; and the $17.99 tier unlocks an extensive retro gaming backlog. The change isn’t as drastic, but the team at Xbox also did a bit of restructuring by scrapping any further 360 and original Xbox freebies – and backwards compatibility – while keeping the number of free titles each month to 2, doing a heavy number of the perceived value of the Gold-only tier. The two lowest $10 sub tiers are looking … old, and obsolete.

 The $15 tiers, on the other hand, have risen more and more in value, and that’s where our gift recommendation comes from this year. Instead of the year-long Gold or bottom-tier PlayStation Plus subscription cards that we’ve generally recommended here, it’s probably best to go ahead and splurge on the more expensive $15 subscription programs for either the Xbox or the PlayStation to better maximize the dollar value. The Xbox has previously made Game Pass Ultimate prepaid subs available in up to 3-month increments; PlayStation hasn’t done the same yet, but they have a clearly labeled “PlayStation Plus” digital gift card / “wallet funds”. Best bet? Find a way of wrapping up a printed Sony or Microsoft gift card for them to apply to their accounts, or just hook them up with an Amazon gift card with a specific purpose in mind (hint: they may not use it for that).

For the Gamer That’ll Appreciate a Touch of Personality and Usefulness, Gift This.

Exquisite Games “Cable Guy” Character Device Holders

Pros: Holds Controllers, Holds Cellphones, Adds Personality to Game Space | MSRP: $20-40

There are 2 aspects to these statues that’ll appeal to gamers. The first should be obvious: these are awesome ways to represent one’s fandom in a functional way. Unlike, say, Funko Pop figures that merely sit there for the sole purpose of proclaiming one’s appreciation for a franchise, these will actually hold your favorite controller and wait patiently until it’s picked up again. The designers of these products – represented here by Exquisite Gaming’s Cable Guy brand – have figured out the right height and character arm distance to comfortably hold most modern controllers, at the perfect level for maximum stability and character recognition.  Keeping controllers safe from fluids or Cheeto dust? Let Sonic or Vault Boy hold ‘em above such hazards.

The other fun aspect of these “device holders” for gamers is, perhaps oddly enough, how they also function as mobile phone stands. If the player’s trying to pull off a certain combo of skills in a fighting game (or looking at a map or tutorial), they can have Claptrap hold up their phone with the button connection loaded up on the phone screen while brawling it out on the primary one.  Or, maybe there’s a sports event on and they’d like to flip it on while in the middle of a gaming session.  Just fork it over to Spyro or Ryu to hold for a while. Yes, it’s a simple concept with other, simpler solutions, but if there’s someone in your life who even mildly appreciates one of the available popular characters – which extend beyond gaming; Wolverine, Spider-man, and  they’ll get a charge out of these device holders.  Not a literal charge, mind you: a charge cable may be included, but actual cables aren’t looped through the statue itself.

Check Price of Vault Boy on Amazon Check Price of Sonic on Amazon

For Those Nostalgic For the Retro Arcade Glow But With Limited Space, Gift This.

Arcade1UP’s CounterCade and PartyCade Models

Pros: Retro Gaming That Occupies Small Spaces | Cons: Tight Control Spaces | MSRP: Varies ($150-300)

By now, even the significant others and family members of starry-eyed gamers have probably seen a photo or video of someone who’s transformed their basement or spare room into an arcade, thanks in large part to the affordable, fit-to-scale cabinets from Arcade 1Up. They’ve made it pretty easy to replicate the lovely neon radiance in any dedicated space, but they’ve also made it possible to just slide one near full-sized arcade machine into a corner for a splash of functional enjoyment, as the Arcade 1UP machines are also significantly above-average quality than one might expect for a pint-sized replication. Thing is, even that might occupy too much for space for some, but why should they be left out of the nostalgia?

Recently, Arcade 1UP introduced something new for that crowd: their PartyCade and CounterCade line. The Countercade is somewhat self-explanatory, compacting the scale of an arcade cabinet into a structure that both fits on a countertop and captures the retro feel of old-school machines. PartyCades are slightly different but essentially go in the other direction, condensing the cabinet into a long, slim profile that can be mounted to the wall (or, with the stabilizer feet attached, also placed on a tabletop surface). Sure, these smaller retro cabinets may be getting a little brave with what they’re doing – after all, the actual games can be bought and saved on most game consoles and any PC for a fraction of the price – but these scaled-down cabinets still capture enough of that vintage magic to be worth it.

Super Pac-Man PartyCade at BestBuy NBA Jam CounterCade at BestBuy

2022 Gift Guide: Video Game Hardware and Accessories