Is Now a Good Time to Buy a TV? 5 Shopping Tips

A recent report from J.D. Power and Associates says the much-hyped 3D feature in new high-definition TVs is the last thing people worry about. Price is first.

Here are the top nine reasons why people choose a certain TV, according to the report…

Price (75 percent say this is a reason)Brand reputation (60 percent)Positive reviews (37 percent)Experience with brand (36 percent)Quality construction (33 percent)Availability (31 percent)Style (29 percent)Ease of use (21 percent)3D capability (11 percent)

The report, which surveyed more than 1,000 people who bought an HDTV in the past year, also ranked brand satisfaction – Vizio, Sharp, and LG did best. But if price is the primary concern, is now a good time to buy?

Actually, no.

Market research firm iSuppli released a report on July 30 that says the average price for a flat-screen TV is at its highest in 2 1/2 years.

“Pricing for U.S. flat-panel televisions reached $1,224 during the second quarter, up a healthy 3 percent from $1,190 in the previous quarter,” says iSuppli.

And 3D is part of the reason. Even though most people don’t seem to care about it.

“The climb in U.S. flat-panel TV prices is attributed to market gains in retail among new sets sporting advanced technologies, such as 3D, integrated interactivity and light-emitting diode (LED) backlight technology used in LCD TV sets,” said tech analyst Edward Border.

Display Search, another research group, doesn’t expect prices to drop much through the end of the year: “Average LCD TV selling prices are only expected to decline 4 percent in 2012 compared with 6 percent erosion in 2011 and 10 percent erosion in 2010.”

Firm director Paul Gagnon blames lower worldwide demand and “economic uncertainty” for the stubborn pricing. But the group expects 74 percent more 3D TVs shipping by year’s end than last year, and prices to start dropping afterward.

“After a very slow start in North America, adoption is expected to improve as the premiums fall, availability grows, and accessories like glasses decrease rapidly in cost,” Display Search says.

If you don’t want to wait until next year or Black Friday to save cash, iSuppli has one idea: Buy a smaller TV.

One big exception to high prices “was the continued price decline of the ever-popular 32-inch TV sector. By the second quarter, the average price of the set was just $435, down from $495 in the first quarter,” says iSuppli. Another: 42-inch LCDs, which “plunged to an all-time low of $761.”

If those sizes won’t do, take these five shopping tips from J.D. Power and Associates…

1. Remember the accessories. Be sure to include in your TV budget accessories such as HDMI and component cables, mounting hardware, adapters, a universal remote control, and a TV stand or cabinet. These items often can add hundreds of dollars to the total cost, and in some cases all together may match the price of the TV itself.

2. Take careful measurements. TVs are available in almost any size, from a screen that fits in the smallest corner of your house to one that covers a large wall. Before you buy, think about and measure where you will display the TV and the screen size you will need based on how far you will be sitting from the TV when you watch it.

3. Consider colors and resolution. Different people prefer varying levels of brightness, contrast, and resolution of the TV screen. Some HDTVs produce unnaturally bright colors, and some viewers may not prefer them. One test of a TV’s picture or color quality is its “black-level performance,” as measured by the contrast ratio (the higher the number, the better). Generally, those that show the blackest blacks are best.

4. Consider glossy versus matte screen finishes. If you are using the television in a room that often has excessive ambient light, then a matte screen may be a better choice, as it tends to cut reflections that can be distracting. Yet, many matte screens can also mute colors to some degree, compared to glossy screens. Glossy screens are best used in darker rooms where ambient light can be controlled, as they tend to produce more vivid colors.

5. Don’t pay for unnecessary features. Don’t pay extra for “bells and whistles” that you think you may never use. If you’re satisfied with a basic TV, spend your money on size and picture quality, and not extra features. Even plain TVs sometimes have great features.

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Why Donating Free Time Is Good For You

The following post comes from Eric Mohrman at partner site The Dollar Stretcher.

When a financially comfortable lifestyle comes to a halt due to job loss, the unwelcome abundance of free time – and decrease in income – can lead to negative emotions. Getting involved with one or more organizations can make your life better. Volunteering is a way to stay actively involved in your community, have some unexpected fun, and make new friendships.

In the words of Dr. Louise Hart, “Self-esteem is as important to our well-being as legs are to a table. It is essential for physical and mental health and for happiness.” Without a job, excess free time can feel like a burden. Committing a portion of that free time to helping others gives you purpose and can boost your self-esteem.

An extended period of unemployment can take its toll on you in various ways. You may become less interested in physical activity. Socializing may be an activity you seek to avoid or feel that you can’t afford to engage in. As a volunteer, agreeing to be present at a specific time to offer services gives you a reason to venture out of the house. Other than the cost of gas to get you where you’re going, volunteering is free.

There are numerous volunteer opportunities to help you stay physically active while you’re looking for new employment. According to the information complied in a report entitled The Health Benefits of Volunteering: A Review Of Recent Research, “Volunteering and physical well-being are part of a positive reinforcing cycle.”

Just a few examples of volunteer options that involve physical activity are helping with a youth sports team, volunteering at competitions, and assisting disabled youth with sports related events.

Volunteering at a “meet and greet” animal adoption fair or working at a festival booth for a specific charity gives you an opportunity to converse and socialize with numerous people. There’s always a possibility that you will discover a lead to an employment opportunity while talking with others at these events. You will certainly get a reprieve from dwelling on your personal situation while in the midst of a festive atmosphere and while conversing with a steady flow of people passing by.

Volunteering has many emotional benefits. If you do something that gets you directly involved with those you are helping, like working in a soup kitchen, handing out bags of pantry staples, or building a wheelchair ramp, you will instantly be rewarded. Your spirits will be lifted when you see the smile and feel the gratitude of the person you helped.

Some volunteer activity involves helping those you will never actually come in contact with. You may only see pictures of children or adults who have benefited from your work or you read notes of thanks that have been sent to the organization. But you’ll still be uplifted, knowing you have played a part in making a positive difference in someone’s life.

Becoming reclusive during financially trying times is not physically, mentally, or emotionally healthy. Joining with other volunteers to improve the quality of life for others can also make your life better. New friendships develop when people unite for a common cause. You will have the opportunity to form friendships with people you would probably have never met if you hadn’t joined them in a volunteer effort.

Volunteering may lead to the discovery of new interests that will cause you to redirect your job search. You may uncover passions that have gotten suppressed due to a hectic lifestyle. You may discover new talents you never imagined having. Sometimes, you will find that what appeared to be an unfortunate situation is actually an opportunity for change that will have long-term positive effects on your life and on your family.

Follow The Dollar Stretcher on Twitter. Like this article? Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you a regular digest of our newest stories, full of money saving tips and advice, free! We’ll also email you a PDF of Stacy Johnson’s ’205 Ways to Save Money’ as soon as you’ve subscribed. It’s full of great tips that’ll help you save a ton of extra cash. It doesn’t cost a dime, so why wait? Click here to sign up now.

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Sweeter Diet Pepsi?

If you drink diet soda, you may soon have an option to reconsider. The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch reports Diet Pepsi might be getting a little sweeter.

The company is considering tweaking the formula to fix the taste supposedly lost in transportation:

The goal is to have a Diet Pepsi formula in the U.S. that tastes closer to what the drink tastes like as soon as it is made and doesn’t change as much through all the heat and jostling that cans and bottles are exposed to from production to consumption.

They’re privately testing different blends with fans now, and the new formula could be used starting early next year. According to MarketWatch, the new sweetener would combine aspartame – known under the artificial sweetener brands Equal and NutraSweet – and acesulfame potassium, or ace-K, known under the brands Sunett and Sweet One.

Pepsi is trying to boost sales of the drink, which rates as the seventh best-selling soda in the United States. Diet Coke (which uses only aspartame, like the current Diet Pepsi formula) is in second place, behind the non-diet Coca-Cola. Like this article? Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you a regular digest of our newest stories, full of money saving tips and advice, free! We’ll also email you a PDF of Stacy Johnson’s ’205 Ways to Save Money’ as soon as you’ve subscribed. It’s full of great tips that’ll help you save a ton of extra cash. It doesn’t cost a dime, so why wait? Click here to sign up now.

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Lower Salary, More Flexibility?

Yesterday NBC News wrote about a new survey from staffing firm Mom Corps (great name), which found people would take a pay cut for more flexible work.

The article doesn’t say how many people the group talked to, but “nearly half of working adults surveyed (45 percent) are willing to give up some percentage of their salary for more flexibility at work.” More than half would consider starting their own business to achieve flexibility.

Flexibility includes flextime – the ability to set a variable schedule so long as you get an agreed amount of work done, usually with part of the day being non-negotiable – and working from home (one of my favorite things about writing for Money Talks News).

The study also found that those willing to trade salary for flexibility would accept a 9 percent pay cut, on average. That’s more than 50 percent above last year’s result (5.8 percent).

While a lot of people want flexible work, only a small number of jobs offer it. “Only 3 percent of wage and salary employees work mainly from home,” NBC News says. Like this article? Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you a regular digest of our newest stories, full of money saving tips and advice, free! We’ll also email you a PDF of Stacy Johnson’s ’205 Ways to Save Money’ as soon as you’ve subscribed. It’s full of great tips that’ll help you save a ton of extra cash. It doesn’t cost a dime, so why wait? Click here to sign up now.

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Dieting? Dim the Lights

Softer music and dimmer lighting in fast food restaurants makes food more enjoyable, according to a new study. That also apparently means people eat less, and slower. Reported Reuters…

In the study published in the journal Psychological Reports, [marketing professor Brian] Wansink and his co-author Koert Van Ittersum, of the Georgia Institute of Technology, said the bright lights, stimulating colors, sound-reflecting surfaces and loud music in fast food restaurants are not designed to be relaxing.

At an Illinois Hardee’s where they tested the theory, customers still made the same orders. But adding “plants, paintings, indirect lights, tablecloths, candles and instrumental music” led them to eat 18 percent fewer calories.

Which sounds interesting, but a little wasteful. Maybe order something a bit smaller next time you’re enjoying the burger-joint ambiance. Researchers suggest trying it at home too. Like this article? Sign up for our email updates and we’ll send you a regular digest of our newest stories, full of money saving tips and advice, free! We’ll also email you a PDF of Stacy Johnson’s ’205 Ways to Save Money’ as soon as you’ve subscribed. It’s full of great tips that’ll help you save a ton of extra cash. It doesn’t cost a dime, so why wait? Click here to sign up now.

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