U-Haul Truck Rentals Suck But They Are The Cheapest Around

By MoneyBlueBook

A quick visit to a few internet forums and online review sites and it's evident that there is a common shared consensus when it comes to truck rental experiences from the U-Haul moving company - they're all negative. You're be hard pressed to find a company with more pissed off customers that enjoy griping about the company than U-Haul (except maybe Comcast). It's rather hard to come to the defense of a company that has such a consistent history of delivering rickety equipment and bad customer service. Their cranky trucks are woefully under-maintained, driven well into old age, and their rental reservation policies are terribly unreliable. Even the media has targeted the company, accusing it of running an aging fleet of extremely high mileage and ill maintained trucks.

There's only a few positive U-Haul attributes I can point to. Their moving truck rental fees and prices are definitely one of the cheapest around, if not the most inexpensive choice. Also, you don't need to worry about being extra gentle or careful when using their vehicles. The dilapidated and run down condition of their trucks makes it easy for a beginner truck driver to break them in. You don't have to worry about scratching up the vehicle's paint or putting a stray dent in the fender. Even if you were to knock off a rear tail light by accident, who would notice? I'm joking of course - however, every U-Haul truck I've ever driven has always been covered with widespread dents and scratches, and

By MoneyBlueBook

Promo Code Links Are Added and Updated Regularly!

Bank of America is the second largest bank in the United States in terms of total account value so needless to say, they must be doing something right. Like other major banks such as Citibank and Wachovia, Bank of America often releases new promotions to attract new deposit customers. The bank is obviously willing to spend money to get their hands on yours, in a good way of course.

As with most bank promotional offers, there are certain basic and fairly benign rules attached. To qualify for most of Bank of America's free money offers for new accounts, you will usually have to open a new checking or savings account with a certain minimum deposit. Afterwards, you are usually required to make a few electronic transactions such as setting up direct deposit or executing a few online bill pays. Obviously, the bank is hoping that by requiring you to make a few transactions that you will grow comfortable with their banking services and ultimately choose to remain on as a long term customer. The promotions are usually limited to only those new to Bank of America - thus, former or current account holders are ineligible to apply or take part. Holders of Bank of America credit cards are okay and are not excluded.

If you one of the select people out there who has never been a Bank of America customer and you are interested in one of the offers listed below, you may want to give them a try.

By MoneyBlueBook

Editors note: These offers are no longer available. Citibank is the biggest banking institution in the United States and has branches and ATM's everywhere. Since they signed a deal with 7-11, their ATM banking reach has soared nationally and worldwide. As one of the most popular banks, Citibank is well known for promoting a variety of free cash and free Citi Thank You reward offers for new deposit account customers. That's actually how I became a Citi banking customer years ago in the first place - by taking advantage of one of their promotional reward offers. The bank promotions are only available to first time Citibank checking and savings account holders. Persons who currently have or at any time have had a deposit account at Citibank are generally not eligible. Owners of Citi credit cards on the other hand are not disqualified.

As with all free promotions, there are several generally applicable rules to follow. Most of the deals are structured and laid out similarly - starting with a minimum funding requirement and followed by several reward tiers dependent on the completion of a certain number of banking transactions. Usually the offers require the new account customer to complete a certain number of direct deposits and online bill pay transactions. Both direct deposit and bill payment are free so customers need not worry about incurring any extra finance or transaction charges. Other than needing to fund the new accounts with a minimum balance and complete a few banking actions, there are no risks to opening a new checking or savings account. Citibank

By MoneyBlueBook

A few years ago I had the misfortune of living in the ghetto inner city of Baltimore. I had no choice - that was where the geniuses at the state of Maryland chose to locate their state run graduate schools. Why they chose to place the school building in a dangerous area surrounded by homeless people and drug hangouts still baffles me. The city is saturated with a population comprised of drug addicts, violent thugs, and opportunistic car thieves.

Along with two other roommates, I lived in a quaint row house near the law school in an area primarily occupied by students. Here, I thought my roommates and I would be safely shielded from the neighboring slums and criminal activity. I was wrong. Within the span of two years, a classmate friend of mine was robbed in person and a neighbor who lived across from our row house had her home burglarized (canned food was stolen, of all things). Furthermore, both of my roommates' street parked cars were broken into. My old red Toyota Corolla survived the criminal onslaught valiantly for while, but it too finally succumbed to the inevitable break in.

I usually parked my car along the street where our row house was located. One day I came home from class only to discover that the small rear side window panel on the passenger end had been smashed to pieces. Auto glass shards were strewn across the back seat, but nothing was taken. Everyone in Baltimore City knows that you must never leave any personal

By MoneyBlueBook

Updated List Of The Best Supermarket and Grocery Credit Cards To Save Money On Groceries (And Offset Higher Food Prices)

With rising gas energy prices and increased food demand from developing countries comes an unfortunate result - higher food prices. Common grocery staples like milk, eggs, and wheat products have seen a noticeable rise in prices lately. Higher prices at the supermarket is leading to an increase in grocery spending for many. Those with large families and children are finding their food budgets being stretched to the limit. However, there are alternative and supplemental ways to save money on groceries beyond the usual reliance on price comparison shopping and clipping grocery store coupons. There's nothing wrong with relying on coupons and price comparison, however, the regularity of those money saving deals are often unpredictable. They are not dependent on what you or your family need at the time, but rather on the supply and demand assessments of supermarket chains.

Benefits Of Using Grocery Store Credit Card Rewards To Save Money On Supermarket Food Prices

If you are a responsible credit user, have you considered the usage of dedicated grocery credit cards to save money at the supermarket? Most major credit card issuers have tagged grocery stores as a major promotional focus of their credit card reward programs. To encourage consumers to use grocery store credit cards, card issuers are offering a wide array of high cash back rewards and rebates for supermarket related purchases. In fact, along with gas stations and drug stores, grocery stores are often

By MoneyBlueBook

When I bought my new 2004 Honda Accord a few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it came with a free 3 month trial subscription to XM Satellite Radio. Back then, the premium service was considered quite a must-have premium car feature. At the time there was nothing quite like having more than a hundred radio stations at my listening disposal whenever I drove my car. The great benefit and advantage that satellite radio had over conventional radio was that no matter where you were in the country, so long as your receiver-equipped vehicle had an unobstructed view of the sky, you were ensured a guaranteed selection of listening stations at all times. Not only did I have access to the usual radio music choices, but I could also listen to a wide variety of talk radio and television news programs such as CNN and CNBC. One of the best technical features with on board satellite radio was also the ability to know the names of artists and songs currently being played. All of the song information was digitally displayed on the XM radio player dashboard. This function was great because it complimented my hobby of downloading MP3 music from the internet. Every time I heard a song I liked, I could look to see the name of the song and download it later when I got home.

Cost and Lack Of Use Are The Reasons Why I Don' t Think Paid Satellite Radio Service Is Worth It

Back when I had the complimentary