HELP ME CLARK
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

Filed under: Clark Howard • Help Me Clark • Living

MONEY COACH
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

This week’s question comes from Roxanne Duncan of Winter Garden, Florida:

Filed under: Clark Howard • Investing • Living • Money Coach • Retirement

Clark Behind The Headlines

From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Well, my wife and I are very, very embarrassed. We bought a Groupon that we let expire before we used it!

Now, Groupon, if you're not familiar with it, is something that I've raved about, as well as a competitor of theirs called Living Social. For dozens of cities around the country, these sites offer a deal a day. Sometimes the deals are things you're very interested in. Other times, it’s a ho-hum yawner.

But you buy the deal, and then you have a window - in many cases it's a year, sometimes two or three months - to use it. You might get $30 worth of something for $10, or $50 for $25, or whatever it is. They are very, very decent discounts.

But there’s a third competitor in the marketplace called Scout Mob. It’s now in 13 cities around the country. Let me name the cities they're in: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, Denver, Springfield, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, New York and Washington D-C.

And the way it works is, you sign up, pick your city and you’ll start getting emails or texts with the daily deal. If you want the coupon, they send it by email or text. You don't pay money until you go to redeem the discount. It’s really, really simply done.

Ultimately, the test for the businesses that participate will be: do they get the sell-through numbers they’re looking for with Scout Mob? But Scout Mob gives you a no-risk way to get the kind of discount I'm used to with Living Social and Groupon.

I used a Groupon recently at a restaurant, and I was the first person the restaurant had ever had that used the new Groupon app. All I had to do was hold up the screen on my iPod Touch, and they just scanned it right from the screen for the redemption of the coupon. So you don't even have to worry about holding onto a piece of paper.

Filed under: Behind the Headlines • Clark Howard • Living • Savings

HELP ME CLARK
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

Filed under: Clark Howard • College • Help Me Clark • Living

MONEY COACH
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

This week’s question comes from Michelle Jenkins of Gallipolis, Ohio:

Filed under: Clark Howard • College • Money Coach • Savings

HELP ME CLARK
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

Filed under: Clark Howard • Credit • Help Me Clark

HELP ME CLARK
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

Filed under: Clark Howard • College • Help Me Clark • Loan

MONEY COACH
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

This week’s question comes from Theo Johnson of Dallas, Texas:

Filed under: Clark Howard • Insurance • Money Coach • Uncategorized

Clark Behind The Headlines

From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

It’s almost summer. And did you know that summer is one of the best bargain times of the year on tons of things? So let me hit you with what's a real deal. And with some of these, you're going to say, “Duh, of course that's a deal this time of year.”

First one: gym memberships. They’re at their lowest cost this time of year because in most of the country, the weather's so nice that people are much more likely - if they're going to work out - to do something outside rather than inside. And in the summer, we're as far removed from New Year's resolution time as we could be. So if you’re interested in joining a health club, this is your time. In the summer, gyms quite often will waive the initiation fees that they might normally charge the rest of the year. So, it’s a great time for you to join, even if you're not likely to use it routinely until the fall. But remember, never sign a contract!

Next, furniture. Furniture is a steal in the summer. And by the way, Costco wholesale does its semi-annual furniture event starting in late June and offers fantastic prices on furniture. Nothing at Costco can ever be marked up more than 14% over their cost.

Here's one that I never would have thought of because I don't have a cultural bone in my body: going to the theater. Not movie theaters.. live performance theaters. They're a real deal in the big tourist-oriented markets like New York, but also around the country as well. It's a time that you're going to find two-for-ones and all kind of special bargains at the theater.

Now at the end of summer, the best deal of all is on anything related to summer. Outdoor toys, patio furniture, swimwear. And according to Kiplinger Magazine, one deal that's good all summer long? Fresh produce. Any kind of vegetables or fruit is at its best taste and lowest cost all throughout the summer.

Filed under: Behind the Headlines • Clark Howard • Economy • Living • Savings

HELP ME CLARK
From HLN's Money Expert Clark Howard

Having trouble managing money? Do your money goals seem impossible? Clark Howard wants to help you!

We're looking for families or individuals who are willing to be profiled on HLN. Those chosen will get money advice and information from Clark Howard.

Filed under: Clark Howard • Help Me Clark • Investing