Best Of 2012: Money

Not spending needlessly means more funds for the things you enjoy. Our Best Of 2012 series continues with our top money-saving posts from the year.

Kogan Imposing Tax On Shoppers Who Use IE7

Online electronics retailer Kogan is no stranger to novel pricing approaches, but this one takes the cake: from now on, anyone who visits the Kogan site using IE7 will be charged an additional 6.8% “IE7 tax” — 0.1% for each month since the browser was released — on any purchases.
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Why The New flybuys Is A Rip-Off

Coles has revamped its flybuys loyalty scheme, changing the way you can earn points and redeem them. But the most important feature of the scheme remains the same: you will have to spend a massive amount of money to reap any long-term benefits, and you’ll be sacrificing a lot of personal information to do so. We’ll tell you how to make the most of flybuys if you do sign up, but you really need to examine whether it’s worth it.
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Finding Click Frenzy ‘Cyber Tuesday’ Sale Bargains Will Be Tough

Starting at 7pm AEDT on Tuesday November 20 and running for just 24 hours, the Click Frenzy sale site is positioning itself as an Australian alternative to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales which dominate US retailing around Thanksgiving. I’m all for hunting down a bargain, but I’m not entirely convinced that Click Frenzy will deliver bargains to many people. Here are three reasons why.
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Whose Tax Returns Is The ATO Double-Checking This Year?

Each year, the Australian Taxation Office singles out specific careers where expenses claims and refund amounts will be more closely scrutinised. The targets this year? IT professionals, plumbers and non-commissioned defence force officers. Plus: all the current ATO guides for deductions in specific jobs.
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Click Frenzy Deals Rated: The Good, The Pointless, The Strange

A handful of deals for the Click Frenzy ‘Cyber Tuesday’ sale have emerged ahead of tonight’s 7PM AEDT start. Sticking to our principle of assessing any sale on its merits, we’re highlighting the ones we know about and whether they’re worthwhile, including Kogan, Telstra, Dick Smith and more. We’ll update as more deals come to hand.
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Is It Safe To Buy From GAME Australia Now That It Is In Administration? (Updated)

Games retailer GAME has gone into administration, leaving the future of its Australian operations in doubt. Can you still safely buy from the chain? And what happens with existing orders? Here’s what we know (now updated with official statements).
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Stuff You Should Never Pay Full Price For

Some items go on “special” so often that paying full price for them makes no sense. This is our definitive guide to technologies and other goods that you should always be able to score at a discount, no bargaining required.
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Five Best Deal Sites

Last week’s Click Frenzy debacle proved that we’ve got a keen appetite for hunting down bargains. Click Frenzy might have been more whimper than bang, but there are plenty of functional sites that make it easy to hunt down good deals. These are our five favourites.
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Five Sneaky Tricks Supermarkets Use To Make You Spend More (And How To Beat Them)

Supermarket shopping can be like a war: you want to save money, the retailer wants you to spend more. Arm yourself for the battle by avoiding these sneaky tricks.
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Australia’s Biggest Scams (And How To Avoid Them)

The unpleasant reality: many people are dishonest and will try and scam you or your loved ones. Awareness is your biggest defence. Here are the most prevalent scams in Australia, and how you can avoid them.
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