The following information is provided by Dr. Elena Yu

Useful Websites To Know  

1. Athletic shoes (brand name) for less: www.roadrunnersports.com (800-551-5558), www.nationalrunningcenter.com (800-541-1773), www.shoefits.com (800-746-3348).

1. Auto insurance: www.progressive.com (800-288-6776). Get a comparison of any three different insurance plans.
2. Baby gears: Compare what you see in the following stores: www.shopsmart.com, www.babyuniverse.com, www.walmart.com.
3. Coupons: www.mycoupons.com, www.safeway.com, www.valupage.com.
4. Restaurants: Dine free by evaluating a restaurant by checking out www.cooljobs.com. You cannot choose your restaurant and you have to pay a sign up fee of $30.
5. Gasoline with rebates: Shell MasterCard, 5% off, check out www.shell.com. Exxon MasterCard, 3% rebate on all gas at Exxon or Mobil. Check out www.exxon.com.

7. Government websites http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/24/technology/24WEB.html. Those who want to apply for a federal student loan, find the nearest veterans hospital, or reserve a campsite at a national park can find answers at a new one-stop government Web site.

8. Hotel discounts: www.hoteldiscounts.com. A great way to find the names and addresses of hotels in your preferred price range in any city of the U.S. and around the world. Get map and compare prices. Note: If you call the phone number shown on the website, you are reaching hoteldiscounts.com but not the hotel directly. If you book with hoteldiscounts, the hotel where you stay does not issue you a receipt. The latter is obtained only at the time you book your reservation online with hoteldiscounts.
9. Kelly Blue Book: www.kellybluebook.com. Get new and used car pricing, automotive articles, advice on buying used cars, crash tests and safety ratings on cars, recalls information on consumer items, and many more information.
10. Check used car’s history: Avoid making a potentially costly mistake when buying a used car by checking for major accident damage, flood damage, odometer fraud at http://www.kellybluebook.com/carfax.html. Input VIN number and pay $19.95 (charged to your credit car) for unlimited auto checks or pay a smaller amount for one-time check on one car only.
11. Used car prices in your area: www.edmunds.com Supplement the information you get from Kelly Blue Book by looking up this website. Provides complete resources for buying and selling used cars in any part of the United States.
12. Long distance calling plan: www.workingassets.com (800-788-8588). They give a free pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for a year, 60 minutes of free calls each month during the first six months, and a charitable donation equal to 1% of your bill.
13. Movie tickets at a discount: www.discountcinematickets.com. Also, check out AAA. They provide members with $5 to $6.50 tickets at five theater chains.
14. Theatre tickets at half price: www.sandiegoperforms.com. San Diego’s only Half-Price Ticket Office, located at Horton Plaza at Broadway Circle, across from NBC building. (619) 497-5000.
15. Vacation travel: Trade your home with someone else at www.swapnow.com (800-638-3841), and www.vacationhomes.com (800-848-7927). You exchange homes with a family who wants to visit San Diego. Neither parties pay rent. Saves on hotels and meals. Works for both domestic and international travels (Paris, London, etc.). To avoid having to pack up your place, use your second home to trade instead.
16. Medical questions while traveling: If you have a question, need a prescription refilled, or other medical problems while you are traveling, www.Mdhub.com can direct your message to virtually any doctor’s office in the United States. If your doctor is not online, the hub will send your message by fax. There is no charge either to you or to your doctor. If you do not have your doctor’s phone number with you, the website’s database will supply the phone number and website if you enter the doctor’s name and city.
17. Need quality appliances at a reasonable price? There is no website for this one, but it may be worth a visit. Selected brand name appliances are sold at 15% to 50% reductions daily. Some items may be specifically marked down 50% on some days—watch for the advertisement in Section A of the San Diego Union-Tribune newspapers. All items are not in a box. Some are customer returned items that have been checked and determined to be in good working order (and classified as “used”), others are new items that suffer a dint (often on the sides which cannot be seen once the appliance is installed) or minor scratches here and there during unloading at the main store. All are classified as “damaged” legally. But new and used appliances are clearly marked. The appliances include freezers, refrigerators, compactors, cooking ranges, ovens, cook-tops, microwave ovens, laundry machines, dryers, dishwashers, flat-screen televisions, in a wide variety of brand names. Do your picking every Thursday or Friday for the best choices. Sears Retail Outlet Store, located at 960 Sherman Drive (near Morena Blvd.), phone (619) 497-1123.

 Protect Yourself When You Buy a Package Tour  

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