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The Pros And Cons Of Shopping For Shoes Online

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I Like ShoesThe web has made it easier than ever to shop for whatever you want from wherever you want, whenever you want to buy it. Of course, this does have its advantages, but it also has its downfalls, especially depending on what you’re shopping for.

Shoe shopping can be an area that’s a bit tricky to navigate when it comes to online shopping. So before you jump on your favorite online shoe retailer, take a minute to read these pros and cons of purchasing your new kicks from the web.

Pro: Convenient

Obviously, the biggest benefit to shopping online is that it’s convenient! You can literally shop in your pajamas just by jumping onto your computer. Browse through hundreds of stores if you’d like all within just a few short minutes to find exactly what you’re looking for in your next pair of perfect shoes.

Con: Sizing

The only problem with browsing through thousands of pairs of shoes online and purchasing with a click of a button is that you don’t have a chance to try them on before you buy them. Unless you’re particularly familiar with a given brand, it can be difficult to pinpoint an exact size that will fit your foot. Widths, lengths and even heights can vary from what the online description says, and you never know which shoes will end up killing your feet and which will be really comfortable.

Make sure that if you buy shoes online, the site offers a return policy. You should at least be able to exchange a product that you find is not in the right size or isn’t quite the style you were looking for.

Pro: Price Comparison

With the Internet, it’s simple to compare prices on any given product. Say you find a pair of shoes that you love – all you have to do is perform a Google search on the brand name and the particular shoe you’re looking for, and hundreds of results will come up for stores that all sell the same product at different prices.

You can click around until you find a price that’s low enough for you, then order from that site.

Con: Hard to Find Reputable Sites

The issue with price comparison when shopping online is that you might find what you think is a brand-name product at an incredibly low price, but if it’s not on a reputable site, you may order the product, send your money and never receive your shipment. This happens far too often in online retail.

Many not-so-reputable websites can be spotted in a single glance – make sure the English and grammar are correct and check for any sort of secure payment logo (like PayPal) that verifies your payment is secure. In general, be on the lookout – if a price looks too good to be true, it probably is.

And be wary when sending online payments in general – it’s better to use a credit card than a debit card, make sure you’re saving receipts and never, ever hand out your bank account information on the web.

Pro: More Options

If you go online shopping for one shoe in particular, it’s very likely that you’ll end up finding about 10 alternate choices that could end up being better for you in the long run. Did you log on to search for a particular brand of running shoes, only to find a better one? It happens more than we know.

The truth is, the web opens up so many more options than shopping in a store. Chances are, you’re also more likely to find items that aren’t in stock in storefronts ready to ship from web retailers. It’s just how online shopping seems to work.

Con: Easy to Overspend

With more options available comes more temptation to buy, of course! With the slew of choices you have in shoes online, you may go into your online shopping experience with the intent of buying one, and only one, pair, and end up with 10 that you don’t actually need.

Shop online with a purpose, have a general idea of what you’re looking for and promise to limit yourself to buying just one or two pairs and you’ll be golden.

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Ashley Dean is a freelance writer who frequently shops for online footwear in her spare time. She’s experienced every pitfall and every piece of excitement associated with shoe shopping online and just wanted to share her knowledge and experiences!





Essentials For The Modern Small Bathroom

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These days the bathroom has taken much more significance when it comes to planning a home’s look.

Before, they were often overlooked as a lot of our UK bathrooms are a little on the small side in truth, so many people didn’t really think about them as anything more than a quick stopping point during the day.

Nowadays though people have realised that the bathroom is a great room in the house, whether it be for seeking a moment of solitude in an otherwise hectic day or just as another room to add the homeowner’s own unique styles to.

Combined Vanity Furniture

You want to have everything in your bathroom, cupboards, toilet, sink – the lot, but alas space is not really a luxury you can afford in a small bathroom.

Combined vanity furniture is the way to go when it comes to saving room. As the name implies, it is the combination of your usual toilet essentials into one space saving whole – perfect when you’re operating in a small space.

Bi Fold Shower Enclosure

The only thing you then need in order to make sure your small bathroom has all the usual essentials is a place to wash.

Bi fold shower enclosures are great as a space saving option as the way the door folds in the middle and swings inwards and across the shower, means the door doesn’t have to swing outwards and hence use some of the space that you could otherwise utilise in other ways.

Bathroom Furniture

The use of a vanity unit may then enable you enough room for a further piece of bathroom furniture if you are lucky – this can be used to store your remaining every day essentials.

Perhaps to better utilise the space instead of going for a separate mirror and cabinet, you can combine the two with a mirror cabinet.

Towel Radiators

In smaller bathrooms a nice sized radiator was often impossible to go for due to the size it would take.

However towel radiators are becoming increasingly popular. Not only do they provide the heat the room requires, it warms up your towels nicely, and most importantly doesn’t take up a lot of room.

Towel radiators come in electric as well as more traditional options, meaning they can operate independently from your overall central heating unit and they come in a range of designs too.

A few Accessories to finish

Depending on the remaining space available, you can then opt to pick up a few extras such as toilet roll holders, a bin for every day waste, dispensers to add a little extra style to the room and maybe even a bathroom mat.

You might only have a small bathroom then, but thanks to space saving towel radiators, showers and vanity units, you can still give your bathroom a great modern look.

Louisa Jenkins is an interior design expert. She offers advice on a number of topics including ways for people with small bathrooms to still give them a modern look – she believes that towel radiators and other bathroom essentials can still be used in a bathroom, whatever the size,  to make them one of most eye-catching rooms in the entire house.

5 Valuable U.S. Coins In Circulation Today

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Coin StashFinding rare coins in your pocket change can be fun and profitable. Once you start to develop coin-checking habits, identifying valuable coins in U.S. circulation will become easy. That is, if you are ever lucky enough to come across on of these extremely rare coins. Here are five coins to keep a keen eye out for:

1969 Double Die

Before you get your hopes up, this coin is exceedingly rare. The earliest copies were confiscated by the Secret Service until the U.S. Mint admitted that it was a genuine coin. In order to detect a 1969-S double die Lincoln cent, you have to examine the “heads” side. Take a close look at the phrases “In God We Trust” and “Liberty.” The strike doubling damage is what coin experts commonly refer to as a “double die.” However, if the mint mark is doubled, it’s probably fake as mint marks were punched in the dies separately in 1969. If you’re lucky enough to find this coin, you hit the lottery as this one-cent piece’s value exceeds $10,000.

1943 Copper Penny

During the 1940s, the United States was in the midst of World War II. Therefore, all pennies made during 1943 were supposed to be minted as the steel pennies in order to save copper for the war efforts. According to coin experts, copper plates may have been tested or left mixed among steel plates from 1942 and thus the error. Whatever the cause, these rare beauties sell for about $100,000. Fair warning: there are many fake 1943 copper pennies out there. Be careful, and make sure your coin is certified!

1982 Roosevelt Dime

While most dimes made at this time have the “P” mind mark, this rare 1982 Roosevelt dime has no mint mark. During this time, when coins were made the dies were sent to the individual brand mints which would be punched with the proper mint mark letter for that branch. This rare coinage came about because one or more non-punched dies were used to make coins. It’s very easy to detect. Just look for a 1982 dime with no mint mark on it. If you find one, it’s may be worth $30 or $50, depending on condition.

2004 Wisconsin Quarter

This rare coin could be in your pocket right now and you don’t even know it! This 2004-D Wisconsin State Quarter has an extra leaf one it. Look on the lower left-hand side of the ear of corn on the “tails” side. This leaf is very obvious. It’s also known in two different varieties, the high leaf and low leaf type. Hurry home and check your loose change, this little beauty can be worth between $200-$300.

Presidential Dollars

Ever since the Presidential Dollar was created back in 2007, there have been errors associated with the lettering on the edge of these particular coins. In some cases, the lettering was missing entirely. In other instances, the edge lettering had been placed there multiple times (double die). You can detect this error by looking at the edge of the dollar. The inscription should appear fully stamped around the circumference of the coin. But, missing or doubled inscriptions are rare and very valuable. If you find one, it can be worth $50 to $3,000, depending on the President.

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Katelyn Porter is a freelance writer and avid coin collector. Among her favorite coins to collect are 90% silver coins, which she’s been collecting for more than 10 years! In her spare time, Katelyn studies rare U.S. coins.

6 Ways To Decorate Your Apartment On A Budget

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home decorating 2009Apartments come in all shapes and sizes, and they also come in all types of conditions. Whether you’re living in the ideal space or a temporary place, it’s important to make it look and feel as homey as possible. The problem is that home decor can be quite pricey, and if you don’t have the budget to buy the nicest pieces of furniture and accent pieces, most people leave their apartments not fully furnished. That’s why I’ve put together this list of ways to help you decorate your apartment and make it look great, even on a budget!

Sales

Sales have always been the best way to find great home decor on the cheap. Whether it’s a yard sale, garage sale, from a discount store or something similar, you can find some really great pieces of furniture for your apartment for a fraction of retail costs.

Online Classifieds

Aside from looking at yard sales and other store sales, another great option is to look at websites such as Craigslist and other free online classifieds as resources for finding decor. These websites are used frequently when people are either moving out of their homes and are trying to sell items quickly or people are just trying to get rid of items they no longer need. It’s a great place to find items that have great value but are being sold for much less than their worth.

Do It Yourself

DIY has never been easier than it is today, especially with the plethora of online tutorials and DIY ideas that you can easily find on Pinterest. Creating anything from tables, chairs and entertainment centers can be as easy as re-purposing old furniture and it can save you enormous amounts of money. Another DIY option is to buy inexpensive furniture from companies like Ikea who sell brand new furniture that you have to pick up and assemble yourself.

Loft Beds

If you’re working with a small space and a lot of people, a loft bed is a great option for you. Loft beds are an inexpensive way to help accommodate several people in a small space. Similar to bunk beds, loft beds help to take advantage of vertical space and loft beds can be bought at furniture stores, garage sales or quick sales. Even if you’re not working with a lot of people in your space, a loft bed can help save valuable space in your bedroom or studio.

Dollar Stores

Dollar stores generally have a bad reputation, but they’ve come a long way since they were only selling cheap soap and car air fresheners. There are many dollar stores now that sell inexpensive home decor that might not look great on the shelves but can be created into something excellent, for only a few dollars.

Add Color

Don’t be afraid to add pops of color here and there throughout your apartment, especially if you can’t change the colors of the walls. This includes coordinating bed linens with your bedroom curtains, a couch color with other accent pieces, etc. Matching colors in your apartment will not only make your space look brighter and cleaner but it will make you feel more like you’re at home as well.

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Felicia Walkins is a freelance writer and home decorating pro. She loves finding the perfect accent pieces for different apartment spaces, and she hopes to someday be able to decorate her own space in the new Jackson 21 community.

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