November 5, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

HookUpFeed Announces New CEO — Relocates Corporate Headquarters

HookUpFeed, a social networking/text marketing company, has announced the appointment of Robert S. Borzone as the new CEO. Mr. Borzone had been Executive Vice President of HookUpFeed. Mr. Borzone replaces David Liniado. Mr. Liniado will remain with HookUpFeed focusing on college aspects of the business. Mr. Borzone announced that the corporate office will be relocating to San Ramon, CA from Atlanta, GA, and also announced a restructuring in which the business will focus on three distinct but related segments:

HookUpMedia, a social networking media arm

HookUpMobile, a text marketing segment

HookUpFeed, a virtual interactive mall

In announcing the changes Borzone indicated that “we are thrilled with the flexibility the revised organization will provide. We feel that we are perfectly positioned to take social media/text marketing to the next level. Our goal is to allow merchants to make friends with their customers and interact with them on a one on one basis”.

Borzone added, “Our social networking arm, HookUpMedia, has made great strides in recent months under the direction of Evan Lowenstein. With Evan’s guidance we will place increased emphasis on this portion of the business. We have also experienced rapid growth in HookUpMobile, and are building a portfolio of merchant related success stories. Our company is well positioned as we look towards 2010”.

HookUpFeed expects to complete the headquarters transition from Atlanta to San Ramon by mid-November.

It’s a simple fact that we here in America love the video games. They’re a great past time, good for entertainment and stress relief, and they also constitute a multi-billion dollar industry world-wide - and one of the few entertainment industries not being effected not being hurt by the current printed media vs digital download format battle (With gaming, you still need disks 99% of the time). Now, some may think that video gaming may be just for kids: but think again. A recent market study placed the age of the average gamer between 28 and 30, both male and female…and that, to us, means that there are probably at least a few of you out there that could benefit from some gaming-related money saving tips.

As any of us that partake in the hobby of video gaming know, it can get pretty expensive fairly quick. With most modern “next-gen” consoles ranging from $250-$500 and PC gaming rigs sometimes twice that, not to mention that the games themselves can easily run from $50 to $60 each, brand new, it’s not only simple but easy for you wallet to get drained in short order keeping up with the latest titles.

So, how do we keep from breaking the bank and still partake in our beloved gaming? Here’s a few simple ideas:

Avoid the hype: Games are their most expensive at their time of initial release, and their marketing teams know this. Prepare to withstand an onslaught of media hype in the form of TV and print ads, viral e-mails and, in some cases, elaborate ARG’s (alternate reality games, see also Halo 3’s “I like bees” ARG - one of the most successful marketing ARG’s of all time) all geared towards getting you, and your wallet, to the game retailer on the day of release for the maximum dollar. Unless it’s a particular title that’s been on your radar for some time now, it might be best to hold off, referring to our next point for more of the reasoning behind this one.

Go used: Most major game retailers offer a large stock of used games at a significant discount. Now, I know, there is a bit of trepidation for some gamers against buying used - and understandably so, I’ve seen the treatment that some of my own games receive…but, these retailers are in business, and no one stays in business for long by selling a faulty product. Used games are play-tested, and if found to be unoperational, professionally refurbished before bring distributed to the public. In all cases, check the disk for deep gouges and other flaws…the potential savings here far outweigh the risks of having to return the occasional faulty game for a new copy.

Trade-ins: Most major game retailers will offer trade in programs, giving you store credit for old games that you’re no longer playing to be used in-store for newer titles. Coupled with the lower cot of used games, trade ins are a great way to turn old games that would otherwise get thrown away into some cash and new gaming experiences for you and your family or friends.

Online services: Nowadays there are a number of game streaming services available through the internet, offering low monthly fees for a wide variety of games, some of which are older classics that no longer run on modern PCs, giving older gamers the chance to replay their favorite titles and giving the younger generation of gamers a chance to have experiences that would be otherwise unavailable to them.

Handhelds: Handheld portable gaming systems, while an investment in their own right, can save money in the long run over their more expensive home console counterparts. The system itself is normally less than half the cost of a home gaming system, and the software is about a third of the cost, even brand-spanking-new…and far less when used (on a side note - the cartridges used in most handheld systems are damaged less easily and are therefore a safer buy when used). Handhelds are often also useful in stifling any and all “are we there yets” from long summer car rides.

Rent rather than buy: Not 100% sure about a game? Then it’s time to hit up your local video rental store. Most rental places stock a wide variety of new games for home and handheld consoles, and believe it or not, there are a lot of modern titles that can be easily bested within the rental time, getting you all of the gaming enjoyment that the title has to offer without shelling out the full price.

Or if you’re more about convenience, Gamefly works just like Netflix in the sense that you pay 22.95 a month, and you keep your games as long as you like without having to worry about returning them on time or late fees. Warning: Gamefly is for serious gamers only, those who are afraid of having their thumbs blister, need not apply

So, there we go…let’s get out there and game hard, but not empty our saving doing so. Feel free to use the comments section to tell us all about what you’re playing…and how you saved some cash getting it!

Get your Meter Checked
Believe it or not, the energy meter may not always be reading properly. In a lot of cases the meter will read that you’re using more energy than you actually are. Would you really surprised if I told you that this will take a special phone call and request to get this fixed? In some cases, homes who have a properly running meter saved up to $30 on their electric bill in a single month, all because their meter wasn’t reading properly…

Motion Sensing Switches
Most people associate Motion sensing switches with the outdoors, and yes they save you money, and you should get those, but really this section is for the motion sensing switches that are for the indoors. These switches will turn on as soon as it senses motion in the room and turn off, shortly after it has detected the room is no longer occupied.

Parents, imagine not having to play lightswitch police anymore! How great is that!?

Not only have these switches saved homes anywhere between 15-80% on their energy bills, but in many cases can also be used as a tax deduction.

Low Flow Aerators
Installing Low-Flow shower heads and faucet aerators is the single most effective water conservation savings you can do for your home.
Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much as 50%.

This conservation of water and energy is not only good for the environment, but the savings in your utility bills will pay for the cost of the aerators within a few months. From then on, you enjoy continued savings.

Programmable Thermostats
Homeowners can save about $180 a year by properly setting their programmable thermostats and maintaining those settings. The pre-programmed settings that come with qualified programmable thermostats are intended to deliver savings without sacrificing comfort. Depending on your family’s schedule, you can see significant savings by sticking with those settings or adjust them as appropriate for your family. The key is to establish a program that automatically reduces heating and cooling in your home when you don’t need as much.

Energy Efficient Appliances
Not really a whole lot to say here, you know what appliances can be replaced (fridge, dishwasher, air conditioner, etc…) when it comes time to buy new ones, invest in appliances with the Energy Star logo and you’re guaranteed to save more money on your energy bill in the long run.

By taking these steps you can save a dramatic amount of money on your monthly energy bill. Yes, some of these items are an investment, and some things will take some time to install, but the savings that you’ll see will be well worth it.

If you want to get even more advanced there is a step by step guide from the U.S department of energy that gives you a quick checklist for a DIY audit of your home. It covers insulation, air leaks, amongst other items, and the whole site is dedicated to making your home far more energy efficient.

Are you already doing some of these things in your home?

Share with us what you’ve done to make your home more energy efficient and your average savings in the comments below!

This is going to be the first part of a two part guide on saving electricity to help save the world. So often when doing the research for the “Money Saving Tip of the Day”, I’ve found that the tips that apply to energy savings can really apply to only home owners. Which is all well and good and I’m more than happy to share that knowledge. But I rent. And as much as I would love sometimes to do some minor “projects” around the house, truth is it isn’t mine. Which is why I’ve titled Part 1 “the basics”, because these are the things you can do in any living situation to reduce your electric bill.

Compact Florescent Bulbs (google shopping)
Compared to light bulbs that give off the same amount of light, Compact Florescents generally use less power and live about nine times longer, but they do have a higher purchase price. In the United States, a CFB can save over US $30 in electricity costs over the lamp’s life time compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2,000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. Compact florescent Bulbs are able to save up to 75% on your monthly electric bill. It is recommended to use them in all overhead lighting situations so their effectiveness is maximized.

Hot Water Jacket
If your hot water heater is electric, that can account for up to 20% of your energy bill! By purchasing a hot water jacket (which run between $10-20) you’ll be able to insulate your hot water tank and reduce the amount of energy that goes into heating the tank. If you’re renting, offer to purchase it for your landlord and ask them to install it for you.

The Fridge
Because this is the “level 1″ post I won’t get into investing in more energy efficient appliances, instead, an interesting tip that I’ve found is to fill empty containers with water to fill in the spaces in your refrigerator that are empty. These water filled containers work as “cooling cores” in your refrigerator that occupy space, store cold air, and reuse old containers, such as milk jugs. All of this reduces the amount of energy it requires to keep the unit cool and will in turn save you some cash.

This is only the start, there are a bunch of other ways to save on your energy bill that will be covered in tomorrows post, which will be focused more on homeowners. Are there any simple tips that you can share that will save anyone, anywhere money on their energy bill?

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How do you save money on the energy? Let us know in the comments below!

It’s the one thing that brings us together.

It’s the common ground for all humanity. The icebreaker, the relationship maker, and in some cases, a life-saver.

If your life had a soundtrack, what songs would be on it? Do you know what was playing during your first kiss? What album got you through your first heartbreak? What about when you got married?

My point is, Music is so integral, that it’s hard to imagine a life without it. And unfortunately in a down economy, it’s one of those “luxuries” that we tell ourselves that we can live without. But how can you live without the most important thing for your own personal development?

The truth is, you can’t, and you don’t have to! So I’ve compiled a list of a few different ways where you can get your music for free to cheap. In fact, a few of these examples will help expand your music library with artists you’re almost guaranteed to love. So without any further adu… let’s get to the list!

1. Listen to music on the Internet

Thanks to the Internet, you can now listen to radio that doesn’t suck for free. Of course, you need a device that’s connected to the Internet, but if you’re reading this, than that really shouldn’t be an issue, now should it

* Pandora — http://www.pandora.com
Free Internet radio with recommendations that help you discover new music. Enter the name of your favorite artist, song, or composer, and Pandora will automagically generate a radio station featuring that music and more music like it.

* Last.fm – http://www.last.fm
Join the social music revolution. Last.fm helps you find people with similar tastes in music and discover new music and concerts that you’ll enjoy. This is also MY favorite choice, as it gives you a music compatibility with other users, furthering your likely hood to find new bands you may have never heard of.

* SHOUTcast — http://www.shoutcast.com
Free Internet radio covering almost every genre imaginable.

* Seeqpod — http://www.seeqpod.com
An awesome search engine for music. SeeqPod indexes content from around the Web and allows you to instantly play the songs you find when you search. This is great for finding that song that you’ve have stuck in your head all day.

* Playlist.com — http:.//www.playlist.com
A great site for compiling your own music playlists for any occasion, use playlist.com to keep your party, road trip, and embarrassing music, all in one place.

* The Hype Machine – http://hypem.com/
Listen to the music that everybody is blogging about. The Hype Machine aggregates songs from the music-related blogosphere into one convenient location for your listening pleasure.

2. Buy music online

Save money on the music you buy by purchasing digital downloads online. Since you can purchase individual tracks, you don’t waste any money on the songs that you’d never listen to anyway.

* Amazon.com MP3 Downloads — Amazon MP3s
Amazon MP3 Downloads is the best option in my opinion, MP3s are DRM-free. This means they will play on practically every modern music player, and you don’t have to worry about authorization each time you need to transfer your music to a new device. This is where I currently buy all of my new music.

* iTunes Store — iTunes site
The iTunes Store works great as long as you have an iPod and don’t move your music around a lot. The DRM gets annoying if you upgrade your computer often.

3. Buy used music

What’s the difference between the music you hear from a new CD versus a used CD? Nothing…except for the extra money you have to pay for a new CD. Save yourself a few dollars by buying used music, and the savings will really add up over time.

* eBay – http://www.ebay.com
I’m pretty sure everybody already knows to look on eBay for used items.

*Swap A CD – http://www.swapacd.com
Pretty nifty idea that allows it’s users to swap used cd’s at a very low price. This is a great way to get your physical disk media for very cheap! Because it’s all user based, the selection can sometimes be sparce, but my first stop for finding music.

* Local record stores
It may take a bit of digging, but sometimes you’ll be able to find some hidden treasures in the used CD bins at your local record stores.

4. Subscribe to satellite radio

You’re probably wondering how adding another monthly fee to your budget can save you money, and that’s a good question. Well, satellite radio will save you money, because you no longer have to buy CDs. With such a wide variety of stations, you’ll no longer need to buy new music to keep you entertained during the commute to and from work. Trust me, it’s one of those things you think you don’t need, then once you have it, you can’t live without.

Sirius Satellite Radio

5. Listen to indie bands

Start listening to bands that haven’t hit it big yet, and you can save money because their CDs and concerts are cheaper. You’ll also get the satisfaction of being able to brag about how you knew about them before they hit it big when all of your other friends finally find out about them.

As we continue to examine ways to have a fun filled summer without decimating your savings, we’ve stumbled across something so obvious that we almost missed it. For real. Now, we’re passing the info off to you, and getting you and your family hooked up this summer - for free.

So, as the warm, inviting summer weather continues on, everyone is wondering how to get out with friends and family for good times without draining your checking account…and the answer is right before you, and it is indeed free.

Most communities offer free summer activities…fairs, concerts, et cetera, to encourage community relationships and drive local economies, but in all reality, you and your family and reap the true rewards. These free plays, shows and historical tours can be an excellent way for your friends and family to go and spend quality bonding time without spending a single dollar if you want to. Schedules for these events are always readily available through community bulletin boards of websites and offer an entire summer’s worth of absolutely free activities for everyone to enjoy. You can even refer to hookup feed’s deals in your area to take advantage of even more money saving offers and make a day of it.

Where do I find these great free activities? Start by checking local community and rec centers. If there’s no luck there, bear in mind that the largest city in your area will most likely hold these events. Also, check out larger local parks, as these places tend to host these events. Feel free to use the comments section below to tell us about what you’ve found for free in your area!

Recently. we talked about credit cards and how they can easily become double-edged swords (not in the literal sense, of course). This time, we’ll go over how to properly wield the power of department store credit to save money and increase your credit score at the same time.

I know that I spent the majority of a recent post talking about the evils of credit cards and how much of a slippery fiscal slope they present when handled improperly or irresponsibly…and all these things are still true. There are, however, certain cards that you can use to a potent advantage.

For example, there’s one particular department store (that shall remain nameless) that offers a significant discount to your purchase on the spot for simply applying for their card. Upon being accepted and the actual card issued, you’ll receive special card holder coupons monthly that help you save even more cash, and on top of that, there are often special, in-store (or online) offers extended to their card-carrying (literally) loyal customers. Not bad for five minutes time at the register.

Now, here’s the tricky part: most of these stores will allow you to pay your balance on the spot, right at the point of sale…and you have to do that. Only charge purchases that you can already afford and don’t let yourself carry a balance…ever. an additional two minutes to pay off your credit card at the time of use is, in this author’s opinion, a small price to pay for safety.

Another challenge is to keep the reins tightened on yourself. Don’t go out purchasing everything in sight just because it’s “on sale” or available at a “discount”. Don’t go insane with your newly extended line of credit. Keep it around, use it when it benefits you, but do your best to remember that your new card is not a “carte blanche” permit in it’s associated store. With a keen eye and a bit of discipline, a department store credit card can actually take some financial stress of of you and your family.

Have you ever found yourself buried in piled-up credit card debt? These days, who hasn’t? Here are a few quick, easy and simple ways to help keep your head above water, or in this case, plastic.

It would be a gross understatement to say that credit cards are a slippery slope…they seem to be more like a bona-fide bobsled chute for personal finance. It’s frighteningly easy to overspend when you’re extended a line of credit. In fact, it seems that new credit card holders view their credit limit as “free money” until they get their first bill, and that’s where it all begins to clamber downhill. You see, it’s simple, easy and relatively painless (in the short term, anyhow) to use that little piece of plastic to acquire all sorts of material goodies without having to actually take green out of your wallet or bank account.

However, unless you plan on paying off your balance forthwith, you pay more in the long term in the form of interest, and that’s how credit card companies make money…by basically taxing consumer impatience and laziness. It’s like this: we, as human beings, largely dislike having to delay gratification. It’s not a weakness or a fault, gratification feels great. We all love it. The hard part is keeping that perfectly natural human urge under discipline.

With an objective mind and a clear head, you can actually turn your credit card into a valuable asset rather than a fiscal anchor. Credit cards are great in emergencies where money is needed but not quite available at the time - but even this sparing use can backfire if the balance isn’t taken care of in rapid fashion. You can even use credit cards to build, well, credit by making small purchases and keeping on top of your balance before it goes outstanding and you begin accruing interest. If you do want (or need) to use credit for purchases, try to use it as close to “like cash” as possible, paying off the money owed as soon as possible, even the same day if the company has online payment options.

Credit cards can be a valuable tool in the game of spending and saving money, especially if we keep their use to an cautious minimum, but as with some tools this one has definite sharp edges. Remember that balances build up rapidly, and if you don’t stay on top of your payments, they’ll eventually wind up on top of you.

Have you ever had one of those trips to the store where you’ve painstakingly budgeted, but wind up spending twice as much as you planned? We all have. Most often times the culprit is the enemy of all things saving money, the impulse buy.

This is usually how it goes: You go in with a plan, but you see so many savings and discounts that now your cart is overflowing with merchandise and you know you’re going to regret it later . It’s not that we won’t use it - in fact, there’s normally a thousand reasons we can come up with to justify the purchase and only one reason to just leave these items on the shelf - saving money.

Now, I’m not one to say that any and all impulse purchases are bad - sometimes they make us feel great, stumbling across a deal and having the courage to just dive on it…the challenge is that most impulse buys aren’t deals, they’re just stuff that we think we want.

The only real solution is simultaneously simple and difficult…simply keeping your head about you. Ask yourself “How bad do I really need this?” or “Will I even use it?” You’ll find that more often than not, we’re not capitalizing on offered deals as much as we’re simply satisfying that “buyer’s Id” that tells us to make unwise purchases, a practice that comes coupled with a terrible backlash that we’ve all experienced: Buyer’s Remorse…and no one enjoys having to cope with guilt when we get our items home.

It’s definitely a tight balance, but with a bit of effort and discipline it’s not difficult at all to find the sweet spot between having an eye out for the deal and simply buying up everything we find that’s offered at even the slightest discount…because if we follow the latter practice we spend more money in the long run, and who can afford that these days? If one can learn to objectively assess one’s need and desire, as well as give a wide berth to all that delicious “candy” near the register, you’d be amazed at how much you can save on a monthly basis.

The first step in negotiating Hookups is knowing what you want. Preparation is key, and when you know what you intend to get, the outcome is likely to end up in your favour. Whether it’s a Free ride around the Bmx track, an extra sushi roll, or free comedy tickets, being prepared will help you state your negotiation clearly. If you want to negotiate discounts on things you want, we’ve pulled out some of the major boundaries for you, because every negotiation should always be a win-win for both parties involved.

So how can we help you get deals on stuff you want? A few ways, really. First, what we do is exclusive, we only put deals up for things that have a a certain “cool” factor. Tell a business you think they’re awesome, and they should be on our site, they’ll be flattered and love you. Second, we make it easy for those deals to be redeemed, because we beam them directly to your cell phone. Lastly, we make it easy to share your HookUp with your friends.

What’s the win-win? You get a sweet deal, the business gets more foot traffic. Pretty simple huh? You bet it is!

So what’s the lesson here? When you take a pro-active stance on saving yourself some money, getting hooked up and helping out those businesses that you love, everyone wins…and wins big. We here at HookUp Feed believe in you, the consumer, targeting brands instead of them targeting you…and when a business goes out of their way to hook you up, they hook themselves up as well, with loyalty and business. Finding the deals that best suit you and your lifestyle and forging not only a business/consumer relationship with the store, resturants and other places you may frequent, but friendships based in the art of the mutual Hook-Up.