Anyone familiar with the prices of most Apple products can see where those two can meet in a titanic clash. But buying a refurbished mac can save you a ton of money, while still providing you high-quality products and an Apple warranty.

Now finding those refurbished deals is a little easier with the Refurb Store widget. For Mac OS X 10.4 or later, this widget notifies you of the newest refurbished deals on Apple’s website.

So download the widget, and start shopping!

However, one of the first things I asked myself when I began this process was when the best time to buy a car is. I thought January might be the best time - seeing that all the 2006 models are then outdated in the minds of consumers. I was suprised to find out that September is actually the best month to buy a car because dealers have most likely begun receiving shipments of the next year’s model and will try and get rid of the current year models.

But cars are not the only things to have a peak buying season. SmartMoney.com has a great little article listing the best times to buy both small and big-ticket consumer items including airline tickets (Wednesdays), Broadway tickets (hours before the curtain goes up), and wrapping paper (January). Check out the article to get the scoop on the best time to buy stuff - but if you have your own advice please feel free to leave a comment!

Renova, makers of, well… nothing else, have introduced a new line of toilet paper that will make any butt jealous. The rolls of colored toilet paper come in packs of 3 for only $15 OR if you’re really in a crunch to burn that cash you can buy a carton of 45 rolls for about $216.

Maybe the today’s deal of the day should really be “what not to buy in order to save money.” Seriously though, if you’re really trying to build long-term wealth, purchasing rediculously expensive necessities is only going to hurt your cause. That $216 can earn interest in anything from your Roth IRA to a high-interest online savings account!

In the case of the Mac version of Quicken 2007, the new version is almost identical to the previous 2006 version with the exception of a handy dashboard widget. Although I’m sure the widget is very cool (I love my dashboard widgets), it’s certainly not worth the money. But this most recent version of Quicken is not the only software package that you shouldn’t necessarily upgrade - my advice applies to all of them.

Why, you ask? Well, chances are you are never going to use the new bells and whistles that software developers add each year to try and get you to upgrade. In most cases the software developer spent a significant amount of time and money to get the product right… the first time. That means that your Quicken 2004 is a very solid piece of software capable of handling 100% of everything you need. Sure, the developers might have added a fancy “stock quote” section to the front page, but if you haven’t been using Quicken to check stock prices before, you probably won’t start simply because of a new version.

My advice is to save yourself $50 or $60 each year by not upgrading your financial software. But when should you upgrade? At the very most, every other year. But in reality you could keep the same software package for as long as the software works. In my case I was forced to upgrade a few years ago because an older version of Quicken no longer downloaded my bank data for me. However, my Quicken 2005 has served me well for two years, and probably will for another two (at least). And by not upgrading each year I’m saving myself about $200 over four years. And as always, those pennies add up…

Although there was no set budget per se, he did give himself daily limits on food and lodging with the intent to eat and sleep as cheap as possible. And instead of buying one of those around-the-world flights he decided to book the first and last legs of his journey which consisted of a ticket from Newark to Lisbon on May 11 for $547 and a ticket from Beijing to San Francisco on August 11 for $898.67. To get from Point A to Point A, Matt planned to “hopscotch the globe using low-cost carriers, buses, trains, ferries and serendipity.”

His journey is quite amazing and his series of posts on traveling cheap are perfect for anyone with an itch for world travel. Check out this list of articles to follow his journey every step of the way. (registration required for NYTimes.com but check out www.bugmenot.com)

Woot is an interesting “shopping” site that only offers one product per day until it sells out. The products are “usually” tech-related (although there has been an increase in coffee makers and wine) and are offered at a discount in order to move the product. Shipping is always just $5.

I’ve purchased a handful of things from Woot over the past year - including many gifts for friends and family. But why am I talking about Woot as a deal of the day? Well, aside from the obvious savings that you can get from visiting Woot every day, today is a special day - a “Woot-Off.” During a Woot-Off, each product is replaced by a new product within a few minutes after selling out, until the end of the Woot-Off, when a regular product is listed for the remainder of the day. Woot-Offs often feature items that did not sell out during regular Woot sales, often at lower prices than originally offered. New (unique) items are also interspersed throughout the Woot-Off, along with popular items like Bags of Crap and Mystery Brand speakers.

So check out Woot.com today (sooner rather than later) to see what’s selling right now as part of the Woot-Off. You can also check out the blog to see what other products have sold today as part of the Woot-Off. Oh, and to get more information that you would ever want about Woot, check out the entry in Wikipedia.

will arrive automatically set to track the Dow Jones Industrial Average, glowing more green or red to indicate market movement up or down, or yellow when the market is calm. It can be customized to a set of free channels, such as market indices or weather in major cities. Optionally, you can upgrade to access more premium channels, such as your customized portfolio.

In addition, the Ambient Orb offers other advantages such as:

• Keep the information you care about most close at hand.
• No subscription fee required, receive broadcast information for free.
• No computer or Internet connection required. Uses a nationwide wireless network to bring information to your Orb.
• Upgrade to receive personalized information feeds.
• Better coverage. Wireless coverage from the Ambient Information Network covers over 90 percent of the U.S. population.
• More channels. Now track weather, pollen forecasts, instant messaging presence, and even the probability of news events with the NewsFutures’ channel.

Be sure to pick up yours before supplies run out!

You are no longer driving the 1969 Ford Galaxy that you did in high school. That cherished old beater would quickly let you know of engine problems with an annoying knocking or clunking sound. Today’s cars are equipped with on-board diagnostic (OBD) computer systems that, among other reasons, monitor vehicle emissions.

Emissions? You could care less, right? Wrong! In addition to federal emissions standards, your car’s emissions are affected by many parts of the engine and the OBD system can let you know of problems from any of the vehicle’s major components.

So what does this mean for me and the bright engine light that is screaming at me? Well, a check engine light can signal a myriad of problems from a bad engine to a loose gas cap. Yes, the problem may be that you did not tighten your gas cap! Do not get you hopes up though as common check engine light problems include:

• Faulty fuel mix
• Engine performance problems
• Electrical circuits
• Drive train
• Emissions sensors (ever heard of the O2 sensor?)

Not more that six months ago, I encountered this same problem with my 2002 Isuzu Rodeo. Shortly after we bought our SUV, we were driving home from a weekend vacation to visit the in-laws when the check engine light blinked on. Instantaneously, I envisioned thousands of dollars going to the pocket of the next greasy mechanic who would be replacing our engine.

I took our car to a local mechanic and he said that he could check what out our car’s OBD was telling is for $20, and then turn off the light and see if it returns. The greasy mechanic met me outside and hooked up his OBD tester to my car. A grim smile came to his face, and I feared the worst. He chuckled, walked back to the rear of my car, opened my fuel door, and tightened my gas cap! Mechanic Joe then said, “That should do it. Tell your wife to make sure the gas cap is tight.”

I was both relieved and angry at the same time. Relieved that I would not be writing a $4,000 check to replace my engine and angry that such a small problem had gotten me into such a tizzy. What is next? Will the light also go on if I run low on windshield washing fluid?

With that experience under my belt, I encountered the same problem a week ago when my wife called me on her drive home from work and said that the check engine light was on again. My first thought was, “Honey, did you tighten the gas cap?” I did not want to pony up $20 again for mechanic Joe to tell me the same thing, but I still wanted to make sure it was not something big.

Searching the internet for some shortcut, I found that AutoZone will check your car’s OBD for free and make sure the problem is not trivial. I called the local AutoZone to make sure they participated in the program and they confirmed the report. I asked if the guy could also turn the light off, and he said that he could not, but between him and I, that I could just unplug the negative battery terminal for 30 minutes and the OBD system would reset.

Thankfully, I saved myself $20 bucks, found out that the problem was minor, and avoided the greasy mechanic. If you happen to be in a similar situation with your check engine light, I recommend:

1. Take your car into AutoZone and have then tell you what the OBD code means. If the problem is major (i.e. transmission, engine), take your car in to be repaired by a trusted mechanic.
2. If the problem appears to be minor, disconnect your negative (-) battery cable to reset the light and wait to see if the light returns.
3. If your light turns back on within a short period of time, take your car in.
4. If the light does not come back on, thank your lucky stars and be glad you avoided being ripped off by a greasy mechanic.

Other check engine light resources include:
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto/car-guide-2004/engine-light1.asp
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/05/07/139969.html

Throughout the remainder of the day you can pick up your copy of iClip (mac only, sorry) for free at macZot.com. The award-winning multiple clipboard & scrapbook program, which usually sells for $19.95, is completely and no-strings-attached free! Check out the developer’s site for more info on the product - but even if you don’t want it, pick up a copy as a gift for a mac-loving friend!

Like I said, this program is perfect for small businesses and includes the following features:

• Entry-level solution provides basic accounting tools with 35+ business reports
• Transition to automated accounting; simplified screen for fast check writing
• Display customer balance on key screens and invoices; track payment statuses
• Quick-entry account register; rapid-access reports; year-end wizard
• Create vendor and customer credit memos; conveniently void invoices