For a while, kids do not have their own credit card or PayPal account. Suddenly they turn 18 and think they can apply for a card, but they have no credit history and have to wait. Youth are dangerous enough with cash; credit would wipe them out and possibly their parents. Even when they are preparing for independence, use this time to teach your kids about the dangers of online shopping, the opportunities for saving money, the scams, and even all the finer details of living within their means.
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Online Shopping – All You Need To Know Before Your First Purchase
The Basics
Much of what a person buys to eat during a week isn’t found on the internet because this stuff is perishable. Your mainstays include milk, cheese, fruit, meat, and so on. Also, when food is purchased in person, grocery clients have the chance to see that it’s fresh. While many things can be returned to online vendors free of charge or a customer account will be credited, returning items is a hassle.
You want to know what food looks and smells like before putting it in the trolley. Meanwhile, you don’t want credit; that cash was yours. Read the small print about returns, always assuming you might need to send something back.
Also, with cash in their hands, consumers tend to spend less. The internet is a cash-less environment. That’s what makes it so dangerous; you are just pressing buttons. A generation of gamer could easily come to imagine they were simply playing a game and that their lives or cash would magically reappear after a period of time. That’s all it takes to make a terrible start to their credit ratings or to wind up bankrupt at 22.
Use grocery stores for groceries and online shopping for specialty, dry items that are hard to find in your area. People in rural towns don’t need to drive three hours to the big city, an expense in itself. Save the hassle and cost of driving, parking, and eating out during a long day on the road. Even the cost of shipping will potentially make an internet purchase better value to the exotic chef seeking special spices and soup bases unless he can make his order count and get shipping for free.
Shipping
A lot of brick-and-mortar stores are trying to compete with online shops by lowering their prices. Maybe they will never compete with the base price tag, but there is one thing that never factors into an in-person price: shipping. You take goods home, and that’s that. The only exception is when purchasing something large and a delivery driver is needed. Internet prices can seem lower, but the basic unit price is sometimes higher for small orders because customers aren’t taking advantage of volume sales and they also pay for shipping. Know when to support the locals and when to browse the internet.
Coupons
The novelty of shopping wears off when the money runs out. Reduce outgoings by finding ways to save with these 2017 coupons. Online shoppers locate coupons for purchases whenever they can and are able to save on shipping, take 10% off their orders, or chop a sum of money from the final bill. Show kids where to find these coupons and promotions and also how to use the internet for downloading apps or printing off paper coupons used to shop in ordinary stores like Walmart, Target, and Safeway.
Safety
Online shopping has its dangers. An advantage of being young is that teenagers and twenty-somethings possess a far greater understanding of computers and aptitude to pick up the finer points of computer systems than their parents did at the same age. It’s natural to start with the worldwide web and to move on to books or other media from there in search of information. Young people understand online safety because it’s taught at school, but here’s a recap for those who weren’t paying attention in class.
Clear your internet history in the control panel every day after browsing the internet. This is something you can set automatically. Disable pop-ups and don’t ever turn them on. De-frag the computer periodically and update anti-virus protection every year or sooner. Buy stuff on websites that are protected by anti-virus software and feature safeguards against identity theft.
Never assume your details are protected because, in many ways, this is an unregulated environment. Google and others try to patrol and police it. Special law enforcement agencies do their best too, but the internet is vast, and criminals are out of reach. Be very careful about your credit card safety where you share your credit card number and address.
