Three months ago, my wife and I decided to replace the mattress on our king bed. We went into our nearby Mattress Firm store. The type of mattress that would work for us—soft enough for my wife while firm enough for me—cost $2,615.

Twin-sized “bed in a box” mattresses (for our twin boys) before and after unpackaging them

Now, I believe in the importance of a good night’s sleep and would be willing to pay for it if necessary. After all, you might spend one-third of your day in bed. But $2,600 seemed like a lot to spend.

After visiting Mattress Firm, I did some research. It was only then that I discovered the relatively new “bed in a box” mattresses. At first, I was extremely skeptical that they would compare to traditional mattress. But after a fair bit of research, I was won over. I bought one . . . for just $329!

And now that my wife and I have slept on our bed in a box mattress for a few months, I can’t imagine ever going back to a traditional mattress. In this post I’ll briefly explain what a bed in a box is and share 5 reasons why the next mattress you get should be a “bed in a box.” (more…)

If you happen to be on the verge of buying a diamond engagement ring, this post is for you. Most of you probably aren’t in that situation, however. In that case, this post is for the friend or brother or son of yours who is getting close to popping the question.

For most people, purchasing an engagement ring presents a challenge. On the one hand, you want to get something really nice—something that your girlfriend will be happy to wear even many years from now. On the other hand, your budget is limited, especially when you’re just starting out.

Fortunately, there is a way to get a fantastic ring for much less than most people pay. I used this approach to buy my wife’s engagement ring more than 10 years ago. And I’m not ashamed to admit it. Why? Because it isn’t about being cheap. It’s about getting the absolute best ring you can for your budget. Here’s how to do it: (more…)

Imagine you are looking to buy a refrigerator, a web cam, or a printer. Odds are you will find many products with very similar features. The question then arises: should you buy whichever one is highest-rated, regardless of the price? Or should you buy whichever one is cheapest, regardless of its quality?

I believe that quality and price are both important. And I’ve developed a method for using both criteria to decide quickly which product to buy when comparing products with similar features.

I’ve used this method to decide which refrigerator, washer, or dryer to buy—“big ticket” items where I didn’t want to make a mistake in terms of money or quality. But because the method is so easy, I’ve also used it to decide between “small ticket” items like web cams, printers, and blenders.

Here’s the method, which you can use to make a great purchase whenever deciding between two or more similar products: (more…)