Savings Accounts

• Comparison shop. Don’t pay more than you have to — check various vendors to find the best price on the product or service you want. Try using Google’s Product Search and Yahoo! Shopping to ferret out the best deals.

• Read product reviews. It’s not always practical — or possible — to try before you buy. But you can learn from those who did: Computing publications such as PC Magazine <www.pcmag.com> and Macworld <www.macworld.com> test and compare electronics products. Look for reviews on their Web sites. Our reviewers put family history software, Web sites and other resources through their paces in each issue’s Toolkit section.

• Clip coupons. Just as you’d look for grocery coupons in the Sunday paper, check the ads in Family Tree Magazine for deals and discounts.

• Poll your pals. You’re not the only family historian trying to save a buck. Ask your friends about their scrimping strategies, and you might pick up a few new tips.

• Avoid unnecessary fees. Doing research at the library won’t cut your costs if you rack up overdue fines. Turn in those library books on time.