October shopping can bring to light many different kinds of bargains if shoppers are in the market for the right products. While some of the best sales are still a little more than a month away, great buys can be found in the these types of items:

Fall Colors – Anything that features fall or harvest-themed colors will be featured in clearance sales by the time October rolls around. Look beyond the fall theme to see the actual item. Maybe you know a young engaged couple who is getting married in the summer. If they enjoy warm reds or oranges, you could take advantage of sales and purchase a nice baking dish in one of these colors for their wedding gift.

Halloween Costumes – As Halloween gets closer, costumes just get cheaper and cheaper. If your child isn’t picky about his costume, you can get a great buy on one just before the holiday. Don’t forget about dress-up clothes either; those bargain-priced princess costumes will make perfect gifts for the little princess in your family.

Open-Box Appliances – As new appliances are making their way to sales floors, stores will need to get rid of their old display models. Look for steals at your local department store or specialty stores like Circuit City or Best Buy. Many times, these display models will still have all of the benefits of a full warranty with a greatly diminished price tag.

Tires – Getting your car prepared for winter is slightly easier on your pocketbook when you take advantage of sales at tire retailers. Be sure to call several stores to check prices before committing to one; you can be sure you’ll find at least one sale in your phone list.

Jewelry – Almost any season that doesn’t include a major gift-giving holiday will feature more moderately-priced jewelry. As the holidays get closer you can bet that the stores will raise their prices, so shop early if jewelry is on your shopping list.

Outdoor Accessories or Lighting - If you’ve always dreamed of twinkle lights hovering over your patio or enjoying a glass of ice tea while sitting on a pretty outside bench, this is your time of year. Delving through the remaining stock at hardware stores, furniture retailers, or department stores is sure to reveal a bargain or two that you’ll be able to enjoy next spring.

There are a lot of commercial on television now for prepaid debit cards, but part of me has to wonder what all of the hype is really about. What exactly makes these prepaid debit cards different than the debit card that is tied to my checking account? Why would I want to have a prepaid card rather than my traditional one? Here’s a quick summary of what I’ve found out.

First, prepaid debit cards aren’t tied to a bank account like a normal debit card. Instead, you purchase a card loaded with a predetermined amount. You are usually charged a fee for the convenience of being able to use the card. Some of the companies I researched charged around $5.

Also, your prepaid debit card doesn’t carry your personal information on it. So, although you won’t have your name on your credit card, you also won’t have to worry about your identity being stolen through your use of your prepaid debit card. Imagine the security you could feel while shopping online.

Fans of the prepaid debit card tout the decreased risk of identity theft and the ability to get a prepaid debit card without worrying about a credit check as prime examples of the reasons people should consider using these cards. Anyone who has ever tried to book a hotel stay without a credit card can certainly understand why everyone, even those with a less than stellar credit history, will find the ability to use a credit card helpful.

Another perk of the prepaid debit card is its use as a budget tool. Think of it as the envelope system of budgeting with a debit card instead of cash. You simply load a portion of your budget onto the prepaid debit card and use it until it’s out of money. Since there’s no credit line attached to the prepaid debit card, you won’t have to worry about spending too much.

These benefits aside, I suspect that I’ll be sticking with my traditional debit card for a couple of reasons. First, I don’t have to pay anything to use my debit card. I know $5 doesn’t sound like much to pay for a convenient service, but it’s still more than I have to spend.

I also don’t like the ease with which someone else could use my prepaid debit card if they were to come across it. Since it doesn’t have my name on it, a retailer would never notice that the person using it wasn’t me. To be fair, the vendors who sell the prepaid debit cards will transfer its balance to a new card if you notify them that you’ve lost the old card. I just worry about what would happen if I didn’t notice that I’d lost it right away.

In these scary financial times, one way to make yourself feel more secure about your fiscal position is to increase your liquidity. Before you let this term intimidate you, you should understand that liquidity isn’t some fancy thing that only rich folks enjoy. Liquidity simply means having your money is a place where you can easily get to it.

All of the money in the world won’t do you any good if you can’t get to it when you need it. Improving your liquidity will allow you to use your money when tough financial times require that you dip into your savings. Making a few simple changes in your financial plans will make your financial position more liquid than ever.

First, using a basic savings account is preferable to investment vehicles like CD’s or stocks in terms of liquidity. Savings accounts will earn a lower rate of interest, but as a savings account holder you can rest safe in the knowledge that you can withdraw your money any time you want. In addition, savings account won’t be subject to the rises and falls of the stock market. You will never lose money in a savings account.

Another way to increase your liquidity is avoiding committing yourself to any mandatory, monthly payments. Sure, you may be able to afford that payment on your new television now, but what happens if something changes? Locking yourself into regular payments each month won’t leave much wiggle room in your budget if you lose your job and face an expected, major expenditure.

Finally, avoid putting your money into investment vehicles that penalize you when you make early withdrawals. If you simply can’t stomach the idea of earning the small return that comes with a savings account, you can invest your money in a reliable mutual fund. (Although, given the current economic climate, reliable may become a relative term.) You should, however, avoid putting money into certificates of deposit or retirement accounts if there is any chance that you might need to use your money in the near future. Stiff penalties for early withdrawal will more than eat up any incremental earnings these types of investments might yield if you take your money out too soon.