It really hasn’t been that long since I started using the Internet - it will be about ten years this year.  While that may not seem long, it hasn’t been until recently that I truly understood the power of the Internet in a typical persons hands.

Just like any tool you need to know how to use it.  Over the last ten years I have had to learn about email, web browsing, and online auctions.  Lately though, I have realized perhaps the greatest power of the Internet: it is a shopping tool.  Now I am not talking about it the fact you can shop without ever having to push a real shopping cart, but rather I am talking about the fact I can shop around, without ever leaving my home.

Shopping around is not a new concept.  Traditionally, it has always been a time consuming task, and in some respects a waste of money.  It makes me think of the story of the parents clipping coupons out of the paper to save $0.50 on a package of hamburger, but they drive across the town to do it.  Was it worth their money?  Probably not.

The Internet is not quite like that.  Sure you need a computer and pay for an Internet connection, but that is about it.  What really gets me excited is my ability to compare financial products online.  What I am talking about is comparing credit cards, doing a car insurance comparison, and even finding the best savings accounts.  The beauty of this is you are not confined to one institutions products, rather you can pick from everything that is available.

Not only do you save time doing comparison shopping online, but you save money.  You get a bigger choice of products compared to brick and mortar store with the convenience of doing it at three in the morning.  Man, I love the Internet.