Save on Everything – Part Two
In the last issue of this eNewsletter I steered you to a blog post with links to some of the best money-saving ideas from around the blogosphere. Now, here’s a collection of some of the best holiday-related money saving ideas from various blogs. And, with an assist from a reader named Mary Ellen, here’s a […]
Penny Wise and Artichoke Foolish
Like many of us, a grocery shopper named Jill is paying more attention to the cost of food these days. So, as described in a New York Times article, when one store’s price on cauliflower seemed too high, she went to another store, and then another. Finally, she found a good price, only to discover […]
Save on Everything
Suggesting ways to save money is the core mission of most personal finance writers. Now a personal finance blogger has compiled over 1,000 of the best money-saving ideas from across the blogosphere, all linked to their original sources. With a list this large there are bound to be some obvious ideas (“bring your lunch to […]
More Gift Giving Tips
If you have a child on your gift list this year, buy them something that doesn’t require batteries. Such gifts usually require more imagination on the child’s part and less ongoing cost for the child’s parents. Also, do as much of your shopping as possible online. Whenever I’m shopping online I open three Internet windows–one […]
The Gift of a Debt-Free Holiday
An estimated 12 million people are still paying off debts they racked up buying holiday gifts last year. That’s among the more sobering findings from a new holiday survey conducted by Consumer Reports. The lingering debts may be one reason why nearly 60 percent of people plan to use a gift budget this year–a much […]
A Credit Score Game Changer
Even if you make no changes in how you use credit, your credit score could change for the worse in the near future, according to a story on MarketWatch.com. The issue is that credit card companies are lowering some people’s credit limits because more people are falling behind on their payments. With a lower credit […]
Never Forget Who You Are
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. – […]
It Isn’t Rocket Science
There was a funny post on the No Credit Needed blog showing a purchase decision flow chart. It lays out the process of making a wise spending choice so logically that it’ll make you laugh. p(matt). It reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit called Don’t Buy Stuff You Cannot Afford, which may be […]
When Smart Shopping Becomes Disturbing
A new study of Wal-Mart shoppers (and that’s 9 out of 10 of us) shows that the economy is reshaping how we shop. As reported by USA TODAY, Wal-Mart has seen a double-digit decline in credit card use, a noticeable shift from the sale of discretionary products to necessary products, twice as many private label […]
Learning From Marketers’ Playbooks
Some of the best insights about shopping smart come from marketers. The trick is to learn their strategies for separating us from our money, and then play defense. That was the focus of a great post on the Get Rich Slowly blog, which reviewed the book, “Why We Buy.” For example, retailers do what they […]