Image via Wikipedia “I just spent $69 at Bead Monkey” was a sentence I never thought I’d utter. My husband and I took delight in the fact that a) such a store existed and b) we couldn’t figure out why. I am not a crafty person. When a fellow preschool parent recently asked me, “What [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Spending'
So Wrong It’s Right: Impulse Purchase at the Bead Monkey
March 11th, 2009 20 Comments
Tags: impulse purchase
Nut Goodie Challenge: A Word Problem
February 19th, 2009 7 Comments
You want to send one Pearson’s Nut Goodie bar to a friend representing each of his 40 years, making up for missing a milestone event by way of volume and exclusivity — he can’t get Nut Goodies where he lives. How many will you have to send per month to get them there before next [...]
Tags: just for fun · word problem
When Frugal Goes Too Far
January 12th, 2009 3 Comments
Image by Getty Images via Daylife Overall, I’m proud of the new discipline we’re applying to our finances. But frugal can be taken too far. I realized this last week, as I nearly ran into a median driving to Target. It was a blindingly bright day, but I couldn’t wear my sunglasses, because I wasn’t [...]
Tags: contact solution · frugality · frugality trap · Target
Ticket Punched: Goodbye NFL Season Pass
January 7th, 2009 6 Comments
Image via Wikipedia Cash Husband here again. Just received an ominous e-mail from DirecTV, informing me that my e-bill is ready for viewing. I was sure this month’s bill would be back to normal, following five months of paying extra for NFL Sunday Ticket. But no. Here we are again at $114. For a month [...]
Tags: NFL · NFL Sunday Ticket · Oakland Raiders
My Groceries, Myself
January 5th, 2009 No Comments
Image via Wikipedia It’s January 5th, and by now I’m supposed to have vowed to transform myself 10 different ways in 2009. But I’m still processing the year that was and what I’ve learned. I got a good sense of that the other day in my old grocery store, which I visited for the first [...]
Tags: Community-supported agriculture · grocery store · Trader Joe
Best and Worst of December ’08
December 23rd, 2008 4 Comments
[polldaddy poll=1220619] Image by ViaMoi via Flickr Best stock-up item: Humidifier filters. Because every year, Target stocks them for about a week, and then you must order them from the company online. And meanwhile breathe into your hand under the covers to save some semblance of your mucus membranes. Worst shop-with-the-kids experience: Losing my toddler’s [...]
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Coupon or No Coupon? Sites to Try for Grocery Savings
December 22nd, 2008 9 Comments
Image by ninjapoodles via Flickr Your money or your time? These days, the grocery store is sucking up more of both as we troll sales, cut coupons, and compare unit prices (ugh) on ever-shrinking packages. Here are some sites to win back more of each for yourself: The Grocery Game: Serious Coupon Pros Only Try [...]
Tags: coupons · grocery savings · grocery store
Holiday Shopping/Entertaining Help? Find a Maven
December 7th, 2008 1 Comment
Image by kevindooley via Flickr You know that friend who has a nose for a deal? They are in their element now, and if you ask, just itching to share their mad skills with you. Here are a couple of inspiring holiday maven-centered stories: From Marketplace Money (Meeting a Market Maven): Here’s a teaser, but [...]
Tags: David Monn · glitter · Malcolm Gladwell · maven · Tipping Point · white
Value: It’s All In Your Mind
December 3rd, 2008 No Comments
Image via Wikipedia Have you noticed the snazzy new “donate today” bar graph on Wikipedia? Donating used to be on the extreme down-low at this site. You had to seek out the link with charitable zeal — something I don’t tend to have at the great Wiki. If I’m there, I’m in a hurry for [...]
Tags: behavioral economics · Dan Ariely · donate · Wikipedia
Shopper Beware: Some Problems at 1-800-Flowers
December 1st, 2008 1 Comment
I got a tip from a friend about delivery problems with 1-800-Flowers, which calls itself “the world’s #1 online florist.” The gift she ordered was never delivered, and customer service reps gave her the extreme runaround about future delivery dates, which also never materialized, and then hemmed and hawed about refunding her money. Turns out [...]
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