This post is the last for Smart Spending at this site. But not to worry: We're moving to a new location at MSN Money. (If you just missed that link, click here to reach our new main page. It's at http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SmartSpending/.)

Moving is a pain, but we think it's worth it. The new Smart Spending has added features -- the latest personal-finance videos, the newest hot deals from dealnews.com -- plus the money-saving and other personal-finance tips you've come to expect from us -- Miami blogger Teresa Mears, MSN Money Living With Less columnist Donna Freedman, and me.   Read More...

This guest post comes from Frank Curmudgeon at Bad Money Advice.

There was a pretty good post over at Wise Bread the other day on how if a credit card company forgives some of what you owe, what was forgiven is income you have to pay taxes on.

On the one hand, this is a point worth repeating because it seems to surprise most people. On the other hand, the post neglects to mention an important exception, and, moreover, feeds into the belief that this is an irrational fluke of the tax code. It isn't. It makes sense.

You owe Credit Card Corporation (CCC) $5,000. Realizing you are unlikely to pay them back in full, and now regretting lending you the money to begin with, CCC agrees to settle the debt for $2,000 cash. You sell your PEZ dispenser collection on eBay and send them a check.   Read More...

Has a charity ever pushed and annoyed you to the point that you've cut them off?

When do you draw the line at giving? When they've hired a telemarketing company that pesters you, or if they send you too much mail?

"FMF" of Free Money Finance raised the question in a recent post called "Off my giving list." He stopped giving to a group he had generously supported because a telemarketer who called his house wouldn't take no for an answer.   Read More...

This post comes from Julie Rains at partner blog Wise Bread.

Many people are job hunting these days. I have worked with job seekers for many years and have found that these five common assumptions frequently derail a job search.

Being open to anything will increase my chances of landing a job. The search ought to have a focus: You should be targeting opportunities in a certain discipline or function; or you should identify the strengths you'd like to leverage and then uncover positions that match those strengths. The résumé should convey that focus; otherwise, you can't differentiate yourself from other candidates because you're not really great at anything but rather average at many things.

• Bing: Write a better résumé

Hiring managers don't want to spend training and payroll dollars on a so-so candidate, especially in an environment where money is an extremely limited resource and a more qualified candidate is sure to surface soon.   Read More...

Here are today's hot deals from dealnews.com.

Cabela's men's Caddie cargo shorts for $2.88. Shipping adds $5.95, or opt for free ship-to-store. Even with shipping, that's $27 off list and the lowest total price we could find.

Samsung 1080p LCD HDTVs from $869 after coupon. Plus, each set receives free shipping. With savings of up to $410, each television is at the lowest total price we could find.   Read More...

A whole year's worth of food for one person for only $799.99? And that's after a $200 discount. Is this too good to be true, or should we order?

Well, there is one small catch. The offer is for 78 one-gallon cans of dehydrated and freeze-dried food, plus a wheat grinder. Now, that's an emergency fund you can eat.

Actually, the ad exposed us to a movement we weren't very familiar with. Called "food storage," it's about amassing enough food on hand to survive common disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes, or "economic crisis" or for "religious reasons," according to a Web site called Food Storage Made Easy.

While most people would consider enough food for a few days or a few weeks to be a sufficient emergency supply, these folks think in terms of a complete year.   Read More...

We're all for dollar stores. They can provide savings, many people agree. At last count, 55% of about 423,000 people who have participated in an MSN Money online poll said they sometimes shop at dollar stores, and 36% said they frequently do. (Another 3% chose "I'd never set foot in one.")

But there are some products "rutgerskevin" of The Red Stapler Chronicles recommends you avoid, via his post called "The 10 dumbest things to buy at a dollar store." First on his list are home pregnancy tests.

Find on Bing: Dollar stores thriving in recession

Pregnancy test from the dollar store? That's a product you'd want to spend more on for a result you can trust. "I almost bought this just to see what it looked like, but the girlfriend vetoed this idea in disgust," Kevin said.   Read More...

This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.

Movies today can rely on special effects, monster marketing efforts, and a few pretty faces (*cough* "Transformers 2" *cough*). In the 1980s and early '90s, movies had to rely on the story and the acting to achieve success.

Out of that era, which coincided with my childhood, came a lot of classic movies that teach powerful lessons about how to deal with your money, how to approach your career, and how to find success in both.

• Bing: Top classic movies

I thought it would be fun to pick out five lessons from just five movies from that era (one of them is from 2000, but no fancy special effects there).   Read More...

Here are today's hot deals from dealnews.com.

Q-See professional dome color security video camera for $34.99 with free shipping. That's a $9 drop from our February mention and the lowest total price we could find.

Joe by Joseph Abboud men's leather Passcase wallet for $16.99. With free shipping, it's the lowest total price we could find for this wallet by $2.   Read More...

The first car owned by Paul Van Lierop, the FiscalGeek, was a 1977 AMC Gremlin, presented to him for his 16^th birthday. The year was 1989. If cars are a personal statement, it was a disaster.

"'Wayne's World' had not come out," Paul wrote. "AMC Gremlins, Pacers or Hornets were definitely not cool. I was actually laughed at by scores of kids the day I drove it into the parking lot of our high school."

Why would he now insist that his own kids' first cars will be equally used and unhip? He listed seven good reasons in a post called "Why my kids will drive a piece of crap." It's a fun read and also prompted many readers to reminisce about their first vehicles.   Read More...