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Posted
Jun 23 2008, 08:55 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
As yard sale experiences go, Saturday was just about perfect. The weather was beautiful and I not only found exactly what I was looking for, I scored a killer deal on it. While the low prices I saw all day were thrilling, they were also an object lesson as to why yard sales can be as dangerous as dollar stores: Things are so cheap that it's easy to overbuy.
Prime example: the foot-tall statue of a bull terrier, priced at a quarter, that reminded me of the classic "His master's voice" ads for RCA-Victor. There was something very appealing about the pup, yet I had no real need for such a thing and also no place to put it. Why in the world would I consider buying it? Because it was only 25 cents.
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Posted
Jun 20 2008, 09:16 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Scared that your money won't keep pace with rising food and energy costs? You may be tempted to cut to the barest of bones, buying nothing nonessential and pinching every penny twice before putting it under your mattress.
I have a better idea. Spend a little money. And spend it on something that isn't strictly necessary.
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Posted
Jun 18 2008, 08:35 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
A recent Wall Street Journal article noted that the Cold Stone Creamery franchise is in trouble. More than 100 stores closed last year, and just over 300 shops -- 20% of total Cold Stone outlets -- are for sale. The article quotes franchisees as claiming that the parent company provided misleading information and made unreasonable demands that ate into profits.
I have a theory of my own: Their ice cream is really expensive.
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Posted
Jun 16 2008, 08:57 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
A year ago, a regular reader who calls herself "SC CDF" really wanted an ice-cream maker. These days she can barely remember having wanted it. She proposed that we write down what we want and then check back later to see if we still want it. That's why in April I started a Smart Spending message board thread called "What do you want? Will you still want it a year from now?"
Readers posted their burning desires: a great camera and printer, electronic gadgets, new cookware, computers, automobiles, furniture. Most of those who reported back later on the updated thread said they did not get what they wanted. But all of them were OK with that.
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Posted
May 21 2008, 09:17 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Thinking of giving somebody a coffee mug for Christmas? Don't do it. It'll probably end up at a yard sale.
That's what I inferred after reading a thread on the Smart Spending message board about a charity rummage sale. Reader "SC CDF," who with her daughter volunteered at the event, noted that 144 mugs were left unsold. So were beauty-product gift baskets, "a box the size of a refrigerator" full of decorative tins and enough clothes to fill three pickup truck beds.
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Posted
May 14 2008, 09:17 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
I was intrigued by the "What busts your budget?" item that Karen Datko posted at Smart Spending last week. In it, a number of personal-finance bloggers described some costs that hurt: gasoline, haircuts, dentist appointments, new shoes for the kids, (unnecessary) new shoes for the moms, soft drinks, veterinary care and the like.
A guy calling himself "Caja del Oro" left a comment describing his own budget buster: all those "deal of the day" Web sites. It's not that the deals are particularly expensive -- it's that they're too darned cheap, and therefore irresistible. "Most of the time I don't even know I 'want' something until one of these sites offers it at a discount," Caja laments.
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Posted
Apr 14 2008, 03:22 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Tired of being a slave to your cell phone? Dump it. A pay-as-you-go cell may be your ticket to freedom, according to a reader who calls herself "Alexandrainabox."
"I relish my unreachability," she wrote in a Smart Spending message board thread called "Going low-tech is cheap and liberating."
Alexandrainabox, who writes a frugality blog called "Living Without Money," also sings the praises of low-tech entertainment: cooking at home, travel-trailer vacations, learning guitar from YouTube, and jamming with other musicians.
"All of this stuff is very low-end -- but it's so enjoyable. It's also very inexpensive. Kinda like the cashmere sweaters I buy at thrift stores for two bucks," she writes.
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Posted
Apr 07 2008, 09:43 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Some people seem to think that I never buy anything new. That's not the case. A few weeks ago I bought a dining table and chairs.
Although it's like placing a "Kick Me" sign on my own back, I'm going to admit that I bought these things from Kmart.
Discount department stores have a down-at-the-heels reputation: their merchandise is low-end and their employees -- when you can find them -- are surly and unhelpful.
That wasn't my experience. When I couldn't find the advertised dining set, a manager brought one out from the stockroom. Then he loaded it into my car, chatting pleasantly.
The sale price of $99 was a good deal for a table and four chairs. If you follow this link, you'll see that it's perfectly respectable-looking furniture. Naturally, some assembly was required.
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Posted
Apr 04 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Who's up for a $15 cup of coffee, a $35 movie ticket, an $81 burger and a $480 cocktail?
Oh, and I'm not buying.
I'd be awfully surprised if you were buying, either. Those who read this blog are not likely to want to spend $81 on a sandwich.
Not that this is just any old burger. It's a 14-ounce Japanese Kobe beef patty formed around a quarter-pound seared Kobe medallion, according to an article at wcbstv.com. No plebeian Heinz or Hunt's for this sammich; it comes with house-made sake onion catsup and a miso and ginger aioli.
And if that doesn't fill you up? It also comes with a side order of Tater Tots. Honest.
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Posted
Apr 02 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
I have a new theory about retail. Auto races have pace cars that determine how fast the drivers can go. Shopping centers hire pace walkers -- folks who shuffle along four or five abreast at maddeningly slow rates of speed.
I'm not talking about people who walk malls for exercise, but rather the ones who saunter through retail meccas with their friends, talking about Facebook and how cute Emma's new shoes are and whether they should split a cinnamon roll.
Whenever you try to pass these groups, you're thwarted by cell phone kiosks or by crowds surging from the other direction. It's all part of an insidious plan: The slower you walk, the more likely you are to look into shop windows and think, "A pink spaniel with white spots? I should get one of those."
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