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Posted
Sep 18 2007, 12:25 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Something for nothing? Sign me up!
Sign up a whole bunch of us, apparently. Readers of the Smart Spending message board recently revealed the best ways to troll the Internet for freebies. Seems their mailboxes spill like busted piñatas with toys, gift cards, sample toiletries, OTC meds, T-shirts, magazines – and even cold, hard cash.
And then there are those freebie endorphins.
"I just like the idea of getting stuff for free," said Karen, a Pacific Northwest reader, who got "a nice Adidas tote bag" from My Coke Rewards.
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Posted
Sep 22 2007, 08:56 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Avoid the last-minute rush -- and a big hit on your bank account -- by targeting going-out-of-business and other major sale events for your holiday shopping. You'll save a bundle.
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Posted
Sep 22 2007, 05:06 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Re-used any dental floss lately?
All together now: Eeeewwww!
Yet a reader of the Smart Spending message board knows a guy who did this. "There’s nothing grosser than dental floss hanging over the towel rack," said the reader, who posts as "Willowtears."
Sure there is. How about the folks who flush their toilet only once a day? Or the guy who would re-use wash water "until it was black"? Or the woman whose mom strained and re-used cooking oil regardless of pedigree: "Doughnut-flavored taquitos, yum."
All this came from the "Most Extreme Savings Tactics" thread on the message board. I’m pretty extreme myself, but I flush my toilet each and every time, thanks.
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Posted
Sep 24 2007, 08:12 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Get Rich Slowly. When I went to the street to get the mail on Saturday, the latest issue of The New Yorker was in the box. Walking up the sidewalk to the house, I idly began to remove the subscription cards. I stopped, though, when I came to a full-page cardstock advertisement. I read the front of the ad. I read the back. At the kitchen table, I carefully removed the ad from the magazine, carried it upstairs, and sat down at my computer. I typed in the listed URL, and for the next two hours, I was at the mercy of the advertiser. What was this ad for? The 2007 MINI Cooper. I hate my current vehicle -- a 2000 Ford Focus. I bought it in a hurry after my 1992 Geo Storm was totaled by a wayward tractor-trailer rig. I've loathed the Focus since Day One.
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Posted
Sep 24 2007, 10:14 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's somewhat tricky, but you can estimate how much money to contribute to the medical reimbursement account that's part of your workplace flexible spending account. If you overestimate, you can treat yourself to a new pair of glasses or replace a crown at the end of the year.
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Posted
Sep 24 2007, 11:01 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The Fed's decision to lower short-term interest rates last week stimulated fear among some money managers that prices for consumer items could rise. Investors are watching carefully as the Fed tries to steer a course between inflation and recession.
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Posted
Sep 24 2007, 07:21 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
An article on The Dollar Stretcher personal-finance site caught my eye recently: "Teach Your Children Better Money Skills." My favorite part was the section called "Teach Your Children A Sensible Consumer Life."
A key part of this is teaching kids the difference between "need" and "want." That’s tough to do when kids are surrounded by relentless marketing. (Yet another good reason to limit television. But that’s another column.)
It’s also tough because many adults don’t know the difference between need and want. (And that’s a whole bunch of other columns. Watch this space.)
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Posted
Sep 25 2007, 09:20 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's pretty frightening to the frugal that U.S. retailers forecast $5 billion in Halloween spending this year. Clip the candy coupons now, and look around your home for innovative, low-cost costume ideas. One frugal mom is using her kids' team uniforms to dress them up as zombie soccer and volleyball players.
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Posted
Sep 25 2007, 09:45 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's one thing to buy candy from your neighbor's kids so they can go on a school field trip. But not every salesperson who knocks on your door is legit. Think twice before you hand out personal financial information or a check to strangers selling overpriced magazine subscriptions.
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Posted
Sep 26 2007, 09:57 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You'll eat out less often, if at all, when you add a fussy newborn to the family. And you can reuse toys, clothes and other items no longer age-appropriate for your first child. The father of a newborn explains these and other savings.
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