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Posted
Jun 27 2008, 08:49 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
A jewelry ad I've been hearing on the radio fills me with weary disgust. The announcer suggests that as we grow up, we lose the capacity to delight in simple joys like ice cream. That's why it's important to surprise a woman with jewelry, whether it's to commemorate a specific occasion like the birth of a child or "just a gift to say 'I love you.'"
From ice cream to ice. I suppose that's a logical progression in a society that stresses acquisition as the symbol of true success.
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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
May 09 2008, 10:07 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Tomorrow is the National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive, billed as "the world's largest single-day" food-gathering effort. In the past 15 years, the drive has collected more than 750 million pounds of food, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
With the rising price of food, lower-income folks are finding it harder to put food on the table. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some 26 million Americans are fed with help from food stamps. If you're lucky, you're not among them -- and if you're that lucky, could you spare even a little something to help others? Say, a 33-cent can of tuna?
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Posted
Apr 09 2008, 09:03 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Here's a scary thought: only 233 shopping days until Christmas.
Don't blame me for bringing it up. Some readers of the Smart Spending message board are already buying -- frugally, of course. A reader who posts as "SS18612" started a thread called "Never too early to think Christmas," and shared a couple of fun, practical and cheap ideas.
The "winter car kit" was inspired by a clearance sale at CVS: gloves, hat, folding trunk snow shovel, retractable snow broom and ice scraper for just $3.45. "I will add a fleece blanket, some kitty litter and a gallon of de-icer," writes SS, whose grown kids will each get a kit.
Each year they also get "grocery-store boxes," computer-paper boxes filled with favorite foods and toiletries that SS gets free or almost free thanks to sales and coupons. "It's amazing what you can get together for a little money," SS says.
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Posted
Feb 04 2008, 09:19 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Suppose your sweetheart found a creative or heart-stoppingly romantic way of showing his love on Feb. 14 -- but didn't spend a ton of money to do it. Would you be delighted or offended?
Our consumerist culture touts expensive Valentine's Day gifts as the way to "prove" one's devotion. It's easy to get the impression that if he doesn't take you to the right restaurant, buy the right gift and pick out the right card, he just doesn't care.
The pressure is on for men to be sufficiently romantic, because no matter what he does, or fails to do, you know she's going to be telling her girlfriends all about it.
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Posted
Dec 24 2007, 11:46 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
On Christmas morning let's all be anthropologists for a day. Come on, it'll be fun: We have our own theme song! (More on that later.)
Tomorrow, I want you to time how long it takes for everyone to open his or her gifts. Record all reactions, whether they be, "This is wonderful! Thanks!" or "I wanted the other game system! I never get anything good!" During the day, observe how long it takes for kids (and grownups) to lose interest in their new toys and baubles.
Now, figure out how long it will take you to pay off the gifts, if you charged them. If you paid cash, figure out how many hours you and/or your spouse had to work to pay for this "celebration."
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Posted
Dec 17 2007, 09:53 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
How much should a stocking stuffer cost? Not $25, I hope.
Recently MSN ran an article touting "small treasures for under $25." It freaked out a Smart Spending message board reader named "surfacing."
Surfacing, who has three kids, leans toward practical stuffers like new toothbrushes and cartoon character bandages. (Come on, who doesn't want a Dora the Explorer Band-Aid covering up his latest owie?) The reader wanted more ideas -- frugal ones.
I'd be willing to bet plenty of us don't spend $25 total on stuffers for the whole family. Readers seemed to agree, and jumped in with suggestions.
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Posted
Dec 12 2007, 09:18 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Only 13 more shopping days until Christmas, if you keep track of that sort of thing.
These days, you don't have to. Even if you manage to ignore our culture's near-constant advertising, friends or co-workers or even family members will likely point out that you’re not spending enough money.
A reader who calls herself "Dallas79" has been steering clear of what she calls "a thousand 'grab bag' gift exchanges." Her husband calls her "Scrooge" and suggests that she "stop being so stingy."
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Posted
Nov 26 2007, 09:37 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Yesterday I bought a pound of Starbucks coffee for just 99 cents. You, too, can get super-cheap brew, either for gift-giving or for your own frugal morning buzz. All you need is some empty inkjet print cartridges and proximity to a Staples or Office Max. Both businesses give $3 in store credit for each ink cartridge; certain brands are not accepted, so check each company's rules. The stores where I live let me use up to three credits, or $9 worth, per transaction. Both sell a number of holiday gift items: hoity-toity chocolates, fancy cookies, and specialty coffees, teas and flavored cocoas. Over the weekend I shopped for art supplies for a community gift program. At Staples, I noticed the coffee cost $9.99. I handed over three cartridges and a buck, and walked out with a penny in change and a pound of java. Had I been at Office Max, the brew would have been from another hometown brand, Seattle's Best Coffee . Jitter bells This is a frugalist's dream: nearly free gifts, or nearly free morning
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Posted
Nov 23 2007, 12:28 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
There was plenty of elbow room at a local mall this Black Friday morning. A nearby Walgreens was awfully quiet, too, and clerks were standing around chatting at the Office Depot and Staples that I visited. I got a late start, not leaving the house until sometime after 8 a.m., so maybe I missed the throngs. Or maybe there weren't any. Perhaps the predictions of consumer caution are coming true. Perhaps everyone's waiting for Cyber Monday . Elbow room was fine by me, even though I wasn't buying much. I've purchased gifts from clearance tables and rummage sales throughout the year. Some presents are courtesy of MyPoints and MyCokeRewards . A few folks will get jams (made from free fruit) and cookies (made with loss-leader ingredients). And I admit it: I'm re-gifting a couple of things. Keeping it realistic It's great fun to give gifts, but no fun to spend beyond your means . Well, it may be fun at the time, but your stomach will hurt once the bills arrive. Here are some reader strategies for
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