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Posted
Jun 19 2008, 11:14 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Mike at Clever Dude has come up with a creative solution to a problem we've all probably encountered. His father-in-law made two trips from Pennsylvania to Mike's D.C.-area home to work on Mike and Stacie's floors and refuses any compensation. We have the same problem with a wonderful neighbor/friend who takes care of our dogs when we're gone, so we read Mike's post -- "Why we're donating our tax stimulus check" -- with great interest. Mike calls his method "guerilla gift-giving." We'll call it "stealth compensation."
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Posted
Jun 10 2008, 03:50 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
The worst commotion we've ever heard in a retail setting (other than the toddler who got his foot caught in a shopping cart) was a kid who started screaming "apple" in the produce section, and then continued for 10 minutes and was readily audible from every area of the store. (It was so bad, we almost bought the little man an apple.) Parental units, don't give in, says Ashley of Wide Open Wallet in a post called "Saying no to your kids." She has overindulged her little boy, and now she's trying to correct the problem.
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Posted
Jun 05 2008, 10:41 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
"That One Caveman" has been driven to an extreme approach to deal with his mother-in-law's chronic overspending, particularly when it comes to the caveman's child. Given, her behavior is distressing. She's a shopaholic who is threatening her own financial future. For instance, her daughter's old bedroom is packed with stuff she's purchased but never even taken out of the shopping bags. Now, despite being asked not to, she is showering trinkets, clothes and potentially unsafe toys on her granddaughter, and even tried to foist a $20 bill into the 17-month-old cavegirl's hand.
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Posted
May 30 2008, 04:07 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Shannon Christman isn't poor, but she is frugal, and sometimes other people confuse the two. On occasion, salespeople have snubbed her -- and missed out on making a sale. Sometimes generous people offer help when it's not needed. Her thought-provoking post at Saving Advice should raise questions in any thinking person's mind about how quickly we make judgments about others. She also says, "The assumptions others make about my frugality -- usually that I have much less money than I actually do -- can be a benefit to me."
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Posted
Apr 22 2008, 11:32 AM
by
Karen Datko
Britt Bravo of Have Fun Do Good began the 29-Day Giving Challenge by donating to a health clinic at a refugee camp in Darfur. Stuck in a motorhome in a southern Alberta campground during a weekend blizzard, Ian Wilson gave his camping buddy big breakfasts and beer. "And I also gave myself a pretty good gift ... the gift of spare time," he said. As one participant noted, studies have indeed confirmed what we already knew: Money can buy happiness if you spend it on somebody else. So Cami Walker's 29-Day Giving Challenge should raise the joy level in the world more than a little.
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Posted
Apr 08 2008, 05:02 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
If you're tired of taking the heat from your spendthrift (and obnoxious) friends who say you're cheap, Jennifer Derrick at Saving Advice has some ammunition for you -- "32 reasons to be frugal besides saving money." This post beautifully expresses what frugal people know in their hearts: Frugality is freedom from the many shackles of a consumer-based culture. Jennifer says she initially adopted a frugal lifestyle to save money, but now calls that "a nice side effect." Among the benefits of frugality: gratitude and contentment. "Frugal living makes you appreciate what you have and helps you to realize that you are blessed to have it, even if it's not the newest luxury what-not," she writes.
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Posted
Mar 25 2008, 08:16 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
"Fox" at Squawkfox isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this time she can't help it. Her brother-in-law and his wife gave her a Sirius satellite radio receiver and four months of free service for the holidays. Now she's got to pay $12 a month if she wants that gift to keep on giving. "I'm just wondering, should we give gifts that keep costing the recipient?" she asks. "Here are reasons to Sirius(ly) reconsider giving gifts like satellite radio, and to start looking certain gift horses in the mouth."
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Posted
Mar 25 2008, 02:00 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Are you one of those folks who aren't interested in getting more stuff when they get married or have a baby? Would you be happy to get a "gently used" book or baby crib rather than a brand-new version? Penny Nickel at Money and Values tells readers about the Alternative Gift Registry run by the Center for a New American Dream, whose motto is "More fun, less stuff." You can create a gift registry that emphasizes nontraditional gifts, whether your concern is the environment or you want to ease the financial burden on those who will be giving you gifts. If you'd rather have someone give you a casserole or mow your lawn after the baby is born, you can say so. To see a sample registry, click here.
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Posted
Jan 23 2008, 01:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Every workplace has a busybody whose self-appointed mission is to collect money for gifts for other employees who are having birthdays or babies or surgery. Steve at brip blap has given at the office, and he resents it. "Sometimes the reason for the gift is trivial -- someone is having a birthday. What, are we 12?" he asks. Sometimes he doesn't like the recipient. Sometimes the system is unfair: Higher-ups or popular people get more expensive gifts. "If the busybody is encouraged, soon you are shelling out $10 to $20 a week for 'voluntary' gifts," he observes.
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