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• That's cold: Krispy Kreme adds ice cream to the menu

  Posted Sep 29 2008, 02:04 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: spending, dining, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Krispy Kreme's business plan has been one we just can't understand. How could a company that sells hot, irresistibly mouth-watering doughnuts have declining sales? But it does, and now the company is hoping to heat up business by serving ice cream.

  Ice cream? We have to wonder, if delectable glazed -- did we mention hot? -- doughnuts aren't enough to get customers in the door, is another high-calorie indulgence you can find in lots of other stores going to help?   Read More...

  Discuss ( 1 comments) 1,070 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• What would you spend to save your pet's life?

  Posted Sep 23 2008, 02:21 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, family, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Here's a heart-wrenching question many pet owners have to face: How much would you spend to save the life of your pet?

  "Free Money Finance" asked his readers that question after reading a Wall Street Journal column about the issue. Like the pet owners mentioned in the column, some of FMF's readers set a (shocking to us) limit of $100 or so. Others said they would spend $10,000 or more -- if the treatment provided an acceptable quality of life.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 64 comments) 5,563 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Why you need a massage

  Posted Sep 18 2008, 11:46 PM by Donna Freedman
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, Donna Freedman, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Yesterday I spent 90 blissful minutes being rubbed the right way for a change. A licensed massage therapist dissolved painful knots in my neck and shoulders and loosened muscles that I'd strained while picking fruit.
  

  Thanks to a student discount, the hour and a half cost only $77, money that comes out of the "treats" section of my spending plan. Other people do dinners out, concerts, DVD subscription services, basketball games, fine wine. I do bodywork.
  

  Even so, I hesitated to write about it because I was afraid that "massage" would sound elitist.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 34 comments) 7,994 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• $10,000 in medical bills -- and that's with insurance

  Posted Sep 10 2008, 12:14 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, insurance, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Two encounters with illness have cost David of My Two Dollars and his wife nearly $10,000 out-of-pocket so far this year, and that's not including the $320 a month they were paying for health insurance premiums.

  Health care is a huge personal-finance topic, but PF bloggers rarely write about it -- unless it hits close to home. Luckily, David and his wife were able to absorb the unanticipated expenses. But, he wonders, what about people who can't?   Read More...

  Discuss ( 52 comments) 6,548 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• I'd rather be a brunette: Tips to save on hair care

  Posted Aug 28 2008, 05:40 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: spending, saving, Wise Bread, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from Thursday Bram at partner blog Wise Bread.

  In high school, I watched a friend drop more than $100 on a trip to her favorite salon. I'd always known that her hair looked better than mine, but I couldn't believe that it was simply a matter of money.

  I didn't want it to be, either. Even in high school, I had other financial priorities than my hairdo. However, there are frugal options for taking care of your locks. It's taken me a while to find them, but I use these tricks regularly.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 6 comments) 2,494 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• How to save thousands on your medical bills

  Posted Aug 11 2008, 04:59 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: spending, saving, Get Rich Slowly, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.

  Few things can blow a budget like unexpected medical bills. Even those who practice frugality and invest for the future can find their financial plans smashed to pieces by unexpected health problems. And for those who don't have their financial house in order, a medical crisis can be devastating.

  Five years ago, I had surgery to replace the ACL on my right knee. Though I am insured through my wife's job, I found the experience frustrating. Nobody could tell me how much any part of the process would cost. MRI? Nobody knew. Surgery? Nobody knew. They didn't know the total costs, and they didn't know what my obligation would be. "Don't you have insurance?" everyone wanted to know.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 7 comments) 5,558 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Meal combos for kids contain too many calories, study says

  Posted Aug 05 2008, 08:48 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: spending, dining, Consumer Affairs, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from Joseph S. Enoch at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.

  Nearly all kids meals at national restaurant chains exceed the recommended number of calories for a child's meal, according to a report by a consumer advocacy organization.

  "When you take a kid out to a restaurant, virtually every meal aimed at kids is above their suggested caloric intake," said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the not-for-profit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

  A report from CSPI said 93% of 1,474 kids meal combos at 13 chains exceed the limit of 430 calories that experts recommend for 4- to 8-year-olds for one meal. Topping the list were two items from Chili's kids menu that each offered just over 1,000 calories, while many others contained 700 or more.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 9 comments) 1,577 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• FTC to investigate consumer complaints about Craftmatic

  Posted Jul 15 2008, 08:33 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, saving, Consumer Affairs, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from Joseph S. Enoch at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.

  Less than a year after the Federal Trade Commission settled with Craftmatic for breaking telemarketing rules, the agency may now be investigating the adjustable-bed manufacturer for its door-to-door sales tactics.

  ConsumerAffairs.com has received 134 complaints dating back to 2000 about Craftmatic beds -- many regarding what consumers say are pushy sales tactics that prey on the elderly.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 2 comments) 1,259 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• 'Skip the boob job, keep the house'

  Posted Jun 24 2008, 12:17 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, spending, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Here's news from Slate: Fewer American women are having *** augmentations and tummy tucks because of the worsening economy. Vanity hasn't totally taken a back seat to reality/gravity. Women are turning to cheaper, nonsurgical alternatives like Botox.

  What's next? A bailout plan for plastic surgeons?   Read More...

  Discuss ( 29 comments) 8,816 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• 'Deflabbify' -- because being fat is bad for your budget

  Posted Jun 19 2008, 04:35 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: spending, insurance, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  "Mighty Bargain Hunter" is a mighty big man and wants to lose 100 pounds. (He's writing about his efforts at his new blog, Deflabbify). He knows that extra poundage is hard on his health and bad for his wallet.

  The post "10 ways being fat costs money" at his personal-finance blog, Mighty Bargain Hunter, contains some surprising information -- and a touch of levity. Here's No. 4 on his list: "Using more soap costs more. (That by itself isn't enough to work me up into a lather, though.)"   Read More...

  Discuss ( 6 comments) 3,858 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

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