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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

• Early-fall veggies: Think beyond zucchini bread

  Posted Sep 18 2008, 01:37 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: saving, dining, Karen Datko, groceries
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  It's early fall, and a gardener's thoughts turn to zucchini, lots and lots of zucchini. What can you do with this abundance, besides give it to co-workers and make lots and lots of zucchini bread?

  Thanks to Kris at Cheap Healthy Good, you can make zucchini boats on the grill, layered zucchini, zucchini parmesan crisps -- and, yes -- chocolate chip zucchini bread, and our girl is just getting started. If you're lucky enough to have eggplant in your garden, you can make even better use of her post, "Cheap, healthy zucchini and eggplant: 134 recipes."

  For the zucchini-burdened among us, this post is a godsend.   Read More...

  Discuss (no comments) 1,315 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Sticker shock: That piece of coffeecake has 400 calories

  Posted Sep 03 2008, 11:59 AM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: saving, dining, Karen Datko, health care
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Because of a new law in New York City, "Frugal Zeitgeist" learned that the coffeecake she likes has a whopping 400 calories per slice, which makes her think twice about ordering it. Also, the bread basket option at her favorite brunch place has 1,100 calories. "For bread! Gaaah," she writes. (Or, as they say in northern Montana, "Uff da.")

  The NYC law requiring chain restaurants to clearly display calorie contents on menus and menu boards was adopted to combat rampant obesity. (Similar rules are in the wings in San Francisco and Seattle.) But FZ's observations made us wonder: Is it possible that knowing the calorie content of the food we eat could have a positive effect on our bottom -- as well as waist -- lines?   Read More...

  Discuss ( 12 comments) 3,460 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• If you hire someone to do your chores, are you lazy?

  Posted Sep 02 2008, 11:14 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, dining, Karen Datko, entertainment
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Consider this argument: If you hire someone to clean your home, iron your clothes or do your laundry, you're probably being lazy.

  You may argue that you're saving money because, after all, doesn't time equal money? Not always, says blogger Dorian Wales at The Personal Financier. "I believe many of us overvalue our spare time," he writes. " ... The main motivator behind outsourcing chores is probably laziness."   Read More...

  Discuss ( 29 comments) 4,137 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Tasty ramen? A cheap but not necessarily boring meal

  Posted Aug 28 2008, 03:52 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: saving, dining, Karen Datko, groceries
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Here's a Web site that is probably many college students' friend but may be under the radar of other folks: Ramenlicious. It asks "How will you eat your ramen noodles today?" and then lists more possibilities than you've ever considered (or possibly want to know about).

  Ramen noodles with chocolate cake? Hopefully you're leaving out the flavor packet. (More on that later.) And here's a reader-submitted recipe for the ages -- ramen Spam doodles, ready in 15 minutes or less. Thank you, Pam Howle of Summerville (no state given) for this splendid combination.

  But, actually, Ramenlicious has lots of interesting information, and many of the recipes sound good.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 6 comments) 1,635 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Recycled toilets and other strange ways to save money

  Posted Aug 26 2008, 12:58 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: extreme savings, saving, dining, Karen Datko
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  "Captain Frugal" may be a crazy Brit, but he's familiar with that quaint U.S. custom of recycling old toilets as outdoor planters. That, and using old bathtubs as lawn art -- "You can put it next to the toilet!" he observes -- are among his "10 of the strangest things people do to save money" at the Money Saving Blog.

  As he says, "Some people do some pretty weird things to save the green."   Read More...

  Discuss ( 4 comments) 1,338 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Oreos and Twinkies right out of your own oven

  Posted Aug 15 2008, 10:24 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: saving, dining, Karen Datko, groceries
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Here's a fad in cooking that can save you money: You can find lots of recipes to make cookies and other foods in your home that taste like store-bought or restaurant items.

  We can understand the desire to duplicate your favorite restaurant meals at home, because eating out can be a big budget drain. And it seems to be catching on. Our partner blog Wise Bread recently featured Todd Wilbur, who has made a career for himself telling people how to do that.

  But we're not so interested in cloning store-bought cookies. (Take a look at this recipe for homemade Oreos.) We know we risk offending the multitudes by saying that if we're going to bake cookies at home, we want them to taste a whole lot better than Oreos.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 12 comments) 7,634 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Frugal eating tips from America's family -- the Simpsons

  Posted Aug 06 2008, 06:00 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, dining, Karen Datko, groceries
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  How do we know there's such a thing as too much frugality in the kitchen? Because Marge Simpson once said to her daughter: "Lisa, I made you some homemade Pepsi for the dance; it's a little thick but the price is right."

  That's from the excellent post "Cutting calories and saving d'oh: 25 lessons 'The Simpsons' taught me about cheap, healthy eating" at Cheap Healthy Good. The author, Kris, is the most entertaining food-and-frugality blogger out there, but we think she's outdone herself with this one.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 184 comments) 147,619 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Starbucks offers a discount afternoon java jolt

  Posted Aug 05 2008, 03:23 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: spending, saving, dining, Karen Datko
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Just how much caffeine does a person need in one day? Plenty, or so suggests Starbucks, which today rolled out a new nationwide promotion to entice morning customers back for a same-day afternoon fix.

  It's just the latest in a series of short-term discounts and freebies designed to get repeat traffic into Starbucks' shrinking number of stores. This one was available for a test drive in several locations around the country before its unveiling today at every store.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 102 comments) 32,760 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• You can save food dollars without using coupons

  Posted Jul 29 2008, 10:00 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: saving, dining, Karen Datko, groceries
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Not everyone loves grocery coupons. Some people don't have time or patience to clip them, and others don't get the Sunday paper. Many stores won't accept Web-based coupons, and many others don't offer double-coupon deals.

  Crystal at Money Saving Mom does love her coupons, but she has food-shopping strategies for those who don't. Her advice can help you meet the $100-a-week challenge for a family of four.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 19 comments) 6,416 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this