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Posted
Sep 02 2008, 11:14 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
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."
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Posted
Aug 06 2008, 06:00 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
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.
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Posted
Aug 05 2008, 03:23 PM
by
Karen Datko
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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.
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Posted
Jul 18 2008, 01:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Mike at Clever Dude recently faced one of those "does this make me look cheap?" moments. He and Stacie were part of a group of 11 honoring a departing colleague with dinner. Mike and Stacie split a veggie main course after everyone shared appetizers, and they drank water. Others had meat dishes and drinks. When it was time to pay, the others decided the bill should be split evenly, which would cost Mike and Stacie a lot more than the price of their actual meals. What do you do when you're faced with that situation?
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Posted
Jul 15 2008, 11:02 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
We like the new blogger who posts at Sallie's Niece. She "went to school thanks to my Aunt Sallie Mae," her site says. "Now watch me struggle to pay and pay." She owes $72,735 to Sallie Mae, and that's not including a nearly equal amount in private loans. Sometimes it is a struggle. She has done battle with the "Evil Overdraft Monster" and payday loans. Her latest nemesis -- now vanquished after two years -- was the gyros truck outside her workplace. "At five days a week for three months each year, I am just now realizing that I spent $900, a whole emergency fund's worth of George Washingtons, on very thinly cut lamb rolled in pita bread with some tomatoes and onions!" Our foodie heart goes out to you, Sallie's Niece.
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Posted
Jul 14 2008, 07:14 PM
by
Karen Datko
We love questions like this one asked by Nickel at FiveCentNickel: "What is your biggest financial vice?" You just never know what people are going to say. Readers name pretty common splurges, like lunches out, and then someone comes out with a zinger. For instance, after Nickel and others estimated they spend $1,000 to $2,000 more a year than they'd like on eating out, they heard from reader "TSModie." "Is a couple of thousand dollars a year really affecting your finances? If so, you need to start making more money," said TSModie, who lost $20,000 on gambling last year.
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Posted
Jun 18 2008, 02:39 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
It's once again time to take a break from the heavier issues of the day, and "Frugal Dad" gave us the respite we were looking for. Ponder this one: Is sneaking your own candy into the movie theater frugal or cheap? This is an academic exercise for us because we don't really care for movie theater candy. (We've got our eye on the popcorn with extra butter.) But it's a real-life decision for Frugal Dad, and you might be surprised at the decision he reached.
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Posted
Jun 18 2008, 06:31 AM
by
Karen Datko
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Before Cupid's arrow pierced his manly heart, "Nut" at The Writer's Coin did, well, guy things. He ordered takeout for dinner a lot. Even worse, "I would buy one of those salads in a bag that has all the fixings and -- gross as it may sound -- I ate it straight out of the bag," he writes. Now that he's moved in with "M," he's happy as a geoduck clam, and he's found the financial benefits of coupledom. Food, entertainment and "going out" are all costing less. "Economists call it 'economies of shared living,' and it basically comes down to sharing everything," he says.
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Posted
Jun 13 2008, 09:07 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Michael Nolan begins a recent post at Frugal Mania with this excellent question: "Have you ever noticed how many aspects of frugal living used to be considered just plain common sense?" Yes, we have. And we also suspect that the adjustment to higher prices for food and fuel would be less jarring if we all applied some of that old-fashioned thinking. For those who want to give it a try, Michael offers a crash course in the form of the 30-day frugal challenge.
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Posted
May 28 2008, 12:17 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Maybe the preaching of frugalists has finally been heard, or people have found their common sense or have less money -- but fewer are buying those overpriced 20-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola and other Coke-brand drinks dispensed by vending machines and convenience stores. The Wall Street Journal reported today that bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. reduced its second-quarter earnings outlook based on weaker-than-expected sales of that size. The WSJ says: Sold in corner groceries, vending machines and other outlets since the early 1990s, soft drinks in 20-ounce plastic bottles revitalized U.S. sales for Coca-Cola and PepsiCo Inc. by getting Americans to drink larger servings. Because they are often sold at prices similar to a two-liter bottle, they have also been highly profitable for the companies' bottlers.
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