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Posted
Sep 25 2009, 01:52 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Chalk up another casualty of the recession: workers' health.
A new study released this week found that, despite all the concern over health care costs, the health of people with jobs is declining.
"Workers are putting in longer hours, afraid of losing their jobs. With less time to exercise, more than a third of employees report that work drains them of energy, leaving nothing for their personal lives,'' writes Cindy Krischer Goodman, who does the Work/Life Balancing Act column and blog for The Miami Herald.
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Posted
Sep 25 2009, 11:35 AM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We couldn't find many new food and restaurant deals this week. Could this be a sign that the recession is easing, or is it just a lull?
This is a good weekend for free entertainment, with free admission to national parks and free admission to museums nationwide on Saturday, Sept. 2.
Sit-down casual chain restaurants still have ongoing deals. You can download local restaurant coupons from Valpak, find online deals for pizza chains and be notified of deals via Facebook.
Remember, not all local franchises participate in all national promotions, so be sure to ask at your local store.
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Posted
Sep 24 2009, 01:09 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We're the first to admit that shopping as a form of entertainment isn't exactly unheard of in the United States.
Still, Ikea browsers in China may have taken the idea of shopping center as entertainment to a whole new level. The Ikea store in Beijing has become an entertainment destination for Chinese who have no intention of buying anything more than lunch.
The Los Angeles Times, reporting on this phenomenon, interviewed Zhang Xin, who took his wife, son and mother to Ikea for lunch and a break from the smog.
"We just came here for fun," the 34-year-old office manager told The Times. "I suppose we could have gone somewhere else, but it wouldn't have been a complete experience."
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Posted
Sep 23 2009, 02:13 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Here's a small victory for consumers:
Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are planning to overhaul their debit card programs, changing the way they credit transactions and allowing customers to opt out of overdraft protection.
We'd like to think they're doing it because that's what the customers want, but they might have been just a teeny bit influenced by moves in Congress to crack down on overdraft fees.
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Posted
Sep 22 2009, 04:19 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Conventional wisdom would seem to dictate that someone with an excellent credit score is less likely to walk away from a mortgage than someone with poor credit.
That's not so, syndicated real estate columnist Kenneth Harney writes in a story The Washington Post headlined "Good credit scores, deadbeat choices." In fact, people with excellent credit scores are 50% more likely to "strategically default" on their mortgages -- intentionally walk away -- than are lower scoring borrowers, according to a study by credit bureau Experian and consulting firm Oliver Wyman.
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Posted
Sep 21 2009, 04:33 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Ann Minch, the California woman who took her fight over a credit card rate increase to YouTube, apparently has extracted the concession she sought from Bank of America.
In a new video posted Saturday, she said Bank of America had agreed to return the interest rate on her $5,943.34 balance, which had been hiked to 30%, to 12.99%. The bank's first offer was 16.99%, which she said she rejected.
She said she was contacted by Jeff Crawford, senior vice president of existing credit card accounts, who was polite. He didn't mention either her video or her "taxpayers' revolt" -- which she says is not over.
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Posted
Sep 21 2009, 01:06 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This Saturday, Sept. 26, there is no excuse for sitting alone in your room.
Via two promotions, you can either visit any of the 391 U.S. national park for free as part of National Public Lands Day or you can get into hundreds of museums free as part of Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day.
The National Public Lands Day is also the National Day of Service, in which volunteers are invited to help clean up and maintain parks. Last year, 120,000 volunteers built trails and bridges, cleared paths and planted trees. Many parks also are planning special activities.
Museum Day provides free entrance to hundreds of museums of all types on Saturday, Sept. 26. A few museums that are closed on Saturday are providing free entry on Sunday, Sept. 27. The promotion even includes some zoos. The venues are as diverse as the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The J. Paul Getty Museum near Los Angeles and Miami Metrozoo.
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Posted
Sep 18 2009, 01:05 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We've got some edible and some inedible deals today. Unfortunately, we don't have any gym deals to go with our free ice cream and cookies, but a nice, brisk walk is always free.
Not all local franchises participate in all national promotions, so it's always good to check. Sit-down casual chain restaurants still have ongoing deals. You can download local restaurant coupons from Valpak, find online deals for pizza chains and be notified of deals via Facebook.
Read More...
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Posted
Sep 17 2009, 05:14 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Is it time to tax sugary drinks?
Another group is saying yes. In a paper published in the Sept. 16 issues of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of public health experts is advocating a tax of one cent per ounce on sugary beverages, The New York Times reported. The tax would apply to soft drinks, energy drinks, sports beverages and many juices and iced teas -- but not sugar-free drinks.
According to this group's research, a beverage tax would lower consumption of soda and other sweet drinks, leading to a small weight loss and better health for many Americans.
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Posted
Sep 17 2009, 02:00 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
With the recession taking a bite out of concert ticket sales, concert promoters have come up with all kinds of deals and discounts this year to lure us into the venues. For good music, we don't need too much luring, if we can afford the tickets. Live Nation has continued to offer promotions every Wednesday with discounts on concerts nationwide.
Now, Live Nation is offering a concert pass. The Live Nation Club Passport gives music lovers entry into every concert the rest of the year at participating venues for $49.99 -- if the show isn't sold out. That includes all fees except parking.
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