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Posted
Nov 23 2007, 12:28 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
There was plenty of elbow room at a local mall this Black Friday morning. A nearby Walgreens was awfully quiet, too, and clerks were standing around chatting at the Office Depot and Staples that I visited. I got a late start, not leaving the house until sometime after 8 a.m., so maybe I missed the throngs. Or maybe there weren't any. Perhaps the predictions of consumer caution are coming true. Perhaps everyone's waiting for Cyber Monday . Elbow room was fine by me, even though I wasn't buying much. I've purchased gifts from clearance tables and rummage sales throughout the year. Some presents are courtesy of MyPoints and MyCokeRewards . A few folks will get jams (made from free fruit) and cookies (made with loss-leader ingredients). And I admit it: I'm re-gifting a couple of things. Keeping it realistic It's great fun to give gifts, but no fun to spend beyond your means . Well, it may be fun at the time, but your stomach will hurt once the bills arrive. Here are some reader strategies for
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Posted
May 01 2009, 05:46 AM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Mother’s Day is clearly among the most celebrated of American holidays. It’s estimated that 96% of the population participate in the observance, which stretches back more than a century in this country and can be traced to Greek myth. So, the question is: What are you going to do? Given the pervasive nature of a holiday celebrated by nearly everyone, your options are varied and potentially unique. And frugal.
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Posted
Dec 25 2008, 11:41 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The toy fire engine that my 2-year-old great-nephew unwrapped yesterday cost me less than $3. That's because I bought it last year, at the after-Christmas clearance sales. If you can handle some crowds, I suggest you too hit the sales.
And there will be crowds: people returning gifts, shoppers hungry for clearance prices, frugalists hunting down discounted wrapping paper, decorations and artificial trees.
You can work these sale prices to your advantage in very specific ways. Here's how:
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Posted
Jun 18 2009, 12:38 PM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The Web is heating up with Father’s Day freebies and deals, in addition to those we’ve already reported. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21, in case you’ve been in a cave or otherwise out of touch.
Here’s the scoop on free food:
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Posted
Oct 10 2008, 08:47 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Some experts predict that the current economic upheaval will result in anemic holiday shopping. That's certainly what I heard from readers of the Smart Spending message board.
Most of the 100 folks who responded to a holiday spending thread say they'll scale back, sometimes way back, and pay cash. A couple of them are skipping the holidays altogether.
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Posted
Nov 03 2008, 10:32 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Black Friday won't happen for another 26 days, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Sure, some holiday merchandise had been lurking on the periphery since mid-October. But now stores are bristling with Christmas cards, wrapping paper, candy canes, gift sets of cologne and spa products, small appliances and, alas, fruitcakes.
I haven't yet encountered any Muzak versions of "O Holy Night" or "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer." Bet I'll be hearing them by next weekend, though.
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Posted
Dec 04 2007, 02:23 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
 Do you think e-mailed holiday "cards" indicate a lack of effort by the sender? David at My Two Dollars has an inexpensive and green alternative to traditional pricey cards. He and his wife made holiday postcards from scratch. They bought recycled card stock for $14 and spent another few bucks on rubber stamps and ink pads with red and green ink. They also saved 15 cents on postage for each card.
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Posted
Dec 24 2007, 08:12 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Personal-finance bloggers joined voices to give us "12 days of Christmas -- personal finance style,'' and their work is quite a gift. For the first day of Christmas, Lynnae at Being Frugal presented "the best way to manage money," including making a list of necessary expenses and checking it twice. You'll likely find out if you've been naughty or actually are spending less than you earn. Credit Withdrawal offered "two guaranteed ways to financial freedom," and Ana at DebtFREE-Revolution gave us three paid-off credit cards, including an American Express that rose from the dead even after she got the balance to zero.
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Posted
Dec 24 2007, 11:46 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
On Christmas morning let's all be anthropologists for a day. Come on, it'll be fun: We have our own theme song! (More on that later.)
Tomorrow, I want you to time how long it takes for everyone to open his or her gifts. Record all reactions, whether they be, "This is wonderful! Thanks!" or "I wanted the other game system! I never get anything good!" During the day, observe how long it takes for kids (and grownups) to lose interest in their new toys and baubles.
Now, figure out how long it will take you to pay off the gifts, if you charged them. If you paid cash, figure out how many hours you and/or your spouse had to work to pay for this "celebration."
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Posted
Nov 21 2007, 10:06 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The biggest newspaper of the year hits the doorstep tomorrow, crammed with Black Friday ads. Some people couldn't care less. A Smart Spending message board reader posting as "whyspend" has done away with Christmas presents -- and, subsequently, with lots of hassles. "No tension. No fake happiness when we open a gift we never asked for and never would have bought ourselves. No wasting time shopping online or in the shops," whyspend writes. "It's bliss." Another reader, "tazzmann," has also had enough. Dropping Christmas presents is a sure-fire way to get a Scrooge sobriquet, but tazzmann says a gift-free holiday has its advantages, such as "money still in your pocket." What you won't have: "Piles of wrapping paper strewn all over your house, bags full of old items and trash to take out, (or) gifts to return or go get batteries for." Different ways to give Other readers suggested dial-it-down gift strategies, such as buying only for kids, drawing one relative's name or donating to charities
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