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Posted
Aug 06 2009, 01:22 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You reportedly get what you pay for when you buy disposable razor cartridges -- if your goal is to make the manufacturer richer.
Mike at Clever Dude linked to a story in the British press that said an industry "insider" claimed a razor cartridge like the Gillette Fusion Power, which sells for £2.43 (about $4), costs 5p (about 8 cents) to make.
If that's truly the case, the markup is more than 4,750%. The story at Mail Online said the British Office of Fair Trading is investigating whether there's price collusion between razor manufacturers and retailers.
What's a frugal man to do? Mike has switched to wet shaving, and he's a guy who normally has a 5 o'clock shadow by noon.
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Posted
Jun 30 2009, 05:30 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
I hate going to the post office. It doesn't matter what day I go or what time of day I go, there is always a line and there's always only one or two people working behind the counter.
I've gone to post offices that serve a large residential ZIP code and post offices that serve a smaller residential ZIP code, and there is always a line and never enough workers. If we're near a holiday, forget it -- I'll be waiting in line for at least half an hour. If you visit the PO with any regularity, I bet you understand my pain.
The worst part is watching people struggle through a process that is otherwise fairly straightforward. People show up with packages they haven't even finished packing. I understand not knowing how much postage is needed, but not to have your package taped up and ready to go is inexcusable.
That's why I try to do as much as I can at home so I can shorten the time I'm stuck in the post office. Recently, with all the shipping I've been doing related to contests and auction winners in the Bargaineering Bucks Store, I've been considering printing my postage online.
Here's what I've found.
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Posted
Mar 31 2009, 12:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The days of easy travel across the border will end June 1, when you'll need more than a driver's license and birth certificate to visit Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and 17 Caribbean nations and return to the U.S.
That makes the U.S. passport card good and bad news. If you don't want to fork over $100 for a regular passport, you can get a passport card for only $45. But that's $45 that you previously didn't have to spend.
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Posted
Mar 23 2009, 06:17 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.
I called my little brother recently. He lost his home to foreclosure last fall, and things have continued to only get worse. He and his wife are doing the best they can, but they feel overwhelmed.
"What's the latest?" I asked. Tony gave me an update. We talked about his problems with insurance, and with the bank, and with the debt-settlement service. We talked about his options for the future.
"All things considered, I guess we're doing OK," Tony said. "But to be honest, we've thought about relocating to Kansas."
"Kansas?" I said. "Why Kansas?"
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Posted
Mar 05 2009, 11:33 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Times are tough all over, Part 437" was the subject line of the e-mail that conveyed this news to us: Valet Girls, the all-female, tank top-clad Los Angeles valet service (which one blogger referred to as "Hooters on wheels"), has been forced to severely reduce prices to stay in business.
Half the lovely ladies have been laid off, and those remaining have seen their pay cut. The corporate clients that had been the lifeblood of this 26-year-old business are in a frugal mood. It appears that for some in Hollywood, the party is over.
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Posted
Feb 13 2009, 05:20 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Mr. ToughMoneyLove at Tough Money Love.
Somehow I've found myself captured by a "saving money" theme, even though I ordinarily leave that subject to the expert frugalists who write elsewhere. There are a few areas where Mr. ToughMoneyLove may have a frugalistic knowledge advantage.
One of those is in the area of lawyers and their fees. That's because (please don't hate me if you didn't know this) I am an attorney in my day job. (A patent attorney, to be precise.) So I have been billing legal fees to clients for 29 years. I have also paid lawyers who helped me and Mrs. ToughMoneyLove with wills, trusts, etc.
I even had a part-time gig as a fee consultant. I was paid (rather well, actually) to review very large bills sent by other law firms to their corporate clients, looking for "pork" (if you know what I mean). My job
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Posted
Jan 15 2009, 03:43 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Move over, Tupperware. People these days are having gold parties.
The party host/hostess gets a cut when people attend and sell gold jewelry to a dealer on-site for cash. So says "FMF" at Free Money Finance, who asked readers, "Anyone ever been to a gold party?" (Actually, one of his readers said he has.)
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Posted
Jan 14 2009, 04:12 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Ron Haynes at The Wisdom Journal.
While having one of those "here's why you don't have a cell phone yet, honey" conversations with my daughter, I explained that the "add a line for only $9.99" marketing gimmick is a myth. There are so many charges other than the $9.99 charge: fees for this and fees for that.
"There are always hidden costs that the retailer never tells you about," I explained. "There are costs associated with using, obtaining, maintaining and upkeep that aren't publicized."
That got me thinking about hidden charges for the items we buy.
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Posted
Dec 19 2008, 05:59 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Filed under: spending, savings, The Simple Dollar, car models, gas prices, prices, cars, used cars, gas mileage, car loans, car shopping
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar. In just a few short months, the price of gas at the station I regularly use has dropped from $4.09 per gallon to $1.49 per gallon -- an absolutely amazing drop. Not long ago, I spent $82 filling up my truck (which has a 20-gallon tank). The other day, I filled the tank for under $30. From a strict personal-finance perspective (and ignoring the larger global economic concerns) this is fantastic news for most people. If you have to fill a typical car tank each week (12 gallons), the price change is saving you somewhere on the order of $30 a week. That's $120 a month, an amount that can really help with debt repayment, saving for a down payment, or preparing for retirement. This shift in gas prices comes at an interesting time for me and my family. My wife and I have been carefully studying potential automobile purchases, and our calculations had led us to focus on automobiles that are efficient with their fuel. Using our numbers, assuming a $4 to $5 gallon of gas going forward, fuel efficiency was so valuable that it often trumped a higher price at the dealership.
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Posted
Dec 15 2008, 07:15 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
At a New York City restaurant, the all-you-can-eat special is actually all-that-you-eat. If you leave food on your plate, you pay a 30% surcharge. For the $26.95 special at the Hayashi Ya (which includes soda or sake), that would add another $8 to the check. It's a somewhat unusual approach, but food for thought as more restaurants are using the endless-trough-of-food strategy to get more customers in the door.
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