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Posted
Mar 29 2008, 12:38 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you track the blogosphere, it seems that the popularity of the humble dollar store is soaring, and that these stores aren't as humble as they used to be. Imagine this: The extremely picky "Mrs. Badger" at Lipstick is my Crack has even switched from body wash to bar soap because she found soaps she loves at the dollar store. "Yeah! It's not all Irish Spring and Lifebuoy up in there anymore, y'all! And it's not all no-name generic soaps made out of battery acid and bacon grease (I just made that up; don't e-mail me) anymore, either," she writes. In fact, the august New York Times, which caters to a crowd that can hardly be called frugal, featured writer Henry Alford's experiment to incorporate items from 99-cent stores into his cooking, culminating with a dinner featuring only such fare. It sounded delicious. But not everyone is thrilled with the food and other common dollar store products.
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Posted
Apr 23 2008, 05:45 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Shades of World War II: Two warehouse-type retail chains in the United States are rationing rice as anxious customers stock up because of a worldwide shortage. It's the most startling sign that the world food crisis is making itself felt in the United States. But, despite rising food prices here, we've still got it good compared with some developing countries, where food shortages and price hikes have sparked deadly riots.
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Posted
Mar 28 2008, 02:47 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
How does positive-thinking blogger Steve Olson really feel about Wal-Mart? A positive-thinking tip in one of the most popular posts at his site is "Visit Target frequently and stay out of Wal-Mart." He's not the only blogger to share his opinion on the big-box titans. Several lately have posted comparisons of the two stores. Steve, of Steve-Olson.com, back in 2006 listed 10 reasons why he prefers Target, including "I've never seen anyone wearing a NASCAR shirt, purple sweat pants, and pink fluffy slippers at Target." Also, the aisles at Wal-Mart are too narrow, the employees are surly and not helpful, and the customers look depressed. (Read his anecdote about shopping for a lunch box at both stores.) He added: "Wal-Mart's atmosphere is cheap and crass. Target's atmosphere exudes progress and style."
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Posted
Mar 10 2008, 05:55 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"DebtKid," feeling buyer's remorse about his 1 a.m. purchase of a Nintendo DS Lite that has since been gathering dust, is holding a contest for the stupidest purchase ever. He's gotten quite a response from readers and other bloggers. The winner will get his DS Lite. We'll give you a few of the highlights. "Krninco" at Compulsive Debtor's Finance Blog has several doozies: a $400-plus bowling party for her daughter, "Mini Me," (and to prove that she wasn't too extreme, krninco provides a link to a St. Petersburg Times story about parents who threw a $3,000 birthday party for their 1-year-old, complete with a publicist). There's also the $5,000 piano "purchased in hopes that one day Mini Me would become Mini Mozart," and Beauty, a hugely expensive bichon frisé that bites and leaves little presents on the floor "to show you she can." Oops, we almost forgot to mention that krninco bought a $200 car seat for the little dog.
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Posted
Jul 25 2008, 09:10 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The best thrift shops are as good as garage sales, offering a variety of offbeat items at low prices. Things like "Talk to the Hand: Getting Everything You Want With Ventriloquism," a how-to manual with a set of four finger puppets. Originally it cost $9.95; I paid 50 cents yesterday at Cloud 9 Consignment & Thrift. In all, I spent $9.97 for six items that will make good birthday or holiday gifts, two books for my church's library, and four tins that I'll fill with homemade cookies and give as Christmas presents.
But what made the trip memorable was discovering that Cloud 9, like some yard sales, has a free box. In it I found an olive green sweater that's from Bill Blass, if labels mean anything to you. I was more interested by its excellent condition and the fact that it is machine washable. And free.
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Posted
May 29 2008, 11:51 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you've already received your economic-stimulus check from Uncle Sam, you can share what you did with it by posting at a Web site called -- ta-da -- How I Spent My Stimulus. You can even post a photo that illustrates how you used it. For example, we saw photos of casinos, whiskey bottles and cut-up credit cards. Scrolling through the site, we noticed that lots of folks spent their tax-rebate money to treat themselves -- hopefully stimulating the economy in the process. Some saved it, some used it to cover higher living expenses, and some gave it away. Some posts are listed under a category called "weird."
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Posted
Jul 17 2008, 03:17 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Fox" at Squawkfox has taken up a cause we can strongly embrace: "It's time to sack plastic bags."
Shouldn't we all, with the price of oil -- yes, they're made with oil -- and environmental worries, be moving to reusable shopping bags and bins? Plastic shopping bags are a blight, and they never -- for all practical purposes -- go away. "With few exceptions, plastic bags will take thousands of years to break down," Fox says. "The bag my first pair of shoes came in a couple decades ago is out there, somewhere."
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Posted
Jun 26 2008, 10:51 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"LivingAlmostLarge" at the blog with the same name read an article about how manufacturers of food and sundry items are shrinking the size of their products and charging the same price. She found the proof in her own cupboards. She wrote that "curiosity got the better of me and I started to pull through my cabinets. And Bounty did decrease the roll size. I can say that because I have some from last summer." Bounty isn't the only product that's smaller now.
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Posted
Dec 15 2008, 11:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You've probably encountered the hassles of rebates: You wait months to get your money, or your rebate request is denied because you didn't follow the complicated rebate instructions to the letter. Or maybe you're among the large number of shoppers who don't bother to send them in. Here's a new wrinkle in the rebate process: A company that processes rebates for several hundred companies has filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. Some of the clients of Continental Promotion Group Inc. are trying to make sure that rebate checks issued on their behalf are good, The Arizona Republic reported.
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Posted
Oct 24 2007, 09:58 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
I’ve gone about as low as frugal can go: I bought underwear at the dollar store.
It was name-brand, though "slightly irregular" merchandise, a three-pack of Hanes Her Way briefs. Three-for-a-buck drawers are a good reason to love the dollar store.
These emporia have had some negative press lately, notably the tainted toothpaste scare. Another potential problem with dollar stores is that you might buy stuff you don't really need because, well, it's only a dollar. I’ve been miserably tempted by flavored potato chips, for example.
And of course you sometimes do get what you pay for -- but really, how much do you want to pay for a dish drainer?
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