Including: Am I losing my mind or is this Internet connection really slow?, When oh when will I be happy with my life?, and How much did the economic collapse cost me?
How can you consider $17 for a jar of spaghetti sauce a good deal? Because everything is relative. While many shoppers have turned to discount and salvage grocery stores during the economic slump, some high-end boutique food stores have also flourished. And shoppers at both stores feel like they’re being frugal. How? Because the folks picking up groceries at the boutique are saving money compared to what they’d otherwise spend at a fancy restaurant.
Do you need all of that? A Get Rich Slowly post says that we can all probably get by with less shampoo, groceries, snacks, aspirin, clothing—you name it. Hence, the “50-Percent Solution,” in which you try to halve your consumption and, hopefully, double the amount you usually save.
Are sneakers a scam? Your feet and joints may be better off if you just run barefoot. (Going au naturel is also less expensive than buying new sneakers every few months.) Or, as Rob Walker’s NY Times mag column suggests, you might consider a new kind of footwear called FiveFingers, which is sort of like a glove for your foot, and which makes your foot look sort of like a gorilla’s.
Are all debt settlement firms scams? No, says Robert Linderman, even though the debt settlement firm he works for gets so many complaints it receives an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau. Linderman was recently featured in David Lazarus’s LA Times column.
Should you take the keys away from Dad? A WSJ piece offers some advice for how to get an elderly relative to stop driving—which, as a person gets older, can not only be dangerous, but prohibitively expensive as well.
How much did the economic collapse cost you? A bit over $100K. When the decline in stocks and housing values are combined with the loss of income, the average U.S. household got whacked to the tune of about $104,000 between July 2008 and March 2009, according to this Pew Charitable Trusts study.
When will your tax refund arrive? Eventually. But several cash-poor states are delaying payments, per the NY Times. Maybe July-ish?
Is your Internet connection slow? That’s what the FCC wants to find out. Because the “speeds up to” claims in wireless ads are useless, regulators are looking for 10,000 volunteers who are willing to let the government find out just how fast you really are surfing the web. And hopefully, the findings help us all get what we’re paying for, broadband speed-wise.
Is your life too complicated? If so, then live a simpler, more frugal, greener life, as preached by Wanda Urbanska.
When will you be happy? Not when you get rich, but, according to a new study, when you get old. Apparently, people start feeling happier about their lives when they turn 50, and by the time they’re 85, they’re happier than they were when they were teenagers.