Recession Indicators: Jobless Hikers Crowding the Appalachian Trail, Japanese Shopping at Wal-Mart
When you lose your job, why not take a hike? When your economy tanks, why not embrace the deals at Wal-Mart?
Brad Tuttle
Brad Tuttle covers personal finance, travel and parenting, among other topics. He is a contributing editor for Budget Travel, where he was on staff for six years; he was a senior editor at the brilliant but now deceased parenting magazine Wondertime; and he is the author of two books, The Ellis Island Collection: Artifacts from the Immigrant Experience and How Newark Became Newark: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of an American City. His work has appeared in TIME, the New York Times, Newsweek, Newsday, American History and Endless Vacations, among other publications. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife and three sons. Read more about Tuttle at bradrtuttle.com
Articles from Contributor
The Haggler’s Guide to Cheaper Health Care
A 53-year-old man who used to cover the health insurance industry as a journalist purposefully decides that health insurance isn’t worth the money, and so he goes without it. He negotiates with doctors, haggles over the costs of services, and asks for discounts because he’s paying in cash. Over the course of a year, he’ll save $6,000.
Kraft Mag & Outrage
Food & Family, a magazine put out by Kraft Foods that features Kraft products and is mailed to 10 million Kraft Food consumers, used to sent out for free. Not anymore. Subscribers are now being asked to fork over $14 a year for what many folks consider little more than a marketing tool to sell Kraft food.
Fast Food Burgers Go Big: 1/3 Pounders, 900 Calories, $4 and Up
Where’s the beef? If you have to ask, you haven’t been to a fast food establishment recently.
$1.1 Million: Cost to Raise a Child, from Birth through College
A simply hilarious and insightful quote: “It is commonly said that buying a house is the biggest purchase most Americans will ever make. Having a baby is like buying six houses. Except that they don’t increase in value, you can’t sell them and after 16 years they’ll probably say they hate you.”
A List of Money-Saving Lists: 422 Ways to Save in Total
When it comes to tips for saving, the more the better, right? Here’s a list of lists that’ll help you save money around the house, out at malls or restaurants, in Starbucks, at the grocery store—just about anywhere.
New ‘Basic’ Credit Card: Basically More of the Same
Bank of America is introducing the Bankamericard Basic Visa, due in part to consumer requests for “products that offer simple and straightforward solutions,” according to a BofA exec.
Will Adding a Soda Tax Wind Up Saving Taxpayers Some Money?
Nobody likes taxes, least of all me. But what the much-discussed idea of taxing sugary soft drinks boils down to is this: Does it make more sense to pay up when you buy Dr. Pepper, or when we all pay the doctors’ bills and rising health insurance premiums related to guzzling way too much Dr. Pepper?
Free Rides to Pro Basketball Games
So you really want to encourage people to use public transportation, huh? Here’s one idea: Give them a free ride.
How to Cook with Under a Buck: A Talk with the 99-Cent Chef
Up today in the cooking-on-a-budget series, a Q&A with a blogger-cook-cinematographer-jester who puts together recipes using ingredients that cost $1 or under. It’s not quite as difficult as sticking to $1 a day for your entire food budget. But it’s certainly interesting, and you’ve got to be creative to pull off a meal using only …
Not So Fast with the Fees, T-Mobile
All T-Mobile USA was supposedly trying to do was go green. That was the main reason it gave for planning to add a $1.50 monthly fee to customers who wanted paper copies of their bills.
A Blockbuster Shutdown
Brick and mortar are no matches for cheap kiosks and the Internet. If you hadn’t already gathered, it appears that Netflix and Redbox are taking control of the three-way battle for movie rental customers. The latest sign: Movie rental giant Blockbuster plans to shut down nearly 1,000 stores by the end of 2010.
