It’s not like carving a Jack-o-Lantern is all that pricey an endeavor. But in a season when folks are spending less on Halloween candy and seem especially keen on cheap and easy costumes, all tips for inexpensive decorating are welcome.
Time columnist Joel Stein asked The Cheapskate Blog for tips on living cheaply for a week—and then fell victim to a classic blunder, right up there with being suckered into buying stuff online because of a free shipping promotion and getting involved in a land war in Asia.
Food co-ops help you eat healthy, eat well, and eat inexpensively. One couple credits their local co-op, in Park Slope, Brooklyn, for making it possible to bring their weekly grocery bill down to a mere $15 per person.
About 30% of people say the recession is affecting how much they spend on Halloween this year. Nearly half of those affected say they’re buying less candy. Millions of children are planning a mass protest this Saturday, when they intend to roam the streets, bang on doors, and demand chocolate (no stinking pennies!) while dressed as …
A stubborn, shrinking-but-still-substantial group of consumers refuses to buy cell phones. Why? Among other reasons, they like to control their availability rather than being “on call” 24/7—and they like the idea of not having $95 monthly bills, which is what the average iPhone user pays.
Poker teaches important lessons about saving and investing. Foreclosures are better than mortgage modification programs. Debit card overdraft fees are good for consumers. PMS is responsible for impulse purchases. There is no shortage of strange theories out there—and some of them are actually plausible.
Among a certain group of consumers, it’s becoming a DIY world. To save money, they’re reevaluating many of the services the rest of the world has grown accustomed to paying.
One of the frustrations of modern life is that often, you must spend money simply to get your money. I speak of the $3 fee for using an ATM not affiliated with your bank. Now, there are apps for the iPhone and other smartphones to help you avoid ATM fees, as well as other charges, including the ever-annoying overdraft.
Back-to-back stories in the NY Times point out two interesting trends in the automobile market. First, brand loyalty is long gone. Second, for many consumers, the car itself is gone as well.
Flat-panel TVs, laptops, camcorders, GPS devices, and video-game consoles are all being sold at record-low prices. As we head into the heart of the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart is planning on big price reductions on toys too.
That $150 panini press looks really cool. But guess what? A $15 George Foreman grill will do the job just as well.
