When Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target, and Sears jumped into a price war for bestselling authors’ new books, they probably didn’t think their best customers would be independent bookstores.
Saving & Spending
Shout-Out: Buxr’s “Swap-portunity” Roundup
The coupon-crazed deal-posting website Buxr rounded up a whole mess of the best sites for swapping your stuff, free of charge.
The Artist Formerly Known as the Cheapskate
The Cheapskate Blog, as you may have noticed, has morphed into the It’s Your Money blog.
It’s a Deal: 50% Off at Payless Shoes
Thanks to Oprah, you can get half off of all purchases at Payless Shoes, but only through Friday, October 30. And only if you present a coupon.
Ten Signs that the Economy Is Still in Awful Shape
News is out: The economy grew in the third quarter. But don’t start the celebratory parade just yet.
40-Year-Old Deadbeat
At least partly because of the recession, more and more fully-grown people—ones you’d probably refer to as “Sir” or “Madam,” or at least as “adults”—are financially dependent on their parents.
For Shoppers, the New Black Friday is Tomorrow
Retailers, desperate to milk everything they can out of the holiday shopping season, are introducing a second Black Friday. Even though October 30 is usually a night for toilet-papering people’s homes and other pranks, this is no trick.
$300 Jeans: Going the Way of Acid Wash?
When you look back on fashion trends, what you see is often not pretty. Now, in light of a bleak economy—and a rather obvious realization that denim is just, well, denim—we can all turn to someone who bought a $300 pair of “premium” jeans and say, “What the heck were you thinking?”
It’s a Deal: Free $10 Gift Cards to First 100 Macy’s Shoppers on 10/31
On Halloween morning, the first 100 customers to enter Macy’s stores receive free $10 gift cards. Free face-painting for kids too.
Are You Broke? Perpetually So?
If you answer yes, you probably avidly try to keep up with the Joneses, buy stuff you don’t need, never plan ahead, pay more than you need to all the time, and blame your problems on outside forces.
Bank Fee Horror Stories
There’s no shortage of anecdotes about banks hitting their customers with odd fees. For example, many banks offer free checking accounts for customers who use direct deposit. One teacher says that her bank gives her fee-free checking during the months her salary is direct deposited—but because she gets paid only ten months of the year …
It’s a Deal: $15 to $150 Off from Victoria’s Secret
Use the coupon code FALL09 for the following discounts at Victoria’s Secret: $15 off orders of $100, $30 off orders of $150, $75 off orders of $250, and $150 off orders of $500. The code is valid for purchases made by November 18.
