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.
Saving & Spending
No More Real Estate Agent Fees. No More Dry Cleaning Bills. No More Charges for Pest Exterminators.
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.
Smartphone Apps that Help You Avoid Bank Fees
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.
Will Just Any Old Car Do? Will No Car at All Do?
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.
Electronics and Toys: Cheap and Getting Cheaper
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.
It’s a Deal: Halloween Costumes Up to 75% Off at Toys R Us
Most of the Halloween costumes at Toys R Us are on sale already. Examples: A Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Bumblebee outfit is $9.99 (originally $39.99), and a Lil’ Vampire costume is just $4.99 (originally $19.99). Free shipping on most items too.
Cheap Alternatives to Pricey Kitchen Gadgets
That $150 panini press looks really cool. But guess what? A $15 George Foreman grill will do the job just as well.
Sears Enters Book Wars with a Bonus: $9 Credit, Even if You Buy from a Competitor
Amazon is already duking it out with Wal-Mart and Target in the competition for new book sales, and now Sears is getting in on the action in a big way with its “Keep America Reading” promotion.
It’s a Deal: $10 to $25 Off at the Discovery Store
Toy and DVD purchases are being discounted by $10 to $25 today only (October 21) at the Discovery Store website. Use the coupon code SAVE10 to save $10 off a $60 purchase, SAVE15 to save $15 off of a $75 purchase, or SAVE25 to save $25 off of a $100 purchase, via Bargainist.
On the First War of Christmas, Amazon is Attacked on Three Sides
The upcoming winter holiday period is shaping up to be one of the most competitive, wildest shopping seasons ever. Stores started hosting Christmas displays way back in July, and toy store skirmishes are already well under way. And now, preeminent online retailer Amazon is fighting battles on several fronts.
Introducing the $70 Refrigerator
Also, the $23 stove, the $2,200 automobile, the $43 water-purification system, and the $20 cell phone with 2¢-per-minute rates—all courtesy of India, where engineers and innovators are coming up with ingenious products that are within reach of the country’s poorest citizens.
BYO Bags to Save Money at Target and CVS
Much like bottled water, plastic shopping bags are viewed as wasteful and bad for the earth. They’re natural (unnatural?) targets for environmentalists and tightwads alike. Starting on November 1, all Target stores in the country will begin giving customers a discount for every plastic bag they don’t use.
