Some folks were less than impressed with a trio of bloggers featured on The Cheapskate Blog who limited their food expenditures of $50 a week. A few commenters were downright angry—outraged, insulted even at the idea of the blogger experiment. Well, maybe they’ll be more open to reading about a pair of bloggers living on a weekly …
Saving & Spending
Credit Card Fee Watch: Now There’s a Fee For NOT Buying Stuff
Credit card issuers are an inventive bunch, always creating new ways to entice consumers into signing up for cards, and to charge those consumers all sorts of fees for using those cards. I’m constantly shocked by the number of letters we receive in the mail from credit card companies—these guys have to be keeping the postal service in …
It’s a Deal: Give $3, Get $10 Off at Macy’s
Reading Is Fundamental is teaming up with Macy’s for a summer promotion that simultaneously supports children’s literacy and gives shoppers discounts. In exchange for a $3 donation to RIF, you’ll receive a coupon for $10 off of purchases of $50 or more in-store merchandise. The promotion is in effect through August 31. More details here.
Salvage Grocery Stores: Who Cares About Sell-By Dates if You’re Saving Money?
Sell-by dates, schmell-by dates. The discount, or salvage, grocery store is filled with merchandise that’s marked with sell-by dates that came and passed sometime before the recession was called a recession. You know what? The food inside most super-packaged containers is still fine—and it’s often 50 percent cheaper than the stuff in …
It’s a Deal: Free Entrée Salad at Denny’s
To promote three new salads (cranberry pecan chicken salad, baja chicken salad, prime rib & bleu salad), Denny’s is offering them for free—with the purchase of another entrée and two beverages. The offer is valid through August 9, and a coupon is required. Print it here.
Prices for Solar Panels Are No Longer Sky High
Is solar power in your future? The combo of new government tax credits and incentives and manufacturers dropping prices to entice customers in a down market means that it’s less expensive than ever to equip your home with solar panels. That doesn’t mean it’s cheap. That also doesn’t mean solar power makes sense in all homes and …
It’s a Deal: Two Free Tacos at Jack in the Box
It’s Taco Tuesday at Jack in the Box. With a downloadable coupon, each customer can get two free tacos today only, August 4. Get the coupon here.
Now That You’re Saving Money, Where the Heck Do You Put It?
The recession has turned the U.S. into a nation of savers. After years of spending like it was a job—and in some ways it was a job to buy stuff and keep the economy pumping along—we are finally saving some money. The national savings rate was around 7 percent recently. But now that we’re saving, interest rates in a typical bank …
It’s a Deal: Buy One Smoothie, Get One Free at Jamba Juice
A “Summer Bliss” promotion offers two-for-one smoothies at Jamba Juice locations. The offer is valid through August 9, and a coupon is required, which you can print here.
More Proof That to Get a Discount, All You Have to Do Is Ask
In today’s economic climate, in which salespeople are more eager than ever to make a deal to move some merchandise, it’s foolish to not negotiate. Asking for a discount takes but a moment, and what’s the worst that could happen?
Why Hybrid Cars Are Worth It, If You’re Cashing In Your Clunker or Not
To hybrid or not to hybrid. As a car buyer, you look at the sticker prices and gas mileage stats for two similar cars. One (the hybrid) is more expensive but gets better mileage. The other is cheaper to buy, but you’ll have to fill ‘er up more often. So you’re left wondering: Is it worth it to pay more upfront for the hybrid?
Recession Ride Taxi Service: “Pay What You Want”
Eric Hagen may be the nicest cab driver ever. Perhaps he’s the smartest too. A full-time employee at the American Red Cross in Burlington, Vermont, Hagen recently started a new business: Recession Ride Taxi. He printed some business cards, and put the words “Pay What You Want!” on the back of the SUV that doubles as his taxi.
