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.
The boom in squid-puppet manufacturing
This was the scene in front of Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein’s apartment building Sunday, as photographed by TIME’s Deirdre van Dyk (who came across it after running a race in Central Park). The protesters were mad about, among other things, a Goldman-backed company shutting down the Stella D’Oro biscuit factory in the Bronx and …
It’s a Deal: Free Black Jack Taco on Halloween
Taco Bell is giving out free Black Jack Tacos between 6 p.m. and midnight on Halloween. As the promotion says, it’s their treat. More details here.
Hey Joel Stein, Where Are My Trojkas?
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.
Kicked Out of the Co-op
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.
The semi-return of the gold standard
There are the gold bugs, with their tales of impending economic apocalypse. And then there are people like Martin Murenbeeld, chief economist for Canada-based money manager DundeeWealth. “I’m just an economist who happens to like gold,” he says. “I’m not always bullish on it.”
Right now Murenbeeld is bullish on gold. He was here at TIME …
Spending Less on Halloween Candy? Now That’s Scary
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 …
Weekend video: Belgians eating breakfast
Flemish folk trio Laïs, plus cellist Simon Lenski. Don’t be dissuaded by the chatting at the beginning; they do start making music after a little while. Also, I want a table like that.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8emA013udo]
New column: Is the stimulus helping?
It’s a Deal: Free Chicken at KFC on Monday, October 26
Stop by a KFC on Monday, October 26, for a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken. The promotion, curiously enough, has something to do with the United Nations. More details here.
Sans Cell Phone: Could It Actually Be Possible to Live Without One?
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.
A four-year-old buys a house, and other first-time home-buyer tax credit tricks
From a Treasury Inspector General’s report to Congress:
Through July 25, 2009, we identified more than 580 taxpayers younger than 18 years of age who claimed almost $4 million in First-Time Homebuyer Credits. The youngest taxpayers receiving the Credit were four years old. Contract law generally exempts children under the age of 18
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