There’s an interesting conversation over at the Boston Globe website. Even after Massachusetts dropped the maintenance fees on time-saving Fast Lane transponders, one-third of tollpayers still go to the booth to hand over payment in person. Cars with the transponders zip along past tolls, while those without wait in line gathering …
It’s a Deal: Up to 90 Percent Off at Sierra Trading Post
A host of outdoor gear, clothing, footwear, sunglasses, home décor, and accessories is being discounted by 60 to 90 percent off retail during Sierra Trading Post’s ongoing Summer 2009 Blowout sale.
FreeFest: Tickets Still Available (for Volunteers for the Homeless)
On Saturday, 35,000 tickets were given away for Virgin Mobile’s FreeFest, an all-day concert on August 30 in Columbia, Md., with Blink-182 at the top of the bill. Tickets are (mostly) free: Attendees are being asked to donate $5 per ticket to homeless youth organizations. But USA Today reports that fans who were shut out of the initial …
Q&A on How to Save at the Pharmacy
Even with drug makers agreeing to discount medicine for seniors on Medicare, people are still struggling to pay bills at the pharmacy, especially for prescription meds. Jeff McCluskey, a Houston-based pharmacist for CVS, answered some questions about how to save money—or at least how to save some time—at the pharmacy.
No Regrets Buying Cars, TVs, and Other Big-Ticket Items
Fascinating story in the Times Science section about how consumers buy things, and the relative happiness those things bring consumers. One part of the story discusses Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior, a new book by Dr. Geoffrey Miller. Dr. Miller says that in some instances, people express regret over spending lots of money …
After Bernie: Belt-Tightening by Madoff Victims
The recession has affected the lives of millions, who have been forced to adjust how they live and how they spend. Within this group is a unique subset: the Madoff victim. It’s one thing to see your retirement nest egg lose 30 or 40 percent of its value. But to suddenly have that nest egg disappear entirely? That’s beyond brutal, and …
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Ambrose Bierce
“A penny saved is a penny to squander.”
Watch Out! Bank Fees Are Bigger and Badder
Unless you’ve been locked in a vault, you know that the banking industry isn’t doing so hot. Faced with declining revenues, banks are creating or increasing all sorts of fees on its customers.
Bernie Madoff gets his sentence. Have we learned anything?
Bernard Madoff got his sentence this morning. It’s 150 years in prison, which is a bit longer than your average 71-year-old can be expected to live. (Curious Capitalist Jr. was actually wondering about this yesterday—what if, he asked, Madoff got sentenced to 150 years but doctors discovered new life-extending techniques in coming …
It’s a Deal: Half off at Crate&Barrel Outlet
The outlet section of Crate&Barrel’s website has a host of kitchenware, dinnerware, furniture, bedding and bath supplies, and accessories selling for 50 percent or more off the retail price. Check out what’s on sale here.
Stay Young by Drinking 50 Bottles of Wine a Day
I’m constantly astounded by the number and variety of pills and miracle cures on the market. The ads for prescription drugs are bad enough—you know, your restless leg syndrome may subside, but the “side effects may include heart failure, erections that last four hours, eternal damnation, and blah, blah, blah.” And the products that …
Free: The New Business Model
Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired, has a new book out that’s getting mucho attention: Free: The Future of a Radical Price. Anderson argues that in the digital age, more and more businesses should and will offer their goods completely for free (to the delight of cheapskates everywhere). Free is not gimmick to entice customers to try …