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.
cars
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.
20 Money-Saving iPhone Apps
Cheapskate? There’s an app for that. Lots and lots of them, actually. There are iPhone apps that will plot a busy day of hitting yard sales, produce coupons for instant discounts at supermarkets, shops, and restaurants, do price comparisons and summon product reviews while you’re mulling the options inside a store, and even help you trim …
The Cheapest New Car Sold in the U.S.
It has a sticker price under $11,000, runs on a 1.6 liter four-cylinder engine, and gets 36 mpg on the highway. And surprise, surprise: It’s not made by an American car manufacturer.
Rechargeable Batteries Save Money. Or Maybe They Don’t
It’s easy to be green when you’re saving money at the same time. Eschewing bottled water for tap, recycling household items for cash, and turning off the water while brushing your teeth are no-brainer, no-hassle ways to help Mother Nature, not to mention your bank account. But what’s up with rechargeable batteries and other …
Barter Bonanza
Swapping your stuff for someone else’s has never been easier. There are now fairly simple ways to barter for home appliances, video games, clothes, even car leases and the services of accountants and hair dressers.
With Saturn All But Gone, the Mourning Begins
I’m not the only one saddened by the demise of Saturn, the once-innovative auto brand that was created—and also killed—by GM.
Shout-Out: ‘How to Make Your Tools, Gadgets, and Appliances Last Forever’
Something breaks and what do you do? Normally, toss it in the trash and buy another. That’s probably a cheaper route than calling a repairman, plumber, or electrician. Not long ago, people were accustomed to taking a different strategy: fixing it themselves.
Can’t Somebody Save Saturn?
I have a soft spot in my heart for Saturn. The first new car I could truly call my own was a bare bones Saturn SL. The sticker price was around $11,000, and with Saturn’s original no-hassle-no-haggling policy, I happily paid the sticker price. I delivered pizzas and drove cross-country in that super reliable, unsexy, no-A/C vehicle, and …
Apparently People Just Don’t Want to Buy Cars on eBay
Well, at least not if the cars are GMs, and if the prices are nothing special. The troubled car manufacturer is putting an end to a briefly-lived strategy of trying to sell cars on eBay.
More Economic Indicators: Animal Abandonment, Backyard Gardens, Cancelled EZ Pass
How do you know the economy isn’t doing so hot? Your waitress is really hot, for one thing. Also, there’s a decline in the production of boxes meant to hold cereal, toothpaste, or beer. People are planting gardens to cut down on their food bills. Animal shelters are overwhelmed with pets dropped off by folks whose homes are in foreclosure.
A List of Money-Saving Lists: 422 Ways to Save in Total
When it comes to tips for saving, the more the better, right? Here’s a list of lists that’ll help you save money around the house, out at malls or restaurants, in Starbucks, at the grocery store—just about anywhere.
