After being urging to do so by several readers, I finally read Ron Paul’s End the Fed. I was about to buy it for the Kindle I got for Christmas, but when I got to work Monday morning there was a package in my mailbox from Gary Howard at Paul’s Campaign for Liberty with two copies of the book. I gave one to my colleague Stephen Gandel, …
‘New’ Family Budget Tips: Cheaper Weddings, Breastfeeding
Some trendy new ways to save look a lot like the old way folks used to do things.
Um, Yes, Apparently This Is the Best Week to Buy a Car
At least if you’re buying a Saturn or a Pontiac. To move the cars off their lots in a hurry, GM is basically giving dealerships an extra $7,000 per vehicle to play with in negotiations with car buyers. The net result: It’s possible to buy a car for nearly 50% off the sticker price.
It’s a Deal: More than 50% Off at Crate&Barrel
Crate&Barrel is hosting a huge sale, with holiday items offered for less than half the original price, everyday products for the kitchen for up to 50% off, and furniture at up to 40% off.
After-the-Fact Gift Strategies: Swapping, Selling, Returning, Regifting
Maybe, just maybe, you got what you wanted under the Christmas tree. As for the rest of us …
On Reverse Mortgages and Home Projects That Just Don’t Pay Off
As far as anyone can foresee, it’ll continue to be a bad market for home sellers for some time to come, leading many homeowners to consider reverse mortgages or remodeling projects rather than selling at a lowball price. But both have their share of pitfalls.
It’s a Deal: JetBlue Flights from $29
JetBlue is hosting an airfare sale, with prices starting at $29 each way ($58 round trip) for flights between Fort Lauderdale and Nassau, Bahamas. Other sale fares include Orlando to Nassau ($44 each way), Fort Lauderdale to San Juan, Puerto Rico ($59), and Washington-Dulles to Fort Lauderdale ($74).
Shout-Out: ‘Lowlights of a Downer Year’
Dave Barry on the money, madness, and misery of 2009.
Is there a tradeoff between growth and security?
I’m back in the office on what is shaping up to be an extremely slow news day, which is why I find myself reading things like a little Q&A with economist Raghuram Rajan on the WSJ’s Real Time Economics blog. Here’s one of the Qs the resulting A:
How do you expect the U.S. model of capitalism to change as a result of the crisis? Can it
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Is This the Best Week to Buy a Car?
Car dealerships are saying good riddance to 2009—which was a clunker of a year in more ways than one—by trying to get rid of as many vehicles as possible. As the year’s end approaches, there are tons of rebates available to car buyers, and sales managers are expected to be especially willing to negotiate in order to move inventory. …
Hey Verizon, Your Explanation for the Highest-Ever Cell-Phone Fee ($350!) Doesn’t Explain Much
Perhaps the FCC actually is stepping up efforts to protect consumers from sketchy practices in the wireless industry. After Verizon failed to adequately justify reasons for its highest-ever $350 early termination fee, the FCC commissioner seems ready for a scrap: “It is hard for me to believe that the public interest is being well …
This Year’s Holiday Gift-Giving Trend: No More “Silly Little Things”
In Christmastimes past, people seemed content to give—and receive—things that no one really needs: tchotchkes, scented candles, holiday CDs, that sort of thing. Now that the economy has tanked, when someone receives a silly gift, the reaction isn’t merely “Bummer,” but “Wow, I could have really used whatever money was just wasted on that.”