‘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.
Articles from Contributor
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.
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.
Shout-Out: ‘Lowlights of a Downer Year’
Dave Barry on the money, madness, and misery of 2009.
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.”
And the Lord Said, Ye Shall Diversify Your Stock Portfolio
Is it wise to look to the Bible for financial advice? Many financial experts say yes (and probably “Amen” as well). By one count, the good book contains 2,300 verses that deal with how to manage your money.
Time to Swap Your Credit Card for a Charge Card?
Yes, there are differences between credit cards and old-fashioned charge cards. Big differences, the main one being it’s extremely unlikely you’ll dig yourself into major debt using a charge card—hence a surge in charge cards’ popularity.
Attention Diners: You Too Are Being Profiled
Just as retailers are keeping close tabs on shoppers, monitoring purchases and adapting to the “new frugality” among consumers, restaurateurs are stepping up the use of “Menu Psychology” to get diners to spend as much as possible.
Procrastinator Alert! Coupons for Easy Last-Minute Savings at the Mall
Procrastinator alert! Free shipping with online orders is no longer an option if you want stuff to arrive by December 24. So if you still need to get some holiday shopping done on these last couple of days, you’re probably going to have to deal with the mall. There are sales galore, but you can save even more—easily an extra 10%, …