Budgeting

Ten GOOD Things to Come Out of the Great Recession

It’s not all gloom and doom. Businesses are struggling, the housing market may have crashed, and jobs may have disappeared en masse, but today’s consumer is in the driver’s seat. And perhaps as in any crisis, people are being reminded about what’s really important in life.

The Thrift Store DIY Fashion Project

A Chicago writer hit some thrift stores, tossed in a little time, craftwork, and creativity, and put together fashionable duds that resemble something you might see on the runway.

Grocery Stores React to Cheapskate Shopping Habits

Shoppers are closely watching what they buy, and supermarkets are watching and quickly reacting to how those shoppers spend. The result is change in grocery store aisles: Nowadays, you’re more likely to find discounted items (even in Whole Foods) and inexpensive store brands, and you’re much less likely to see fancy coffee bars or pricey …

The Battle of the $1 DVD Rentals Heats Up

Redbox, the $1 per day DVD rental kiosk business, is a runaway success. It’s perhaps experiencing even more of a recession boom than mail-DVD-rental service Netflix. Redbox kiosks will soon be opened in supermarkets like Albertson’s and Kroger, bringing its total number of vending machines to 22,000 nationwide, up 61 percent from last …

Freegans: The Ultimate Anti-Consumers

There’s something very American about being self-sufficient and living off of the land. There’s also something quite wonderful about people who salvage the discards of society and make use out of stuff that otherwise would have piled up in landfills. But freeganism, an anti-consumerist, anti-materialist, anti-capitalist movement followed …

Who Will Mop Up the Competition in the Battle for Household Good Dollars?

It’s sort of new! And not at all improved! But it is less expensive. We’re talking about Procter & Gamble’s Tide Basic, a detergent that’s been rolled out in about 100 stores in the South. Quite plainly, it’s a cheaper product. It doesn’t have the same cleaning capabilities of the regular Tide, though it does cost about 20 percent less.

Ten Ways to Save a Little Money, or Make a Little Bit on the Side

Create a little side business to take advantage of the recession-era atmosphere. Start raising some chickens. Avoid car dealerships for oil changes and routine maintenance. Consider selling your home and relocating to a cave. And other ways to improve your financial outlook, if not necessarily your quality of life.

To Save Money, Run Your Household Like a Small Business, or a Golf Course

Advice aimed at increasing efficiency and lowering costs in the business world is often just as valid when applied to the individual. To minimize your cell phone bill, follow the pattern set by small businesses trying to rein in expenses. And to conserve water (and decrease your water bill), look to golf courses, where water usage is …

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