In our first Moneyland post we advocated a “Wait and C” strategy for big financial moves, especially spending ones. Our basic idea was that many decisions, to the extent that they’re affected by hidden biases or impulses, would …
Odd Spending
Gambling Site Full Tilt Poker Alleged to Be a Ponzi Scheme
It’s easy to lose money by gambling. And it’s really easy to lose money by gambling when the house is basically using a stacked deck, and never plans on paying out all the winnings. According to attorneys who filed a civil suit …
12 Craziest Counterfeits — and How to Spot a Fake
Everyone knows you can get a fake Rolex or a bogus “designer” handbag, but the world of counterfeit goods is much wider — and much weirder — than shoddy knock-offs of luxury goods. In times of financial distress, it may be …
Cocaine Use Down—Because It’s Too Expensive
Is the recession changing the way we get high? All sorts of quirky trends have been attributed as fallout from the global economic crisis—including, most recently, a decrease in the frequency with which parents change their …
Q&A: What We Learned Skipping Supermarkets and Restaurants For a Year
Last October, Rachel Hoff and Tom Ferguson embarked on an experiment in hyper-locavore healthy eating. For the next 12 months, the couple from Vallejo, Calif., wouldn’t set foot in a grocery store or restaurant. Their family’s …
FTC: That $1.99 Smartphone App Won’t Cure Your Acne
Entrepreneurial techies have been selling thousands of smartphone apps that claim to treat acne for 99¢ and $1.99 a pop (excuse the pun). Now, however, a Federal Trade Commission investigation reveals that (shocker!) the claims—that weird colored lights emitted from one’s smartphone could eliminate pimples—have no scientific basis. …
How to Protect Your Kids From Commercial Culture
I recently walked through the children‘s section of a big box bookstore for the first time in a long time, and I was stunned. Then depressed. Then angry.
There’s a Groupon for Everything, Including … College?
The daily deal model works well with restaurants, spas, and other small, service-oriented businesses. But Groupon and other daily deal sites are constantly branching out, experimenting with specially discounted vouchers for …
Six-Figure Parking Spots: The Rich Pay $125,000 to Park Their Cars
Paying $100K for a parking spot sounds totally ridiculous. Unless, that is, that spot would sell for $125K two years after it was purchased—in which case, it’d be a better investment than most traditional real estate has been lately.
Hotel Says Sky-High Hurricane Rate Was a Mix-Up
On Tuesday, TIME Moneyland and many other news outlets wrote about a story in the New York Daily News claiming that guests at a Brooklyn hotel were charged $999 a night for a room during Hurricane Irene. Readers expressed indignation, the Attorney General got involved, and the hotel insists the astronomical price was a technological mix-up.
Travelers Charged $1,000 by Hotel in Irene’s Wake
While Hurricane Irene didn’t do as much damage to major cities like New York as forecasters had feared, some unlucky travelers found that the storm packed a hefty wallop to their wallets, thanks to some hotels that saw the storm …
Why Vintage Housewares Are a Smart Buy
Everyone wants to save money in the kitchen these days, perhaps spurred on by the hit reality show Extreme Coupononing. But how can you save on things likes plates and silverware? Think old school.