The day after Thanksgiving has become the official kickoff for the holiday shopping season. It’s also become a day to exhibit nonsensical consumer behavior, such as waiting outside for hours in the freezing cold at stores that …
As Netflix and Redbox Raise Prices, Blockbuster Boldly Tries to Steal Away Customers
Blockbuster has had a miserable couple of years, closing thousands of movie rental stores, entering bankruptcy, and generally serving as one of the recession era’s biggest business flop stories. Now, though, as Netflix and
6 Ways to Save Money and Stay Healthy This Winter
Sometimes staying healthy in the wintertime, when everybody in the office or around the dinner table is blowing their red nose into a tissue, can feel almost impossible. In fact, it can feel a lot like trying to save money when …
Why Europe can’t solve its debt crisis
Any hope that last Thursday’s debt crisis agreement would finally quell the contagion raging through the euro zone was dashed almost before the ink dried. Only a day later, Italy’s borrowing costs actually rose to a euro-era high in a bond auction, a clear sign that investors were far from certain that the debt deal was a game …
Why France — Not Greece or Italy — Will Decide the Fate of the Euro
France’s own economic problems will soon make it unable to help bail out weaker European countries. When that happens, the euro game will be up
Banks Back Off Unpopular Debit Card Fees
Updated Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m.
A month after Bank of America announced plans for a widely derided $5 monthly fee for debit card use, BofA, Wells Fargo and Chase are all backing off their plans to charge for debit card use. It’s a rare about-face prompted by a groundswell of consumer anger. Will it placate furious customers, or is the …
Americans Saved Less Money Last Month
In September, consumers spent more but made less than expected. As a result, the national savings rate dropped to 3.6%, which is the lowest level it has been since the beginning of the recession. And that has some people nervous.
The Big Banks That Aren’t Adding Debit Card Fees*
*What’s the asterisk for? Well, while several big banks say they won’t start charging monthly fees for debit cards a la Bank of America, in most cases they are adding other fees or changing account requirements to increase …
Good News: Americans Saved Less Money Last Month
In September, consumers spent more but made less than expected. As a result, the national savings rate dropped to 3.6%, which is the lowest level it’s been since the beginning of the recession. And that has some nervous. The popular economics blog Calculated Risk blog had this to say:
Spending is growing faster than incomes – and the
…
Groupons For Weddings? Woman Saves Nearly $3,500
Extreme couponing, meet the daily deal craze. A mother-of-the-groom in the Washington, D.C., suburbs wedded these two hot money-saving trends by using a total of two dozen daily-deal site coupons to save $3,434 on her son and daughter-in-law’s rehearsal dinner.
3 Deals Aimed at Attracting Shoppers for the Entire Holiday Season
It’s not even Halloween yet. Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally when the winter holiday shopping season actually kicks off—is weeks away. All in all, it seems early for retailers to even be launching …
Would You Live Here? Real Life Haunted Homes For Sale
Haunted houses have been scaring us since Edgar Allen Poe wrote “The Fall of the House of Usher” in 1839. Almost every city has a big old house that children — and some grownups — think is haunted. Many kids earned their …