This week’s roundup of consumer tips and personal finance advice also includes a list of actions to take right now that promise to “change your financial life forever.” One such suggested action: Do something nice for your spouse today, so that you don’t have to buy her something nice later on.
It’s a Deal: 25% Off Handbags, Backpacks, and Luggage at eBags
Use the coupon code EM25OFF11 to get an extra 25% off nearly all merchandise at eBags.com. The code is valid for purchases made by April 11.
Why a Messy, Cluttered Store Is Good for Business
When trying to sell a home, the number one rule is to declutter and make the place as clean and open as possible. (See the house staging tips on this list.) For a while, retail stores have followed the same concept, utilizing super-wide aisles, minimalist design (relatively speaking), and smaller shelves, with fewer items on those …
Europe Interest Rate Hike: Will the Fed Be Forced to Follow?
Central banker see. Central Banker do? We will see.
On Thursday, the European Central Bank for the first time in nearly three years raised interest rates. Even though the rate is only going from 1% to 1.25%, it’s a significant move because the ECB becomes the first central bank among so-called wealthy nations to raise interest rates …
Birthday Divas: When Adults Demand Gifts, Attention, and Parties on Their Birthdays
Some words of wisdom for those demanding elaborate shows of love and affection on their birthdays, long after they’ve passed the age of 10: “Birthdays are for kids, except in the rare case when friends go ‘over the top’ for a fellow adult’s birthday, in which case it’s to be enjoyed strictly as the little life bonus it is. As in, …
It’s a Deal: 40% Off Sherwin-Williams Paints and Stains
From April 8 to 10, Sherwin-Williams retail stores are hosting “Super Sales” in which all paints and stains are marked down by 40%. Additionally, painting supplies are discounted by 30%, and wall coverings are 10% off.
Sales Up: American Consumer Recovery Back on Track
Costco. Victoria’s Secret. Wet Seal. Saks. Kohl’s. That’s as varied a group of stores you can get. Yet, all four giant retail chains reported that in March their sales were better than expected. Some of the chains’ sales were far better than expected.
For example, analysts had expected sales at Costco’s outlets open at least a year …
Bottled Water for Half Price—With No Bottle
Here comes a new kind of vending operation that promises to be the “ATM machine of water.” Using a BYO reusable bottle policy, the machines dispense purified water without the plastic bottle, and at a fraction of the price consumers now pay at a typical vending machine.
5 Assumptions No Smart Consumer Should Ever Make
In some situations, paying more doesn’t get you more, and paying the same costs you more in the long run.
Another PIIG to slaughter: What’s next for Europe?
It came as no surprise to anyone following the ongoing euro zone debt crisis that Portugal on Wednesday finally asked the European Union for a bailout. Pressure on the country’s beleaguered leadership had been intensifying for weeks, as it became harder and harder for the cash-strapped government to raise money on international markets …
Would A Government Shutdown Boost the Market?
Wall Street and Washington haven’t been getting along for a while. So perhaps it isn’t a surprise that the stock market seems somewhere between indifferent and gleeful at the prospect of a possible government shutdown. Stocks are up today, even as the likelihood of a government shutdown seems to have climbed from no-way to …
The Gift-Card-Only Budget Saved $206 in One Month
In an earlier Q&A, Ashley Grimaldo, a stay-at-home mom from Texas, told us all about her experiment paying her family’s expenses exclusively using gift cards. The cards, she says, helped her maintain a budget, and since she bought them at online marketplaces for less than face value, they also saved her money. How much? At the end of one …