It’s not just about avoidance techniques. Also covered: What’s the most economical sandwich to make at home? If you’re thinking PB&J, you’re wrong.
The sideways economy
The headline from this morning’s Labor Department jobs report isn’t cheery: the number of people on payroll fell by 131,000 in July. That’s not the direction we need to be going. The payroll number for June was also revised downward, from 125,000 jobs lost to 221,000.
It’s important, though, to look at the difference between what’s …
The Recession as Literary Muse
On the surface, the economy doesn’t seem like the sexiest topic for a novelist to explore. But a dramatic swing in the economy means great drama in people’s lives. Just as the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and the Roaring ’20s provided the setting and inspiration for works of art and literature in their respective eras, the current …
Why You Don’t Have to Be Locked into an Annoying, Expensive Two-Year Cell Phone Contract
There are more no-contract options than ever before: You can prepay your bill or pay as you go, and, if you decide you don’t like the phone or the payment terms, you can walk away with no termination fees—which might cost you over $300 if you were locked into a wireless provider contract.
Five Questions. Also: Five Answers
Including: What’s the downside of going cash only? And: Should a restaurant tip be based on the amount before or after taxes?
It’s a Deal: Free Kids’ Triaminic Fever Reducer (with Rebate)
A bottle of Triaminic Fever Reducer Pain Reliever (a new medicine competing with liquid children’s Tylenol) can be yours for free. You must purchase a bottle at any store by August 8, then mail in the receipt and a rebate form (follow the link above) by August 31, and you’ll be reimbursed for the full purchase price, up to a value of $6.99.
A Nation In Search Of Higher Yields
If you ask Americans today which they would like most, a promising stock or an ample bond yield, my guess is that the bond would win by a landslide. Even though inflation is not eating away at purchasing power, declining incomes are. What people are hoping for, hunting for, is that reliable investment that steadily kicks off cash…for …
‘Buy Now, Before the Price Goes Up Again’: How Home Builders Use Price Hikes to Mess with Buyers
The game is orchestrated so that the buyer feels a sense of urgency and purchases a house whether it’s worth the asking price or not.
What we can learn from for-profit colleges
Today’s Senate hearing about for-profit colleges provides something to think about for anyone who feels privatization is the Great Solution to what ails the U.S. education system. We’ve already heard the stories about how much more often students at profit-seeking schools default on their loans. Now we have an inside look at the hard …
Going on a Hunger Strike to Dispute a $3,400 Water Bill
Desperate economic situations sometimes call for desperate, over-the-top, borderline-crazy measures. Rather than see his home taken in foreclosure proceedings, one Ohio man bulldozed the property before the bank could seize it. Rather than bite the bullet and somehow figure out a way to get her torn rotator cuff treated by a doctor, one …
Portrait of Today’s Schizophrenic Consumer
The Great Recession has made consumers reconsider purchases that were once made without much thought. Perhaps, the new thinking goes, you don’t need a new wardrobe every season or a new refrigerator every two years. Perhaps you should only make these sorts of purchases when they are truly necessary. But, speaking of necessities, don’t …
It’s a Deal: Buy One White Castle Meal, Get a Second One Free
Follow this Buxr link to print out a coupon for a buy one, get one free deal on your choice of seven different White Castle Saver Sack meals. The coupon is valid through September 4.