Yes, skiing can be an incredibly expensive sport. (See: one-day lift passes in excess of $100.) No, skiing doesn’t have to be an incredibly expensive sport. (See: cheap and freebie promotions below.)
colorado
Ski Bums at Soup Kitchens: Warm Winter, Hard Times in Mountain Towns
Months of unseasonably warm weather have given the economy quite a boost: Mother Nature has been pointed to as the reason for increased spending on construction, restaurants, and home-improvement supplies, among other goods and …
Where Gas Prices Have Soared Even Higher Than California
California tends to get a lot of the attention in terms of rising gas prices. The state does have the highest prices in the Lower 48, now averaging $4.35 per gallon, up from $3.83 in mid-February. But over the last five or so …
Can a Website Help Reduce Your Property Taxes?
A company called ValueAppeal has been blanketing homeowners in Connecticut, Ohio, and New Jersey, among other places, with claims that it can help them appeal their home revaluations and reduce their property taxes—for a fee of …
Now Is the Time to Learn to Ski or Snowboard on the Cheap
It’s hard to claim that downhill skiing is remotely inexpensive. Colorado’s Steamboat Ski Area is noteworthy this year because its top price for a one-day lift ticket is “just” $99. In other words, it hasn’t crossed the $100 …
Insider Insight: Doctor’s Assessment of Paperwork for Health Insurance Claims
“If you were running any other business, you would say this is ridiculous.”
Buying in Bulk: Trimming Food Bills Beyond the Warehouse Stores
With prepackaged food, somebody’s got to pay for the packaging—and that somebody is the consumer. But shoppers can bypass the packaging and marketing costs built into most food items by hitting bulk food dispensers—which now not only sell staples like coffee, beans, pasta, and grains, but also goods you wouldn’t think to buy without …
Buzz Kill: Turns Out Selling Pot Fails as a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
All of those spreadsheets, business models, and marketing ideas you’ve been poring over in your parent’s basement—perhaps between video games and bong hits—may have been a waste of time.
What’s Up? Also, What’s Down
The economy has had its ups and downs—OK, mostly downs of late. Here, some statistics showing the economic fallout on all sorts of things, including cheap booze sales (they’re up), military recruits with college degrees (also up), and excuses for getting out of jury duty (way up).
Why People Aren’t Sold on Energy Efficiency in their Homes
How many residents of Boulder, Colorado, does it take to screw in a light bulb? 100,000: Taxpayers foot the bill for teams of techies to go door-to-door and caulk windows, swap old light bulbs for compact fluorescent ones, and install programmable thermostats, all in the name of energy efficiency. Should saving energy—and money—be …