I didn’t know that there was a term for “buying a piece of clothing with the intent of returning it after wearing it for one evening.” It’s called wardrobing and it apparently cost stores nearly $9 billion last year, according to the National Retail Federation. Bloomingdale’s is taking matters into its own hands to combat … Read more
Want to know what something is really worth? Check out this post to see how to determine fair market value on eBay … The web has created enormous price competition for pretty much anyone who sells anything. No longer are people stuck with the price of a local store. People can get great pricing information … Read more
(You’ll see why …) A couple of weeks ago, my bride received a one-star review on Amazon for both of her historical fantasy books and her short story. This wasn’t the end of the world for a couple of reasons: first, she had far more four- and five-star reviews, and secondly, it means that the … Read more
There are some ways to spend less money that are so easy, and so hassle-free, that it’s almost a no-brainer to use. This is true of rebate websites: websites that give you cash back simply for clicking through their site on the way to the place you want to shop. This free money comes from … Read more
A few weeks ago I posted on why habitually returning things to the store isn’t a bargain. I gave two main reasons why: It’s a poor use of time. Returning stuff takes time — sometimes a lot of time. Time isn’t free. You get on the store’s naughty list and could be refused business in … Read more
One very enjoyable stop when we’re in Vermont is Goodies Snack Bar in Addison, VT. For a buck we can get a freakin’ huge creemee (that’s Vermont for soft-serve ice cream). One time I made the mistake of getting a medium hard-pack ice cream cone. The thing had well over a pint of ice cream … Read more
My wife recently went on a research trip investigating the Goodnight-Loving Trail for her third book. Book sales had gone up a bit, which is certainly a welcome sight. She sells her books through Create Space (for paperbacks) and Kindle Direct Publishing (for e-books). The admin dashboard for KDP shows up-to-date stats of what she’s … Read more
A colleague and his wife are extreme couponers. She spends the equivalent of nearly a full workday a week following through with sales, coupon clipping, stacking, turning in CVS Bonus Bucks, etc. They can get an entire bag of things for next to nothing, and sometimes they even walk away with money in their pocket. … Read more