Free lunch payback: The six costs of free

hidden costs of free

There’s not a thing wrong with free. In fact, free is one of my favorite four-letter words. But, it always pays to remember that “free” is not the same thing as “without cost.” Something that’s free may be without monetary cost, but there’s almost always some other cost. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. … Read more

Five items to stay powered up and warm

The winter weather in our area, like other places in the country, has been pretty bone-chilling the past few days.  Not nearly as bad as in the northeast, but still chilly. We learned the hard way a few years back that we weren’t quite prepared for a multi-day loss of power.  We had kind neighbors, … Read more

If margins are thin, discounts are tough

Do you notice how some stores seem to have 50%-off sales a lot of the time?  Does this make you think that the regular prices are about 100% too high? Walmart and Amazon.com aren’t like this at all.  These two retailers are perhaps best known for their low prices.  To offer low prices every day, … Read more

Black Friday 2014 hits the rebate sites!

In-store fights on Black Friday are becoming as much tradition as Thanksgiving. Does the thought of scrapping it out with a stranger over a $9.99 DVD player appeal to you? Me neither. Thankfully, no one is going to reach into their computer to overturn your Amazon shopping cart or sever your internet connection.  I’ve managed … Read more

Want to make tons of money? Two keys

There are lots of people who claim to have the key to making money. And with this post, I’m going to bite the bullet and become one of those people who claims to have the key to making money. But, I’m not going to charge you anything for this key.  I’m not even going to … Read more