Starbucks is beginning to test $1 “short” cups of drip coffee with free refills in Seattle. Other chains are offering good alternatives at lower prices, so Starbucks might be feeling out the market to avoid getting beaned by the competition. Pricey drinks are of course a favorite example of David Bach, author of The Automatic … Read more
I generally try to be a helpful person. I like sharing what I know, and like to think that people will share what they know in return. In many instances, though, this sharing of information isn’t returned, and my questions are left unanswered or answered misleadingly, on purpose. In sharing something of value, or talking … Read more
Prominent personal finance blogger Liz Pulliam Weston recently repeated her disdain for giving plasticized cash as gifts. I agree that in many instances giving a gift card can imply a lack of tact or thought, but I won’t go so far as to say that gift cards are evil across the board. They do have … Read more
Getting something you need or want for a good price is a wise thing to do. Sometimes, though, the price of something is a red herring, something that distracts you from its true cost. Here are a dozen things that appear to be bargains but might not be: Used helmets or child seats Used helmets … Read more
We recently had been needing to watch our spending a lot more carefully than usual because of a number of very large outlays. Between buying a newer used van and getting some medical care, we took a big hit on our savings cushion. Then between work and the blog’s income we received a few nice … Read more
Nothing kills the value of something quite like the smell of cigarette smoke. Here’s how to remove smoke odor to an acceptable level … If you’re not a smoker, then you probably can detect even very low levels of cigarette smoke pretty quickly. It can be pretty nasty. I grew up with family members who … Read more
I was at a conference this week in California. Most of the conference attendees stayed at one particular Hyatt because of its proximity to the conference locale. This was a very good stay with only a couple of blips in my expectations. It wasn’t any false advertising by the hotel. Without getting into all of … Read more
I signed up for ReviewMe a while back. The first review I turned down because it wasn’t really on topic for this blog. This list of 118 ways to save money in college, though, is right on topic for a personal finance blog, and it’s quite good, so I’m more than happy to do this … Read more