Search Results for: blog shopping love it or loathe it

Shopping – Love It Or Loathe It?

A few weeks ago, I went out shopping for the day with my mom and my son. While I enjoyed spending the time with both of them, throughout the day I kept thinking about all of the things that I would rather be doing with them other than shopping. Things like spending time out in the yard, going for a walk, or even playing indoors. Anything but shopping. How could this be? When did I come to dislike shopping so much? I am not sure that there was any one defining event; it was more like a gradual shift of … Continue reading →

Documenting Black Friday Traditions

Did you brave the crazy big (and just crazy) crowds this morning to score crazy good Black Friday deals? I know some people who camped outside of Best Buy for 10 hours in order to get one of the “golden tickets” that allowed them to be the first inside the store at midnight. For some families, Black Friday shopping is a holiday tradition that they hold near and dear. I’ve seen people design matching t-shirts to wear while they hunt down deals, while others don huge wacky hats so they can find their loved ones in the masses. What’s more, … Continue reading →

Simple Ways to Spend Less

I still can’t get over the results of the TODAY show’s latest experiment featuring name brand versus generic dishwashing detergent. Who knew that a low-cost store brand could go head-to-head with a powerhouse like Cascade and come out on top? I buy Cascade. Religiously. Looks like I will be re-evaluating my brand loyalty. TODAY’s consumer correspondent Janice Lieberman gave great tips on ppurchasing generic items instead of name brands whenever possible. This is advice I’ve heard before, but typically I reserve my generic buys for common staples such as sugar, flour, and bleach. I don’t usually experiment with generic brands … Continue reading →

Digging for Discounts

Living near an outlet mall is a double-edged word. Whereas I love that I am so close to stores that offer daily deals on new items, if I don’t exercise will power, I can easily spend a ton of money scooping up sale merchandise. Fortunately, you don’t have to live next to an outlet mall or warehouse store to save money on clothes, footwear, or household items. Savvy shoppers know exactly where to go to bargain hunt. Thrift, consignment, and resale stores are a frugalista’s dream. These types of shops carry “gently used” or “like new” items at deeply discounted … Continue reading →

Credit vs Debit: Dave Ramsey Weighs In

If you think that using a credit card is safer than using a debit card, you may change your mind after hearing what personal finance guru Dave Ramsey has to say about the real advantages and disadvantages of using credit and debit cards. According to Ramsey, one very important disadvantage of using credit cards is that they allow users to incur debt – something that does not happen with debit cards because you are limited by the amount of funds in your bank account at any given time. I really never thought about it that way, but it makes a … Continue reading →

The Saver and the Spender Get Married

Money is one of the leading causes of contention in marriage, and is ranked by some statisticians as the number one reason for divorce. I would say that failure to communicate about money is the real culprit, rather than money being the culprit itself. And when you have one spouse who feels more secure with money in the bank and the other spouse who gets comfort from going shopping, you have a situation where both spouses feel insecure because of the actions of the other. If he’s the saver, she may feel as though he’s depriving her of comfort, and … Continue reading →

Money Tips For Kids

Perhaps I did not listen closely when my parents tried to teach me about money, or perhaps I did hear their advice but thought that I could somehow be alright financially without following it. Maybe there was not much in the way of personal finance training in my grade school and high school curriculum. The exact factors that lie beneath my financial ineptness do not matter, though. What does matter is that I educate myself about personal finance now, and that I take care to do my best to ensure that my son grows up to be financially fit. Even … Continue reading →

Fast Food Kids’ Meals—How Healthy Are They?

My small fry loves French fries more than I would like her to… but I know she isn’t the only 3-year-old out there who begs for the greasy potato strings when driven by those famous golden arches. What about you? What are your children eating for dinner tonight? If your answer contains the words: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions (you get the idea)… then this blog is for you. I happen to be a parent who loathes having to stop at fast food restaurants for any meal. However, since we do travel quite a bit I … Continue reading →