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Consumer

Wall Street Journal Podcast: Finding Deals Online

by Luke Landes

Last Friday, the first portion of my latest interview with the Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing E-Report was published for podcast listeners. Today, the second half of my rambling was broadcast, this time about finding deals online. Here are the time stamps relevant to the interview. 07:10 E-Report introduction 07:25 Best place to find ... Continue reading this article…

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Holiday Gift Guide, Part 4: Frugal Homemade Gifts

by Sasha

Homemade gifts can be so much more than the sum of their parts, which makes them a great frugal gift option. They are redolent of effort, of “I thought of you all year and worked on this for you” versus “I realized I needed a gift for you ten minutes ago and picked this up ... Continue reading this article…

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Holiday Gift Guide, Part 3: More Clutter-Free Consumable Gifts

by Sasha

I got a little carried away with consumable gifts in the food and drink category in my last entry, but that’s to be expected. This time around, my favorite ideas for non-edible consumable gifts: * Soap and Bath Products – They make a great gift basket, but are easily used up, so they don’t contribute ... Continue reading this article…

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Wall Street Journal Podcast: Safe and Smart Online Shopping

by Luke Landes

I mentioned the other day that I participated in an interview for a Wall Street Journal podcast, the Tech News Briefing E-Report. This service is seemingly accessible only to paid Wall Street Journal subscribers only1, but the RSS feed and the podcasts within are open to the public. To listen to the podcast episode containing ... Continue reading this article…

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Ten Tips for the Holidays: Avoiding Credit Card Traps

by Luke Landes

It’s not unusual for even the most savvy credit-card-carrying consumer to fall into some of the most popular traps for spenders set by credit issuers. I write about using credit cards wisely, but unfortunately, many who don’t get penalized with interest and fees. Even those who always pay their credit card bill in full are ... Continue reading this article…

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Holiday Gift Guide, Part 2: Clutter-Free Consumable Gifts: Food and Drink

by Sasha

Besides charitable giving, this year I’m focusing on clutter-free gifts: experiences and consumables. While experiences are great gifts, consumables give you something to open and enjoy Christmas morning. Unclutterer.com has some nice suggestions for theme-based consumable gift collections, such as bulbs and seeds for a gardener, spice collections for someone who enjoys cooking, and the ... Continue reading this article…

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Thanks For the Bats

by Luke Landes

This is a guest post from someone who pops up in some of my more personal stories here on Consumerism Commentary. “A.” is a fourth-grade teacher in the New York City public school system. Every Halloween, my aunt lends her skills to my fourth-grade class by creating bats out of sewn felt bean bags, which ... Continue reading this article…

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Black Friday and CVS Savings

by Sasha

My “Black Friday” shopping started yesterday at 8 a.m. after I’d readied my 26-pound turkey (we had 22 people planned for Thanksgiving this year) for its 6-plus hours in the oven. Instead of crawling back to bed whilst the scent of roasting turkey filled the house, I had a mission in mind. Earlier in the ... Continue reading this article…

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Happy Thanksgiving!

by Luke Landes

When it comes to holidays usurped by consumerism and with a backstory that begins to border on mythology rather than history, Thanksgiving is one towards the top of the list. These days, I try to take what I can from holidays without getting involved in any controversy. For me, Thanksgiving gives me a chance to ... Continue reading this article…

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After Black Friday, Retailers Face a Less-Than-Joyous Holiday Season

by Sasha

Each year without fail, a relative of mine loads up on Best Buy stock just before the holidays. “It’s a sure thing,” he boasts, “because the stock always climbs from the Christmas revenue.” But even with all the earlier-than-ever Black Friday sales and hubbub this year, including the aforementioned Best Buy issuing tickets for its ... Continue reading this article…

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How to Turn $500 Into $7 The Hard Way

by J.D. Roth

This is a guest post from J.D. Roth, who writes about personal finance and related topics at Get Rich Slowly. Back in our young and foolish days, my wife and I bought a set of encyclopedias from a door-to-door salesman. This was in 1995, at the very cusp of the digital age. We had been ... Continue reading this article…

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Consumption Is Investment

by Luke Landes

This is a guest post from Mrs. Micah, who maintains the blog Mrs. Micah: Finance and Life, in which the author is starting to deal responsibly with her $100,000+ debt. Every purchase you make is an investment. Too often we think of our purchases as consumables. Some are, like food, but even those should be ... Continue reading this article…

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A Car’s Resale Value: Does it Matter?

by Luke Landes

When I purchased my Honda Civic a few years ago, I chose this particular car because it was economical and reliable. I knew that Civics hold their value well, but I wasn’t planning on selling the car for many years. Kelley Blue Book recently announced their awards for best resale value. If you need a ... Continue reading this article…

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Gift Cards: Customers Lost $8 Billion Last Year

by Luke Landes

Here’s another reason not to give gift cards or certificates as presents this holiday season (or any other time). According to estimates by TowerGroup, $8 billion was lost by consumers last year who let their gift cards go unused — expired, lost, or ignored. Consumer Reports also says that their latest survey shows that 27 percent ... Continue reading this article…

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Make the Most Out of Best Buy

by Luke Landes

Money Magazine has tips for getting the most out of a Best Buy shopping trip, which reminded me to share my story of yesterday’s experience. In my circle of friends, the big box retail store known for its bright blue and yellow logo is known as “Worst Buy” thanks to the multitude of headaches their ... Continue reading this article…

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New Jersey Prescription Drug Price Registry

by Luke Landes

Over 100 of the most common prescription drugs are listed in the New Jersey Prescription Drug Price Registry, maintained by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. This website lets you search by medication name, type, and form to find the prices for these drugs by zip code. For example, if you search for 100 ... Continue reading this article…

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Opportunity to Buy A Dream Car For a Great Price

by Luke Landes

I get great satisfaction from reading personal finance stories from personal finance columnists. One columnist I usually like is Terri Cullen, who writes the Fiscally Fit column at the Wall Street Journal. Recently, her husband was offered a chance to buy his dream car, a like-new Chevrolet Corvette, for a too-good-to-be-true-but-is price. Gerry and I ... Continue reading this article…

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Phone Numbers Won’t Drop From Do Not Call List… Yet

by Luke Landes

Earlier this month, I mentioned that the Do Not Call list was about to expire, but today the Federal Trade Commission has decided to keep expiring phone numbers on the list. While the original intent was to expire phone numbers after five years to ensure accuracy, the FTP says they’ve managed to scrub the list ... Continue reading this article…

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Black Friday and Your Spending Habits

by Luke Landes

I truly despise the terms “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday” and how the retail industry has created these days in an effort to rationalize outrageous spending on these particular days as if it should be accepted as an integral part of the holiday season. Cyber Monday did not exist until retailers created it, and as ... Continue reading this article…

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Do Not Call List About to Expire

by Luke Landes

There’s little doubt that the federal Do Not Call list is a good thing for most people throughout the United States. All you have to do is sign up with your phone number and a valid e-mail address, and you will be protected from most dinnertime annoyances (besides your children)… … for five years. For ... Continue reading this article…

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