MSN Money often recycles older personal finance articles for its front page. I don’t really mind since I might have missed one in the past. They don’t date their articles so you never know when something was originally posted.
They are featuring an article on finding deals on hotel rooms. They give some examples, but here’s the bottom line procedure:
* Start your search on Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity. Each site will give you a different mix of results.
* Pick one hotel you like and visit that hotel’s website (or the hotel chain’s website) to find a lower rate.
* Call the hotel, ask for the lowest rate, and then negotiate using the familiar line, “Is that the best you can do?” Calling the hotel on Sunday gives you a better chance to get someone who’s free to negotiate on price. Call again at the last minute. Some rooms may have opened up or prices may have changed.
* If your web search returns “no availability” for a particular hotel, check the hotel’s website anyway.
The article has further suggestions for upgrading hotel rooms or aiming for super non-refundable rates through sites like Hotwire and Priceline (PCLN) but that can be risky.
I’m thinking of going out to California next month. I’m checking flight prices with a new fare search from Yahoo (although it is still in beta). It queries “discount” carriers in addition to the bigger airlines. With some time, I’ll compare it to the fares other search engines find. In the mean time, check it out if you’re booking a trip.
From the YouCanSellAnythingOneBay Department:
You can now bid on a stripper’s removed breast implant. At the time the article was written, bidding was up to $14,000. Don’t get hasty, you can bid on the item only after approval from Tawny Peaks, the seller/porn star.
Wal-Mart already performs a million financial transactions a week and has good deals — better than most banks — on money orders and wire transfers. They’ve attempted to buy a local bank in the past. What if Wal-Mart did enter the banking industry?
Liz Pulliam-Weston speculates on the consequences which seem favorable. For instance, Wal-Mart’s customers have an average income below the national average and most of those people do not already have bank accounts. If Wal-Mart brings its low-cost philosophy to banking, it could mean savings-seekers will have more and better options as discount banks compete.
Sidenote: You may have noticed I’ve added a link on the website for accepting donations. I don’t expect to garner much, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt. If you like what you read here, feel free to drop a buck in the bucket. PayPal takes care of the transaction and takes a fee out of my side for every payment accepted, but it could be worth it.
Marshall Loeb from CBS Moneywatch has published an article explaining how to properly “grease,” that is, tip in advance to ensure special service.
His “tips” for discreet tipping:
* Talk to the person in power.
* Speak privately instead of in front of other customers.
* Fold the bill with the denomination clearly visible by the tipee.
* Sincerely thank the person in advance.
Elsewhere in CBS Marketwatch, Jon Friedman complains about blogs. Not necessarily personal finance blogs, but those whose writers tend to think they’re part of a new media revolution.
M.P. Dunleavey adds this commentary on MSN Money. She talks about “luxury” products that draw the attention of middle-class individuals to help them feel like they have a wealthy lifestyle. One of her points is that the premium paid for a high end item very rarely justifies the price difference. Dunleavey includes examples of various types of products with a luxury equivalent that draws people who can’t afford them, such as watches, chocolate, sneakers, and baby products.
She quotes a psychologist who calls the cause “miswanting” — what people want (a life of wealth) can’t be satisfied by acquiring luxury items.
Spike already posted on his blog some thoughts about the commercials during the Super Bowl, focusing on the draw of monkeys. I’ll add to that a little bit about an ad he didn’t mention.
In the first quarter, Fox aired an advertisement for GoDaddy.com. The spot was about some kind of committee hearing on censorship in the wake of last year’s Super Bowl halftime fiasco. I don’t remember the thrust of the ad’s message, but the spokeswomen for GoDaddy did have very large breasts.
The ad was also scheduled to be aired at the two minute warning in the final quarter, but Fox decided at the last minute to pull the ad, despite it having been approved by Fox and aired earlier.
GoDaddy’s CEO discusses the censorship of the company’s ad on his weblog. Imagine that — an ad about censorship being censored.
Also on the topic of advertisements, according to this article, moviegoers could be seeing even more advertisements in the theaters despite a movement to require theater operators to indicate the start time of the actual movie rather than the ads.
The Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are now twin queens of their media empire. Not bad for only 18. Apparently their attorney, who helped them build the Olsen Twin Empire and has been CEO of their company, agreed to let the twins take over their business if compensated, and in his own words he was, handsomely.
Joining her sister in a statement, Mary-Kate Olsen said: “We are very thankful that we are able to enjoy our college experience, run a business, and live our lives.”
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