Archive for the Spend Category

Personal Computer: Buy New or Repair?

Categories: Budget, Spend

You might wonder why an article about computer purchasing at a financial planning website. However, in the last 30 years your personal budget for electronic, such as laptops, smart phones, tablets and e-readers has probably expanded a lot; good decision-making is important.

Is Black Friday a Retail Illusion?

Categories: Spend

Is it smart to buy during Black Friday? The Wall Street Journal reported that Black Friday is “A Retail Illusion, The Dirty Secret of Black Friday Discounts,” is merely a manipulative ploy aimed to get you to buy things you think are at the lowest cost of the year. In actuality, retailers are really smart, they know… Read More »

Why is the Luxottica Eyeglass Monopoly a Rip Off for Customers?

Categories: Spend

Avoid Eye Glass Rip-Offs and Save Money 60 Minutes article “Sticker Shock: Why are glasses so expensive?” is about what seems like, could be a monopoly in the eye-glass industry.  The story highlighted the largest company in the vision industry, Luxottica. It seems they severely inflate the cost we pay for eye-wear for corporate profits. Eye-glasses and frames only… Read More »

Bargain Grocery Shoppers to Get More Aldi’s

Categories: Groceries, Spend

These days there are many more techniques to shop for groceries, compared to our parents when we were kids. The latest one gaining in broader acceptance and use are the bargain chains. I will tell you about them and Aldi and their expansion plans in a moment, but lets review the various ways people shop… Read More »

Great Last Minute Gift Idea

Categories: Giving, Spend

I hate shopping, but I love to be creative. So when I got this idea for a gift, my heart leapt for joy!  Fun to do this, and glad that store was conquered. This year, on one side of our family, we are doing a minimal gift exchange for $25. It is so hard to… Read More »

Savings Throughout the House, Room by Room: Frugal Kitchen

Categories: Spend

Second article in a series featuring many ways to save money in every room of the house. From the basement to the attic: today’s article provides some tips for saving money in the kitchen. Countless articles here and other blogs cover ways to save using coupons and knowledge of the game of grocery shopping. So… Read More »

Savings Throughout the House, Room by Room: Laundry Room

Categories: Spend

Second article in a series featuring many ways to save money in every room of the house. From the basement to the attic: today’s article provides two great ways to save money in the laundry room: detergent and spot remover. Laundry detergent can be rather expensive, easily costing $10 or much more for your typical… Read More »

Savings Throughout the House, Room by Room: Basement

Categories: Spend

This series of several articles will feature ways to save money in every room of the house. From the basement to the attic, including the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, closets and garage. Sometimes money savings articles can be hard to follow, because they connect various areas of life, but for those of us that are… Read More »

How to Save on Razor Blades

Categories: Spend

Men’s razor blades can be very expensive, easily costing $15 to $35 for a package of replacement cartridge blades- however I may have found a couple of cheaper solutions: one is an online service called Dollar Shave Club (DSC). I cringe every time a single item at the grocery store costs $15 or more, so I… Read More »

Extended Warrantees and Buyer Protection Plans

Is buying extended warranties a good idea? Sometimes they are called buyer protection plans too. The general consensus from almost all financial planners, writers and personal finance personalities like Dave Ramsey and Susan Orman is that they are a rip-off. Most products come with some sort of warranty, and that is a good thing to compare… Read More »