Consumerist
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traveling
Never Pack Your Jewelry In Checked Baggage
This past February, a Delta customer had her expensive heirloom jewelry stolen from her checked bag on a trip from Rochester through Atlanta to Las Vegas:
More »My suitcase had been opened, my jewelry bag unzipped, and my fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, sapphires) had been hand picked out of the jewelry bag and the inexpensive jewelry (plastic, glass, metal) left strewn across my belongings inside my suitcase.
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advice
Be Your Own Financial Regulator
Any sort of federal agency to protect consumers from abuse from the financial industry is months, or possibly years, away, notes Linda Stern of Reuters. That's why you shouldn't depend on such an agency to protect you in the meantime. In fact, you can take her advice and use it no matter what happens at the federal level. More » -
saving money
How Being Lazy Costs You Money
Forbes is tired of you sitting around all the time staring at the TV. They've put together a list of all the ways you're losing money by not trying just a little bit harder. For example, by not taking the time to choose the best rate on your savings account (which usually means looking at online banks instead of the local one where you do your checking), you're missing out on extra interest. Another area: not paying close attention to deadlines on 0% finance offers, where one slip can cost you dearly.
"All The Ways Your Laziness Is Costing You" [Forbes] (Photo: RobotSkirts)
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scams
How To Protect Susceptible Relatives From Scams
The Wall Street Journal ran an article yesterday about how to identify and protect loved ones from con artists. One of the problems with being an easy mark—say, because of reduced mental capacity or increasing isolation—is that you get put on a list and passed around to other scammers, says Karen Blumenthal, the author of the piece and a relative of one of these perpetually easy marks. More » -
insiders
More Insider Tips When Buying From Radioshack
There's clearly no love lost between D. and D's former employer, RadioShack. A little over a year ago, D. sent us some insider tips on what to watch out for when you shop at RS. Now here comes a follow-up, with more information on cell phone sales tricks, warranty pitches, and used merchandise. More » -
laundry day
When Can You Ignore The "Dry Clean Only" Label?
Karl Huie's family has been in the garment cleaning business since 1969, and since 2007 Huie has been offering "wet cleaning"—an eco-friendly alternative that uses water, soaps, and CO2. At the blog ecosalon, Huie provides some professional advice on which clothes are safest to wash at home, and when you should stick with dry cleaning, or at least professional cleaning.
"Dry Clean Only? An Eco Expert Tells Us When It's Safe to Ignore Labels" [ecosalon] (Thanks to Sara!)
(Photo: Wm Jas) -
robocallers
Robocallers Cannot Magically Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate
The Better Business Bureau and Senator Charles Schumer are warning the public to be skeptical of any calls promising to lower your credit card interest rate. While nowhere near at the public annoyance level of the recent car warranty robocaller scourge, they're still out there, automatically dialing people and promising to lower your rate for a hefty up-front fee. The only problem is, they can't do anything you can't do on your own, and unless you're crazy you're probably not going to charge yourself a thousand bucks for the service. More » -
malware
Try These Search Terms If You Want Some Malware
Computer virus company McAfee has assembled a list of the top search keywords that are most commonly linked to malware exposure. The winning phrases are: word unscrambler, lyrics, myspace, free music downloads, phelps, game cheats, printable fill-in puzzles, free ringtones and solitaire. In addition, the general categories that are considered riskiest are: screen savers, free games, work from home, Olympics, videos, celebrities, music and news. More » -
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Should you buy a ShamWow to wash your car? Consumer Reports says, "No!" Instead, apply the suds with a large, soft natural sponge or a lamb's-wool mitt. Then use a natural or synthetic chamois or terry cloth towels. [Consumer Reports]
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The next time you're looking at hotels online, try www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com. Our readers recommend both sites for helping you figure out which hotels you're being offered on Priceline or Hotwire. (Thanks to bohemian and picantel!)
MORE »
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drugstore game
Walgreens Cancels EasySaver Program, But That Doesn't Mean You Can't Still Play "The Drugstore Game"
Mitchell wrote to us complaining about Walgreen's decision to cancel its EasySaver Rebate program, where customers could submit multiple rebate requests at once and get the money back along with a 10% bonus applied to a gift card. Although the program is no longer with us, it's still very possible to game the reward/discount systems at Walgreens and other chain drugstores to accumulate huge savings. Sometimes you can even make money back. More » -
tips
AT&T Wireless Customer? Turn Off Phone Purchasing Power To Prevent Unauthorized Charges
If you're managing cellphones for a family or your parents, or let's say hypothetically you have a boyfriend who says he reads Consumerist but really he doesn't or else he would have known better, you'll probably run into stupid subscription and content fees from time to time. You know how people are when it comes to fake "free" offers. More » -
forgotten money
Check For Unredeemed, Matured Government Bonds
A PR person just contacted us on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department to point out that there are $16 billion in unredeemed bonds that are no longer earning interest. "Specifically, there are 40 million Series E savings bonds purchased between 1941 and 1978 that are over 30 years old and therefore have fully matured. They can be cashed out today for at least four times their face value." More » -
tips
Self Check-Out At Supermarket Means Fewer Impulse Buys
Consumer Reports says that the supermarket self check-out line is better on your wallet and your gut. "You'll find fewer snacks," they write, "and because of the shorter wait time, you'll have less time to contemplate a snack attack." There's even a study that shows impulse purchases dropped by nearly a third for women and a sixth for men when they chose the self check-out line. You also get to play with the scanner, touchscreen, and bag area, which is a lot more fun than just standing around. (That's right, "bag area.")
"Self-checkout, cut calories and costs" [ConsumerReports]
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savings
Here Are 30 Money Saving Twitterers To Follow
Savings.com has put together a list of 30 of the most followed people on Twitter who offer tips on good deals. Of course, savings.com readers have already started adding alternates in the comments below the list. Feel free to make your own suggestions after the jump.
"30 Deal Hunters to Follow on Twitter" [Savings.com]
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personal finance
Get Ahead By Working For Yourself One Hour Each Day
For most people, their career is their most valuable financial asset. But for those willing to make the effort, even a small one, there might be something even more valuable—a side business that could potentially turn into a very large source of income. More » -
Did you know that in California, if you ask the Subway sandwich mechanic (or whatever they're called) to toast your sandwich, you'll be charged a sales tax, whereas if you go untoasted you won't? Crazy! Thomas Hawk says you should always order your coffee to go at California restaurants, even if you plan on drinking it there, to avoid a similar crazy tax. [Thomas Hawk] (Thanks to Glenn!)
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spam
Create Your Own Opt-Out When A Company Ignores Your Requests
Mark started getting promotional emails from Hilton over a year ago, and he's tried all sorts of opt-out strategies:
More »
tips
New York, 8:02 PM
Sun Jul 5
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