above and beyond
I asked Apple this morning to replace my broken laptop now that they've reintroduced the anti-glare option on their 15" MacBook Pros. Apple agreed, and soon a new laptop will leave China destined for my apartment. This isn't the first laptop Apple sent me this month. It's the second. Here's why...
More »
recession watch
Feeling poorer lately? You are! A new government report says that $1.3 trillion dollars of American
wealth was vaporized in the first quarter of 2009.
More »
autos
If you're one of the like, 6 people who are buying new
cars this year, you're probably looking to get the most for your money. Our sister-publication
Consumer Reports took a look at this year's cars in a new way — judging them based not only on their test results but on their total cost of ownership. Let's take a look.
More »
bad deals
Starting next month, you might see TV spots advertising
Dairy Queen's new "Sweet Deal" menu, which is supposed to be a
value-priced alternative to their regular menu. They're already rolling it out, and at least one item on the menu will actually cost you about 8%
more than it used to.
More »
marketing
Gone are the days of pushing "premium" food offerings, says the
Wall Street Journal— big food manufacturers like
Kraft and Campbell are going to be pushing "cheap" foods like tomato soup and cheese singles — foods which are thought of as "easy on the wallet" but are still hugely profitable for the manufacturers.
More »
dollar menu
You know it was coming and now it's happened to reader Joe. Joe says that his local McDonald's has cruelly taken away both the Double Cheeseburger and the McChicken sandwiches from the cheap-as-hell glory that is the Dollar Menu.
More »
mortgages
If you have an open home equity line of credit you were counting on for renovations or other projects, you might want to read CNN Money's article about how lenders are
freezing them around the country. The main triggers for HELOC freezing are credit score changes and a rapid drop in home value in your area. The freeze may also be a computer-determined action, so if your HELOC suddenly goes away and you don't think it was justified, it may be worth checking your
FICO score and then contacting the lender to reopen the line or renegotiate it.
More »
labels
That $1,500 Prada bag may have been
stitched by an illegal Chinese immigrant slaving away in a Tuscan factory. The tentacles of globalization are starting to snake dirt-cheap foreign laborers into once-protected enclaves known for their quality swag.
More »
economy
According to the Associated Press the U.S. Dollar and the Canadian Dollar have reached parity for the first time since 1976, although Google is currently claiming that the ratio is 1 Canadian dollar = 0.987069 U.S. dollars. Fun!
More »
real estate
Hey! That old garage could be worth money! If you're like most American homeowners, you fill your garage with crap and let your car sit out in the rain. This is stupid. Stop doing this. By cleaning up your garage and making it into a useful space, you can increase the value of your home and protect the value of your car. (Psst, a good garage can add 14% to the value of your home, according to Bankrate.)
More »
shopping
Detroit car manufacturers are infuriated that none of their smoking heaps were named in
Consumer Reports' 2006 top ten list of vehicles, yielding this astonishing rant from General Motors executive Lori Green:
More »
Consumerist
eating out
burger king
burger king
