Dollar stores: they sell almost everything that you might want, and a lot of things that you didn’t know you wanted. There are items available at these cheaporiums that you don’t need, or didn’t even think you needed before you saw them. Then there are items that, if you can find them in a dollar store, you shouldn’t even bother to shop for them anywhere else. [More]
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Ryanair's Newest Cost Cutting Idea: Remove Second Pilot
By 9.7.10
Did Ryanair’s publicity-chasing CEO Michael O’Leary read about that American Airlines flight back in June? In a recent interview, he suggested that one way to reduce costs would be to get rid of the second pilot and just make sure every flight has a flight attendant with a pilot’s license. [More]
Kodak Demonstrates Its Awesome Camera Technology With Stock Photo
By 7.14.10
It’s common practice for companies to license stock photography to use in promotional materials, but one of our readers thinks it’s somewhat strange that a camera company would go this route, when the one thing you’re trying to sell to consumers is the ability to capture great images. [More]
Fisher Price Includes Batteries, But Not Ones That Work
By 6.28.10
Dana is annoyed that the Fisher Price toy she bought for her baby promised her that batteries were included. They were in the box all right, but they were dead. In fact the manual Fisher Price enclosed with the toy suggests you immediately replace the included batteries with new ones. [More]
In The Military? Museum Admission Is Free This Summer
By 5.25.10
Starting Memorial Day, May 31, and lasting until Labor Day, September 6, more than 600 museums around the country are waiving admission fees for active members of the military and members of their immediate family. The Blue Star Museum program is a joint effort that’s being launched by the National Endowment for the Arts and a nonprofit group called Blue Star Families. The NEA has a map showing which museums are participating around the country. [More]
Taco Bell Escalates Cheap Food War With $2 Value Meals
By 5.14.10
Not to be outdone by the proliferation of dollar menus and $10 pizzas, Taco Bell has announced $2 value meals. Yes, for a mere $2, you will soon be eating a taco or burrito, a medium soft drink and a bag of Doritos. [More]
Safety Commission Cracking Down On Cadmium In Kids' Jewelry
By 5.11.10
It’s a good thing summer camps are coming up, with their weird seminars on bracelet weaving and whittling rings, because the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just announced a recall of 19,000 charms sold at Claire’s stores, and says that’s just the beginning. [More]
There Aren't Any Jobs Because These Five People Work Everywhere
By 4.6.10
There’s a funny post at the blog Fair Trade Photographer about cheap stock photography, particularly how companies who try to cut corners end up using the same image over and over. Barton has a serious message for companies, too: if you want us to trust you, maybe you shouldn’t put a generic stock photo of generic office people on your generic website. [More]
Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch
By 3.15.10
There are several apps on the Apple app store that help consumers track sales and free offers from developers, but you have to launch them and check in regularly. The website App Spy offers an automated price tracker for games (just games, unfortunately) that will send you an email whenever a price threshhold is reached. If you tend to be an app junkie, it can help save you money by letting you get your fix on the cheap good stuff. [More]
How To Polish A Scratched iPhone
By 3.9.10
Replacing an iPhone is expensive, which is why this guy decided to buy a heavily used and damaged one and clean it up himself. You might find the screen replacement side too daunting, but the procedure for turning a dull, scratched case into a glossy smooth one is something pretty much anyone can do. [More]
Slim-Fast Thinks Its Shakes Are Worth About 29 Cents A Can
By 1.11.10
Daniel agreed to throw away 35 cans of Slim-Fast after the company announced a recall last month over fears of contamination. He called the number provided by Unilever and provided his address, and then waited for the full refund they promised. What he got was a check for $10.20. [More]
Walmart Wants You To Buy All Your Turkey And TV From Them This Year
By 11.4.09
Walmart is ramping up the price war on another front. Instead of hardcovers, this time the retailer is cutting prices on turkey and flat-panel TVs, reports Bloomberg.
What Are Some Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas?
By 10.19.09
The personal finance blog Moolanomy posted a list of 25 cheap Halloween costumes, including ones that make no sense (see “Soup and crackers”) and ones that sound borderline dirty (see “Facebook wall”). The list made us realize that our readers probably have a lot of equally cheap, and equally-or-more creative, costume ideas of their own.
Walmart Now Offering New Hardcovers For $9
By 10.16.09
Walmart just tried to undercut Amazon on, of all things, books. They’ve announced that they’re now selling the “top 10 pre-selling books” for $9 each, with free home delivery. Amazon has responded by dropping its price to $9 on the same titles, but their free shipping doesn’t kick in until you buy $25 worth of merchandise (or pay the annual fee for Amazon Prime). Price war!
Shop At A Dollar Store, Gamble On Quality
By 10.8.09
Marlene Alexander will buy pretty much anything, at least once, from her local dollar store. Then depending on how well it holds up, she might write about it to warn others. She’s put together a list of some of the biggest dollar store failures she’s encountered over the past year.
Traveling Domestically? Consider A Hostel
By 9.16.09
Tough times has forced a developer in South Florida to rethink his condo hotel development, so he’s reconfigured it as a hotel-hostel that offers not just the standard shared room arrangements familiar to any college student who’s traveled, but also slightly more expensive private rooms with kitchenettes and basic hotel amenities for $50 a night, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
By 9.2.09
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Here’s an affordable, non-piratey way to round out your music collection for half (or less) of what you’d pay to Amazon or iTunes. Pitchfok has published their selection of the top 500 tracks of the 2000s. Online music service Lala is offering most of them for 50 cents each for a limited time.
McDonald's Rolls Out Breakfast Dollar Menu
By 8.28.09
Some McDonald’s locations just got a breakfast dollar menu. For $1 you can be the proud owner of one of six menu items: two hot cakes, a fruit ‘n yogurt parfait, a sausage biscuit, a sausage McMuffin, two hash browns or medium coffee. Reuters says that the change isn’t permanent and reports that analysts are claiming that cheaper breakfast is a result of rising unemployment.
