Admittedly, this is a very advanced money saving tip. Only the very seriously broke, or very seriously frugal try to wash their own cat. Some of you might say, “You don’t need to wash a cat.” Hey, maybe you don’t, but there are people out there making a living washing cats.
tips
All About Steak
By 1.8.07
The Slate writer held a taste test and decided on grass-fed beef at $21.50 per lbs, not the most expensive variety tested. “Never have I witnessed a piece of meat so move grown men (and women).” Check it out.
10 Steps To A Simple Financial Life
By 1.8.07
One day you woke up and you realized that you were an adult, and, as said adult, you would be mailed something called a “fund prospectus.” What? How did this happen to you? What should you do about it?
The Gift Card Economy
By 1.8.07
- Next year, if you need a gift for a strict rationalist, consider cash. If you want to appeal to someone’s wild self, you’ll have to use your imagination. And if you’re hoping to send a little something extra to the shareholders of Best Buy or the Gap or Tiffany, consider a gift card.
And get a month-to-month gym membership. —MEGHANN MARCO
GrandCentral + TMobile = Cheap Incoming Phone Calls?
By 1.5.07
Do you have TMobile? If you do, you might be able to use GrandCentral to forward calls to your cell phone, add your Grand Central number to your “five faves” and everyone who calls your Grand Central number counts as a “fave.”
Cleaning To-Do Lists
By 1.3.07
We’re in a cleaning/organizing mood today, so we thought we’d link this story from Real Simple. It has lists of household chores broken down by when you should do them, day, week, season. Their lists are ok, we guess. (Launder the dust ruffle? Do we have one of those?) Anyway, it’s a helpful reference to maybe print out and give to the lazier members of the household. You know who you are. —MEGHANN MARCO
Resolve To Be A Smarter Consumer
By 1.2.07
It’s that time of year again, when the gym sign-up fees are low and the expectations are high. It’s the time for making resolutions, and if you’re looking for a few… we have some suggestions. This year, you can resolve to be a smarter consumer.
Confused Consumers: Why Isn’t My HDTV Picture Clear?
By 1.2.07
Consumer electronics retailers are doing a crappy job of explaining HDTV, so much so that people sometimes return the sets as defective.
HPShopping Gives Automatic Refunds For Items Under $50
By 12.29.06
Did you know that if you order any item under $50 from hpshopping.com and call to return it, they will let you keep it and give a full refund?
HOW TO: Donate to Charity
By 12.28.06
It’s the end of the year, so we thought we’d offer some tips on charitable giving. There are only a few days left to donate items before the end of the year. Giving to charity is about more than just saving on your taxes, it’s also about helping a cause that’s important to you. You could save a panda, or cure a disease, or help someone who is hungry. Giving to charity is a way for you to decide where your money goes.
Organize Your Holiday Crap
By 12.27.06
We know you’re sitting there at your computer looking at a huge pile of Holiday crap. Where will you put it? This week is the best time to get organized. We know it seems impossible, but it’s not. Real Simple has some nice tips for storing all your decorations in a neat organized way. Here are some we like:
Hidden Cost of DVRs
By 12.27.06
Reader Mike writes in with a tip we just don’t repeat enough. A lot of newer appliances draw as much, or slightly less, power when “off” than when “on.” In order to really, truly save electricity you need to plug your DVR/TV/Computer/Whatever in to a power strip and shut the power strip off.
35 Most Outrageous Fees and How to Avoid Them
By 12.27.06
CNN has broken down ” the most outrageous” fees levied on consumers and how to avoid them. Unsurprisingly, quite a few have to do with travel, banking, and airlines. Paper ticket fees, flight change fees, ATM fees, etc. Some good travel tips are to be had: Southwest airlines doesn’t charge to change a flight, and JetBlue only charges $25-$30.
SEND IN YOUR TIPS
By 12.26.06
You are what you eat, we eat tips, therefore by sending us tips, you shape, form and make The Consumerist.
SeatGuru: Avoid Crappy Airline Seats
By 12.21.06
Commenters mention this site a lot, and BoingBoing wrote it up today, so we thought it would be a good time to link to it. SeatGuru is a site featuring seating charts for aircraft on all major carriers. Their charts tell you important things like, does this seat smell of satanic beer farts and airplane toilet chemicals? The charts also have important information like what sorts of meals will be served on the flight. Nifty, nifty. —MEGHANN MARCO
HOWTO: Buy Nothing
By 12.21.06
WikiHow has a guide to buying nothing, which is harder than it sounds, apparently. We just, you know, don’t buy it, but for those of you who need a little help…here are some tips.
