WalletPop

I'm not sure what's more heartbreaking about Cyclone Nargis, the military's junta's failure to forewarn residents of Myanmar about the deadly storm or the regime's reluctance to allow western governments and relief groups into the country to provide assistance during the crucial early days when victims need food, water and medicine. I suspect that this gives many would-be donors pause -- people don't want to give if they're not sure the food and supplies purchased with their donation will get to those in need.

I contacted Michael Forhan, a friend's father, who has lived in Myanmar and runs Burma Border Projects, a non-profit group founded to aid refugees along the Thai-Burmese border. "Some aid may be allowed in, but the bulk of the aid that's waiting to go still hasn't and may not ever make it in time," he said in an email. "My fear is that giving to larger international organizations may not be as efficient or timely as so many of them are having difficulty getting their aid into the country."

I am hopeful that pressure from the United Nations will persuade the junta that the crisis requires urgent international assistance or else famine and disease could increase the death toll, which is already in the tens of thousands. Meanwhile, Michael suggested donating to two grassroots organizations already on the ground and helping:

Last month, my parents went to Florida for two weeks against the advice of their four children. We were worried that my father, who is on oxygen and has multiple medical problems, would take a turn for the worse and end up in a hospital. They decided to go anyway (parents today...they just don't listen).

Before they left, I urged my father to buy medical evacuation insurance, a specific type of travel insurance that retrieves "members" from anywhere in the world and transports them to the hospital of their choice. Last year, I edited an article for a website called Traveling Mom about the benefits of an insurance plan provided by a company called MedJet Assist. Afterward, I told my parents about the company and the week before they left for Florida, I spoke with them again and my father said he bought similar insurance via American Express.

You know what happened next. My dad, who has a blood disorder that makes his hemoglobin count drop to life threatening levels (among other medical problems brought on by 40 plus years of smoking), ended up in the hospital. It got so bad he needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized him but he just wanted to get back home to New Jersey.

Not only is my mother is really hard to buy for, she's a bit ungrateful to boot. She told my sister yesterday not to get her a gift for Mother's Day because she was probably going to have to return it anyway. Nonetheless, I can't show up at her house empty-handed, so I began to look though my emails for ideas for last minute Mother's Day gifts that might pass muster. Here's a roundup of what I found:

Flowers: I recommend 1800flowers, where you can opt for fresh flowers or plants. I'm considering the gardenia (mom's favorite flower) in a green planter for $29.99. If you order-and have them delivered today-there's free shipping although some products are not eligible. Also, you can save money by ordering bouquets without a vase, which most moms have plenty of.

The Daily Deal for Sunday, May 4th 2008 is a sale on women's Spring and Summer shirts at Old Navy. There are several styles, including tees, tanks, tube tops and camis in a variety of bright colors, all marked down to anywhere from $5.99 to $14.50. For example, the blue tropic surplice top shown is $9.99 and is also available in pink.

On the homepage, click on the women's clothing icon, then "bargains" in the left-hand column, and search the tees and tanks category. Bargains abound in other departments as well, including some great deals on kids' swimwear. Their maternity line is also quite fashionable--and inexpensive. If you're expecting, check out the black tie-front swim cover-up on sale for $15.

This week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring Cover the Uninsured Week, a program launched in 2003 to raise awareness of the plight of the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

The foundation's web site is packed with helpful information and resources, as well as moving personal stories and facts and figures documenting the problem. Perhaps most helpful are the state profiles with specifics on eligibility and coverage information, and state-by-state guides on how to find low-cost and free health insurance programs. The site also links to events happening across the country to provide health education and to sign up families for health insurance. For example, ten health fairs are being held in California this week and weekend by various community organizations. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also sponsors back to school week in August to help uninsured school children enroll in health plans.

Here in Connecticut, I read about the campaign in a local paper, which mentioned that Americares runs three free clinics in the state, in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk. To find out if you're eligible, visit the Americares free clinics website. The Stamford-based charity opened its first free U.S. clinic in 1994 to serve the medical needs of the working poor, although it is better known for its international relief work.

This post is part of a series about real-life signs we're in a recession.

When I was a kid, summers were spent playing in the backyard with my brothers and sister and about two dozen children who lived in my neighborhood, a small farming town in New Jersey. If you look around the suburban neighborhood where I live now on a summer day, it's devoid of children. Kids as young as three gear up every morning and head to day camp. If you have a couple of kids enrolled for four to six weeks, as many are, summer camp can set you back more than $10,000.

The thing that kills me is that my kids don't really like going to camp. Last summer they each spent two weeks at an ESF Camp (which has locations in Delaware, CT, PA and NJ) and one week at a nature day camp at our local Audubon Center. Three weeks of camp cost just under $3,000.

It seems like a waste of money, given that I usually ship them off to camp because there are no kids around to play with! I'm not the only one with summer camp sticker shock. This year, I plan to cut back on camp expenses by skipping camp altogether or finding less expensive ones. For example, I'm looking into a town-run baseball camp that one of my son's buddies is attending for $400 for two weeks and my daughter may sign up for a similarly priced art and music camp.

Daily Deal for Wednesday, April 30 is 31-cent children's scoop night at Baskin Robbins ice cream stores. Participating stores will reduce the price of a single scoop (2.5 ounces) to 31 cents, plus tax, from 5 to 10 pm. At my local Baskin Robbins/Dunkin Donuts franchise, a single kids' scoop usually costs $1.99.

The promotion is to thank consumer for their business and to honor fallen firefighters. Baskin Robbins is donating $100,000 to the national Fallen Firefighters Foundation and some locations may also be collecting for local firefighting groups. The Baskin Robbins web site doesn't explain the tie-in, but the promotion intends to help a good cause -- and it's a sweet deal.

I didn't become a salon junkie until two years ago, just after I published my first book. I would schedule an appointment to get my hair colored pretty much every time I had a book signing. Since I didn't want to be photographed wearing the same outfit at every event, buying new clothes also became a necessity. After this became a pattern, my husband pointed out that I was spending more money on my hair and clothes than I made selling books.

To commemorate National Hairstylists' Day, I'll share the many ways I've tried to save money on my salon bill since then--something I suspect many other women have done to cut back on spending in recent months. First let me share a brief haircutting history:

Two decades ago, I moved to California and worked as a counselor in a homeless shelter as part of a full-time volunteer program for recent college grads. My $65 stipend couldn't cover my monthly salon bills now. Anyway, I got my hair cut at the Vidal Sassoon Salon in Santa Monica, where student hairstylists gave free cuts.

When I moved to New York City, I worked at a magazine called American Health. Most of the young staffers went to the salon at Barney's New York, where once a week after work student hairstylists cut hair, again at little or no cost (it's been so long I can't remember, but I think it might have been $10, plus tip). A senior stylist supervised and fixed any mistakes, and by the time it was done, it could take up to two hours but it was worth the wait. I spent the next chunk of time in Washington, DC, where I could get a haircut at a nice Georgetown salon for $50 or so. That was a decade ago and I understand that prices there have skyrocketed as they have elsewhere. My neighbor, a British hairstylist, also occasionally cut my hair after work. For $20, I got a haircut and a beer in her backyard.

It's Earth Day and everywhere I turn, I keep seeing green. Last weekend alone, I read articles on green remodeling and chemical-free gardening and yesterday I watched a segment on The Today Show called "Green Your Diet."

According to Today Show guest Annie Bell Muzaurieta of Greendaily.com, the five fruits and vegetables worth springing for organic are peaches, sweet bell peppers, apples, celery and strawberries-those most likely to retain the highest level of pesticides.

The big question is, Does it pay to buy organic? According to a Weight Watchers article titled "Organic Foods: A Shopper's Guide," buying organic is worth the extra cost for pregnant women and children under three, when buying foods you eat most often or a lot of, and food that contains a lot of pesticides (Their list includes peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce and potatoes).

Of course, it's hard to measure the benefits of switching to an organic diet, but it comes down to whether there's room in your budget for the added cost of produce made without pesticides or fertilizers. The good news is that organic produce is more widely available in supermarkets than ever before, but it can still be up to 100% more expensive than conventional produce.

When I buy conventional produce, I wash it with a product called Veggie Wash sold in many supermarkets for about $4. The spray bottle lasts months and was recommend to me by a naturopath when I was doing a detoxification program last year. I'm sure it doesn't remove pesticides absorbed into food, but it helps me feel like I'm doing something to reduce the toxins in my family's diet.

The daily deal for Saturday, April 19 2008 is $9 to $15 kids swimsuits at CWDKids.com, which carries casual children's clothing from well-known manufacturers. The swimsuits and wet suits are available in infant and children's sizes. The maholo print tankini (shown) comes in sizes 4 to 14 and is reduced from $34 to $15.

It wasn't clear from an email from the company showing a handful of bathing suits that there are dozens of other swimsuits and loads of cute, quality summer attire on sale. On the home page, click on "Our Biggest Summer Sale" and dozens of sale items will appear.

Today's daily deal is a discount on Crest Whitestrips at Walgreens. The popular at-home teeth whitening product usually runs $25 for a 14 day supply. This week it's on sale for $20, plus consumers receive a $10 "register reward" good on your next purchase. The deal is advertised on Walgreen's web site. Click the weekly ad and enter your zip code to make sure it's offered in your area.

The box cautions that Crest Whitestrips only whiten natural teeth, not caps, crowns, fillings or dentures, and people who wear braces should not use the product.

According to an article on Kiplinger's.com, grocery prices will rise another 5% or so this year, as they did in 2007. There are myriad causes, including mounting corn, wheat and soybean prices, as well as the weakening dollar and inflated oil prices.

Some specifics: the price of milk is up 30%, bad news for those of us with children who are supposed to drink a couple glasses a day. Actually, most adults take in far too little calcium so I try to drink my fair share. Eggs are up 24% and margarine 20%--also staples in any household with kids, including mine.

I read another article in SmartMoney (the story is all over the news) called Eight Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill, which also cited the 5% hike in food prices in 2007, again blaming the rise in oil and grain prices. The bad news about grocery prices comes just as most of are trying to cut back on household expenses. The cost of feeding a family of four-including a 70 pound eight year old boy who eats more than I do-is staggering. I didn't comprehend this in full until last month, when my husband pointed out that we spend an embarrassing amount of money at the supermarket each month. We agreed to make a wholehearted effort to cut our grocery bill.

The daily deal for Saturday, April 5, 2008 is Avon's Skin So Soft Bug Guard Plus Sunscreen lotion for $5.99, half of the usual price of $12 for four ounces.

The full name of the product is Skin So Soft BugGuard IR3535® Gentle Breeze SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion-a long name for a product that simply (and effectively) wards off bugs and protects you from the sun. It's water resistant and DEET- and PABA-free.

While it's early to be buying summer skincare products, I stock up on this lotion now and I douse it on my kids all summer long since here in Connecticut we have to worry about Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, not to mention pesky mosquitoes. I keep one in my car, one in a beach bag and one or two in the backyard.

In an article in the New York Times this week, a chef chronicles his attempts to prepare a week's worth of gourmet meals from groceries bought exclusively at a 99-cent store. The recipes, including baked salmon in coconut sauce and an impressive tuna casserole, looked appetizing. I just can't imagine being able to turn a can of tuna into a gourmet meal, but I have trouble whipping up an edible meal from fresh food too. But that's another story.

Anyway, I was at a huge dollar store last weekend in Florida and I have to say I did notice aisle after aisle of food, household cleaners, toiletries, books, toys and other practical stuff-all for a dollar. Since I don't have a dollar store near my home, I was amazed at the array of useful products, although there were also plenty of tchatchkes. I ended up spending about 45 minutes, mostly browsing. I couldn't get back on the plane home with groceries for the week, but I bought a few of my kids' favorite snacks, a carton of lemonade, Easter candy and batteries for my dad's camera.

The only real necessity I purchased was Colgate's sugary sweet watermelon-flavored toothpaste, the only brand my son will use. But this week, I coincidentally read an article cautioning against buying toothpaste from dollar stores. (Okay, I admit I was reading Self magazine while getting a haircut). Apparently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning because some Chinese manufacturers reproduce American toothpastes using chemicals that can be dangerous if ingested for any length of time. Needless to say, I got rid of it. At least it was only a dollar.

The daily deal for Friday, March 28, 2008 is a starter kit of easy-to-grow seeds at redenvelope.com.

The year of seeds set is 50% off the usual price of $70. The set comes with soil and seeds along with 12 tiny (2 ½ inch high) brightly colored earthenware pots and growing instructions. Seeds include petunias, marigolds, pansies, poppies, sweet peas and more.

It's a bit early, but this set would make a perfect Mother's day gift if you order soon, but there's a good chance this product will sell out before then.