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Cosmetic Surgery:
Affordable Procedures

Worst Warehouse Club Buys

Black Friday 2009: A Preview

Extreme Ways to Save Money

Bank Giveaways: Get Your Signing Bonus

Repair, Rebuild, Retire

Cosmetic Surgery:
Affordable Procedures

Worst Warehouse Club Buys

Go for Less: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Jason Cochran Nov 6th 2009 @ 12:00PM EST Filed Under: Travel, Economizer

After the peso crisis of 2001, Argentina became the destination célèbre for Americans, who flocked to South America to revel in the astonishing buys that a devalued currency can yield. Time has passed, and now we're slogging through our own economic turmoil. So is a trip to Buenos Aires still a great buy, or have the locals caught on to the influx and jacked up rates to milk tourist dollars?

Michael Luongo, author of Frommer's Buenos Aires, visits WalletPop's studios to tell us that the answer is a little bit of both. He lets us know what the situation is in the storied colonial capital of Argentina, and he fills us in on how a first-time visitor there can still find deals without losing the authenticity of the local culture. Sure, you've seem washed-up reality stars do the tango on Dancing with the Stars, but is it feasible to dance it in the real Argentine milongueros?

As part of our ongoing series, WalletPop tells you how to go for less:

Five Fabulous Finds: Calendars, mascara and nutrition bars ... free!

Erin Gifford Nov 6th 2009 @ 11:30AM EST Filed Under: Food, Fantastic Freebies, Economizer

Here are this week's Five Fabulous Finds from Coupon Cravings, including free calendars, mascara and nearly free Rice Krispies Treats. Plus, get scarves for just a buck at Old Navy and a coupon to save $5 when you spend $5 at Kohl's.

1) It's gift card giving season. Stop by Chick-fil-A and get a free 2010 calendar with loads of free food coupons, like free chicken strips, milkshakes and soft drinks, when you buy a $20 gift card.

2) Hit Walgreens by Saturday (November 7) to get two free tubes of mascara. Or stop by Safeway to get Rice Krispies Treats for just $.17 a box. Yummy!

3) Sign up to get sale alerts from Kohl's and get a coupon by email to save $5 when you spend $5 in-store.

4) In case you missed out on $2 Halloween costumes at Old Navy last weekend, be sure to stop by Old Navy on Saturday (November 7) to get performance fleece scarves for just $1.

5) Want more freebies? Get free samples of Kirkland Signature Supreme Diapers and Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Eye Cream. You can even get a free Sun-Rype FruitSource Bar from GNC.

Flora Flora takes hidden fees out of online flowers

Josh Smith Nov 5th 2009 @ 2:00PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Economizer

If there's an online industry that likes to add to your purchase price with fees more than Ticketmaster, it has to be online flower-sale companies. It's nothing for a $30 birthday celebration bouquet to turn into a $50 purchase by the time you hit the pay now button. Once you add in delivery fees, which can change on a daily basis, and other miscellaneous extras, you can easily spend another $20. But now a new company, Flora Flora, is shaking up the world of online flower sales with a pricing model that has no additional fees.

The company, which is part of the ShoeBuy business, launches today with "what you see is what you get" pricing on all of their flowers. The business model of avoiding extra fees and showing the true cost from the beginning may seem obvious to me and you, but in the flower market it's a rather "fresh" one.

Continue reading Flora Flora takes hidden fees out of online flowers

Fabulously frugal feasts from the dollar store

Marlene Alexander Nov 5th 2009 @ 1:15PM EST Filed Under: Food, Saving Money, Shopping, Economizer

Author Christiane Jory has created a companion DVD to her cookbook the 99-cent Only Stores Cookbook just in time for the holidays. Fabulously Frugal Feasts will show you how to create a holiday buffet that will feed seasonal foods to a houseful of guests for the same cost of delivered pizza. Sounds good, doesn't it?

The DVD has lots of delicious new recipes and helpful hints, as well as Christiane's own brand of gentle humor. The recipes are easy enough for anyone to make and they're printable, so you won't have to keep plugging in the DVD every time you want to try something. My cooking never strays much from plain old meat and potatoes 'cause I need easy. Having watched a couple of the videos, I've gotta say that these recipes look easy enough for even the kitchen-phobic to create.

Continue reading Fabulously frugal feasts from the dollar store

Free Shipping Day is back with more retailers!

Josh Smith Nov 5th 2009 @ 12:00PM EST Filed Under: Shopping, Black Friday, Economizer

Last year marked the start of a Hallmark holiday of sorts that quickly gained popularity with last-minute holiday shoppers; Free Shipping Day. On Free Shipping Day last year, more than 100,000 shoppers picked up Christmas gifts with free, guaranteed-in-time-for-Christmas shipping at more than 250 retailers including big names like Kohl's, JCPenney, Victoria's Secret and many more.

Thanks to its first year success, Free Shipping Day is back for a second year and as founder Luke Knowles told WalletPop in a phone interview, "Free Shipping Day wants to join the ranks of Black Friday and Cyber Monday as an annual tradition."

Continue reading Free Shipping Day is back with more retailers!

How to trim utility costs, even in Maryland

Tom Barlow Nov 2nd 2009 @ 4:30PM EST Filed Under: Home, Saving Money, Economizer

I had the opportunity recently to speak with WhiteFence.com's CEO Franc Arbride about home utilities and how we might trim these expenses. He describes his site as "a comparison shopping engine for utilities and other home services," which allows the user to input his address and receive detailed comparisons of terms offered by competing utilities.

I called Arbride after reading a WhiteFence report that showed the huge difference in utility bills from city to city.

Who pays the most? This is one crown that I doubt that those of you in Baltimore, Maryland will enjoy wearing, but the average bill, according to WhiteFence.com, in the summer quarter of 2009 was $390.44.

The same report should put a smile on the faces of those of you in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Denver and San Francisco. L.A. was the least expensive at $192.97, less than half of those in Baltimore. Fortunately for the East Coaster, the cost of housing is skewed in the opposite direction.

Continue reading How to trim utility costs, even in Maryland

Tire prices set to tip the scales

Gina Roberts-Grey Nov 2nd 2009 @ 2:45PM EST Filed Under: Bargains, Transportation, Economizer

If you're kicking around buying new tires, you'd better make up your mind quickly. That's because if you wait too long -- until January -- it can wind up costing you quite a bit extra.

A new 35% tariff on Chinese-made car and light truck tires being imposed by the Obama administration is forcing wholesalers to raise prices on tires sold to retailers, who are sure to pass that "extra" onto consumers. How much extra?

Some say even the most affordable tire will cost about $50 more. Brand name ones are expected to jump as much as $80 per tire.

Continue reading Tire prices set to tip the scales

Finally, Starbucks creates simpler rewards card

Vanessa Richardson Nov 2nd 2009 @ 2:30PM EST Filed Under: Food, Saving Money, Economizer

Last Christmas, I got a Starbucks gift card for $50 from my boss (a nice gift but with a semi-intentional hint that caffeine may help me do a better job).

I used it up within a month but when a barista tried to lure me into getting the Starbucks Rewards Gold card, I wasn't even tempted. Paying a $25 annual fee upfront for the right to 10% discounts on coffees didn't seem like a deal when I didn't know if I'd have the money for the remaining 90% of the cost of my once-daily lattes.

Guess I'm not the only one who felt that way, and Starbucks got the hint. It recently announced it is consolidating its Starbucks Card and Gold Card reward programs into a free, easier-to-follow customer loyalty program called "My Starbucks Rewards" that launches Dec. 26.

Continue reading Finally, Starbucks creates simpler rewards card

Got a frame with broken glass? Go to a local glazier

Zac Bissonnette Nov 2nd 2009 @ 2:15PM EST Filed Under: Home, Saving Money, Shopping, Economizer

I bought a framed poster on eBay for $40 (including shipping) but the seller -- apparently the dumbest person in the world -- decided that the best way to ship framed art was to wrap it in saran wrap and then stick it -- with no further padding -- in between a couple slabs of cardboard.

I took it to the frame shop at Michael's to find out how much it would cost to have the glass replaced, and was astounded when she mentioned the words "one hundred and twenty dollars" -- explaining that it would be less except that it's a custom-sized frame so they'd have to special order the piece of glass.

So then I took the mess to a local glazier's shop -- located in a rundown building in a much less expensive part of town -- and was astounded when he told me his fee: $15.50.

I couldn't believe it. I told him the price that the clerk at Michael's had quoted me and his response was classic: "The problem with that is that it's just ripping people off. There is absolutely no possible justification for charging someone that kind of money for a piece of glass of that size. It's a ripoff."

Bottom line? The framing shops inside big discount craft stores might (and might not) be good for a lot of things. But if you have a frame with a piece of broken glass, take it to your local glazier.

Customers cry fowl after Boston Market fails to learn from chicken coupon mistake

David Schepp Nov 2nd 2009 @ 1:30PM EST Filed Under: Budgets, Food, Fantastic Freebies, Consumer Complaints, Economizer

You'd think any fast-food chain would have taken a lesson from KFC and the Great Free Chicken Fiasco of 2009 and avoid offering customers an outrageous deal via the Internet, where word of just about anything -- good or bad -- can spread faster than greased lightning.

Nevertheless, Boston Market stepped into similar pile of fowl doo-doo last week when it offered its loyal customers a coupon for a $1 chicken entree via its Web site. While not free, it was still one hen of a deal. For $1, diners got a choice of a quarter white or 3-piece dark chicken dinner, along with mashed potatoes and cornbread. Vegetables weren't part of the deal.

Continue reading Customers cry fowl after Boston Market fails to learn from chicken coupon mistake

AutoTrader expert's tips on getting the most money for your car online

Josh Smith Nov 2nd 2009 @ 12:00PM EST Filed Under: Technology, Transportation, Economizer

Selling your car, rather than trading it in to the dealer, is a great way to get more money to put towards your new set of wheels. Long ago, when I was but the owner of a learner's permit, if you wanted to sell your car you focused on newspaper classifieds and high-traffic front lawns, but as car shoppers' comfort level with the Internet increased, so did the popularity of listing cars online.

But, many people who have had great success selling their own car on-lawn haven't been able to sell as well on-line. If that's you, read on for these tips from AutoTrader Spokesperson Mark Scott for selling your car online.

Since you can't force locals to drive past your house, there are three things to focus on when preparing your car for sale online:

How you describe the car in the ad.
What you need to include -- and exclude -- from the pictures of your car.
Research the prices of similar cars.

Continue reading AutoTrader expert's tips on getting the most money for your car online

Credit card addiction: How to spot the warning signs and break the habit

Gina Roberts-Grey Nov 2nd 2009 @ 6:00AM EST Filed Under: Credit, Debt, Recession Diaries, Credit Reports, Economizer, Credit cards

With more than $40,000 in credit card debt and more than 20 credit cards to her name, Diana Ryan didn't think she had a problem -- even though her husband had no idea just how many pieces of plastic she had tucked in her wallet. "It sounds cliche," Ryan says, "but I thought I could stop at any time."

But the lure of special offers and other card deals was much stronger than Ryan's willpower. "I couldn't say no when a cashier asked if I wanted to open a new card to get an instant in-store savings or receive a new promotion," she says.

Ryan represents a growing number of Americans who've passed the point of merely overspending and have entered into the realm of addiction. And, in doing so, they're maxing out a record number of credit cards.

Continue reading Credit card addiction: How to spot the warning signs and break the habit

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