convenience

Many of us have our bank accounts running almost on autopilot: Paychecks go in and bills get paid automatically, and any details we need to deal with are handled easily online. But these conveniences come at a price -- they make it too much trouble to leave a bank, even when its fees get outrageous.

It's happened to all of us. You head into the drugstore to grab some aspirin or toothpaste and you walk out carrying a bag stuffed with impulse items -- even groceries. Those impulse buys will cost you -- a lot: A new report from finds drugstore prices average more than 36% higher than supermarket prices.

Recently, Wall Street Journal columnist Brett Arends wrote about how he's giving up credit cards and going all cash. He cited some compelling advantages to dumping his plastic, but it may not be right for you. Here are five things you give up by switching to an all-cash lifestyle:

A Pennsylvania woman has forged an internet sensation with a blog post about making freeze-ahead meals for her family -- 46 of them, to be exact, for about $95. Snapping up closeout deals on meat, carrots and peppers, and buy-one-get-one-free deals on potatoes and onions, Natalie assembled a...

Consumers constantly make trade-offs between fidelity and convenience, weighing the quality of an experience against the ease of getting that experience. We'll give up some fidelity to get more convenience, or vice versa. And the products that most people gravitate to -- the products that make...

Gold has long been a go-to commodity and in Germany, where 59 tons of gold was sold last quarter, this is particularly evident. The Market Oracle reports that it will be easier than ever to buy once gold vending machines are installed in 500 locations throughout Germany and Switzerland. The gold,...

I have, in my kitchen, an enormous bag of thick-cut, organic oatmeal, which cost me $28.60; $1.14 per pound. We eat it for breakfast three or four times a week, and I put the leftover oatmeal in our bread, and occasionally make a batch of granola or a fruit crisp. I can't be sure, but I think I...