DailyFinance.com

Black Friday Countdown: How to Prepare for the Big Day

Julie Tilsner — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 18:00:00 EST

With Black Friday less than a week away, it's time to get prepared for the biggest shopping day of the year. We've got a few sage tips to make your Black Friday experience safe, sane and most of all, successful.

Continue reading Black Friday Countdown: How to Prepare for the Big Day

Permalink | Email this | Comments

$5 movie tickets with purchase of entree at McCormick and Schmick's

Julie Tilsner — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Economizer, Deals

Time was $5 movie tickets weren't such a good deal. But let's not speak of that. For now, let's speak of how through Sept. 30, McCormick & Schmick's seafood restaurant is offering a $5 movie ticket with the purchase of any entree.

Considering the costs of dating these days, that is a tasty deal. It's part of the chain's "Reel to Reel" summer promotion (get it? Reel in the fish. Movie reel....?).

Not all McCormick & Schmick's are participating in all areas. Click here for a list of participating restaurants and theaters. Tickets available while supplies last. I'd call first.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Back-to-school bento - the new way to pack lunch

Julie Tilsner — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food, Family Money

What's smaller than a bread box, easy on the environment, and cool enough for your kindergartner, fifth grader and high school student? That would be a bento box.

Continue reading Back-to-school bento - the new way to pack lunch

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Four tips to save gasoline this summer

Julie Tilsner — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Travel, How to Save Money

Summer's in full swing, in case you hadn't noticed. Time for that road trip. But with the price of gasoline nationwide still hovering around $3 a gallon, it makes sense to make every drop count. Below are four simple tips to maximize your gasoline savings this summer:

Continue reading Four tips to save gasoline this summer

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BlackboardEats.com launches in San Francisco

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:15:00 EST

Filed under: Food, How to Save Money

Foodies in the foggy city rejoice! BlackboardEats.com, the online restaurant deal site, has launched its service in San Francisco.

BlackboardEats.com is a subscription-based (free) newsletter that's already met with huge success in Los Angeles and New York. Subscribers get a proprietary passcode for a particular deal at select restaurants and 24-hours to claim it. They then have a month to redeem the code, which usually offers them deals of 30% or more off their tabs, among other tasty deals. (Free tapas at Nobu West Hollywood, anyone?)

The site has become the darling of the foodie world because of the kinds of restaurants it features ... and the kind of boffo discounts it offers at them.

"The restaurants we approach don't need the traffic," says founder and editor Maggie Nemser, formerly Yahoo's Food space editor. The restaurants featured on the site are either well-known high-end names or the latest openings by name chefs -- in other words, the sorts of places foodies want to go.

Continue reading BlackboardEats.com launches in San Francisco

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Blessed are the thrifty -- for they are the happiest of all (We told you so!)

Julie Tilsner — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Personal Finance, Economy

And you thought we were just thinking small.

A recent Gallup poll said that 62% of us would rather save money than spend it, up significantly from 48% of us in 2001. That would seem to confirm what most of us here at WalletPop have been trying to tell you lo these three years: Thrift is good.

Remember thrift? Your grandparents probably do. Thrift used to be a great American value, but somewhere in the early '80s it got lost in the cult of all that glitters and surpassing the Jones's.

For more than 20 years, thrift became synonymous with "cheap," or "poor." Also, "pathetic." And we naturally thrifty sorts wondered why we were considered so outside the mainstream. Why would anyone want to drive a used car? they asked us. How can you live in such a small space?" And thrift stores? Oh we are so embarrassed for you.

And then came the Great Recession. Remember that? Of course you do.

Suddenly, nobody in the middle class had any money. And suddenly, thrift wasn't a lifestyle choice anymore. It was a necessity. Hard to keep up with the Joneses when your house has been foreclosed on and you can't find a job for all the resumes in China.

Continue reading Blessed are the thrifty -- for they are the happiest of all (We told you so!)

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Save 30% on dining out in LA, NYC with BlackboardEats.com

Julie Tilsner — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Food, How to Save Money, Coupons

It's not easy being a foodie in the Great Recession. The cost for a night out at an interesting restaurant has gone up, but your income has gone down. What to do?

Check out BlackboardEats.com, a new player in gastronomic circles that will help you dine out in the manner to which you were accustomed -- and at a 20% to 30% discount.

Here's how it works. Subscribe to the weekly e-mail -- you'll only get two a week, promise! -- for either Los Angeles or New York City (more cities added soon). Each week you'll get an e-mail offering you a code to get 30% off a meal, or a free appetizer, or a free bottle of wine at a certain featured restaurant.

You have 24 hours to claim your passcode, and one month to redeem it. Coolest of all, you don't need to flash a paper coupon at the end of your meal (that would just be tacky). Simply tell your server your code number and he or she will take the appropriate action. Don't forget to tip!

Continue reading Save 30% on dining out in LA, NYC with BlackboardEats.com

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pringles chips latest product included in HVP Salmonella recall

Julie Tilsner — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:07:00 EST

Filed under: Food, Consumer Ally, Recalls

The Food and Drug Administration has asked Procter & Gamble to recall two flavors of its Pringles chips due to possible Salmonella contamination. The chips are just the latest snack food to be recalled due to a flavor enhancer called Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, or HVP, that is used in a wide range of products and is tainted with Salmonella.

The two Pringles flavors being recalled are the Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger (Super Stack Canister: 181 grams, UPC code: 37000 26936, with best by dates of 02/2011, 04/2011) and the Family Faves Taco Night (Super Stack Canister: 181 grams, UPC code: 37000 26773, with best buy dates of 03/2011, 04/2011, 05/2011).

Continue reading Pringles chips latest product included in HVP Salmonella recall

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The 'American Idol' showdown of the next 'As Seen on TV' Stars

Julie Tilsner — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Retail

The late Billy Mays said it best: "Life's a pitch. Then you buy."

That's why more than 30 inventors from around the country came to the LAX Marriott last week to pitch their ideas to Infomercial King A.J. Khubani, founder and CEO of Telebrands Corp. -- the direct-to-consumer marketing giant that has made the "As Seen on TV" logo ubiquitous, and turned gizmos as unlikely as the Ped Egg and the Windshield Wonder into million dollar household names.

Continue reading The 'American Idol' showdown of the next 'As Seen on TV' Stars

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Propel Fuels offers E85 gas at 85 cents a gallon in Sacramento

Julie Tilsner — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Green, Economizer, How to Save Money

Who wants to take a quick drive down memory lane? If you live in Sacramento, today's your day. Propel Fuels is offering 85-cent a gallon gas at five local gas stations. You read that right. Under one dollar gas. Today only.

But before you run out the door, note that we're talking about E85 ethanol, which won't work on every car. Still, this renewable fuel normally costs about $2.39 a gallon, so if you do drive a flex-fuel vehicle, get on out to fill your tank. You can check if your car is eligible here.

E85 (so called because it is 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is a clean-burning alternative to petroleum-based gasoline. It is made using fermented grains and sugars and is said to reduce carbon emissions by 21%. It's already in wide use in Sweden (of course), but it growing in popularity here, particularly in the Midwest, where they grow the corn used to make the stuff.

Continue reading Propel Fuels offers E85 gas at 85 cents a gallon in Sacramento

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Buy or Rent? You'd Be Surprised -- Savings Experiment

Julie Tilsner — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Savings Experiment, Shopping, Entertainment Industry

Say the phrase "owning vs. renting," and you're likely to find yourself in a debate between the merits of a mortgage and a landlord. But that's thinking small -- these days, almost anything you can buy, you can also rent.

This particularly makes sense when you're talking big-ticket party or home-improvement equipment, whether it's a big-screen TV, a steam carpet cleaner or a rototiller for your garden.

Continue reading Buy or Rent? You'd Be Surprised -- Savings Experiment

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

What the middle class really needs: WalletPop staffers react to Obama's State of Union address

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:15:00 EST

Filed under: Taxes, Careers, Personal Finance, Barack Obama, Investing

We all know something's not right. That despite the promises made to us since childhood, we do not, in fact, have it better than our parents did.

Home values have tanked. Gasoline is up, food is up, healthcare, college tuition, even heating fuel, all up, up, up. Meanwhile, unemployment is at 10% and holding (it's actually much higher if you count everyone out of work). Those in the middle class who did save dutifully for retirement saw their investments plummet along with the economy in 2008. Life for America's middle class has become less about security and more about fear.

So it was with particular interest that the nation listened to President Obama's State of the Union address, which focused on the travails of the middle class. We asked five WalletPop staffers -- middle-class parents all -- to react to the speech with their thoughts on what the middle class in America really needs.

Continue reading What the middle class really needs: WalletPop staffers react to Obama's State of Union address

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Is 2010 your year? WalletPop wants to know why

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Recession, Careers, Family Money

Things were looking bleak for Laura Heller. Laid off from her job of 10 years as a senior editor for a retail trade magazine, she was trying to get her freelance business started, but it was slow going. Then she got a call from her neighborhood Trader Joe's Supermarket. "You've won a $25 bag of groceries," they told her.

She'd been lugging her groceries home in a reusable sack, which meant she could enter a raffle for free groceries. She never thought she'd actually win them, though.

"Winning that one bag of groceries meant a lot to me at the time," she said in an e-mail. "I wasn't broke, and would not have gone hungry without it. But it felt like a turning point. Maybe things could go right, and pretty soon they did." Her freelance work began picking up soon thereafter.

"I still shop at Trader Joe's," she wrote. "And although they've discontinued the raffle and I think of that watershed moment whenever I reuse a shopping a bag."

What about you? Seeing any "green shoots" for the new year? What are some signs of positive change happening around you? We'd love to hear about them. Write us a paragraph describing them in the comments section below and we may use it in an upcoming feature story.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

I was Bank of America's bitch ... but no longer

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Credit, Banking, Credit Unions

I never did know when to leave well enough alone.

This past summer I had largely stopped getting credit card offers in the mail, having "opted out" earlier in the year. But Bank of America offers continued to get through. I'd held a platinum Visa card with BofA for more than 15 years, so I figured they had better inroads to pestering me about acquiring more credit.

Normally I rip up these offers at the door. I don't need any more credit, thank you. And those checks they send out are just identity-theft nightmares waiting to happen.

But when the California Automobile Association (AAA) sent me an offer for a credit card with 0% APR through April of 2010, I was intrigued. I reckoned I could switch my high-interest Discover card balance to this and pay it off quicker. And Triple-A is an organization that's saved my butt many a time. I called the number to see about opening a card with them. That's when the trouble began.

Continue reading I was Bank of America's bitch ... but no longer

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Another infant death fires up efforts to recall all Simplicity drop-side cribs

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST

Filed under: Consumer Ally

Reports of another infant death due to defective mechanics on a Simplicity brand drop-side crib has the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission calling for wider recalls of the popular, low-priced cribs.

The latest death involved a 7-month-old baby in Princeton, Kentucky. In July an 8-month old in Texas suffocated between the mattress and the side of the crib when a plastic connector on the drop side broke away. The CPSC is aware of at least 25 incidents to date involving the drop side detaching from the cribs, including a total of 11 deaths. This is what lead to the crib recall.

Continue reading Another infant death fires up efforts to recall all Simplicity drop-side cribs

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toys R Us, Walmart adding more Zhu Zhu pets

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Retail, Family Money

Newsflash: There are only eight days to Christmas, which leaves you exactly seven days to get all that shopping done. Which means you've once again waited too long and you'll probably never find a Zhu Zhu Pet for little Zazu now. Bad mommy!

But Toys R Us has a dose of Christmas cheer for you: The nation's largest toy-seller has vowed that this year there won't be the kind of supply and demand issues that have plagued popular toy rushes in the past (remember trying to find a Tickle Me Elmo?). It pledges enough inventory of this season's "must-have" toys so that even last-minute shoppers will be able to find the hot ticket toys for their kids.

And if you still don't snag a pet, there are three more opportunities to stand in line before dawn and buy an $8 hamster.

Walmart, not be outdone by Toys R Us, is hosting a special Zhu Zhu Pet shopping event. Beginning Monday, Dec. 21 through Wednesday, Dec. 23, Walmart is making Zhu Zhu Pets available at all of its stores nationally beginning at 7 a.m.

Continue reading Toys R Us, Walmart adding more Zhu Zhu pets

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More than 2 million Stork Craft drop-side cribs recalled

Julie Tilsner — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Recalls

More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs are being voluntarily recalled by their manufacturer, Stork Craft Manufacturing, Inc., after four incidents in which infants were trapped and suffocated, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The recall includes about 147,000 cribs with the popular Fisher-Price logo.

The recall is the largest involving cribs by the CPSC.

Although Stork Craft is based in British Columbia, the cribs were manufactured in China and Indonesia, as well as in Canada. They have been sold since 1993 under a variety of brand names, including Fisher-Price, at outlets including Wal-Mart Stores, Kmart and Sears, inc.

Drop-side cribs are popular with parents because the mechanism makes it easier to lift baby out of the crib without having to hunch over the sides.

According to its press release, CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, wait for the free repair kit, and do not attempt to fix the cribs without the kit. They should find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side.

The recall does not include cribs that are not drop-sided, according to the CPSC.

For additional information, contact Stork Craft toll-free at (877) 274-0277 at any time to order the free repair kit, or log on to www.storkcraft.com.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Free sample of Avril Lavigne 'Black Star' perfume

Julie Tilsner — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:03:00 EST

Filed under: Fantastic Freebies

Maybe you were surprised to hear that the young rock singer/songwriter cum punk rock princess Avril Lavigne has her own perfume line. Punk rock and perfume aren't two words that blend in beautiful harmony, after all. What was Johnny Rotten's favorite scent, after all? Eau de vomit, perhaps.

I digress. Lavigne recently released a new scent called Black Star, which contains, according to her website, notes of pink hibiscus, black plum and dark chocolate. Sounds delicious, anyway.

You can order yourself a sample by filling out this online form.

Ah, the sweet smell of success.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ten little fingers, ten little toes ...and a brand new stroller for you

Julie Tilsner — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Family Money

So you're having to pack up that fancy Maclaren stroller and send it back to its maker because of the massive recall. Now what? It's not like you can get far without your stroller, especially if you live in the city.

But choosing a stroller these days is about as time-consuming as researching your next car. Do you want a jogger? An umbrella? A pram? A two-in-one? Are the Italian ones better than the Japanese ones? Is Graco better than Evenflo? What about double strollers? A side-by-side or a sit n' stand? Is a $500 Peg Perego lightweight better than an $80 lightweight from Evenflo?

The quick answer: Strollersource, a website that lets you compare stroller brands by price and form and function, with all of the facts and none of the hard-sell of a stroller salesman. While there is no shortage of stroller review and comparison shopping sites, this one has a simple, easy-to-use search function that is blissfully free of blinking, screaming shills. Very important for the frazzled, concentration-challenged mom, in my opinion. The site does not sell strollers at all, so you're getting just the facts, ma'am.

Continue reading Ten little fingers, ten little toes ...and a brand new stroller for you

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Really bad parking job is really good PR for Hyundai

Julie Tilsner — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Family Money, Travel

What began as a really, really bad day for Todd Jamison turned into a really, really good deal for him -- and for the carmaker Hyundai.

The security camera at Extreme Fitness in Thornhill, a town near Toronto in Ontario, Canada caught a driver in its parking lot gunning when she should have been braking and rolling over on top of Jamison's parked car and one next to it. Somebody posted the video onto YouTube, where it's been viewed more than a million times by modern-day rubber neckers. As you can see from the video below, the driver smashes Jamison's car, pauses, then drives away.

Imagine Jamison's reaction at returning to the parking lot after his workout to find his car, newly paid off, in a newly squashed condition.

But execs at Hyundai Canada saw the video too, and took the news with considerably more excitement than Jamison presumably did.

It sent representatives out to present Jamison with the keys to a new Hyundai Elantra Touring to replace his totaled 2004 Hyandai Elantra. And then it posted its own video on YouTube. It's got only 97,000 views recorded so far, but the comments left are overwhelmingly positive.

Really, you can't buy this kind of PR. And Hyundai knows it.

The 60-something female driver of the BMW SUV was caught when she returned to the fitness club's parking lot and was recognized by an employee, whose car was also involved. She is being charged with leaving the scene of an accident. It awaits to be seen whether this employee will get a new car out of the deal.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments