Everybody loves a bargain. And it’s well-known that the larger package will generally cost you less per item than the small one. But what if space is at a premium? Purchasing decisions should not only be made in terms of dollars and cents. Clutter and storage space should also factor into the mix. As I discussed in my recent post The Dangers of Buy One Get One Free, when you buy more than you need, you are in danger of…
Read more →I have written in the past about how coupons and sales cause us to behave in ways that waste our time. (You can read these rants in Coupons: To Clip or Not to Clip? and Sucked in by a Sale.) I have a new chapter to add to the legion of examples in which we waste so much time to save money. My daughter wears contact lenses. Earlier this year, she went to the eye doctor for her annual exam and…
Read more →The first time I experienced credit card fraud was in 1982. I opened my bill to discover that I had charged $1,100 at Pit Number One in Atlantic City. The trouble is that I had never been to Atlantic City. This was back in the days before the Internet (yes, children, there was such a time) and way before we did on-line shopping. Maybe that’s why I’m not fearful about using my credit card number on-line. I know that these kinds…
Read more →As a Professional Organizer, I find the holiday season agonizing. So much emphasis on shopping — buying things that will be given to people who probably don’t even want them. I love getting my weekly e-mails from the Container Store, but when they sent me one about this year’s collection of “Stocking Stuffers”, I got nervous. Stocking stuffers are the ultimate junky gift — emphasizing quantity and low price over quality. The Container Store offers free shipping if you order $100 worth…
Read more →Have you ever felt stressed because you knew you had bills due but weren’t sure where the bills were or if you had missed the deadline? Have you ever been charged a late fee? Have you ever spent hours on the phone trying to straighten out a bill payment that was never received? If these sound like common occurrences in your life, I have three words for you: automatic bill pay.
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