New York Times Pay Wall and How to Save Money Crossing It

Filed under: Technology, Economizer

We’ll look back some day at the first dozen years or so of the Internet as a golden age, when information flowed freely, even information developed at great expense from seminal sources such as The New York Times. Those times are coming to an end if the Gray Lady succeeds with a pay wall plan to begin charging for digital access to daily content.

As of March 28, the paper will begin serving up content based on this menu:

• To read it on your smart phone, $3.75 a week, billed every 4 weeks.
• To read it on your tablet (such as the iPad) $5 per week.
• To read it on both platforms, $8.75 a week.

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Shoppers Plan to Tap Daily Deal Sites This Father’s Day

Filed under: Retail, Economizer, Family Money, Saving Money

Daily deals and dads appear to go together.

For Father’s Day this year, 45% of online shoppers said they’d be perusing deal websites for Pop’s gift, according to a recent consumer spending survey by PriceGrabber.com, the price comparison web site.

Just which sites will be getting the hits? Many of those surveyed plan to visit more than one site, with 52% expecting to use Groupon; 46% planning to use PriceGrabber’s new local deals section; 29% reporting they’ll use Google Offers; 20% indicating they’d check out Living Social; and 15% planning to visit Facebook Deals.

But tapping these daily deal sites is just one facet of shoppers’ bargain hunting Father’s Day shopping strategy this year, the survey found.

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What to Buy in April

Filed under: Retail, Economizer

Oh, April, you cherry-blossom-imbued harbinger of summer to come. When the warmer weather hits, many of us feel the urge to get out of the house and get some exercise, and what better exercise than that American tradition, shopping? Here are some suggestions on what to buy in April.

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5 Strategies for Saving Year-Round

Filed under: Retail, Economizer, Family Money, Saving Money

I’d been waiting for a biggish freelance check for a while and making lists of things my family needed when the money came it. So when I got it, I had some shopping to do: new organic bath towels; a new mattress and (very important given my kids’ ages and self control) a top-notch protective mattress cover; a birthday-boy bike for my youngest son; and a service provider to refinish my tub.

All this purchasing makes me queasy after months of frugality, so I had to think long and hard about spending strategies to make the most of my money and the least of my ticket shock.

So when I saw this piece from CNNMoney on ways to save on everyday expenses, I browsed through and got excited. Although none of the tips was quite right for my personal situation, a few great strategies emerged from the reader stories — strategies that you, too, can apply to spending on big ticket items, run-of-the-mill bills and the costs of every day life.

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Best Things to Buy in July

Filed under: Retail, Economizer, Saving Money

Ah, the joys of July, a month associated with TV reruns and lazy summer days — but not necessarily great sales.

Still, there are deals to be had this month on a very random mix of products. Here are a few you might want to try to scoop up while the getting’s good:

Computers

Computer sales are generally slow in June and July, says Brad Wilson, founder and editor-in-chief of BradsDeals.com, “[so] right now, that means good deals, whereas August pricing can be stingy.” If you’re in the market for a computer, hit stores now instead of waiting until the back-to-school season goes into overdrive and demand — and prices — pick up.

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You Know You’re Too Frugal When…

Filed under: Saving Money, Economizer

Jim Dailakis realized he was taking frugality too far by saving a few dollars riding the bus and subway to work in New York City, despite the availability of a more expensive commuter train that cut the trip’s time in half. Dailakis eventually figured out that time was money, and the extra $8 to ride the Long Island Rail Road was worth the cost.

“This was no way to live,” says Dailakis, right, of his long commute 10 years ago when he arrived in New York from Australia. Since then, the comedian has earned enough money to change his poor travel and eating habits, and has vowed to spend the extra money when needed when it comes to his health or time.

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A Better Way to Manage Your Daily Deals?

Filed under: Saving Money, Shopping, Economizer

daily deal sites, but while knowing you’ll cash in those golf lessons at some point is nice, what you’d really rather learn is how to find regular deals on things you buy regularly, like groceries and gas. Especially now that inflation fears are on the rise.

Offermatic, a new website that makes such daily deal offers more targeted, tries to lessen the load on your email in-box by only offering money back on things you already buy. By registering your credit or debit card, Offermatic gets a history of what you’re buying and gives you offers based on your purchasing history, and puts rebates directly back on your card when you use its offers.

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Cheapest Taxi Fare? Meet Me in St. Louis

Filed under: Saving Money, Transportation, Economizer

Hail to St. Louis and its cheap rate when you hail a taxi! The city pulled the flag down on the lowest average fare in the nation, according to a survey of major cities by TaxiFareFinder.com. St. Louis’ five-mile average of $8.33 kicks Boston’s nation-high $16.52 to the curb.

“We get many compliments on our rates being lower than that of other cities,” Basil Rudawsky, president of St. Louis County Cab, told WalletPop.

Kansas City, Los Angeles and Honolulu are parked near the priciest, in the $15 per-5-mile range. New York falls surprisingly in the middle at $12.90. This NYC-based WalletPopper would rather walk 70 blocks than pay one cent to a hack, but I might change my mind if I lived in St. Louis.

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Groupon Uses Matthew McConaughey Interview to do Boffo Box Office

Filed under: Saving Money, Celebs & Money, Economizer

one-stop shop for movie discounts and celebrity dish. In a move that other Internet coupon bearers are bound to analyze, Groupon offered $6 tickets to The Lincoln Lawyer, plus an exclusive interview with the film’s star, Matthew McConaughey. The two-day sale closed Thursday night, March 17, and the movie opened Friday, March 18.

It was Groupon’s first time partnering with a movie studio (LionsGate) to sell price-slashed movie tickets. Groupon is also believed to be the first among social-media discounters to post original celebrity features in the same email with the coupons.

Groupon previously interviewed Rihanna to sell her album Loud at a bargain, but McConaughey is the first actor it has featured.

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New Innovations at Dollar Tree Direct — Closeouts and Brides

Filed under: Budgets, Shopping, Economizer

Dollar Tree’s website is already one of the best I’ve seen for a dollar store. Seasonal items displayed on the home page are changed weekly, you can see in-store specials, as well as read the online flier for what’s new in the stores. You can rate products you’ve tried, see an in-store item of the week, often a great deal on a brand name and, as of last year, there’s a small business center that lets a business owner browse exactly what they need for their particular business without searching through the whole website.

Now there are two new innovations at Dollar Tree Direct.

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