dollarish's Dollarish

What Little Rip-Offs Do You Hate?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:53:00 GMT

I just saw a new blog post over on Time.com that totally struck a chord with me. Its about all those "little rip-offs" in life that just annoy you, like overpriced popcorn at the movies, the cost of printer ink or the price of razors and blades. The Time.com post focuses the cost of razor blades in particular, and I couldn't agree more.

While the post is bemoaning the trend in more blades and fancier handles (battery powered?!) in men's razors, women's razors have the same thing happening- more blades and fancier extras. I personally can't tell the difference between shaving my legs with a 3-blade razor or something higher. And don't even get me started on the ones with the stupid block of soap or whatever that goes around the blade. I used to buy Venus razors, until it started to cost nearly $20 just to buy a refill pack. My favorites now are some 3-blade disposables from Noxzema- they've give a great shave and cost less than $3 for a 4 pack. More Here...

Advice: Any Good Consignment Shops in NYC?

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:51:00 GMT

Shopping for vintage/used/already loved clothing is the secret of the thrifty and fashionable alike. But it can be hard to find decent shops. It usually takes personal recommendations to find the really good places.

Over in Advice, Kat is asking about good spots in the city:

The college town where I'm from was a great place for good used clothing because of all the young fashionista students, so I can imagine that New York would be a great place to get used designer clothes, shoes, etc, but I haven't seen any yet. Does anyone have any recommendations?

More Here...

What Do You Do When Your Parents Sponge Off Of YOU?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 23:13:00 GMT

What do you do when your parents Sponge Off of YOU?

In Response to the Dollarish blog: When Are You Too Old To Sponge Off Of Mom & Dad?

I don’t know how many readers here would have the problem of having parents sponge off you, mostly probably because we are either still young or it’s the culture differences. A lot of Asian parents expect their children to support them when they are older or married. The thing I don’t like about this is that if children sponge off their parents, it would seem almost wrong or being lazy and irresponsible (although I am sure some of them are really to blame). However, if parents sponge off their children, they are usually “justified”. Since they already raised you, they have the perfect excuse to sponge off you and if you reject them, you are the bad guy here.

More Here...

How Do You Feel About Self-Checkout?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:52:00 GMT

A recent blog post over on Consumer Reports is full of ranty goodness against supermarket self-checkout machines. The author expresses frustration because he has to do extra work at the store and can never get the machine to work right. He then makes the doomsday prediction that these machines will replace all human cashiers because they cut down on the need for employees. And a lot of his commenters share in his hatred of self-checkout and inability to actually use the machines.

I have to say, reading the post made me think of my dad...and the people at my Key Foods in NY. My dad hates self-checkout because, back in his high school days, he used to work at a local grocery store as a bag boy and cashier. So he hates that the machines are taking jobs from high school students like he was. And at my local grocery store in the city, they installed about 6 machines just before I moved in. It was such a pain to try to stop in the store one the way home after work. Most of my neighborhood was made up of senior citizens, and they just couldn't figure out the machines. What should have been a quick trip in for some milk and eggs would take 45 minutes because lines would build up. More Here...

Advice: How to Get Cheap Rent?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:18:00 GMT

A lot of people, including me, are pretty clueless about how to get deals on things like rent. I'm not much of a bargainer and pretty much just pay whatever they ask. I mean, rates are rates, right?
But I have friends who have actually gotten cheaper rent and even car insurance simply by bargaining.

If you have suggestions on how you can rent for cheaper, "Ask the Reader" on Wisebread.com is offering two $20 Amazon gift certificates which you can win by giving your advice on their site. And if you're not a bargainer, you can also give advice on how to make the most of limited space and how to get your security deposit back. Also, if you know where to find deals on rent, you can share them here and enter to win.

To enter, post your comments on wisebread.com. More Here...

Are You Using Too Much Laundry Detergent?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:38:00 GMT

A posting on ConsumerCommentary.com made me consider how much laundry detergent I was using on my clothes. Sure enough, when I put my clothes in the washer with no soap at all, there were suds, meaning there was still soap in them from the last however many washes. Thinking about how much soap I had been wasting, I realized this could save a lot of money in the end.

This posting was actually a response to an article in the New York Times that says using too much soap in your washing machine and dishwasher can cause serious damage to the machines. Apparently, most people use 10-15 times more soap than is necessary. The reason for this is More Here...

Does Saving the Earth Cost You More Money?

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:37:00 GMT

"Going green" means doing your part to save the Earth. But that doesn't mean, transversly, that the environment is interested in saving your wallet. In fact, cost is one of the few excuses people can still pull out against green initiatives.

But does saving the planet really cost you more money?

It all depends on how you look at it. If you're talking, for example, about purchasing green products, you might have an expensive leg to stand on. Organic food, most obviously, costs more than the your mass-produced garden variety sustenance. So does organic cotton. Which, OK, means you might not want to buy organic clothes or organic furniture. And even I won't push you into use organic cleaning products, which are doubly pricey when you consider that they aren't, unfortunately, as effective as the toxic stuff.

And yet ...

More Here...

Beware of Census Scams

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:42:00 GMT

Everywhere you turn these days, you're likely being encouraged to send back your census form. These forms will be appearing in mailboxes this week. And because scam artists take advantage of being topical, they may be contacting you this week as well.

Because the Census is one of those things everyone is exposed to, but not many people really know much about, it makes it prime fodder for crooks who will be emailing and calling folks pretending to be from the government.

CNNMoney has an article about the possible scams and has some things to keep in mind to keep you safe:

The census questionnaire only has 10 questions.
There are NO questions asking for your bank account, credit card number or social security number.
The census will NEVER contact you via email. So don't open attachments or click links in emails that are supposedly from the census- these are fake emails.
A census worker will come to your home if you don't return the form in a month but they will have the following:

More Here...

Is Consumer Reports Reliable?

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:39:00 GMT

It's 2010 and the newest edition of Consumer Reports is out, with its list of the top ten cars of 2010. Check out this sneak peak on GetRichSlowly.com. Every time I have been in the market for a car, Consumer Reports has been a great resource for finding the best value for the best price. It rates the cars on reliability as well as fuel economy. The report also tells the best cars to buy used, based on how reliable they have been over the past ten years.

While it is a great resource, I hold Consumer Reports completely responsible for the 1988 Ford Escort I had to drive all through high school. More Here...

Would You Pay a Dog to Sniff Out Bedbugs?

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 21:49:00 GMT

As you may have read in my previous post, I've had a few issues with bedbugs and have been trying some natural remedies to get rid of them, which seem to be working, by the way. But there is one new, very natural, remedy to detect them that will save you from the most common way of detecting them, which involves waking up with itchy, red bites all over your body. Instead, before renting or buying, have a dog sniff the premises.

An article in the New York Times outlines how bedbug-detecting canines can save you a lot of pain and aggravation.

When I first read that a pest control company in my area offers dog services for bed bugs, I thought it meant that they would treat your dogs for bedbugs like you would treat them for fleas. Then, reading further, I discovered that dogs are actually used to sniff out bedbugs. This new process, featured in the Times article, has been researched by entomologists at (my alma mater) the University of Florida.

The article also provides some interesting background information which made me feel a little better about my situation. According to New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development, bedbug complaints and violations have increased at an unbelievable rate in the last six years, from 537 bedbug complaints in 2003 and 82 violations (certified infestations) to nearly 11,000 complaints last year with 4,084 violations cited (nearly double that of the previous year).

So before renting an apartment or buying a house, it would be wise to have some sort of inspection done. According to the University of Florida researchers, the dogs can detect a single live bug or egg with 96 percent accuracy, much more accurate than a human inspection and in much less time. If you're interested, a couple of companies that offer canine services in the New York area are MandM Pest Control and Bed Bug Locators.

What do you think about this? Would you trust a dog to check for bedbugs? Enough to pay for this service?

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