Target

I've been encountering more and more negative stories about Target. The Consumerist is rife with them. First the return policy changed from generous and understanding to draconian. And now it's simply inane.

Anything I actually need I can find someplace else. It won't always be as cheap as Target, though I'll bet just as often the price I find will be lower.

Ending my Walgreens experiment

I've decided to end my experiment in the world of the Drugstore Game. Although I did get some good deals (shampoo, chocolate to give as teacher/library gifts, razors & shave gel), I also added some stress to my life. I will continue to check the Walgreens Easy Saver catalog each month, since I do have a Walgreens gift card now that has been reloaded twice thanks to rebates.

In our city, sales tax is now 9%. I know there are folks who do primarily the Free After Rebate (FAR) items each month, and because they choose to have their rebate loaded onto a Walgreens gift card, they get a bonus of 10% on top of the rebate amount. If your sales tax is less than that, there's a profit there. For me, a profit of 1% is not enough to overcome the hassle of remembering to enter my rebate receipt information.

Gas is >$4 a gallon

Every station I passed yesterday had prices of over $4 a gallon. Diesel was closer to $5. A year ago, we were pricing gas in preparation of our cross-country road trip. Prices were just under $3 a gallon, usually $2.75 or so, so we used $3 for our calculations to allow for variations. And just a year later, it's up $1.

I've been contemplating a California road trip. We live in Washington, so it's quite a ways. I grew up in California, and would like to take my kids to see the places I used to visit as a child. Other than Disneyland, we haven't taken the kids to California yet. Lots of planning still to do though.

But back to that $4 a gallon gas. Have you changed your driving habits? I have, in that I avoid unnecessary trips, plan my errands for efficiency and walk when we can. Those are things I already did though. Things I won't do? Take public transport. It just doesn't work for me when I have a kid or two in tow. I love to Rollerblade and Razor scooter, and have ridden my scooter to the market (fun fun fun and faster than driving). I don't love riding my bike, because gunk gets in my eyes even with shields on. I do drive the speed limit (and get tailgated which irks me to no end). I try to go easy on acceleration and deceleration.

When you really need a human

Like I did today. I got a strange email from my bank, about an address change on one of my accounts. Of course, I called them up right away to take care of it. Turned out it was for an account for a non-profit that I'm a signer on, but not currently an active user. The treasurer post must have moved to a new member.

Trying to get to a real person took FOREVER. I had to call back three times, increasingly frustrated each time. I finally came to my senses and looked up "get a human". I love it. I really do. Bookmark this site, because you will refer to it all the time. In just two shakes, by following the instructions, I had a real person on the line who helped me sort out the problem.

Once I actually reached a live human, she was pleasant and helpful. Kudos to the bank for that at least. Curses for forcing me to go through heck to get through.

A must read book

Anyone who wants to lose weight, improve their health or who has been told to use drugs or diet to lower their cholesterol should read this book. I warn you, it's a fairly academic tome. The author spent five years researching and writing this book. It's an eye-opener!

The simplest way to save money

Don't buy stuff. Stay out of the stores. When you do shop, go in with a list, preferably written. Avoid looking at catalogs--get off the mailing lists (check out Catalog Choice for an easy way to opt out of multiple catalogs at one time). Skip those aspirational magazines, like Real Simple, Martha Stewart Living and worse, the "shopping magazines" like Lucky. They're pits of desire just waiting to trap you in longing for more and more.

'Nuff said.

Fun items from The Consumerist

This first one cracked me up. Want something? Send $10 to the Somethingstore and they'll send you ... something. They pick it from their inventory. Recent somethings sent include: gourmet tea gift basket, leather wallet, duct tape wallet, Zippo lighter, hair trimmer. The list goes on!

And on a more practical note, CNN Money has a short & sweet article on the only seven investments you need for a balanced portfolio. Ready? Here ya go!

A blue-chip U.S.-stock fund

A blue-chip foreign-stock fund

A small-company fund

A value fund

A high-quality bond fund

An inflation-protected bond fund

A money-market fund
They provide examples of all seven. Grab a Zecco account and get started today!