RSS FeedOne thing you learn when you’re a personal finance writer: Behind every purchase lies the potential to get ripped off. That’s why I decided to tackle this topic for my September Redbook column.
Some might call me a pessimist, but I say I’m a realist. Case in point: A couple weeks ago, New York City’s Department of Consumer Affairs revealed that two-thirds of the supermarkets they inspected over the last year were overcharging customers at the register. And that’s not the only example. Down in Georgia, Countrywide customers are just now getting reimbursed after paying marked-up fees associated with their home loans from 2005 to 2008. Last but not least, a lawsuit filed in May alleges that AT&T fleeced iPhone users for data by up to 300 percent. And that’s just the overcharge news from this summer!
Look under the rug of any company you do business with, and you’re likely to find lots of money that could have been yours—if you’d only done due diligence by comparison shopping, pre-researching a purchase, or reading carefully through each line of your receipt.
Check out the current issue of Redbook to discover the three most common overcharge offenders. You’ll
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Everyone loves a fresh start right? The clocks have been changed, the weather is warming up, and it’s time to start the spring cleaning. So why not use this renewed energy as a push to live a more frugal lifestyle? I’m not saying to flip your life upside down overnight and start sacrificing everything in the name of frugality. That’s just asking for failure. This fresh start is about making sensible choices that allow you to live a happy and balanced life on a small budget. If you want to start living frugally and actually make a lifestyle out of it (not just another passing phase) it’s important to take a slow and steady approach.
Im a pretty odd shopper I think. I wouldnt go so far as to say that Im a cheap bastard, but I do like to find deals on the things I need. I also dont mind spending the time to find that deal, or even waiting for a better time to purchase something in particular. While I do get a feeling of satisfaction from spending less money, it also makes me feel a little masochistic. Why deprive myself of something to save a few bucks? When it comes to immediate needs, I bite the bullet. For other things, I take a different approach.