A question for you, pretty ones

By Mir
January 2, 2008
Category Big Picture

At long last we are headed back home. It’s not that we haven’t enjoyed the holiday travels, you understand, but there is something to be said for being in your own house, with your own bed. It’s time to get back to normal. Things will be quiet here today as we make our way back down the coast and home to Georgia.

Anyway. For the last couple of months, Want Not has focused heavily on sales and deals, particularly those on toys and electronics and other hot holiday gifts. That’s fine; I think together we found some great deals an made some holidays brighter, which is awesome.

On the other hand, I’ve always intended for Want Not to be about more than shopping. And while it’s natural that around Christmas it becomes primarily about finding good deals on gifts, now I’d like to get back to the original intention, here, which was/is managing money in a healthier way.

So I’d like you to tell me what you’re hoping to see here in the coming months. Are you just here for the deals? Do you enjoy the advice entries? (I do, by the way, but I haven’t gotten nearly as many questions lately.) Are there issues you want to see tackled here, various areas of interest I’ve not covered? This is your chance to tell me what to do. And I might even do it!

(I’ll be home tonight, and am looking forward to reading your responses. Play nice while I’m gone, please.)

75 Comments

  1. Hi Mir,

    I know you posted about savings and savings accounts etc. a few months ago (I’m too lazy to search), but I DO want to start saving (preferably this month still) as I have all kinds of ideas on home improvements and would like to do it with as much hard cash as possible. The improvements will consist of painting, light fixtures, a rug here, a pillow there etc….all items that cost money. We do have a savings account, but I want an account that is purely for making my home pretty. Any and all advice will be truly appreciated.

    Thanks,
    xoxo

  2. I would love some advice on how to encourage kids to be thankful for what they DO have, without thinking that what they have pales in comparison to all that their friends have. My kids are 10, 8, and 6. Actually, I mostly need advice on the 10 yr old (girl). It is hard on her having a best friend with “everything”!

  3. Good Morning,
    Have to reply to Donna first….we live in a very wealthy area and are not wealthy ourselves! It has been extremely difficult for my older girls who are now 12 and 16. My kids have to work all summer, most of their friends get to go from scuba camp to volleyball camp to the beach and back again all summer long. The best thing ever happened to them this xmas as 16 yo’s best friend’s family had a serious financial crisis and dd begged me to help. We had lots of great talks about what we could and did do, and how even though you feel you don’t get enough, there are others who have even less. Anyway…..it’s all hard and I sympathize.

    Personally, what I’d love to see more of is how to live and want less. The title ‘Want not’ implies that you can live with wanting less and being happy with simplicity. I’ve read some great books about living with less and how it benefits everyone and especially the earth. I’d LOVE to see daily reminders about learning to be grateful and happy with less. I know that’s what I want and get lost sometimes, so maybe something to remind us that we actually have all we *need* and there is peace in that. And then post the great deals, because we do actually have to buy things sometimes and they ought be be at a good price when we do! Am I being hypocritical?!LOL

  4. I lovee the sales and deals, myself, and I enjoy the Q&A, too. My burning question right now is health insurance (my husband is self-employed), although it is probably a bit off topic for this site.

  5. Great questions everyone! I have been thinking about ways to entertain people in our home without spending a lot of money. Or any money. Hope the trip home was uneventful!

  6. I think one of the biggest areas to save money would be in the area of our grocery bills. I recently ordered a deep freezer and am excited to figure out how best to utilize it to help our monthly grocery bill come down. I have also started shopping the grocery sales for the best bargains, but could definitely use some advice in this area! With two toddlers, carrying coupons around with me everywhere I go is not something that I think I would be able to do very effectively. I have taken advantage of MANY of the Amazon grocery deals that you have posted. Thanks! One item I have not been able to find good deals on is organic milk. Any ideas on that? So…I guess my request would be for “advice on bringing my grocery bill down while not sacrificing good food!”

  7. I second Isabel. Sean and I have had our house for two years now and it’s time to replace some windows and do some serious stuff to the backyard (who knew I’d ever be so interested in stump grinding?)

    We’ve also been talking about making our credit work a little harder for us, like getting a major credit card that offers a reward system, however, they all seem scamy to me, that and I wouldn’t really know how to work ’em if I had ’em anyway.

    I do love the shop(ping)-talk though. Big help for me. Big. Huge. Love it. It’s something I should have learned long ago.

  8. I do like coming to your site for deals. It seems you are my time saver. I really do not want to search the Amazon sale…but yet you seem to find exactly the things I am looking for! I also like the fact that you are exploring different sites…Crazy 8…The fact that you have “tested” them makes me more apt to shop at their site.

  9. On the freezer for saving money. Yes, I do use my freezer (one of the best investments we’ve made) for stocking up on sales. But the biggest use and savings come from the meals I am able to stockpile there.

    Every time I prepare a meal that freezes well (casseroles, fried chicken, real mac and cheese) I make several meals worth and freeze the extras. So on those days where I am too rushed to prepare a healthy meal, I can pull one from the freezer rather than relying on $$$ prepared food or sending out for pizza. Not only have I saved quite a bit with this, we also eat much better.

  10. I, too, love the deals and the general talk about saving. But I think Blairzoo hit the nail on the head, for me, anyway. As a single mother of a 15 y/o and a 12y/o, I watch every penny and it is hard. I appreciate tips on how to live within my means and not want. All of the commentors have mentioned parts of this concept: cooking ahead and freezing, saving for home improvement, entertaining on a budget, and there are probably other topics that would go along with this, too.

  11. I love your site for both the deals and the advice. (My hubby LOVED the weather radio that I got him for free, btw).

    What I’d really like to see is a “What Not to Wear” for normal/thriftier people. I need the advice on that show (when I have time to see it – ha), but hello – I don’t have $5,000 to spend and if I did, I wouldn’t spend it on three items in NYC. I’d go to Target.

    Hope your trip home is a smooth one.

  12. I love the deals and the advice. Your normal (non-holiday) smattering of each is fine with me.

    I, too, would like to see you do something on health insurance. You are self employed so I’m hoping that you can give us some good advice about what to consider rather than just the price. For example, my son and I had private health insurance that was great and affordable, but it doesn’t cover maternity. When my husband and I decided it was time to have another baby, I got on his health insurance through work. While it is lots more expensive per month, it’s still cheaper than paying for a c-section and/or a NICU stint, though I hope to have neither. I know there are other considerations that are important, and I’d like to know what you think as after the new baby is here I’m going to be looking into private insurance again to compare costs and coverage.

  13. I agree with Tina. I love the deals and have bought so many things because you tried them out first or recommended them. I check your website a few times a day. The latest deal was the memory sticks. Come to find out my husband was searching for them. He was freaked out when I sent him the post and said “Do we need these?” Thanks for all you do.

  14. I like a balance of hot deals and advice. It looks like you are getting some questions now, but also when you first started you wrote a few things about personal experiences or practices of yours, like the laptop bag you got a great deal on or buying the super cheap clothing at the thrift store and selling it at the resale shop. (Genius!) Those kind of things inspire me to be creative with my own options.

    Krista, moneysavingmom.com is a frugal website with a focus on grocery expenses.

  15. In response to Krista’s search for cheap organic milk, the best I’ve found is at Costco where you can get 3 half gallon cartons for I think $7….Which is definitely a savings over the $3-$4 per half gallon at the regular grocery store….

    Hope that helps.

    Thanks Mir for all of your postings, I like them all but would also enjoy deals on travel, although that can be such a time-sensitive, detailed post.

    Happy New Year Everyone!

  16. I keep coming back because I love it all! If you look past the crazy holiday season when we really most need the deals, I think you do a great job of mixing it up (deals, advice, etc).
    So many of these comments are great–health insurance (been there–pain in the $*&), saving $ on groceries (I still want an extra freezer!), entertaining on the cheap (I would love to hear more…hosting a party is always so $$$ in the end), etc. etc.

    I so agree with Blairzoo on “how to live and want less.” It seems that the world is such a wasteful and want, want, want place, and it’s hard to pass gratefulness to our kids in such an environment.

  17. I love coming here for the deals! You have saved me a lot of cash these last few months. But seeing advice now and then is great too.

  18. I ditto Tina… I had never even heard of Crazy 8, and never would have gotten the great stuff at such a deal if you hadn’t given them a thumbs up. I love the coupons, codes, and sales you post. The questions and advice are great, too. You’re meeting my needs and I think you do an amazing job. Plus, you make me laugh a lot, and I NEED that. Thanks for all you do. Safe travels home!
    k

  19. I was originally here for the deals, but I do enjoy the advice now as well. I visit your site daily, and now my husband does as well. We are both spenders, which was a little rough on us in the beginning. Eleven years and four children later we have found a good balance. We still enjoy spending, but are much more frugal and thoughtful about it. We have also got our priorities in order – we have 2 savings accounts, retirement plans, and a credit card with a low balance. I love your site, because it promotes planning ahead. Over the last eleven years it has become very clear that having a plan is the only way to make changes. I think it would be great if you would give readers ideas of how to start small – the baby steps to making financial changes. Along with that though, I think you should keep the advice about the fun things – like the gift closet, your experiences with online stores and their customer service, hard to buy for gift ideas etc. I love that you help me find the best deals – I will always be a “spender”, but now my focus has changed from getting something to finding the best deal. I also love the advice about reading reviews, my husband is finally paying attention to them – what a difference that has made, we are no longer wasting money on junk!
    I was introduced to “FlyLady” 3 years ago, I don’t follow all of her routines, but I did take a lot of her advice and made it fit in to my life style. It’s all about discipline and getting a handle on keeping your house clean. It makes a huge difference in my attitude when I wake up to a house that is clean and uncluttered. I always appreciate advice on how to control the clutter, and make things easier on me. Four kids can destroy a clean house in a matter of minutes.

    Mir, I love your site, and I’m sure I will enjoy any and all of the advice and deals you share. Thanks for all you do.

  20. Hi Mir,
    I love ur website.It is a ritual to visit ur site while having my morning cuppa.We are expecting a baby next summer,so I would like to see some deals on baby stuff and advice on how to shop for the baby.The prices of things like stroller and crib at baby’s r’us are way beyond my budget.

  21. My very favorite things are the great deals. After that, I love the advice, such as wardrobe and gift closet building. I’d also love to see more advice on maximizing what you have (example” adding just a few, inexpensive things to make a room or wardrobe look and feel like new.)

  22. All of the above sound great! We will be moving this year, and so advice on moving and packing (other than DON’T DO IT!) would be great for me.

  23. Regarding health insurance for the self-employed…

    (Mir, I hope you don’t mind us talking amongst ourselves here while you are travelling!)

    My husband has been self employed for over two years now (and just last month brought home his first paycheck…and lost his biggest client the same day! So much for that glimmer of hope…) Anyway, we found that among the “big” companies, Aetna was half the price of Blue Cross for almost the exact coverage. It is still an insane amount of money each month though and we rarely use it… which is great health-wise, but terrible financially! We have a very high deductible and high copays, but I would rather spend $40 on a copay 3-4 times a year than spend an extra $350 per month for “nothing” just to have a lower deductible. We have 3 kids and fortunately, none of us get sick much or have any chronic health conditions. I am also done having kids so didn’t need to worry about the maternity coverage which adds alot more $$$ too. Another problem with individual vs group insurance, along with the huge cost, is that when you fill out the forms, they want to know every time you sneezed in the past 10 years because that will put you at a higher risk for actually *needing* the health insurance and will therefore raise your rates! The whole industry makes me SO CRAZY!!

    Hope that helps someone.

  24. I LOVE the deals. It makes shopping so simple. And, it’s a much more manageable site than something like gottadeal, etc. I also love your innovative ideas about gift closets, etc. and I agree that travel deals would be fun too! Thanks for all of your hard work!

  25. I love the deals! I am a bargain hunter myself. So you’re site has been right up my alley. I have especially enjoyed deals on toys and groceries. I think tips are good as well. Can’t think of anything specific right now though.
    Thanks for all your hard work! You have been a blessing to many!

  26. I’m here for the deals. It seems that you find them faster than I can, so I come here to see what’s newly reduced online. We are a military family of six, we need bargains. Honestly I don’t read the advice, usually it’s something that I’m not interested in or have no use for. Which is fine, everybody has different expectations/needs/wants. I’m saying I like the site the way it is. I get what I need/want from here and pass over the rest. This site has become a daily “fix” for me though. Keep up the great work!

  27. I have to say that I LOVE the deals and sales information, and really hope that doesn’t go away! I’d also like to see advice geared toward people trying to live on a budget in all kinds of situations. I’d also really like to see some kind of tips on how to get the most out of your money for those who aren’t in the know. My husband and I know absolutely nothing about savings accounts, IRAs, ISAs, etc but we’d love to find out more so we could have more options.

  28. Pretty, pretty Mir, I came here for the great deals (and have sent many friends over for the same) and I stay for the advice. I think you should continue with the deals (I would cry if those went away) but I would also love to see advice on savings and such. I would be really interested in advice on what types of savings are good for kids, for college but also just in general to help make sure there is something put away for our little one when she is ready to venture out into the world.
    Also I’m with Saucygrrl in wanting to find ways to make our credit work better for us, my husband and I keep only one card each (we are both credit weary) which we pay off at the end of each month and it would be nice if we could make it repay us in some way but all those rewards programs are so very confusing.

  29. I agree that the deals are nice, and I have taken advantage of those a few times, but I’ve been tuning them out lately since I am trying to buy less “stuff” the past few months. Like several above posters I would love to see more about living with/on less.

    Is anyone other than me totally confused about retirement? My company just started doing a 401k, so I am signed up for that and will get the full match, so that’s good. But I feel like I should be doing more, especially since I am still relatively young, but I don’t know where to start really. The financial websites tend to make my head spin.

    Thanks for this blog! I do love it and have referred several of my friends here.

  30. RE: organic milk. Costco sells two gallons for just over 5 bucks. It’s not certified organic, but it doesn’t have any hormones.

  31. Ruchi, try babycheapskate.com for all sorts of baby-related deals.

    Pretty Mir, I love your site for what it is — help finding great shopping deals, a liberal dose of humor, and some advice now and again on things like the gift closet and ways to give back from these great deals. As others have commented, you seem to find just what I’m looking for, making it so much faster (and cheaper!) for me to shop online. Thanks for sharing your good taste with us. 🙂

  32. I love the advice and the deals. I especially like hearing about credit cards and credit card rewards. My points have been piling up because I want to make the most of them, but don’t really know how. Cheap travel tips would also be great!

  33. I’m loving the deals too – I do pretty good as a bargain shopper, but always read available articles as well – figure I might pick up one little tip that I might not have already known.

    Keep up the deals though – you find them so fast!

  34. Oh pretty Mir, we love everything about your site!
    I definitely love the deals, but I also appreciate any and all advice. You never know what may help you in the future. Personally, I’d like to add my vote in for some info/advice about credit cards. The hubby and I are deathly afraid of credit cards – my parents got in some major debt problems because of them. We only use credit cards when there is a 0% deal for something we need, or if we are buying a large item and can save 10% or something by opening an account at the store. Then we pay it off before accruing any finance charges.
    But… I know a lot of people use their credit cards on a daily basis, paying them off at the end of the month and receiving rewards like gift cards. I don’t know if that is something we should be doing or not. We have great credit right now, but is it best to keep the way we are, with rarely using credit cards, or is it better for your credit rating if you use the cards and pay them off every month?
    Keep up the great work!

  35. I love, love, love the deals that you find! Both of my kids birthdays are coming up and I’d love some ideas in how to save $$ on kids’ parties.

  36. This sounds like such a suck-up thing to day, but honestly, I love it all. The advice is great, as is the Q&A. Maybe a weekly reader’s forum, where you post a reader question and have reader’s submit their ideas (which we do anyway.)

  37. I, too, come here for the deals, the advice, and the humor. I’ve got a pdf item from Cheapskate Monthly (I think they’ve now changed their name) that I’m going to email to you about encouraging kids to save money (beginning at 18, though earlier would be great!). It’s a great chart that shows how money compounds. Hopefully you can share it with your readers if you’re talking about savings.

    While I defintely am on the “I need to need/want less” train, my husband isn’t always and I find that a challenge. Like someone else mentioned, we are both spenders and need to find a way to be happy with what we have and curtail the spending some. It’s not crazy/out of hand, but we do have lots of wants. A new house we just moved into doesn’t help…

    Thanks for all you do, pretty Mir!

  38. My favorite tip thus far has been the $250 cash back from Chase. Like others, I’d love to see more info on making your credit card work to your advantage.

  39. Mir, you have received some great feedback and questions here and I concur with a lot of it. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate your work this holiday season. You have helped so many of us–not only with the deals but with the inspiration to not settle for full retail. I hope that the last month was profitable for you–you deserve it after all your hard work!

  40. Pretty Mir, [cue Billy Joel] I love you just the way you are. I’m thankful for the deals and humor, so anything you want to dish out to us is fine by me.

  41. I do not have time to read the other replies, so excuse me if I am just repeating.

    I love the deals. Love, love, love ’em. It’s what originally drew me to your site.

    I also love the advice you’ve given on things like the gift closet, etc.

    I have been trying to live a more simple life, which includes buying less. In fact, I am on a 30 day spending freeze (buying nothing that is not an absolute nessesity), so I could use advice on living with what you’ve got and ideas on how to make it stretch.

  42. Life insurance, term, full etc. wills, getting my financial house in order this year

  43. Oh, and something that I do in terms of cooking/freezing: I buy the large packs of Costco chicken bosoms, simmer all of them in chicken broth (also Costco) and freeze them. As I cook, I’m able to pull out a lovely pre-cooked chicken bosom, and the leftover broth is the basis for fabulous home-made soup.

  44. Dear pretty Mir,
    After trading houses with my in-laws last year (not my idea) I was hoping their not so pretty house would grow on me. Well, it hasn’t and my husband wants us to do some major renovations “so we can finally invite people over”. We’ve already done several rooms, but I just don’t feel comfortable dropping a major portion of our savings into a house I’ll be exstatic to move our of or sell. Any general tips on saving, prioritizing etc. would be greatly appreciated!

  45. I love all the deals, but advice would be great too. How about some ideas on organizing your house/office/life on the cheap? Every January I get all inspired and decided this will be the year I GET ORGANIZED, but it rarely progresses past buying a few pretty baskets and a new calendar. And, as several others have mentioned, home renovation ideas would be much appreciated, too!

  46. Balance. That’s what I need to read about. I am a spender, but really need the best deals on things we need, which has been piling up due to lack of extra money. Until we sell our house and move to a better situation since having our twins, I need to learn how to manage the research for the best deals … I feel I am constantly searching now and my mind is spinning. Sites like yours, though, really help me manage it all.

    Meal planning and budgeting (for the month and — gasp — for the year) are my main challenges right now. My twin girls who are soon to be 2, are hard to cook for and feeding them is costing me a fortune! I love your deals and your advice, though I do not comment because I am just so overwhelmed with my life. I appreciate your help and neatly folded the Garnett Hill jammies that I’ll put my girls in this spring and summer. You’re just awesome …

    I also wanted to suggest home improvements on a budget … any tips on this level would be fabulous. I’ve heard about oops paints at Lowe’s but don’t see them myself. Other things like that, too, would be helpful.

  47. Veronica–
    Getting a will done was on my to-do list for years and years (let’s see…my son will be 8 yrs old this year), and this fall I finally called around to a few lawyers here in my small town. I found one who did a simple will for $100 flat fee, and that included 2 appointments (1 for consultation and 1 for signing). I thought that was a good deal and I’m so glad I finally did it.

  48. Hi Mir,

    I would love to see tips on how to raise children without getting them every gadget and “hot” toy. As a previous poster wrote… thoughts on living simply would be great. Thanks!

  49. I could go on and on about the “Mir”acle Christmas we had this year due to deals I’ve been scoping out on this site all year long…
    Of course, I still struggle with not buying everything that’s a bargain just because…well, it’s a BARGAIN. But I’m getting better.
    On my list of new-year-to-dos are the following:
    1) Stop paying too much for car insurance.
    2) Stop paying too much for phone and internet service.
    3) Eat better for less money.

    I’d love any and all advice on these topics. Mir, not only do you provide terrific and humorous insight, it’s great that so many people follow up with their own contributions, turning your blog into a forum.

    Wishing you all the very best in 2008!

  50. “MIR”acle Christmas – HA – so perfect, Laura!
    Mir, I was extremely frugal this year, and you so helped that.

    I love the site *as is* – and use the deals and information as needed.

    Thank you, again – for all the advice, information and deals!
    Happy New Year, MIRacle MIR!

  51. Could we have a side bar area to post really fantastic deals that we have found on that particular day? I know that there is no way for you to post all the little deals we have found and emailed you each day, but boy do I come across some good ones that I know others might be interested in. Something similar to a bulletin board where we can stick up little post-its with good deals and steals?

  52. I love this site and come here for the deals, but one thing I would like to hear about travel deals….I know that is a HUGE spectrum, but maybe family places like Orlando and such!

    Thanks

  53. Lovely helpful Mir,
    I also love the deals, appreciate the advice, but also come to read your voice ( I promise I am not a stalker!). You make me smile and feel that I am part of a bigger (obviously) group that is in search of better living for less cost. You are alot of what makes this site as pretty as it is. That said, I think everyone agrees on the site being great and have offered up some good topics for expansion.

    Re Jen and the sidebar, it might be cool to have an area where location specific deals are happening, like if a west coast coffee “shop” has a coupon for free lattes or something… just a thought.

    Thx for everything!

  54. For years I have had a Citi Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard and couldn’t be happier with it. No annual fee, and you get 5% cash back at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores, and utilities, and 1% cash back on everything else. There are a few rules (can’t request a rebate check til you’ve accrued $50 in cash back, can’t get more than $300/year in cash back), but nothing beats the feeling of that check arriving in the mail. If you’re not getting rewards from your credit card, you’re missing out on free money!

  55. Allow me to quote Barry Manilow and share the song now running through my head….
    “It’s a MIRacle (miracle)
    A true, blue spectacle, a miracle come true (whoa oh-oh-oh-oh)”

    Hehe! I love the deals and love the advice. I’m looking forward to more of both this year.

  56. I hope I am not too late to add my 2 cents. I love your site, nay, I LOVE your site. You have saved me hundreds of dollars with your searching and posting and I appreciate it.

    I like the sales you post and I like the occasional advice columns also. I think it is great that you want to please your readers.

    Thanks for all you do.

    xoxoxo

    ~K!

  57. I love the bargains you post, but I could always use advice about money management, especially about organizing the budget. I haven’t found a reliable system yet. How do you do it?

  58. I love the deals, being another infamous bargain-hunter. I have a little help for those who want to maximize credit cards: Discover card offers cash back OR credit toward buying gift cards with your rebate $$. For instance, you can buy a $25 gift card for $20 rebate bucks at many useful places such as Lands End & Borders. Not everyone takes Discover though. I also like staying in nice hotels & Starwood.com is where you can sign up for an American Express card that earns you free nights at Westin, Sheraton & other higher & medium-end hotels that are all part of the Starwood family. Redeeming the points is fairly easy & you can get great deals by combining cash & points at their website. They win travel awards each year as the best rewards redemption site for travel. Finally, you may need a Visa/MC b/c not all take Amex or Discover. I would probably just get an airline mileage partner card w/ your favorite airline if you travel at all. To thumb thru some magazine trying to pick out point-rated merchandise is just not for me, but I can always use an airplane ticket at least once/year. Some cards are not tied to specific airlines & I have used those too. They require a little more patience (book 2 weeks in advance, stay a Sat night, etc) & sometimes don’t have the fare or schedule you could get elsewhere, but I have booked a family of 8 to go on vacation w/ one of these & saved quite a bit of $$. I do recommend paying off all credit cards off each month–this builds great credit too!! I also have lots of $$ & still shop at thrift stores & nice used clothing stores, which is a great savings for kids’ clothing/shoes/sports gear, etc. I also buy used books, DVD’s & CD’s @ half.com or Amazon. Anyway, there you have my life!
    –Mom of 7 & they’re all headed to college!

  59. Hi Mir,
    I’ve been a lurker for some time now and love the deals I find for my toddler (toys and necessities). I too would love to hear your advice on home improvements on a budget. There are several things that we want to do outdoors once it warms up in the Midwest (deck, landscaping, new drive), but we would like to do as much as we can using cash.

    Also, in response to the comments about credit cards/rewards/etc…check with your bank to see if they have any offers. Our bank gives points for using our debit card (more points if you choose credit when you scan it at checkout). For rewards, there is the standard stuff like cash or gift cards, or you can also choose to have the reward “money” put towards your mortgage.

    I’m looking forward to all your great deals and advice in the new year!

  60. I simply love you, and live for your deals–xox your shop-a-holic admirer Carrie

  61. I, too, love the whole package. Deals, advice, chit chat…I read it all, everyday.

    Our issues are with money organization. Quick Books? I am about to take the plunge from pen and paper (I know! I know!) to something a bit more…civalized. Our business is growing and it’s time to get “detailed”. Any advice on computer $$ organization? How do I begin such a big task?
    Love you and your brain, xo L.

  62. I would love posts on how to create and work with a budget. I mean, I get the basic concept but when I actually sit down to do it I get overwhelmed and wander off to find something shiny instead.

  63. I love all the deals. What I would like to see is a way to get promotion codes without searching through countless websites and links. I just hate to checkout and leave the promotion code blank when I know there is one out there, somewhere, yet I can’t find it. It’s like letting money slip through your hands.

  64. I love the deals, love the advice, probably equally.

    I think one prob I have with money-oriented sites or forums is that for every piece of advice there is always someone sniffing or scoffing: “I would NEVER pay X dollars for THAT…” etc etc. It’s a turnoff, because there is no arbitrary “right” price tag that God writes down and emails to us all for each thing we buy. I do appreciate sensitivity to a range of incomes and outflows, but as a former scoffer myself I’ve come to realize that it’s not about paying the least for an item as much as it is about living below your means. My means now are much better than they were a while ago. I appreciate deals but also realize that some items are durable only at a certain price.

    All this to say that I’d love to see posts that show a range: what to look for in sheets if you have $20, $50, or $75 to spend per sheet, for example. Or perhaps comparing department store towel labels for durability or absorbency. Not that you have to be a Consumer-Reports kinda girl, just that these examples help me decide on spending whether I find a deal on WantNot or am shopping on my own.

  65. I love the deals, I send people here for the deals. I had no idea about most of this stuff until I started coming here.

    I would probably follow you all over the internet slavishly though, so if you write advice I’d read it, and probably learn a lot too.

    But thank you so much for $10 flannel sheets for a King size. This year I was right at Amazon the day after Christmas ready to snap them up before the price went back up. I’m really easy to please I guess.

    Teach away sensei.

  66. I love coming here for the deals but I wouldnt mind other stuff also. I always check here before I shop so the deals must remain—pretty please?

  67. I just started working from home, and I need ideas on how to manage the house on a daily basis–especially in terms of grocery deals, any shopping tricks (best days/times?), etc. I am also interested in learning more about money organization, especially now that I *think* I can itemize and write some stuff off on my taxes since they are business-related. I am CLUELESS in that area. But I love the whole site, beginning to end, so whatever you do, I’ll be here reading it!

  68. I love, love, love the deals!
    You have saved me soooo much money (in the past year
    or so) since I found this site.
    I tell my friend all of the time about you.
    Keep up the good work!

  69. As a Canadian, 90% of the deals don’t work for me (if only we could order grocery/home items from Amazon.com!), so I prefer the advice-related posts. I’d also love it if you highlighted deals (e.g. free samples) that were open to Canada as well, so that we Canadians know when we should click!
    Love the site, though!

  70. I love, love, love the deals. But I also love your advice entries as well as handy tips. Like the Zappos price matching strategy or buying from Goodwill and reselling at a consignment. Very smart. I don’t know if this is what you meant…I would like to understand how you separate your finances. I’m struggling to NOT live paycheck to paycheck. How in the heck do people do it? I thought about having multiple checking accounts (one only for paying bills and discretionary accounts one for my husband and one for myself with a set amount transferred each time.) What do you think? What do you think about purchasing extended warranties on products? This kind of advice would be very helpful to me….

    You are so pretty for asking.

  71. First point: I love Want Not.

    Second point: Please keep posting the deals, especially the shoe deals, as it gives me the excuse to (modestly) splurge. (Point two-and-a-half: those leopard-print Charles Davids I got for $225 off sent my cousins into fits of jealousy over Christmas. That alone was worth the $23.)

    Third point: I like the advice posts, and specifically, I could use some advice on rewards credit card deals. I got a good deal last year with AmEx (essentially got a free plane ticket for signing up), but the annual fee was only waived for one year, so now I want to switch to a new rewards card that will give me something pretty for signing up, and will not charge me a pretty penny to do so.

  72. Some people have already mentioned (or alluded to) making a space or page for forum type discussions. The problem with open web forums that I’ve seen is that open forums often quickly degenerate into mob rule, with nasty fighting, name-calling, inapropriate link-posting, etc. I would prefer the Q&A approach where you pick the questions, you answer the questions and then people are free to post comments. This format helps people keep in mind that they are a guest on your site.

    That being said, I would recommend some kind of verbage about the Q&A aspects of the site, prominently displayed along with a button linking to a question submission form; just something to visually let people know what’s included in the price of admission here and that you are encouraging us to ask questions. Without that button, a First Time Reader might think, “My, this website really has some great shopping tips. Mir is obviously funny and intelligent and, by all accounts, very pretty.” With that button, First Time Reader may add, “oh, this is also an advise column and she wants to hear from me? Well that nice lady from the lottery commission said I should talk to a financial advisor, so I’ll just ask Mir.”

  73. What about some tax basics? I mean, for those of us at the bottom who can’t afford accountants to tell us how to keep more of our own money.

    Even a ‘recommended reading’ section would help.

  74. oh glory. pardon me while i giggle a minute at the “chicken bosom” and “stump grinding” references…

    phew.

    okay. now. where was i?

    i love everything about this place (especially the free stuff :P). i do tend to glaze over the Amazon Friday deals, because i am never really in the market to order things like that, but i know it helps a ton of your readers. i pretty much read everything else, though.

    this is probably totally not up your alley, but since i’ve seen it in the comments here, i thought i’d throw it in. i’d love to know how to prepare some freezable meals that i could store away and have the boyfriend toss in the oven or whatever when i am running late getting home, or just don’t feel like i want to cook. if you did in fact do that reader advice section, where you post a question and have us reply, maybe that could be one of the topics? i know there are resources online, but i’d rather hear it from actual folks who eat the stuff, ya know? it’s especially hard for me because my boyfriend hates veggies. lol.

    keep up the good work, pretty lady! we pink puffy heart you!!

  75. I was wondering if you have any advice for people living abroad (israel)? Any leads on sites that ship internationally for a reasonable price? (Often the shipping comes out to be more then the purchase price).
    thanks
    Tatyana

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