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Another angle on time vs. money

by Mir at 1:50 pm on January 11, 2012 in Big Picture, Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Over the next few weeks I hope to 1) get back into the groove of working normally (before the holidays = working crazy and post-holidays has = not working enough) and 2) get to the backlog of advice requests y’all have sent my way.

Let’s start with the following from lovely reader Caty:

Could you possibly, sometime after the holidays maybe, share with us how you weigh the time you save shopping online versus (maybe/sort of) saving a few bucks in store? For example, according to the Target flier this week, there’s a particular toy I want to give my 3 year-old that is $10 cheaper than the Amazon price. It’s sold out on target.com and while our Target had the toy last week, there’s no guarantee it will be there when I get a chance to stop by/after I call to see they have it and the last one sells before I get there. To me, it’s totally worth spending the 10 extra bucks on Amazon considering a) Free Prime (thank you very much!) b) the time I would spend actually going to the store and c) I am physically and mentally incapable of spending less than $100 in the bricks and mortar Target store. Spending $10 extra is not exactly frugal money-wise. But it’s frugal time-wise. Which is better when you’re already crazy and have neither much time nor money? WWMD?

I think you’re especially pretty today.

I’m happy to share my thoughts on this, though I think Caty is so very pretty she actually already answered her own question. Let’s get to it. (more…)

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Best bread machines?

by Mir at 4:58 pm on January 5, 2012 in Product Talk, Questions Answered

The lovely Alicia writes:

The Husband loves bread and I will periodically stun and amaze him by making some on a rare, slow weekend. But he cleans without being asked so I’d like him to have homemade bread more often! A full time job and 2 kids makes it difficult though. Any recommendatons on a good bread machine…it would be heavily used since he can consume a whole loaf by himself (and maintain his 32″ waist, for which I’ve not yet forgiven him).

A deal would be nice too but I’m willing to pay more for easier to use!

I’m sorry, I’m stuck back on the part where your husband can eat an entire loaf of bread and stay skinny. I hate him a little, now. (Kidding!)

Here’s the thing about making bread: While I’m happy to talk bread machines, I also feel the urge to point out that baking bread doesn’t have to be a time/labor intensive endeavor. A good heavy-duty mixer (such as my beloved KitchenAid Pro) can do all the kneading, and if you really want ease, check out Jeff Hertzberg’s Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (possibly the greatest bread baking cookbook ever).

But machines are good, too. Let’s take a look. (more…)

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Saving money vs. saving sanity

by Mir at 11:41 am on December 23, 2011 in Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Oh man, I love this. The very pretty Sarah just wrote the following to me:

I realize that you probably have a TON of time between now and Christmas to sit around and reply to your readers (have I mentioned that you are VERY pretty?), but I was wondering if you could answer a quick question for me.

With Christmas nearing and the arrival of 16 family members and 8 children looming (where the heck are we gonna stick all these people??), my washing machine decides that it is time to die. This happens the day after both kids and I decided to start feeling better from the cold we have had for the last week and the day after my husband arrives home after a week long work trip. Needless to say, I have laundry coming out of my ears. Here’s my question….do I use a neighbors washer and wait until after Christmas for a good deal or do I run out to Sears and pick one up today? I am unsure if washers and dryers go on sale after Christmas. Do they have amazing deals on sets like on Black Friday? In your opinion, can I save enough money by waiting that would make it worthwhile?

If you get a chance, let me know what you think. If not, NO WORRIES!! Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday and a long life to your washing machine!!

To clarify, I do not love that poor Sarah’s washing machine chose this moment to die. I just love that she wrote to me about it, and also that this is—to me—kind of the crux of this whole money-saving thing. Let me explain. (more…)

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Getting the best bed

by Mir at 10:52 am on December 14, 2011 in Everyday Wisdom, Product Talk, Questions Answered

The lovely Dallas writes:

Dear pretty Mir –

I’m a longtime reader and finally moving into an apartment with no roommates (holler for being a grown up, even in a recession!)… I’m upsizing from a twin bed (I’m 27, it’s time) to a queen bed. Any suggestions on how to pull off getting a good deal on a mattress, quality tips, etc? I’m totally clueless… and you know everything

Love,
Dallas

You know what? I do love Dallas! She’s exceptionally pretty. And that’s not even just because she’s also an accomplished suck-up.

Speaking as someone who enjoys researching products before I buy them and then finding the best deal, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the mattress industry is in cahoots with the liquor industry. That is, even the most savvy and conscientious among us want to drink when we have to shop for a new bed. That’s because it’s confusing, time consuming, and there’s no possible way to find a “standard” for pricing. But let’s see what we can do. (more…)

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Keeping baby from breaking the bank

by Mir at 11:52 am on July 26, 2011 in Everyday Wisdom, For the kids, Questions Answered

The lovely and pretty Allison wrote to tell me that she and her husband are expecting their first baby. (Yayyyyy! I did a little dance of joy, because news of babies always makes me happy.) She says:

Since we are of the school of: I’d rather send you to college than break the bank on onesies and burp cloths – how do we go about outfitting baby/getting room together/getting all the “gear” that babies seem to require without hemorrhaging money? What is okay to buy used? What is most definitely not? Is there a list of must-haves that anyone can point me to? Are there common traps to avoid? Are there any reputable sites for product review/safety standards that I should familiarize myself with?

And finally, I am a lawyer. Where in the world do I find affordable office appropriate maternity wear?

The first thing I advised Allison to do was take a deep breath. Then I asked her if I could use her question here on the site. (Priorities: I have them.)

Let’s talk about this. (more…)

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Eat better without breaking the bank

by Mir at 11:52 am on June 6, 2011 in Groceries, Questions Answered

The lovely Jean writes:

Since you are so pretty and smart, I thought you would be able to help me with this question. I am currently in the process of changing my son’s diet. I am trying to remove all HFCS, all dyes etc from his diet. Also, I’m getting him to eat more fruits, veggies etc, as much of it organic as possible. I can and do cook from scratch, but I also work full time. Baking tons of goodies and crackers that he can eat doesn’t fit to well with my commute and work schedule. He will also be heading off to day camp this summer (we send his lunch and snacks with him). My question to you is, where can I get some great snacks that fit into these restrictions without taking a second mortgage on my house? Any websites out there that might be useful, or stores? Additionally, any brands that you love and I should try?

Jean is singing my song, because this is something about which I happen to be pretty passionate. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for the “occasional treat” and all of the unnatural dyes and HFCS they may contain, but in general, I strive to feed my family real food, hold the chemicals. And as Jean is discovering, that can be harder than it sounds.

So let’s talk about this. (more…)

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Modest bikinis for young teens?

by Mir at 10:44 am on March 28, 2011 in Big Picture, Questions Answered, What to Wear

As a mom to a young teen, myself, my head couldn’t nod in agreement fast enough when pretty reader Maria emailed me this morning to say:

My current dilemma is about bathing suits for young teenagers. My 13 year old daughter has worn one piece or tankini-style suits. She would like a bikini this year and I’m ok with that, but I cannot find an ‘appropriate style’. The ones we are finding in stores are the string style. I would like more coverage and something that won’t fall off when she actually wants to do some swimming. Any advice on where to buy such a suit?

(I thought it was a nice touch that she added an addendum with a link to this piece about Abercrombie selling padded bikini tops for 2nd graders to highlight exactly what she doesn’t want. Ack.)

The short answer, of course, is that there are viable options at the intersection of “she thinks it’s cool” with “Mom doesn’t think she’s naked.” It’s merely a matter of ferreting those options out. And the first problem is the size issue. (more…)

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Getting your winter gear for next year?

by Mir at 4:23 pm on January 26, 2011 in Questions Answered, What to Wear

Pretty reader Suzanne writes:

I just met up with some ladies last night who are new to the coupon game. One of them is sending her son north for college in the fall and is fretting the cost of buying him winter gear. I explained that now is the time to buy since it’s all being clearanced out. But it seems like most of the deals have passed already! Do you know of any place she can get a decent quality coat, etc. for her son on a budget!

Suzanne makes a great point, which is that it often seems like the stores’ seasonal cycle is so far off reality that even when you think you’re thinking ahead, you may have already missed this season’s clearance. But! I think she can help her friend find something, even still. Let’s talk about some general philosophy, first. (more…)

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Apologies for the Mini Boden coupon confusion

by Mir at 3:24 pm on December 7, 2010 in Questions Answered

Hey folks—thank you so much for bearing with me after the problems with this morning’s post about a coupon code Mini Boden. (I have removed the post per retailer request.)

So here’s the deal: One of the benefits I now enjoy since being selected as a Savings.com DealPro is that I have access to their exclusive offers here on Want Not, which is awesome. I don’t know if you’ve noticed in last month or so, but I’ve had lots of offers to pass along which I formerly didn’t have access to. This is very very cool, and without getting into a bunch of boring details let me just say that it’s a very nice thing the Savings folks are doing for the DealPros and our readers.

That said, allowing all of us to access their deals database is relatively new and sometimes not without hiccups. I saw the Mini Boden deal this morning and grabbed it; several of you let me know it wasn’t working; I contacted Savings immediately (though they’re on the opposite coast and I’d posted quite early, so we had to wait); they contacted Mini Boden, and here is the final result:

We were told that [the posted coupon code] was going to be live this AM, so we posted the deal as planned. As soon as we heard from you that it wasn’t working though, we removed it. The folks at Boden, along with the team here, pass along their apologies for the trouble and confusion your readers experienced.

I’m still trying to find out of this offer might still go into effect at a later point and will keep you posted.

I think most of you know that I’m always trying to bring you the greatest deals I can find, and while that never involves me trying to deceive you or somehow break the rules, sometimes deals change, or things don’t work quite right, or plain ol’ human error comes into play. I’m very sorry this morning’s deal turned out to be a false alarm, and sincerely appreciate those of you who were good-humored about it. You’re very pretty.

Comments { 14 }

What time on Black Friday?

by Mir at 1:54 pm on November 22, 2010 in Questions Answered, Quick Tips

The very pretty Randi asks:

Genius saving-money guru lady, I have a question or two for you. First, I plan on spending Black Friday in my pajamas – but what time in the morning should I get up? If I remember correctly, some sites have deals REALLY early in the morning. Do you have any advice as to what time would be a good time to start surfing for deals? And secondly, do you believe that Black Friday will be better, or that Cyber Monday will be better?

This is one of the things I talked about in my Black Friday presentation at Save Up (that post now contains video of the presentation), but I’m happy to talk about it again, because this is important stuff.

The short answer: It depends.
The long answer: It depends on what you’re shopping for, and how badly you want something specific. Read on! (more…)

Comments { 5 }

Older Entries »

Another angle on time vs. money

Best bread machines?

Saving money vs. saving sanity

Getting the best bed

Keeping baby from breaking the bank

Eat better without breaking the bank

Modest bikinis for young teens?

Getting your winter gear for next year?

Apologies for the Mini Boden coupon confusion

What time on Black Friday?

Bargain Hunt

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