Nov 21
From Landon Thomas at NYT: In Britain, visions of Japan’s decade of stagnation
Britain may finally be emerging from recession, but many analysts warn that it is a false dawn. In fact, they argue, the economy here is so ravaged by growing debts and ruined banks that it could well be following in the steps of Japan’s lost decade of the 1990s.
I still don’t understand why we refer to Japan’s “lost decade,” as singular. The country is now moving into its third consecutive lost decade.The Nikkei is still at 1984 levels.
But back to the UK: the NYT piece quotes the latest research from Variant Perception (no link). I got it in
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Nov 20
One of the most basic rules for people trying to improve their budgeting skills is to regularly check their monthly statements and credit card bills for any inaccurate charges and signs of identity theft or other fraudulent activity.
Now, members of Congress are taking notice because a growing number of people have been finding charges that they weren’t expecting. Specifically, the consumers in question have been complaining about affiliate marketing programs on various websites that use misleading text and small print to sway consumers into signing up for monthly charges they may not fully understand. Read more…
Nov 20
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It is common for people to think they understand what car hire is all about. It is only when things go wrong that people realize how little they know about car hire. This article gives you a few tips to think about when hiring a car.
The size of the car needs to be considered as it affects fuel consumtion and costs. Another thing to think about is the the type of journey that you will be taking and the number of people who will be using the car. If it’s going to be two to four people using the car for simple travel purposes then cars in the small range can be considered. T
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Nov 20
Holiday shopping may have some of its biggest days on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there are ways to save money all through winter season. Today, I’ll cover a few strategies for winter shoppers in several categories.
Image from socksoff
Seek Out Winter Travel Bargains
A lot of people spend extra to visit family and friends over the holidays, but if you’re looking for a less expensive getaway, winter might be a good time to escape. Even if you can’t take off for two weeks, you can still refresh yourself with a long weekend at a nearby destination. Call
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Nov 20
I was walking through Costco today and saw that they starting to promote the Costco memberships as gifts for the holidays. I got one last year, and I thought it was a nice, practical gift idea for these frugal times. But hey, why not give them a $50 membership and $50 in coupons good towards free Costco stuff? Read on:
I am happy to be able to offer special Costco membership certificates again to MyMoneyBlog readers. Available only online, they are $50 each with free shipping, and are good towards new Gold Star memberships and also upgrades to Executive Membership.
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Nov 19
Sales of kid’s clothing and jeans helped a slimmer Gap (GPS) deliver its best third-quarter results in this decade. Now, management says it’s going after market share, even in this tough market.
The parent of The Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic posted net income of $307 million, up 25% over a year ago with the 44 cents per share in earnings hitting analysts’ target for the period. Executives said the company reaped its best third-quarter operating profit in 10 years by increasing its profit margins through tweaking its merchandise mix and controlling costs. Read more…