There may be no place on the planet more daunting than the American supermarket.
photo credit: miss_rogue
I knew that some of the items on this list are bad for you, but some are surprising even to me. I thought I knew my healthy food choices. Do you?
From the produce section to the frozen-food aisle, the modern-day market is loaded with 50,000 food choices, all vying for your hard-earned money. That’s why we created the Eat This, Not That! Supermarket Survival Guide, the brand-new follow-up to our national bestselling nutrition books that will help you cut through marketing mysteries and food-label lies in order to make the smart choices that lead to fast and permanent weight loss for you and your loved ones.
And there’s no better way to start slimming down in 2009 than by eliminating the most egregious offenders in the supermarket from your shopping cart. Some are conspicuous calorie bombs, others are junk food masquerading as healthy food, but all 20 of these foods have one thing in common: They’ll undermine your efforts to lose weight and feel great. So study up on the list of the Worst Supermarket Foods and resolve to master your market in 2009.
via America’s Worst Supermarket Foods – Page 1 – MSN Health & Fitness – Nutrition.
getting started with coupons
Too lazy for coupons?
I have to admit that I’ve always been lazy when it comes to coupons. Clipping coupons seemed like a lot of work for a few dollars here and there, and I didn’t like the idea of going through newspaper after newspaper to find coupons for products I actually wanted to buy.
But wait – clipping coupons got easier!
Little did I know how much the world of coupons has changed! Because of the economy, I decided to take a look at what was available online and I was amazed – using coupons has become a lot easier than I thought it could be! Take Coupons.com:
I was amazed by how easy coupons.com was. You don’t have to spend a lot of time clipping coupons here – just click on the coupons you want and print them out! Here’s an example of how easy it can be:
You just click the box next to the scissors and then click a button marked “print.”
It’s that simple!
Save Money. Print Free Coupons Anytime.
Free Cosmetic Products
As part of a class action settlement, $175 million worth of free cosmetics products will be distributed for a maximum of seven days, while supplies last, on a first come, first served basis, beginning on January 20, 2009. No rainchecks will be issued. The products will be distributed at stores owned by the Retailer Defendants (see list immediately below).
The stores owned by the Retailer Defendants that will be participating in the settlement product distribution are the following:
- Bergdorf Goodman
- Bergner’s
- Bloomingdale’s
- Boston Store
- Carson Pirie Scott
- Dillard’s
- Gottschalks
- Herberger’s
- Macy’s
- Neiman Marcus
- Nordstrom
- Parisian
- Saks Fifth Avenue
- Younkers
Again, these products are only available while supplies last, and no rainchecks will be issued. If your store has run out of settlement products from the Manufacturer Defendant(s) from which you have previously purchased Department Store Cosmetics during the class period, then you may claim a product (again, while supplies last) from another Manufacturer Defendant.
The following is a list of the Manufacturer Defendants and their products that will be distributed, while supplies last, through the stores listed above:
- Boucheron (USA) Ltd.: Femme Eau de Toilette (1 ounce/30 ml)
- Chanel, Inc.: Coco Mademoiselle body lotion (3.4 fluid oz)
- Christian Dior Perfumes, Inc.: J’Adore Eau de Parfum (15 ml)
- Clarins U.S.A., Inc. (customers will have a choice of ONE of two products, while supplies last): Clarins Energizing Morning Cream (30 ml) OR Clarins Beauty Flash Bomb (30 ml)
- Conopco, Inc. (distributed by Coty, Inc. on behalf of Conopco, Inc.) (customers will have a choice of ONE of three products, while supplies last): Calvin Klein Euphoria Bath and Shower Crème (6.7 oz) ; OR Vera Wang Princess Body Polish (5 oz); OR Lovely Sarah Jessica Parker Shower Gel (6.7 oz)
- The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (customers will have a choice of ONE of two products, while supplies last): Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair (15 ml/0.5 oz) OR Clinique Moisture Surge (30 ml/1 oz)
- Guerlain, Inc.: My Insolence Eau de Toilette (15 ml)
- L’Oréal USA, Inc. (formerly known as Cosmair, Inc.) (customers will have a choice of ONE of eight products, while supplies last): Lancôme UV Expert 20 OR Lancôme Cils Design Pro Mascara OR Lancôme Fatale Mascara OR Lancôme Courbe Virtuose Mascara OR Lancôme Primordial Skin Defense OR Ralph Lauren Romance Shower Gel (6.7 oz.) OR Giorgio Armani ACM Shower Gel (6.7 oz) OR Lancôme Hypnôse Shower Gel
- Parfums Givenchy, Inc.: Very Irresistible Givenchy Eau de Toilette (15 ml)
These are the only products that will be distributed, while supplies last, as part of the settlement product distribution. Not all products are available in all stores; rather, stores will be distributing products from the participating brands that the particular store ordinarily sells.
photo credit: Un ragazzo chiamato Bi
free tax advice from TurboTax
During January, TurboTax will have live advice from the experts at TurboTax – for free! Whether they are a customer or not, anyone can talk to an expert who will answer one personal, federal tax-related question (a $29.95 value) for free through Jan. 31, 2009 at www.FreeTaxQuestion.com. Taxpayers can submit a question online and they’ll receive a personal call back, at a time they request.
6 ways you are passing up free money
We all like free money. It’s my favorite kind. I’m talking about the $20 bill lying on the ground. The birthday check from Great Aunt Millie for $5. The extra 30 minutes someone overpaid on the parking meter that you get to use when you park there. Windfalls like these almost always bring a smile to anyone’s face.
So why would you pass up free money? The problem is, there are plenty of opportunities, even in this day and age, to get money for nothing. Of course there is a price – you may have to fill out a form, or walk to a bank, or call an 800 number. But in practical terms, we’re talking about nothing. So where do you get this free money? Who is crazy enough to give it away? Your employer, the federal government, banks, credit card companies, airlines, supermarkets? The answer: all of them!
Not taking advantage of an employer match in your 401(k).
This is a biggie. If your employer offers a matching program for your 401(k), what they are telling you is for every $1 you put towards your retirement – up to a certain level – they will give you $1. You don’t have to stay later, or hang with the boss under the mistletoe at the holiday party. They’ll just put it in your 401(k) and walk away. It may take a year or two to vest fully, but it’s your decision to stay or leave. Don’t pass up this unless you feel that you don’t really deserve any more of your company’s money than they graciously give you in salary.
Keeping cash in a checking account.
I know it’s been a while since most of us did basic decimals in grade school, but let’s review: .5% interest means you will get one half of one penny per $100 capital per year. That is pretty bad, but it’s probably better than you’re getting in your checking account. Shift some of that money into a high yield savings account and you’ll get 4% or more on that money: that’s an extra 800 half-pennies per year! The same money, still lounging around unused in an account, will generate 8 times as much interest – money for nothing.
Not using a cash back rewards card.
Credit card companies are not our buddies. They are not in business to make our lives more convenient – they are in business to trick us into running up big balances. What easier way than telling you that every time you spend $100 they’ll give you four shiny new quarters? The trick here is to turn the tables on them. Put all of your expenses on a cash-back credit card each month, then pay off the balance in full. They’ll probably be muttering and complaining in their plush credit card executive offices, but they’ll give you the money. I get cash back on my donations to charity because I do this. Think about that – I give money to charity but I use a cash-back card that pays me 1% back. If that isn’t free money, I don’t know what is.
Failing to join your supermarket ‘frequent shopper program’.
Most big supermarkets have a “card” price on their store brands. If you use your ‘frequent shopper card’ they give you big discounts. All they ask in return is the ability to measure your buying patterns for marketing purposes. That may be a little creepy knowing that all that data’s being compiled about you, but hey! I’m not about to pay $1 for something I could pay $.50 for just by giving out information to Pathmark. I may regret getting a flyer in the mail but most of these supermarkets let you opt-out of mailings.
Withholding too much on your taxes.
The federal government is a pesky creditor. Imagine if you went to a nice restaurant and while you were eating the waiter came by every 10 minutes to ask for another 1/6th of your bill. Annoying, isn’t it? Well, Uncle Sam can’t wait until April 15th to get your tax payment – he needs it now and he needs it bad. But he also lets you decide just exactly how much should be withheld from your paycheck every month. Imagine you’re back at the crazy restaurant. The waiter comes by and wants $10 every 10 minutes. Would you give him $15 each time and tell him to give you the change back after dinner? Why would you want him holding your money for you? Why do you want the government holding your money that could be in a high-yield savings account? Reducing your withholding can put some money in your pocket NOW instead of later.
Not joining airline/hotel/etc. frequent flyer programs.
I know the value of a frequent flyer mile isn’t what it used to be, but if you fly they don’t charge you anything extra to put the miles in an account. I’ve paid for enough flights and hotel rooms over the years using points that I think it’s worth it. I would have paid for those flights and rooms otherwise. Using points is a hassle, I know, but it’s still something for nothing. The “something” is a little bit less every year, but it’s still there.
~~~~
There are a million ways to get a little extra cash, and with the economy the way it is, extra cash is always welcome!
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=e5a285c8-62dc-4750-8cc1-363a121793a5)
Site Sponsors
|
 |