Search results for giving
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Posted
Aug 05 2009, 03:58 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Miss M" got a last-minute wedding invitation and doesn't have time to shop for a gift.
So, she asked loyal readers of M is for Money, should she do something she has never done before in her life: Put cash in a gift envelope and call it good? Is that tacky -- or not?
She's obviously worried about breaking a rule. "I was raised to think that cash makes a tacky gift, though looking back on some of the crystal monstrosities my mother gave, perhaps money would have been kinder," she wrote.
What do you think? Is cash -- like that late wedding invitation -- an indication that you don't care very much for the recipients? Or is it the best gift you could possibly give?
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Posted
Jul 21 2009, 01:50 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
As anyone who has ever worn glasses knows, prescription eyewear can be expensive. In recent years, chain discount eyewear stores have been joined by online companies offering prescription eyeglasses for as little as $7.95. (Eyeglass Retailer Reviews outlines the pros and cons of some of those companies.)
This week, Eye Buy Direct is offering its glasses at two pairs for the price of one. The two-for-one deal applies only to the frame and basic lenses. If you opt for additional features such as progressive lenses ($39), thin lenses ($25), reflective coating ($6.95), UV protection ($4.95) or sunglass tint ($4.95), those charges are added to the cost of both pairs of glasses. Shipping is free on orders more than $99 and is $4.95 for two pairs of basic glasses. The two-for-one deal is good through July 26.
If you want to "try on" the glasses, you can upload a photo of yourself and view your face with the frames you are considering. You can even post your proposed look on Facebook and see what your friends think.
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Posted
Jun 18 2009, 06:05 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
I recently received an interesting e-mail from a person I vaguely knew from college. This person "rediscovered" me via The Simple Dollar, befriended me on Facebook, and sent me one or two e-mails.
Out of nowhere, the person, who is engaged, e-mailed me a link to the couple's wedding registry. It had been e-mailed to a lot of people -- apparently everyone in their e-mail address book. The e-mail included a generic invitation to pick out one of the hundreds of items they had selected.
I deleted the e-mail. This was greed, pure and simple.
After I received it, the issue of gift registries stuck in my mind. What exactly is tasteful behavior for a gift registry? Also, what kind of items should one put on such a registry?
Here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
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Posted
Jun 17 2009, 08:53 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This devil's advocate post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
This devil's advocate post will cover something that's bound to elicit a lot of discussion: Here are four reasons why you shouldn't donate money to charity.
That's right. You read that correctly. I have four reasons why donating your hard-earned money to a charity is a bad idea, and chances are there is at least one reason here that you haven't even considered. If there was ever a devil's advocate post to end all devil's advocate posts (don't worry, it's not the last one), this would probably be it.
Americans are among the most charitable people in the world, donating $314 billion in 2007, according to the Philanthropy Journal. And despite a brutal economy, that dropped only 2% (or 5.7% after adjusting for inflation) to $307 billion in 2008.
In the face of that, I present to you four reasons why you shouldn't donate money to charity.
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Posted
May 01 2009, 05:46 AM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Mother’s Day is clearly among the most celebrated of American holidays. It’s estimated that 96% of the population participate in the observance, which stretches back more than a century in this country and can be traced to Greek myth. So, the question is: What are you going to do? Given the pervasive nature of a holiday celebrated by nearly everyone, your options are varied and potentially unique. And frugal.
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Posted
Apr 30 2009, 06:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
Whenever Mother's Day rolls around (and it's just about here), people seem to congregate in one of two camps on the issue.
First, there's the celebrate your mother camp -- the people who feel that Mother's Day is a perfect opportunity to show your mother that you care for her, either through action or through a gift.
On the other side of that coin is the Mother's Day is a day invented by the greeting card industry group, those who feel that the entire concept of a "mother's day" is just an excuse for consumerism.
I agree with both sides. Mother's Day may be a contrived invention, but the reason behind it is one I wholeheartedly agree with. It's always worthwhile to celebrate our mothers.
The solution is simple: The best way to honor your mother isn't by celebrating her with consumerism. Instead, find ways to show your mother that you truly care -- and those ways rarely involve heading to the store and buying greeting cards and other things.
Here are eight things to try, whether you're waiting until May 10 to celebrate or you want to treat every day as Mother's Day.
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Posted
Apr 10 2009, 10:15 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Jason at Frugal Dad.
Many parents today are finding out that their kids have racked up thousands in credit card debt. Often it was to float tuition payments and associated school expenses (as it was in my case) or to survive a layoff for a stretch of time. Either way, it's tough for a young person to get established when most of his or her earnings are going toward paying off credit card debt.
As parents, we want our kids to have it easier than it was for us. At least I do. But that doesn't mean kids shouldn't be allowed to learn some lessons the hard way. After all, it is only when we face these challenges that we grow.
Still, it is hard to watch kids struggle to keep their heads above the surface when drowning in debt, particularly when many of us know exactly what it feels like. The anxiety, the insomnia, and the feelings of shame associated with debt are like few others in the emotional realm. Before you bail them out, consider the following questions to make sure you are doing the right thing.
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Posted
Mar 24 2009, 12:33 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We hadn't thought about lagniappe for a while, until Chance at Room Farm posted about it.
It's defined as "a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase; broadly: something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure."
For instance, Chance said, it's the extra donut in a baker's dozen. We recall the extra king crab legs our regular fish seller threw on the pile we had ordered for a Christmas gathering in Anchorage -- after he'd already weighed it and rang up the price.
It seems that every day holds some lagniappe for Chance, a clever and thrifty sort whose homemade dry laundry detergent costs less than a penny a load (compared with 30 cents a load for liquid Tide) and who grows oyster mushrooms on empty toilet paper rolls (we kid you not).
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Posted
Mar 10 2009, 06:08 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
Starting today, I'll be volunteering every Tuesday morning in the kitchen at the local Howard County Meals on Wheels facility. It's less than five miles away one-way, but I still wanted to research how to claim the driving mileage on my taxes to reduce my tax burden as much as possible.
At 10 miles a week and 52 weeks, we're looking at only 520 miles for the entire year. The deduction for 2008 was 14 cents a mile (IRS standard mileage rates), so we're talking a $72.80 deduction -- but every bit helps.
This is what you need to do to determine whether you can claim it and what you need to do to document it. (This is covered in IRS Publication 526.)
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Posted
Feb 26 2009, 01:11 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
MSN Money's Misery Index is a fascinating read: It shows the change in the jobless rate in every U.S. metropolitan area in 2008. Most of the numbers are bad, and that was before unemployment benefit claims began breaking records.
Now, let's look at the recession another way. Thanks to a report on CNN, we found the "hunger map" assembled by Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest). It shows the percentage of people in each state who can't always afford three squares a day.
Toss in some data from MSN Money's "Home prices by metro area," and it's a grim picture. How does your state compare?
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