A few weeks ago, Zappos customers were alerted that their personal information--names, phone numbers, email addresses, billing and shipping addresses, the last four digits from credit cards and more—was likely accessed by hackers from their database. The company's suggestion was for customers to immediately login to their account and change their password. But is that enough? How do you protect yourself and your credit while shopping online? Read More …

Oddly enough this came up today at Savings.com. You would think something so simple would be common knowledge among us savvy shoppers here, but apparently not. Big Lots, 99¢ Stores, and many other places selling close-outs also sell groceries.

I ducked out during my lunch break, splurged on a cartload of goodies and spent all of $37! Read More …

As someone who does a lot of cooking, and enjoys it, I'm also someone who typically watches things like the price of food. As the cost of almost everything goes up, it's a real challenge sometimes to try to serve healthy, tasty meals without breaking your budget. There are a few things that you'll want to pay attention to in order to make your grocery dollar go further. I learned most of them at my mother's knee growing up, but every now and again I go back and talk to her so that I can figure out how to save another few cents on the dollar. My mom's practice has made her the master, so here are some of the lessons I've learned from the best. Read More …

I often get blank looks when I try to explain to friends what it is I do for Savings.com in my daily Deal Entry capacity, so I figured I'd explain a little, and in the process explain why Savings is your best bet for finding coupons and online discount codes. I must admit though, when I first started, I had no idea how much money I was wasting in my online shopping by not using the online coupon sites. Believe me when I tell you that I am now making up for lost time... Read More …

I'm a little frustrated at the moment with the users of Craigslist, and by that I mean the entire population of this country. Its bad enough that when placing an ad we all have to worry about the flood of spam we know is going to come, and don't want to list our phone number lest we get robocalls. Then when the shoes on the other foot we have to call and call or email again and again and get no response. So I figured I'd set out a few guidelines, and also vent my frustrations. Read More …

Charlize Theron and Michelle Williams were seen on the red carpet for the Gloden Globes sporting headbands.  While Michelle wore a vintage Fred Leighton black velvet embellished band with her blonde pixie cut and long-sleeved navy velvet gown by Jason Wu, Charlize wore a vintage Cartier diamond headband to accentuate the loose chignon behind her left ear and her nude Dior Couture gown.  Both wore very different styles of dress, hair, and headband and both looked positively stunning. Read More …

Delta and the other major airlines announced their first price hikes for the year ahead this last week. While you aren't looking at a huge increase in price, just $20 on long-haul domestic flights, this is in addition to the increases that they put up last year - while you're already feeling the pinch from a stalled job market and economy. Now is as good a time as any to start figuring out how to save on your domestic flights, especially if something comes up and you have to travel on short notice.

First things first, you want to be flexible on your travel arrangements wherever possible. On a flight into Washington DC, or to Chicago, you have more than one major airport that you can arrive at. I found on my move to Chicago that being willing to come into Midway, rather than O'Hare meant a difference of almost $100 on a one-way ticket. That's enough to splurge for lunch without feeling guilty. The other major point to look at right away is your departure time. Read More …

^{Photo courtesy of betsyjean79 at Flickr}

Recycling breaks down used materials so they're ready for reuse. Upcycling takes recycling to a whole new level and creates something new from recycled materials. These designers salvaged old records, broken glass and even unused lightening insulators, and used them to create unique kitchen accessories. 

Thanks to upcycling, you can accessorize your kitchen with something different. (You won't find these items mass produced at a department store.) And do something good for the environment to boot. Best of all, every product costs under $50--so you can buy recycled kitchen accessories cheap. Read More …

It's only January, but I'm already wondering what the beauty trends will be this throughout this year. I was checking out the 2012 Fashion Week in New York and I noticed some pretty exciting trends that were sported on the runway for hair and makeup that I'm hoping will be sought-after for the year.

These are a few of my favorite looks for 2012 that are fun, cheap and easy to recreate:
Read More …

I'm married now, but I was a bachelor up until very recently. In fact there was a time when my roommate and I were both working lousy jobs--plus he was going to college full time and our combined earnings were barely paying the rent and keeping the lights on. The numbers escape me, but I'm pretty sure we were living on $5-10 a day for all three meals. Needless to say, we weren't eating like kings, unless you are talking about the old Henny Youngman joke: "Here King, here King..." Read More …

With the start of each new year, there is a whole new list of hot fashion trends. Weeding through the crazy, the unwearable, and the flash-in-the-pan fads, here are some trends that I believe will be big in 2012 and are also quite wearable. Read More …