Herding Cats: Unemployment Rate Drops, Spotify Apps and Google Delivery

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have good news on the economy, Google trying to become Amazon, saving on free shipping--and on trade-ins, some good shopping apps, plus new apps from Spotify.

And the world's largest insect.

Houston Chronicle: Unemployment rate falls to lowest since March 2009 - Some strangely good news around the holidays.  What?  Good news about the economy?  Unemployment fell to 8.6%.  These numbers can be parsed due to how the numbers are calculated, but it's hard to argue with this: "The economy has generated 100,000 or more jobs five months in a row - the first time that has happened since April 2006, well before the Great Recession." Meanwhile: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Increases by 30 Percent Over 2010. People don't usually spend money they don't have, so this is good news. And even if they're spending on credit, it still shows confidence in the long term.

DailyTech: Google Jumps Into E-Tailing with New Shipping Service, Looks to Rival Amazon Prime - This is pretty interesting. Would you use this? It makes sense for Google: if people are Amazon Prime members, there's no reason to search on Google for products, they'll just go straight to Amazon.  Personally, I'm not a prime member--doesn't seem worth it when you can get free shipping on a $25 order at Amazon. I let items build up and then buy them. Which isn't ideal, but it's one method to save money. 

Mint: Is Free Shipping Really Free? - On the free shipping front, this article is a little negative about free shipping. The premise is that you'll most likely get free shipping only if there's an elevated price on a product. This isn't entirely true, as many retailers will just swallow the cost. The other argument is that retailers will skimp on customer service. Frankly, this doesn't bother me, except for a few products. But it's a very good argument for combining free shipping with a 10-20% off code because then you get make up for whatever raised price there might be. That said, it makes sense to shop around and find the lowest price available. 20% off too expensive isn't a good deal.

Nerdwallet: 8 Best Holiday Shopping Apps: Saving Money with Your Phone - Some of these are pretty cool. A GPS app for navigating shopping malls? Scanning receipts is neat too--but will all merchants accept this digital copy? That's an interesting question, and merchants should probably get on board. The same goes for scanning a loyalty card through a phone app. Checkout SDC's list of money-management apps as well.

MoneyNing: Save on Your Next Purchase Through Trade-In and Buy Back Programs - This seems like an easier way to save money than selling items separately through Craigslist, Amazon, or somewhere else.  Then again, it's possible you could get more money selling directly than through a trade-in, but you might not be aware just how many stores have trade-in deals.

New York Times: Spotify Introduces Apps to Point Listeners to Music - Anyone a Spotify member? I pay the $10 a month for no ads and unlimited playlists and seriously it's the best money I spend. I realize the Spotify payout isn't the best for musicians, but having instant access to so much music is totally amazing. This week Spotify revealed its app store, which helps people find music through venues like Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, or a karaoke app, which shows song lyrics. It's really only beginning, but this is the future of how music is going to be discovered.

Video of the Week: A cuddly, cute Weta Bug. This gigantic bug has gone viral, but here's a smaller one in action.