Wednesday, February 27, 2013
If your health insurance doesn't cover prescriptions, meaning that you have to pay out of pocket, some advance work can save you money. This week when a relative was filling a prescription for 50 amoxycillin, she called three pharmacies to ask the cost. One quoted her a price of around $22; a second, $16; and a third, $7. She told me she's occasionally checked prices for other drugs as well, and hasn't seen any price pattern emerge. The cheapest pharmacy for one type of medicine
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The Oscars are this Sunday, and I've been working hard to catch up on the Best Picture nominees (last week it was "Life of Pi"; this week, "Lincoln"). Luckily, I qualify for a senior discount at local theaters. But if you time it right, you can save big on tickets no matter how old you are. At Cinemark in Hadley, where adult tickets are generally $9, Tuesday shows are $5.75 all day long. Rave in West Springfield (usually $10.75) offers $5 shows on Wednesdays. (At both
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
I'd been eyeing a new pair of leather boots for a while, and when I spotted them for an unusually good price online I pounced. But when the boots arrived, there was a problem: They were weirdly angled at the heel, and no matter how much I wriggled my foot I couldn't get them on. I felt like one of Cinderella's stepsisters. I returned the boots to the online store. But I still coveted them. And then somebody told me that with this particular brand,
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Call it my clean little secret: I go to embarrassing lengths to extract every last bit of skin lotions, shampoos, face serums, etc. from their containers. By "embarrassing," I mean propping bottles upside down, awkwardly, over little cups until the contents drain out. Sometimes I attack the plastic containers with serrated knives. It turns out I'm not the only person obsessed with getting my money's worth from packaging. A recent Wall Street Journal article revealed that there is a cult of like-minded - that is, knife-wielding
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The closing last week of Eclipse restaurant in Northampton likely left a lot of people wondering what to do about unredeemed gift certificates. Eclipse certificates could almost always be found at a discount on deal sites like Groupon, Restaurants.com and Pioneer Valley Deals, which means there are probably a lot of them still out there. So what now? If you bought the gift certificate/card directly from Eclipse, it's unclear if you will get money back. A post on the restaurant's Facebook page (its website has shut down)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Starting March 1, those monthly lines at the bank on the day that Social Security checks arrive will vanish. Because that's the date when the Social Security Administration does away with checks and instead provides benefits only via two "newfangled" ways: by depositing them electronically in bank accounts, or by loading them onto a "Direct Express" debit card. The change is designed to save money and prevent mailbox theft. But it's raising concerns about another kind of theft. Amherst attorney Steven Weisman, who writes a blog
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
I've found errors on restaurant checks more than once (actually, on multiple occasions) - and it just happened again. Going over the bill after dinner at a Boston restaurant, I found an $11.50 charge for a phantom glass of wine. We'd ordered four glasses of wine … and were billed for five. I pointed it out to the server, who apologized and said he'd make sure the charge was taken off the check before he ran my credit card. But I wasn't going to get
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Stainless steel appliances are handsome, but those good looks come with a definite downside, I've discovered: fingerprints stick out like a sore thumb. To get rid of them manufacturers recommend special stainless steel cleaners (everyday cleaning products can reportedly scratch the appliance surface). But these stainless steel products don't come come cheap - some are more than $10 a bottle. Then I came across this suggestion: Use rubbing rubbing alcohol instead. It works - really well. I dab some on a microfiber cleaning cloth, swipe it
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
As of today, Jan. 27, merchants can start adding a surcharge to purchases made with credit cards. But luckily for consumers in Massachusetts, it can't happen here. The change is designed to ease the burden of "swipe fees" - the fees that banks charge merchants to process credit card transactions. It's the result of a class action suit brought some years back by retailers who take a particular hit from those fees. The suit was settled last summer, and that settlement allows merchants in the United
Thursday, January 24, 2013
When it comes to small appliances that pack a punch, you can't beat a George Foreman grill. (Sorry: I cannot resist a pun.) About 10 years ago I bought the smallest, cheapest model, The Champ, which I've used mostly for quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches (no need to butter the bread, and the cheese melts perfectly). The grill makes quick work of them, and is super-easy to clean. Last month, after a 10-year workout, my George Foreman Champ conked out. I bought a replacement at Target
