The Chronic Consumer

I haven’t clipped coupons in forever, but after reading this Wall Street Journal article, I might start up again. The article says that the average savings per manufacturer coupon is $1.44, and since it takes just a minute to clip the thing out and get it ready for use, that translates to a whopping $86.40 per hour — which is what some people pay in monthly car insurance or disability insurance premiums. That’s pretty substantial!

I stopped getting the Sunday newspaper a long time ago, but I plan to buy one this weekend just for the sales circulars and coupons. If I end up with a bunch of useful coupons that add up to great savings at the grocery store, I might make the Sunday Trib a must-have once again!

I just read a fairly interesting article about the longest-lasting consumer batteries on the market. I have to admit that my husband and I occasionally buy generic batteries from the dollar store for toys, flashlights, and other little devices that we don’t use all that often.

That might be fine for low-cost items, but according to the Main Street article, consumers ought to shell out a bit more cash and buy Energizer Ultimate or Energizer rechargeables for things like digital cameras, wireless security systems, and similar gadgets.

We buy Eneloop rechargeables, but I might give Energizer a look after this!

Do you parents out there research the toys your kids want before you buy them? Do you check out the product’s history and safety record? I have to admit that I’m not as vigilant about this particular aspect of shopping as I should be. Some of it stems from the fact that many of my toy purchases are “impulse buys” instead of carefully reasoned decisions. Still, while there might not be shelves full of asbestos-laden products that lead to mesothelioma, there are still issues with lead and other contaminants.

Remember the recent hubbub about Zhu Zhu Pets containing too much antimony? That charge was actually proved false, but it just goes to show that certain threats might still exist even today. Bottom line: take a few moments to do some research and make sure you buy your child safe toys.

Did you know that if your refrigerator dispenses water, there’s probably a filter in there that needs to be replaced? I certainly didn’t — until my refrigerator water started tasting a bit strange. I couldn’t figure out what the problem might be, so I checked the manual (which was still taped to the top of the unit — lol) and saw that a bad filter could be the culprit.

I had my husband go in there and dig around for it. It was pretty gross-looking, so we went ahead and ordered a replacement, model # ukf8001axx, just as it said on the filter. It’s been a couple days with the new one, and I can definitely taste the difference in my water!

I just wanted to put this out there for you guys. Yes, your refrigerator has a water filter, and yes you have to replace it once in a while. Just don’t wait as long as I did (7+ years!!).

Those of you crazy enough to brave the crowds, I hope you get the kinds of deals you’re looking for. As for me, I’m perfectly content to stay inside all day and maybe browse some of my favorite online stores. It looks like I won’t even have to wait for Cyber Monday to get some good deals, as lots of places — including shop.nhl.com — are starting their sales right now.

Don’t get trampled!

I usually wait until the last minute to get my Christmas shopping done, but am trying to finish it off early this year. I’ve identified a few things that family members want, so those can be purchased immediately. For instance, my son wants a Razor scooter and my mom wants some kind of Capresso coffee machine. My husband hasn’t decided yet, but no doubt his wish list will just include a few PS3 or Xbox games.

That leaves my two younger cousins, my brother, and my nephew to shop for. Hopefully they’ll get back to me soon about what they want so I can go ahead and place my orders. Yeah, I said place my orders. You don’t really think I would go to a mall at this time of year, do you?

Do you take any extra precautions to safeguard your personal information when you shop online? I’ve probably been over this before, but I’m thinking about the issue again because I just heard that my cousin Michelle had her credit card number intercepted during an online transaction at a smaller website. She didn’t have any type of identity theft protection in place, and is now involved in a huge mess with her credit card company in trying to prove that nearly a thousand dollars worth of charges weren’t actually made by her and that she shouldn’t have to pay for them. Plus, she now needs new credit cards and all that stuff as well. What a mess!

To be honest, I don’t have identity theft protection either, but I’m very careful about where I shop. I only enter my credit card number on secure pages, and I also check my account online at least 3-4 times per week to make sure there aren’t any mysterious charges on there.

This system seems to be working for me so far, but as would-be thieves get more and more sophisticated, I might need some real protection somewhere along the line. I just hope nothing bad happens in the meantime!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and in recognition of this very important issue, I’m going to try my best to buy pink from some online or bricks and mortar retailers. Whether it’s a pink ribbon, t-shirt, rubber wristband, or a jacket, part or all of the proceeds will go to help fund things like free mammograms and research. Perhaps there’s even a program to offset cancer treatment & prescriptions like mesothelioma patients have access to. I know those types of programs are always welcome by families coping with this catastrophic disease.

Whatever you can do, whether it’s donating a few dollars or a few hours of your time, please do something this month. We owe at least that much to the women in our lives!