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Explaining the Coffee-Hipster Connection
Tweet Share on Facebook September 9, 2008 Comment (4)For an upcoming story, I interviewed journalist Michaele Weissman, author of God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee, about the business of coffee. It's the first in an occasional series on what I'm calling the Business of Pleasure. So far, the wine, oyster, and sushi industries are also on that list. If you have any other suggestions for sectors that provide us with enjoyment, please send them my way by E-mailing alphaconsumer@usnews.com.
One question Weissman answered for me addressed the hipster-coffee connection. She explained why so many coffee shops are run by young people who have embraced alternative lifestyles:
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Audio: Cutting Back on Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook September 9, 2008 CommentOver the weekend, I spoke to WTOP about why parents are scaling back on their retirement and kids' college savings and how to find ways to put money away even during these tight times. Listen now, download in
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Fannie and Freddie: What You Should Know
Tweet Share on Facebook September 8, 2008 Comment (9)Over the weekend, the government announced that it was taking control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage companies that back most new mortgages. While the takeover is expensive for taxpayers—the Treasury Department says it could spend up to $200 billion—Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says it was necessary to shore up the troubled companies, which have been buffeted by the mortgage crisis.
So, what will this historic move mean for consumers who are in the market for a mortgage? Here's a quick guide:
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Palin, Obama T-Shirts Make Money for Bloggers
Tweet Share on Facebook September 5, 2008 Comment (8)When I wrote about how to make money from blogs, I heard from people who earn cash by creating merchandise through companies like CaféPress. The company enables people to sell T-shirts and other products for a cut of the profit. According to the company's website, some users earn more than $100,000 a year.
Jen Goode of JGoode Designs, who says she earns enough through CaféPress to pay her mortgage each month, found success after plugging away for a year and half, often putting in 16-hour days. She has uploaded about 2,500 designs, many of them cartoon-oriented, such as her popular penguin series. For her, she says, the secret has been to make many different images that are steady sellers, as opposed to creating one or two megahits. Now, she says she doesn't need to put as much time into her shop because she has such a large inventory of designs.
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Britney Spears's Sister Sends Gift, Loses Privacy
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (17)Updated 09/04/08: Jamie Lynn Spears is now denying that she sent any gift to Bristol Palin, which raises more questions about why the store said that she did. The store still has not responded to requests for comment.
When I found out that Jamie Lynn Spears sent Bristol Palin $60 worth of pink burp clothes from the baby store Petit Tresor, my first reaction was, "That's such a sweet gesture from one teen mom to another!" My second was, "What gives the company the right to not only announce Jamie Lynn's purchase but also release the text of the attached note?" (For those of you who are interested, it read, "Dear Bristol, Hang in there! XXOO, Jamie Lynn Spears.")
According to ABCNews.com's report, it was a spokesperson for Petit Tresor who disclosed the gift, while Spears's camp declined to comment.
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Always a Bridesmaid? It Gets Expensive
Tweet Share on Facebook September 4, 2008 Comment (10)Complaining about the high cost of weddings used to be the father of the bride's job. Now, as nuptials have been transformed from simple family affairs to weekend-long marathons, the invited guests are increasingly feeling pressure to strain their own bank accounts.
Destination weddings, where couples commit to each other far from home, have grown fourfold over the past decade and now make up 16 percent of weddings, according to Condé Nast's Brides.com. The cost of gifts has also ballooned as weddings have become more elaborate and guests feel compelled to spend as extravagantly as their hosts.
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Consumers Scale Back on Luxuries
Tweet Share on Facebook September 3, 2008 Comment (3)Here's more evidence that the days of conspicuous consumption are over: The Chicago-based ad agency Cramer-Krasselt recently released a report that identifies a "simplicity movement" and the rise of the "neo-haggler," who negotiates prices on everyday items such as electronics and auto repairs. It also found, somewhat depressingly, that half of those surveyed said they were frustrated with the current economic situation. Some 62 percent said they had to make sacrifices, such as vacations, dining out, and name brands, because of the downturn. It's not exactly the food rations that my grandparents experienced, but, hey, people had gotten used to their luxurious lifestyles.
As we've discussed here before, maybe the dialing back is a good thing for our souls. (John Zogby has suggested as much.) The Cramer-Krasselt report also says people are staying home more, exploring local attractions, and being "choosier" about what products they buy, all of which could be considered improvements.
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A Coupon Expert's Back-to-School Savings
Tweet Share on Facebook September 2, 2008 Comment (1)Brad Wilson, the coupon guru behind BradsDeals.com, has found back-to-school savings that make shelling out for binders and glue a little less intimidating. Even if you don't have kids starting a new grade, you can save on new shoes, an Amazon Kindle, or home office supplies. Here are the deals from Brad:
• $500 off computers: If students or teachers buy a MacBook Pro through this Apple Store promotion, they'll get $200 off the computer as well as a free $299 iPod. If you're not a student or don't want a Mac, HP and Dell both have large (25 to 30 percent off) coupons that can equate to $500, as well.
