Category Archives: Savings

Ford says it is scrapping the Mercury brand

By doris | Published: June 3, 2010

Full Story at msnbc.com DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford Motor Co. will cease production of its 72-year-old Mercury brand by the end of 2010 after years of declining sales. Mercury’s death is the latest in a string of casualties as Detroit carmakers try to cut costs and invest more heavily in fewer offerings. By shedding a [...]

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Ford considering fate of Mercury brand

By doris | Published: May 30, 2010

Full Story at msnbc.com DETROIT – Mercury could soon be the latest Detroit car brand to disappear. Ford Motor Co. is assessing the future of Mercury, although a final decision on whether to kill the brand hasn’t yet been made, a person familiar with the company’s deliberations said Thursday. The person asked not to be [...]

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Dollar stores face challenge in recovery

By doris | Published: May 14, 2010

Full Story at msnbc.com Jim Bowman had never been inside a dollar store before last summer, when a colleague suggested that he try one to get a deal on reading glasses. “I walked in there and I (thought), ‘Whoa, look at this, it’s unbelievable,’ ” Bowman recalled. The 58-year-old now regularly shops at dollar stores [...]

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Selling frenzy as homebuyer credit nears end

By doris | Published: April 30, 2010

Full Story at msnbc.com Real estate agents are working seven days a week, builders are staying open late and homebuyers are scrambling to get their offers in as they rush to take advantage of tax credits that expire at midnight Friday. To qualify, buyers must have a signed contract in hand by the deadline and [...]

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Toyota saved $100 million by limiting recall

By doris | Published: February 22, 2010

Full Story at msnbc.com WASHINGTON – Toyota officials claimed they saved the company $100 million by successfully negotiating with the government on a limited recall of floor mats in some Toyota and Lexus vehicles, according to new documents shared with congressional investigators. Toyota, in an internal presentation in July 2009 at its Washington office, said [...]

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Verizon and AT&T dial up wireless plan wars

By doris | Published: January 19, 2010

Full Story atmoney.cnn.com Verizon cut its unlimited family talk and text plan from $229.99 to $149.99 and its nationwide unlimited voice plan was reduced to $69.99 from $99.99. An unlimited family voice plan will cost users $119.99, down from $199.99, and nationwide unlimited talk and text plans were lowered to $89.99 from $119.99.

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Cost of gas falls nearly 4 cents in last two weeks

By doris | Published: December 21, 2009

Full Story at msnbc.com of regular gasoline in the United States has dropped 3.89 cents over a two-week period to $2.60. That’s according to the national Lundberg Survey of fuel prices released Sunday. Analyst Trilby Lundberg says the average price for a gallon of mid-grade was $2.73. Premium was at $2.84.

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Walmart.com boss sets his sights on Amazon

By doris | Published: December 18, 2009

Full Story at msnbc.com With a week to go before Christmas, division CEO Raul Vazquez says Walmart.com’s holiday sales are growing two or three times faster than Web sales overall. At that pace — and with 22 percent growth so far this year — the world’s largest retailer is coming closer to dominating the Web [...]

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Most (and least) affordable cities to buy a house

By doris | Published: November 21, 2009

Full Story at CNNMoney.com America’s most affordable housing market is the 33rd largest metro area in the United States, with 1.7 million people. The median family income is fairly high — $68,100 — and home prices are a very reasonable median $107,000, according to the National Association of Homebuilders and Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index. [...]

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Black Friday: Best day to buy a car

By doris | Published: November 18, 2009

Full Storymoney.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — When people think of Black Friday shopping, they usually think of things like flat screen TVs, toys and sweaters. Now you can add cars, trucks and SUVs. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the best day to buy a car, according to car pricing researchers at the Web [...]

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Wal-Mart plans Black Friday all-nighter

By doris | Published: November 12, 2009

Full Story atmoney.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — In preparation for the traditional kickoff of the holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced Wednesday that most of its stores will be open 24 hours for “post-Thanksgiving Day events.” Nearly all 2,737 Wal-Mart Supercenters are already 24 hours, but the change will apply to almost all of [...]

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What you need to know about Social Security

By doris | Published: September 17, 2009

Full Story atmoney.cnn.com (Money Magazine) — You’ve probably spent a lot of time sweating over your 401(k) and IRA. But have you given much thought to the way Social Security will fit into your retirement plans? You should. In fact, Social Security provides 50% of the income for more than half of married retired couples [...]

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Act fast! Homebuyer tax credit ends soon

By doris | Published: August 30, 2009

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Use any metaphor you want: the ticking clock, sands running through the hourglass or pages falling away from the calendar. The fact is, time is running out to claim the $8,000 first-time homebuyers tax credit. Passed earlier this year as part of the economic stimulus package, the [...]

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Postal worker buyouts deliver $500M in savings

By doris | Published: August 26, 2009

Full Story atmoney.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The Postal Service is making a total of $450 million in buyouts available to as many as 30,000 employees who agree to resign or retire this year. The agency said Tuesday it struck a deal with two postal workers’ unions, in which eligible employees would receive $10,000 this [...]

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