The Intelligent Shopper

Archive for November, 2012

The Intelligent Shopper

By AJTrenkle on Friday, November 30th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetWe have something bordering on an obsession with trying to get as much for as little as possible. Coupon shows and stories abound of folks buying 10 pounds of meat for $.02 by running around the five stores and working their magic. Quantity per dollar paid seems to be the metric of many. But might [...]

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Are Prepaid Credit Cards A Good Deal?

By AJTrenkle on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetThe late rush into prepaid banking by most of the big national banks might make your scratch your head a little bit. Why is Chase’s Liquid card on the market when I can get one of their regular credit cards or just link my bank account to the card? Why is American Express, known for [...]

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Your MacroWallet: Trends in Images

By AJTrenkle on Wednesday, November 28th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetFor today’s post I decided to go graphic heavy in presenting what I find interesting. These have little direct connection to each other, but are generally impactful on your macrowallet. First is a graph on the federal budget, with spending and income side by side. I think it will help explain exactly where our money [...]

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Fiscal Cliff: We Have the Politicians We Deserve

By AJTrenkle on Tuesday, November 27th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetDebt Ceiling talks are continuing and, by most accounts, seem to be relatively cordial and focused on getting a deal done. Republicans have long refused to discuss raising taxes or increasing government revenue, and many have signed a pledge from influential lobbyist Grover Norquist’s organization never to raise taxes for any reason. This week, though, [...]

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The 7 Sites You Need for Cyber Monday

By AJTrenkle on Monday, November 26th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetI much prefer today’s festivities to those of Black Friday as my aversion to throngs of people and sweaty malls has already been discussed. Cyber Monday is much more style, you can comparison shop more easily and sort of brainstorm better ideas by just randomly strolling through various categories. Yet the online experience can be [...]

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Adam Smith and Politics

By AJTrenkle on Sunday, November 25th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetA quick link to an interesting post from last month on Adam Smith, free markets, and politics. It is lengthy but an intellectually stimulating read. It essentially argues for a more nuanced approach to economics, politics, and life. Unfortunately we seem to be an age where such thinking is not appreciated. Share and Enjoy:

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Experiences Are the Best Value

By AJTrenkle on Sunday, November 25th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetLast night my wife and I celebrated our anniversary. We went to a really nice place, L2o in Chicago. It recently received two Michelin stars. The meal itself was not cheap and we are fortunate to both have good jobs with steady paychecks that offer solid job security. However, “splurging” on the meal did make [...]

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American Express Small Business Saturday

By AJTrenkle on Saturday, November 24th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetToday is American Express’ small business Saturday. Amex gives a $25 statement credit for purchases at participating small businesses if the purchase is at least $25. I looked on a map near my home and there are LOTS of participating merchants! Enjoy! All you have to do is register your card here. Share and Enjoy:

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Christmas Shopping, App-o-rama, and Credit Card Signup Bonuses: A Perfect Team

By AJTrenkle on Saturday, November 24th, 2012 | No Comments

TweetSince this weekend is the official kickoff of the 2012 Holiday Shopping Season, I thought it might be a good time to post again on credit card signup bonuses. Also, I would like to introduce the concept to my readers of a credit card app-o-rama. An app-o-rama is the idea of applying for multiple credit [...]

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Jerry Bowyer’s Long Strange Thanksgiving

By AJTrenkle on Friday, November 23rd, 2012 | No Comments

TweetI stumbled across a post yesterday about the real “Lessons From Thanksgiving”. It is out of date, from 2008, and it was linked to in a comments section on another blog. I was going to post on it, but decided to let it go since it was from years ago. I couldn’t keep it [...]

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Archive for November, 2012