The Frugal Duchess: Recovering My Frugal Groove: Mid-day Wrap: Frugal, Useful & Weird News Links

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Mid-day Wrap: Frugal, Useful & Weird News Links

Payless Shoes gets a makeover, consumers are shopping less and there's a new trend in cemeteries: recreation & burials. Those are some of the headlines that caught my eye today. On a regular basis, I plan to post a linked-summary of the frugal, economic and weird news that I've found interesting.

WEIRD NEWS

Weirdest Un-frugal Story of the Day: "Death Takes a Holiday"

Here on the outskirts of Jakarta, an Indonesian developer is taking a very American idea in real estate -- the exclusive, upscale cemetery -- and adding a twist: a country club, complete with swimming pools, a boating lake and a big restaurant.
--source: Wall Street Journal

**my comment: What's next? Disney & Death: An interactive playground for the living and dead?

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FRUGAL NEWS

1. Festival of Frugality #61 which is hosted by Hustler Money Blog

2. Payless Shoes Goes Upscale

Across from Lord & Taylor at 39th Street, the Payless store sports a new sleek design and shoes such as a $22 platform pump with a bow tie.

Payless’s makeover is under way at many of its more than 4,500 stores. It’s offering trendier products such as Lucite platform wedges and patent-leather zippered boots by fashion designer Laura Poretzky. Most of its shoes are still inexpensive, but it is also testing pairs that cost $40 or even $60. Source: Wall Street Journal

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ECONOMIC NEWS

1. Retail sales flatter than expected

"January retail sales were unexpectedly flat as motor vehicle, gasoline and electronics sales dipped sharply in the post-holiday season after a December that was stronger than originally indicated, a Commerce Department report showed Wednesday."
--source: Washington Post/Reuters.

**my comment: We've stopped shopping and started saving more or paying down debt.

2. Fed Reserve Chairman: Soft Landing for U.S. Economy. Source: Financial Times.
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MEDIA NEWS

New York Times to Sell online ads with Monster

"The deal is the latest collaboration between newspaper companies and Web sites to form partnerships to battle other rivals. For newspapers, it means cutting deals with companies once seen as enemies who were undercutting print classified advertising revenue. For online companies, it offers a way to tap local job markets as well as linking with highly visible brand names." source: New York Times

**my comment: This story demonstrates the continued growth of on-line advertising and the response of standard media to the Internet-based economy.
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DAILY NEWS SPECIAL
Funny Valentines: Modern Men Take Over the Kitchen:

True, life with an alpha cook can mean sitting back and watching while someone else prepares restaurant-quality wild mushroom risotto on a quiet Tuesday night.
But it can also mean putting up with small culinary humiliations and an unending patter of condescending remarks.
When Robin Henry, an interior designer, helps make dinner with her fiancé, Andrew Goldman, a writer, she endures his constant, conspicuous scrutiny. --source: New York Times

**my comment: My husband cooks a lot & the kitchen can be a turf war. But I'm just glad he's good with garlic. He makes great stir-fried veggies with pasta.
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