They're open! Buy local at farmers' markets!
It's time to shop for local produce again—this weekend my local farmers’ market opens. I’ve been doing just fine with produce from the winter market a few towns over, but I’m beyond excited that the market in my town will finally be up and running. [ More ]
A good sauce means more than just dinner
Tomato sauce is ubiquitous, and yet no two sauces are the same, even when two different people follow the same procedure using the same ingredients. My mother’s sauce was the best sauce in the world, of course. She was of Italian descent, and, growing up, we ate a lot of it. [ More ]
Recalls include kids' beds, popcorn maker
CHILDREN’S BEDS About 59,200 (U.S.) and 4,200 (Canada) Lea panel, loft, and bunk beds sold at Direct Buy stores and furniture stores nationwide, and online at Amazon.com and various other websites from August 2008 through March 2013 for between $400 and $3,000 [ More ]
Save on makeup with store brands—really!
Have you tried store-brand beauty products yet? If I told you that you could save as much as 40 percent, would you reconsider? In our latest price scan, that’s how much our secret shoppers found that you can save buy choosing Walmart’s Equate Refreshing Apricot Scrub over St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub. [ More ]
Meatless Monday's menu: A tempeh attempt
We haven’t had a meatless Monday at my house in a while, so tonight, we’re going big. We’re trying something new: Tempeh (temp-ay), which is a fermented soybean product that’s a cousin to tofu, of which I’m a big fan. Have you tried tempeh? [ More ]
How to complain and really be heard
Got a gripe with a company or a retailer, and want to know how to file a formal complaint or just fire off a letter to the top dog that will get results? Do you know how to write a letter that will be effective (and not just whiny)? We found some great tips on USA.gov, the official web portal for lots of government information. [ More ]
4 great catalog apps for fun shopping
If you love catalogs and you love shopping online, then catalog apps are your perfect mashup. They feature all your favorite catalog merchants, and a bunch more you haven’t heard of, I’ll bet. We took a good look at four apps recently and found lots to love about each. [ More ]
Heaters, mowers on recalls list
BASEBOARD CONVECTION HEATERS About 4,560 Touch Point portable baseboard convection heaters sold exclusively at Meijer stores from September 2011 through February 2013 for about $50. The heaters can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers. [ More ]
Save the Mom: The new Facebook for families?
I read recently about a new app called SavetheMom that just came out for iPhone (and is coming soon for Android), a sort of social network for just your family, or whoever you choose for your own inner circle. [ More ]
More customer service tricks to get your way
Last week, I spoke with Jeanne Bliss, who has devoted her career to helping major companies like Land’s End and Microsoft improve their customer-service departments. This week, Bliss reveals more tricks for dealing with customer-service reps that might help you get your way or a better deal. It’s possible. [ More ]
