Over the last six months, we have decreased our morning coffee purchases and increased brown bagging lunches, but still won’t give up our cell phones.

I have a confession to make – I haven’t made my Valentine’s Day plans yet. I’m to the point where I’m calling into radio stations trying to win Valentine’s Day packages that they are giving away.

I’ve encountered what is a most amazing phenomenon – people do not like to “buy” free stuff. I personally look for every discount that I can when buying something.

A recent article in MediaPost Publications outlined that more marketers have been offering free shipping this holiday season as compared to last year.

I love Black Friday. I love the crowds. I love the deals. What I don’t love is the constant urge to spend more money.

I think we’ve all read articles talking about how we should make a shopping list before going to the store. And yet, we still have what I’m going to call “unintentional food storage.”

Corporations have spent millions and millions of dollars over decades teaching us that buying something on sale is the same thing as “saving money.”