OMG! It’s raining free make up! From an AP story that ran in Business Week:
Starting next week, several big retailers will giveaway $175 million worth of free high-end cosmetics including such brands as Estee Lauder and L’Oreal to consumers as part of a class-action settlement alleging that the stores planned to fix prices.
Department stores such as Macy’s and Nordstrom will distribute free cosmetics as long as supplies last to shoppers who bought certain cosmetics between May 29, 1994 and July 16, 2003 to settle claims that the stores violated antitrust laws and tried to fix prices.
The offer is part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit filed in 2003 in a California federal court. The suit alleges stores tried to limit sales and scale back on the amount of cosmetics in their inventory, thereby keeping both prices and competition high.
The department stores involved in the matter have denied any wrongdoing.
The products will be available starting Jan. 20. Shoppers are only permitted to receive one product made by cosmetic companies that include Chanel, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal USA, among others.
Yay for class-action lawsuits. I most certainly bought make up during those years. Here is a list of what you can get for free. You know I’m obsessed. Enjoy!
Did you buy make up between 1994 and 2003? If so, what do you think about the alleged price fixing by these big corporations? What free cosmetic would you like to get? I’m going straight for the Estee Lauder night repair. I refuse to smell like Jessica Parker. I don’t care if it is just a shower gel! I kid. I kid!
Thanks Q. for the tip!
From a news release:
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. is honoring American’s sense of pride and freedom of choice on Inauguration Day, by offering a free doughnut of choice to every customer on this historic day, Jan. 20. By doing so, participating Krispy Kreme stores nationwide are making an oath to tasty goodies — just another reminder of how oh-so-sweet "free" can be.
"Krispy Kreme is taking the inaugural festivities nationwide," said Ron Rupocinski, executive chef for Krispy Kreme. "We’re inviting our fans in cities across the country, including Washington, D.C., to commemorate this historic day with a favorite American treat."
The Inauguration Day promotional offer is good for one doughnut of choice per customer on Jan. 20. No purchase is necessary. To find a participating store near you, visit http://www.krispykreme.com/storelocator.html.
The last day is today! Please forgive the late posting. Click here for more info!
Special thanks to blogger Product Junkie Diva for the tip!
In less than a week, America will have a new president, Barack H. Obama. The historic occasion of the United States sending its first African American and First Lady Frugalista to the White House has many Americans traveling to Washington, D.C. for the ceremonies. Full disclosure, I attended college in Washington, D.C. I consider the city my second home. Love that city.
Here are some of my tips for how to enjoy Washington, D.C. during inauguration as affordable as possible:
1) Erika Bolstad of McClatchy New Service wrote an awesome article on the hotel rooms still left for inauguration. It’s not too late. Some of the hotel rooms in suburban Maryland and Virginia are cheaper, but make sure they have access to the metro.
2) Stay with friend.
3) If you are flying into D.C., consider leaving Monday and returning Wednesday evening. Those fares seem to be more affordable. Try different days to get the best deal.
4) If you don’t have tickets to the inauguration, book a flight out of Washington, D.C. before noon on Tuesday. Those rates are way cheaper.
5) There is a free inaugural party Sunday featuring Beyonce, Mary J Blige and Bono at The Lincoln Memorial. The party is hosted by HBO. Revelers can start lining up about 8 a.m. for the 2:30 p.m. concert.
6) If you are going to any of the balls, try to borrow a dress from a friend or use an old bridesmaid’s gown. Many of the fine department stores such as Bloomingdale’s and Sak’s have gowns on sale, also.
7) Don’t rent a car. Traffic will be a mess and half the city is on lock down. Really, I wouldn’t suggest a cab. I say take the metro or walk.
Are you going to inauguration? Do you have tickets? It’s cheaper to stay home and have a viewing party with friends, right? What suggestions do you have for travelers who want to go to inauguration?
Photo courtesy of Essence
Greetings! Today, we have a guest post from Kimberla Lawson Roby, author of The Best of Everything, a novel about a woman and her cash. I’m still holding it down for the single ladies, but if I were to get married, I would like to make sound financial decisions with my hubby. Romance with bad finance doesn’t have a chance! Heheh!
Here are Roby’s tips on marriage and money:
1. For soon-to-be married couples, be honest with one another before getting married about your financial history and any current debt you owe. This way, you’ll enter the marriage with full disclosure, as opposed to being caught off guard, and perhaps even position yourselves to tackle the debt together.
2. Treat all financial debt and responsibility as if it belongs to both of you. For example, if you owe $10,000 in bills and your husband owes $10,000 as well, then come to an agreement that together you now owe $20,000.
3. Open a joint checking account and have all income, yours and his, directly deposited into it. This means that regardless of whether you earn more or he earns more, you both share all income equally.
4. Once a monthly budget has been created, determine how much money you will save together: i.e., how much you will each add weekly, bi-weekly or monthly into your individual retirement accounts, how much you will save in a joint savings account, etc.
5. Determine how much spending money you will be able to withdraw and deposit into your own separate checking or savings accounts and make sure that whatever that amount ends up being, you will each take 50% of it.
6. Discuss all financial decisions before taking any action and more than anything, remember that this is no longer about just you but instead, it is about the two of you who have made the decision to become one.
What do you think about Roby’s tips? Is it harder to manage your money as a single person or a married person? It’s a big step to only have a joint account like Roby suggests.
Money guru Suze Orman has a new book download at Oprah.com. The book, 2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe & Sound, is a timely blueprint for how to manage your finances this year. Orman can do no wrong in my book. The book is free, so yes, You CAN AFFORD IT!!! I love that segment on her show!
Personal finance blogger Money Monk has some top financial books she’s read. Click here for more information. I’m reading Your Money or Your Life right now. I’ll come back with a review a tad later.
What’s on your reading list?
Burger King advertising is at it again. If you delete 10 friends off your facebook account, you will get a free Whopper from Burger King! By deleting the friends off your facebook account, you are sacrificing the friendship for a free burger. HAHAHAHA!!! I know I have some party promoters who spam me WAY too much! BURN BABY, BURN!! I just hope Burger King stops promoting its cologne.
What 10 friends would you delete for a free Whopper?
Get 25 percent off MAC make up if you order it online. You must order by midnight, eastern standard time, today. Use code MACFF9. Click here for more information.
This is a Frugalista public service announcement: On the Saturday before Christmas, Macy’s debited some cards twice on accident.
From a Dallas Morning News article:
Macy’s Inc. spokesman Ed Smith said a "very small number" of customers were affected, but he didn’t know exact figures.
"Macy’s had a system issue on Saturday, Dec. 20, from 1 to 2:45 p.m. at stores in Macy’s Central and East divisions, which may have caused multiple debits to some customers’ checking accounts," he said. "The problem has been identified and corrected."
Macy’s Central division, which includes Texas, has 236 stores in 18 states in the South and Midwest. The East division operates 253 stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Smith said Macy’s "has communicated with customers’ banks. The banks will credit customers’ checking accounts."
The glitch affected only debit cards and not credit cards, Mr. Smith said.
Yikes! I check my bank account online about once a day. But I never check those paper statements. I need to check the paper statements,too. Who knows what lurks?
Do you check your credit or debit card statements? Have you ever had an account compromised by a business? What happened?
I’m a big fan of closet shopping, which is the art of digging deep into your wardrobe to find something to wear. Sometimes we say we have nothing to wear and there’s a perfectly fine dress hanging in the corner of the closet, looking for the chance to hit the daylight. This Wall Street Journal article takes it to the next level. One woman in the article dropped $405 for closet consultant to refashion her existing wardrobe. SIGN ME UP! I mean, I do that all the time with my friends anyway. I could be getting paid! I would never use a closet consultant. That’s what friends/moms are for!
Do you shop in your own closet for clothes? Have you ever discovered an outfit that you forgot about and then wore it? Would you pay someone to tell you to wear clothes you already own? How long do you keep your clothes?
P.S. I’m a big fan of model Liya Kebede pictured here. The picture is not representative of any clothing found in my closet. *chortle*
