Personal finance weblog The Simple Dollar has a post on social savings techniques. The big example he gave was shopping carefully for a new pair of shoes for his young daughter at an outlet store, finding a great pair for $12, then shopping at another store where another parent was planning on buying the same pair for $50. He told the parent about the shoes being at an 80% discount at the outlet store. Was this ethical?
Trent at The Simple Dollar argues that he would not do this at local stores where he values their other benefits (expert knowledge, a place to play board games, ancillary services) but has no problem telling customers at major corporate chains where to find deals.
What do you think? Have you recently experienced any social savings techniques such as coupons left by other shoppers on items or McDonald's Monopoly game pieces left behind at tables? Let us know in the comments. Photo by Bill Bradford
Some Thoughts on Social Savings Inside the Store | The Simple Dollar
Want to cut down on unnecessary spending? Stocking your wallet with larger bills helps keep your cash around longer.
Apple's launch of the MacBook Air and other products yesterday filled geeks everywhere with lust for the new notebook (or the Time Capsule, or Apple TV, or iPhone, or iPod touch). Every few months there's a new, pricey tech toy everyone wants, and deciding whether or not to pull the trigger on the purchase yourself can be a struggle. Over at personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly, J.D. Roth says new tech product launches are tough for him, but he's sticking to his guns (and his current laptop) and resisting the urge to drop cash on Apple's new offerings—a smart decision for anyone trying to get out of debt or save a few clams. It's easy to get caught up in advertising hype and follow the lemmings down BUYBUYBUY lane, so how do you resist? Or did you give in? Tell us your psychological mind tricks for immunizing yourself to the reality distortion field in the comments. Photo by 
