Archive

Season's savings

Halloween is over, and retailers have already brought out the holiday items -- the nutcrackers, the Christmas ornaments and the reminder that you need to be shopping for gifts soon.


Security blanket

Working on your laptop at the local coffee shop is becoming all too common a scene nowadays. While many of these cafes now offer free Wi-Fi, what you might not know is that there are security issues that affect your laptop as much as your own personal home.


Natural selection

Kermit the Frog once said it wasn't easy being green, but today it is apparently much too easy being green -- and much too easy to market yourself as being green.


Shopping smart at Costco

Let's face it. We all head to Costco, and sometimes end up picking up a few more items -- a DVD, iPod or a Prada handbag that was on sale -- than we were planning to on the way in.


Credit score is key for lenders

We all walk around with one, regardless of whether we know it.

Some of us know what it is, and some of us would rather not (the same way some people know how much they weigh and some won't step on a scale).


Golden payday

So you've got a pile of gold trinkets at the bottom of a drawer somewhere, stuff you inherited from your great-grandmother that you'll probably never wear. Or you've got jewelry that was sentimental, but lost its charm after a breakup.


Strive for survival

Hurricane Felicia had her fling before fizzling out a few weeks ago into a tropical depression of rain showers, while Guillermo managed to smother us with muggy weather last week.


Sun, sun, sun, here we come

Brace yourselves. No, not for the hurricane, but for a higher electricity bill, which Hawaiian Electric Co. estimates will jump an average of 14.3 percent on Oahu this month.


Getting the whole picture

There has been a long-running joke about Whole Foods Market as the supermarket that eats up your "whole paycheck.


Michael Jackson for a price

Yes, we all loved him, and we've been watching endless reruns of "Thriller" since Michael Jackson unexpectedly died on June 25. But now everyone wants a piece of "The King of Pop" -- by capitalizing on anything and everything related to the beloved star.


Summer fun for 20 bucks (tops)

There are still a few freebies in Hawaii that truly are free, no strings attached. There are also some deals to be found in town -- if you look for them -- for under $20.


Isle tap water measures up to world's best

A few years ago, while dining at a beachfront restaurant in Waikiki, the waiter asked what we wanted to drink.


Odometer Outer Limits

Raise your hand if your car is pushing past 100,000 miles, and you hope it'll go a couple thousand more.


Expertly frugal cupboards

If you're like me, you head to the supermarket to pick up just a few items, plus whatever looks good, then head to the checkout stand and wonder how it ended up ringing up to $50 or more. Whoa! Here's the deal: Shopping for groceries here in Hawaii will cost more due to shipping costs.


Budget on a wire

By now I think most folks already have heard the spiel about switching to compact fluorescent lights to save energy. Since the year started, base electricity rates actually have been on the decline, so you should be seeing, on average, a lower electricity bill.


The mortgage trap

With the rise of foreclosures comes an unfortunate trend — the rise of foreclosure scams.


Recessions good time for traveling

So the economy's in a funk, and your job is on the line — but a recession also means you'll find more travel deals in these times than in boom times.


Store's closed but you have a gift card?

Have a gift card for Circuit City or KB Toys? They became worthless on the last day of business for the two bankrupt retailers.