A big heads up, savvy shoppers: North Carolina's tax-free weekend starts Friday.
Get a jump on prepping for the three-day shopping extravaganza by reading my Work & Money story HERE.
See what qualifies for tax-free status and get tips on how to stretch your budget, save time and avoid those massive crowds.
Long before I worked for The News & Observer, I was a regular reader of the Taking Stock blog, counting on Sue Stock for my daily fix of bargains. So, like many, I was saddened to see Sue leave the paper.
In these tough economic times, as families search for ways to save money and make ends meet, her consumer-oriented type of reporting was too important to abandon.
Since she left, I have reported the Wednesday grocery deals and kept the coupon database up-to-date.
Today I launch my own blog for The N&O called the Centsible Saver.
Before you pull out the buckets, sponges, soaps and sprayers, Ford Motor Company has a few tips for making your car clean and your car wash green:
A winner has been drawn from the pool of entries in the Green Giveaway – and it's Claire Watkins of Raleigh! She received a "green kit," which included a YakPak tote bag made from a recycled billboard and two green books. Here are the tips she shared:
If you're hitting the road for the holiday weekend, take a moment to
adopt some new driving habits to help you drive greener while saving
green in the process.
A few ghouls might be out on Halloween night.
I am not talking about the ones who dress up in costumes and come knocking at your door for candy. The ghouls I am referring to are the ones who play mean tricks on animals – particularly black cats – for Halloween.
You would be astounded at how cruel people can be to animals on Halloween. They find it amusing to tie firecrackers to animals, poison their food, and even worse, use animals as sacrifices for evil rituals. The list goes on, but I’ll spare you the gory, heartbreaking details.
A local animal rescue group I work for has even reported that some people call looking specifically for black cats around Halloween. Of course, the callers are mum on their reasons. Luckily, most animal shelters do not allow black cats to be adopted until after Halloween has passed.
Here are a few tips to keep your pet safe on Halloween night:
• Keep all pets indoors to reduce risk of injury or death from potential ghouls.
• Bring all pet food inside where you can safely monitor it.
• Make sure your pet has an identification tag.
• Do not allow your pet to consume any chocolate or candy.
