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Shrinkage Is Good

The Recession and the American Airline Industry

July 2, 2009
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Recent trips to the airport have left me in amazement at the seeming decline in airline provisions and the imposition of new fees on almost every service of value to travelers. Disheartening to say the least, what was once taken for granted can now ding you for a hefty chunk of your hard-earned money. With many airlines struggling to stay afloat, these fees are necessary in order to maintain their current level of service and implement new technologies that help them to remain competitive. Here is a handy guide to each airline’s pricing for additional services to help you know for what you are going to have to pay, before you buy your ticket.

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How the Recession Has Impacted The Way We View our Jobs

July 1, 2009
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Grenada Tax HavenThis is a guest post from Kathryn Vercillo, who writes forThe Money Saving Blog.

The recession has impacted almost all of us. Some people will find that the impact is temporary, and when the economy improves, those people’s lives will return to the way that things were before the recession hit. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be the case for many people, who will discover that the impact of the recession has changed their lives forever.  One of the major changes is the way some of us will now view our jobs.

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10 Products and Innovations From Recessions Past

June 30, 2009
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“Man built most nobly when limitations were at their greatest.”

- Frank Lloyd Wright

 

We all associate recessions with negative things. Unemployment, slowdowns, and lost profits dominate the headlines and color most every recession-themed discussion. But this is only part of the story. Desperation breeds creativity, as many know. And as a testament to this timeless axiom, a number of the world’s foremost innovations came about during recessionary times. From increased convenience and food products, to formidable technological advances, the following represent some of the most noteworthy recession-borne innovations.

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12 Mistakes Businesses Should Avoid During a Recession

June 26, 2009
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What characterizes a recession? Panic, desperation, overreacting - in other words, the opposite of clear thinking. This is especially the case in the business world. Unfortunately, many companies fall victim to mistakes that are a result of allowing the market to wholly dictate their business moves. Because often times, what seem like good ideas at the time, simply are not. The following are some of the most common mistakes that businesses make from this paradigm, that actually end up costing them in the long run:

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Financial Responsibility in the United States

June 18, 2009
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Your credit score is a very important part of personal financial health, insuring that credit is extended to you, and at the best rate possible. There are various factors considered when calculating your individual score, and it is important to be familiar with exactly how each of these positively or negatively affects your personal rating. The following map shows averages by state, so you can see how you stack up to the rest of the country.

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10 Lessons to Wealth from Warren Buffet

June 16, 2009

The Oracle: Warren BuffettThis is a guest post from J. Money, the blogger behind Budgets Are Sexy. If you like his post, please visit the blog above and check out his other work!

As we all have come to know, Warren Buffett is a rock star. He can out-invest you, out-donate you, and even out-school you any day of the week. But *why* is that?

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How The Recession is Impacting Crime

June 15, 2009
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Could it be that at a time when many of us fear with our wallets, we now have reason to fear for our safety? Unfortunately, the answer for some may be yes. Emerging research from sociologists, journalists, trade journals, and law enforcement suggest that certain types of crime are rising and began rising in early 2009/late 2008 when the pains of the recession first began being felt. This has led some analysts to investigate a link between the two, theorizing that the anxiety, suffering, and loss of the financial meltdown has made criminals more likely to commit crimes.

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Total Cost of Ownership: iPhone 3G S versus Palm Pre versus Android G1

June 9, 2009

With the recent release information on Apple’s new iPhone 3GS and Palm’s venture back into the market with their highly anticipated Pre, there are more legitimate smartphone options than ever. How will you decide on which device you will spend your hard earned money? Below is a comprehensive cost/benefit analysis of the latest mobile technologies, analyzing the comparative features of each, along with the actual price you will pay for the phone and service over the course of a two year contract.

To see the true cost of owning one of these smartphone, based on your actual usage, check out Billshrink.com

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7 Ways Recessions Impact Your Health

June 4, 2009
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Everyone knows about the financial burdens of the recession - lost income, layoffs, and depleted investment portfolios - and the people suffering from them. What has not been discussed so often are the health burdens increasingly falling on those very same people. Imagine how terrible it must be to become depressed, be unable to sleep at night, or even suffer a heart attack on top of losing your job or life savings. Tragically, we don’t have to imagine it - these and other health problems are plaguing recession victims every day. Here are seven of the most serious and well-documented health-related implications.

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How Do Gas Prices Affect How Much We Drive?

May 31, 2009
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With summer fast approaching, many are getting ready to take advantage of the weather and hop in the car for road trips, family vacations and camping. We also need to get ready for the inevitable price jump that hits gas stations across the country as demand for fuel soars. Yes, it’s that season when prices at the pump mysteriously rise to gouge the eager masses. Our year-over-year plotting of gas rates by month show that the rise and fall can at times be random or based on extraneous factors, but the consistent trend is actually quite cyclical.

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Recent Comments

bob

Not entirely accurate - AirTran waives the bag fees for A+ Elite, Corporate, and business...

Rich

Great but can you do one for international airlines!

Chris

I’ve been flying my unaccompanied minor on Southwest for the last few years now,...

Marissa

Does anyone know if Continental is really offering wifi and if so, which flights?

Adrian

One thing not mentioned is charges for food. American Airlines charges $4 to $7 if you...