Storm's coming. We must run to the grocery store and stock up like it is the end of the world. Water. Bread. Pop-Tarts. Pop-Tarts? Oh, yeah. Pop-Tarts are big during storms, particularly strawberry Pop-Tarts.Walmart discovered early on that when a storm threatens, the sale of Pop-Tarts increases seven times the normal sales rate.According to the Reader's Digest, Walmart … [Read more...] about Walmart stocks up on this odd item before a storm
Money and Personal Finance
Kakeibo: The Japanese art of budgeting
Budgeting apps are handy, but sometimes confusing. Does this item go to household expenses or should it be something else? Should that credit card charge count as a clothing expense? It can be hard to sort out the details. The Japanese, with their cultural focus on simplicity, come to the rescue with kakeibo. The Japanese budgeting method, which means "household finance … [Read more...] about Kakeibo: The Japanese art of budgeting
Saving versus spending, American-style
When times are tough, people are more likely to save or at least spend less.In 1944, during World War II, the personal savings rate -- defined as the ratio of personal savings in the country to disposable personal income -- was about 25.5 percent, according to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Compare that to the low point of personal savings for Americans in July … [Read more...] about Saving versus spending, American-style