Kitty tried to slam down the phone receiver. Damm her lack of opposable thumbs and damm Barbie. They had been vying for sexiest toy title for years. Kitty thought she had Barbie beat when she went for the big time bling. But now the diva was topping her with a runway show on Feb. 14 in Bryant Park, complete with designer inspired Barbie clothes. What was the world coming to? Then Kitty sat back and purred – she still had her line at Neiman Marcus and a higher net worth (see November 17, 2008 post for more on net worth). And, wasn’t Barbie turning 50?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/fashion/05ROW.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
http://www.neimanmarcus.com/search.jhtml?N=0&Ntt=heloo+kitty&_requestid=15797″
February 5th, 2009
Today, Obama spoke about the current economic crises. He pointed out that “this crisis did not happen solely by some accident of history or normal turn of the business cycle … we arrived at this point due to an era of profound irresponsibility that stretched from corporate boardrooms to the halls of power in Washington, DC. … Banks made loans without concern for whether borrowers could repay them, and some borrowers took advantage of cheap credit to take on debt they couldn’t afford. The result has been a devastating loss of trust and confidence in our economy, our financial markets, and our government.” He’s right.
The recent economic headlines have been enough to make anyone nauseous. Money-savvy people are scared and financial novices are terrified. One of the most important promises you can make to yourself this year is to learn about money and personal money management. I realize learning about the economy can seem intimidating, math feels boring, and managing your own finances daunting – but if you can shop, you can manage your money.
Shopping actually requires you know more math than money management. For example to spend, you need addition and subtraction. To budget, you need addition, subtraction, and multiplication. To over-spend, you need addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. To shop, you need addition, subtraction and multiplication. Percents and decimals also help – especially if there is a sale! Notice that algebra is not listed; geometry is nowhere is sight (although one way to save money is to angle around the outer perimeters of the shoe department); trigonometry – forget it; calculus – don’t need it.
So make a commitment to yourself and learn about money. You’ll feel even better than you do when your skinny jeans fit.
January 8th, 2009
Beware of giving in-store gift cards this gift giving season. With so many retailers currently struggling, it is hard to know which retailers will be around in the New Year.
When companies file for bankruptcy, like Circuit city just did, a judge determines which debts get paid. Gift cards are way back at the end of the line – they are so far back they can’t even see the velvet rope!
You will not get a refund and the person you bought the gift for will not be able to use the card. Very sad. So if you plan to buy someone a gift card this season, be careful.
November 10th, 2008