If you are a fan of haggling for a discount, try it at major chain stores, too. According to this Associated Press story, some big name retailers are honoring requests for discounts if the shopper is savvy enough to ask. If only getting a discount on all things was so easy...

OK, I know... we're all procrastinators at heart. Especially writers. We're nothing without a deadline. But I was still surprised by this Wall Street Journal story about some stores staying open 24 hours a day in the run up to Christmas. I guess stores figure they should maximize the opportunity to get every last sale they can in a down year. Still, how many people can possibly be shopping at 4 a.m.?

I'm sure you all have a favorite store that just seems to fit with your personality. But what happens when you realize you're paying too much to shop there?

Mom2Mom blogger Illyse Lane wrote a truly entertaining essay about her decision to cut back on her Target shopping. It begins: "Oh dear Target. My heart is heavy. I have to confess. I've been unfaithful. It's not my fault. I tried to make us work. We've been together for such a long time. But in the end, I had no choice. Tide, Eggos, Lucky Charms and those awesome frozen, steam in a bag, veggies are cheaper some place else."

My favorite line? "Please know that I am not emotionally involved with my new superstore."

Check it out here if you have a few minutes. I'm sure many of you can relate...

I was very interested in this USA Today story about consumers buying new iPods, computers, cell phones and other items simply because the manufacturer rolled out new colors. It seems that changing the color can actually drive some additional sales, even in a down economy. I certainly have been a victim of wanting the newest, greatest thing. And when Apple first rolled out its new line of iPods in bright, vivid colors, I even considered buying a blue or purple one for myself. But to buy a new one simply because I like the color better didn't seem particularly frugal to me... how about you? Anyone out there bought something new just because it came in red, lime green or cotton candy pink?

I found this list of good $5 gifts today. My favorite is a coffee tree (where would one buy one of those??). But I thought I'd post the link to the list and ask you for your ideas. Anyone? Best gifts under $5? 

I'm going to borrow a good discussion topic from the Consumerist today. The folks over on that site asked readers to share the purchase they regret the most. Surprisingly, at least to me, the Wii came up an awful lot.

How about you? What do you regret purchasing and why?? Remember, details make the story, so the more info you share about you paid, why you were disappointed and what you ended up doing with the item, the better... I might even have a little prize for the person that makes me laugh the most. (If you are interested in reading the Consumerist thread, you can find it here.)

Well, if you're a foodie like me and a bargain-hunter like me, here's your perfect storm: there are deals to be had on lobsters right now.

According to the New York Times, supply for the red crustaceans is up while demand is falling, which of course results in bargains. Gotta love those laws of supply and demand... For me, I'm dreaming of some lobster bisque. The writer of the Times piece found lobster in New York priced as low as $7.95 a pound. Anyone priced lobster lately around here and know what it's going for?

The folks over on the Consumerist site (one of my favorites) have an interesting warning about engraving someone's name or a message on say... an iPod or a laptop that you're buying as a gift. According to their post, retailers offer the engraving as a way to reduce the number of items coming back to them.

Just some food for thought if you were planning on giving an engraved gift this year...

The Boston Globe had a really interesting story following the guy who ran the liquidation sale for bankrupt electronics retailer Tweeter. For those of you who are interested in that type of thing, it makes for excellent reading... 

I got an interesting press release this weekend from American Express about how more consumers are using their credit card rewards points for holiday purchases this year. I'm particularly interested in this because I've found a lot of people will just sit on piles and piles of points because they don't know how to redeem them or they are waiting to make some huge purchase in the future.

What are you doing? Have you redeemed points this year, and what did you buy? Or, are you saving up 10,000 points for some big-ticket item?