Michael Finney's Consumer Blog

Free Starbucks coffee from Barnes & Noble

Finney’s Friday Free Coffee -- Starbucks! It is a bribe from Barnes & Noble for checking out their Nook Color B&N eReader. This Saturday only.

>> Details here (scroll down the page for the "Nook Color" box)

NOTE: More freebies to come! Watch ABC7 News at 5 PM for Finney's Friday Free Stuff. Details regarding those offers will be posted at ABC7NEWS.COM at 5:30 PM.

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This giveaway is not conducted by 7 On Your Side. If there are technical problems or issues with the product, concerns should be directed to the offering supplier.

Free IHOP buttermilk pancakes

Finney’s Friday Free Stuff! Free buttermilk pancakes at IHOP. It take places Tuesday between 7am and 10pm. National Pancake Day is rolling out to celebrate and benefit your local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

Details at www.ihoppancakeday.com

NOTE: More freebies to come! Check the blog again at 1:00 pm!

Sign up tor receive Finney's Friday Free Stuff and Michael Finney's Consumer Blog newsletters!

This giveaway is not conducted by 7 On Your Side. If there are technical problems or issues with the product, concerns should be directed to the offering supplier.

Tricks warehouse stores play on you

You know supermarkets use tricks to get you to buy more, but did you know that warehouse stores do too? Think those huge carts are accidental and what is at eye level is by chance? Here's a list of the ways they get you from one of my buds over at The Consumerist.

Is that day spa a phony?

Every corner seems to have a day spa on it these days. Even with the recession, day spas keep holding on. But is it really a day spa? The Day Spa Association has a list of guidelines that a spa must follow before it can be considered a true day spa. A curtained room in the back of a hair salon doesn't cut it.

Are we headed for a housing double dip?

For housing prices there has been a 2.4% decrease in December from the same month in 2009 and 1% from November, the fifth straight month of declines.

Here's the latest from The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index report and the LA Times take.

Finney’s Tuesday Free Stuff: Ice cream and NASCAR!

Car racing fans are invited to attend an ice cream social today in San Francisco to celebrate 2011 Daytona 500 champion Trevor Bayne's historic win. The event, part of Bayne's victory tour, will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop. At 20 years of age, Bayne, is the youngest winner in the Daytona 500. The ice cream event is free and open to the public.

Beer as a sports drink?

Now here's a new sports drink I didn't see coming: beer! The brewer, Erdinger, is promoting its alcohol-free beverage as a sports drink.

The Associated Press says the company is calling the drink an isotonic beverage with natural regenerative powers that help athletes recover from a workout. So a sports drink without a beer or caffeine buzz.

LINK: Erdinger's non-alcoholic sports & fitness drink

Experian now tracking rent payments

Credit reporting giant, Experian, is changing its ways. This is good news for renters who have their act together. They can now get credit for paying on time. Up until now, most rental transactions were not included in the credit report. Make a house payment on time and it was noted, pay your rent on time... nothing.

Now, not all renters are in the database yet, but this move may well be picked up by the other credit agencies as well. So now you have one more reason to pay your rent on time.

Shopping for flights more time consuming than flying

Travelers spend more time looking for a flight than flying. IBM says travelers spend as much as five hours trying to find the right flight at the right price. The complexity of the system: different airlines, different routes, fees for this and fees for that, makes comparison shopping a big hassle.

You alone cannot change things, so accept them and your ordeal will go more smoothly. Know you must compare prices, taxes, baggage fees, as well as time in the air and layovers. Accepting the inevitable won’t make the hunt for a flight go faster, but it will be less stressful and you’ll end up with a better deal.

Inflation is hitting your closet

The cost of clothing is about to go through the roof. If you need jeans or underwear, buy it now. For the past decade commodity prices have been stable and labor costs have been going down.

Clothing buyers are being hit with a double whammy: increasing costs on both labor and materials. China is paying more for works because of shortages and cotton prices are hitting a 150-year high. 

Brooks Brothers’ shirts that used to cost $79.50 now cost $88. Other prices will being up soon as well... way up. So it is a good time to stock up on underwear, socks and jeans; the items you would buy even if prices double... because they may.