Red carpet looks for a fraction of the price
1:48pm Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Mary Ann Albright

I was reading Us Weekly recently and saw a story about how, come February, knockoffs of some of the most talked about Emmy dresses will be available.

In the past, A.B.S. by Allen Schwartz has created less expensive versions of red carpet favorites. This time, however, the dresses Us Weekly showcased were Niki by Niki Livas.

The two examples shown were a strapless fuchsia gown similar to the Badgley Mischka one Brooke Shields wore, and a one-shouldered blue silk chiffon dress with gold thread like Christina Applegate's Reem Acra. The pink dress is $200 and the blue $300; I'm sure the designer originals cost thousands.

The magazine also gave examples of affordable accessories by Emitations very similar to jewelry the stars wore, as well as Nina shoes that are pretty but won't break the bank..

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Donate expired coupons to the troops
12:39pm Monday, October 6, 2008
Mary Ann Albright

Deborah McWatters, our resident coupon expert, recently e-mailed me to say that expired coupons needn't be tossed in the recycling bin.

The Overseas Coupon Program collects old coupons and sends them to U.S. military bases around the world. Coupons can be used up to two months after their expiration date. You can choose which base your coupons go to or leave the selection field open.

For more information, see the Overseas Coupon Program Web site.

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Save money with Farecast
4:46pm Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Matt Wastradowski

Planning a vacation? Tired of plugging dates and destinations into a half-dozen or so airline Web sites, jotting down the best fares and hoping they're still around when you wind up booking your flight?

Worry no more.

Farecast has you covered.

It's easy to use. Head to the site, type in the departure and arrival cities, dates, number of adults and class, hit the "Search" button and compare the results.

(If you'd like, you can compare Farecast's search results to those from other travel companies, such as Hotwire, Expedia and Priceline. Just click the appropriate buttons before searching.)

Then, once the results come up, you have all kinds of options. You can narrow the results by airline, price range, arrival or departure times, and the number of stops.

But what really sets Farecast apart is its "7 Day Low Fare Prediction." If you're unsure if you're getting the best bang for your buck, the predictor tool will tell you if it expects prices to fall or rise in the few days, as well as if you should buy at that price. When I did a few searches for this blog post, predictions were available for flights through March.

Another nifty tool lets you track the flight's fare history.

Good luck bargain-hunting!

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Tipping to go
12:01am Thursday, September 18, 2008
Matt Wastradowski

It's become a hot topic of discussion in the office lately: When you go out to eat and get a to-go order, or when you order and receive your food before sitting down, how do you handle tipping?

On one hand, no one is dropping by your table, making sure the food's okay and refilling your drink. But on the other hand, someone still went to the effort of preparing the food in the first place.

There wasn't much consensus, so I asked a friend who works in a Thai restaurant in east Vancouver.

Even though there's room for a tip on your credit or debit card receipt, a tip isn't required when ordering to-go. If you don't leave a tip, it won't create any hard feelings or ill will.

But the tips are appreciated, he said. After all, someone had to go through the trouble of taking the order, preparing it and handing it over. His inclinations were seconded by Steve Dublanica, author of "Waiter Rant," which chronicles one waiter's frustrations with high maintenance diners.

If you do tip on take-out orders, Dublanica says a tip of about 10% is appropriate.

Find more tips about how to be a good diner in Mary Ann Albright's recent story, "Waiters leave good tips for diners.

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Hybrid vehicles about to get more attractive
11:44am Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Mary Ann Albright

Beginning January, hybrid and alternative fuel cars that get at least 40 miles per gallon will be exempt from Washington state sales tax.
Read about it here.

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