Category Archives: Churning

The $235K child, the latest on gift card churning, and free pretzels!

Posted on April 25, 2013 by admin

RAISE A KID FOR LESS THAN $235,000!: Abby Hayes at Dough Roller discusses the annual USDA report that comes up with an eye-poppingly large number on how much it costs to raise a child. She points out: Many people, unfortunately, take the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Churning, Expenses, Manufactured spending, Mmmmm, Real Estate | 1 Comment

The Federal Reserve just made things easier for credit card fanboys and credit card thieves

Posted on April 8, 2013 by admin

Some of you may have already read about this on Flyertalk or Million Mile Secrets, but it’s now possible to get a PIN for prepaid gift cards. Let’s get the obvious implications out of the way first: it’s now easier to churn your … Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Churning, Credit cards, Macroeconomics, Manufactured spending, Prepaid debit cards, Wal-Mart | Comments Off

The Super Awesome Budget method is more frugal than your budget method–guaranteed

Posted on April 5, 2013 by admin

Via the Consumerist, we found an interesting article in Financial Ramblings about consumer spending psychology. The pith: According to a recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers tend to spend more with worn bills as compared to crisp, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Churning, Credit cards, Expenses, Prepaid debit cards, Psychology | 1 Comment

Manufactured spending, gift card churning, and money laundering: pretty much the same thing

Posted on April 4, 2013 by admin

The powers-that-be are concerned with money laundering and are very interested in tighter regulation for the current sine qua non of manufactured spending: prepaid cards. Here’s The Hill with the story: The White House is reviewing new regulations aimed at thwarting … Continue reading →

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Posted in Churning, Manufactured spending | Comments Off