We did not accept the political ad - or receive money for it - that ran Tuesday. Credit: DonkeyHotey/Flickr
UPDATE: Phil at Feedblitz got back to me with a brief response. The news is not good. Feedblitz ads are outsourced.
PREVIOUSLY: Reader Jennifer emailed me Tuesday making a case for why I should not have accepted a political ad for Rick Santorum that ran in Tuesday’s email (not on the blog):
I know that you need to accept ads in order to make a living from your newsletter, but I think you might want to rethink accepting political ads. Most of the ads on your site and news letter are for services that save people money so there is an implication that you endorse these advertisers and they endorse you. Rick Santorum is a very polarizing figure, while some of your readers may love him many people rather viscerally hate him. I am guessing that your readership is predominately female. Given how strongly many women feel about Santorum’s attacks on
ConnieFoggles / Flickr
A couple of you have been asking how we did in Go Banking Rates’ contest for The Top Money-Saving Site for 2012. Drum roll, please! BargainBabe.com came in second place. Not bad. Eleven other blogs were in the running.
We had some tough competition, but thanks to our loyal readers we climbed to the top. Thanks to everyone who voted once, twice, or more for BargainBabe.com. We appreciate your continued support!
More than ever, we are committed to helping you save money on everyday expenses. Have a post idea you’d like us to write? Let us know!
This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.
There are two more days to vote BargainBabe.com! LWVC / Flickr
Time is running out to vote BargainBabe.com for Top Money-Saving Site for 2012. Go Banking Rates is hosting the contest, but readers get the last word.
You can cast your vote for BargainBabe.com through Feb. 29. The winner will be announced March 1. Make sure to vote and let them know how Bargain Babe has helped you save money. It only takes about a minute and you can vote more than once!
While you’re on the site, read what Go Banking Rates has to say about Bargain Babe.com.
Although we’ve received more votes, we are still in second place behind Coupon Cabin. Did I mention 12 sites were nominated? Woohoo!!! Thanks to all our readers who have voted for us! We truly appreciate your support.
This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.
Make us number one! John Bollwitt / Flickr
If you haven’t heard, BargainBabe.com has been nominated for Go Banking Rates’ Top Money-Saving Site for 2012. Yay! We’ve got some tough competition. We are up against other top-notch sites and blogger friends.
Thanks to everyone who has voted for us, we are currently number two behind Coupon Cabin. Woohoo! Help make us number one – vote BargainBabe.com! It only takes about a minute.
Readers can cast their votes through Feb. 29. Psst… You can vote more than once! The winner will be announced March 1.
Go Banking Rates recently wrote about BargainBabe.com. See what they have to say about BB in their post Bargain Babe: Because the little things really add up. Don’t forget to comment letting them know why you love BB so much!
This post is copyrighted by BargainBabe.com. Other sites posting this content are violating the DMCA.
Have you voted for Bargain Babe? Vaguely Artistic / Flickr
I’m so excited to announce that BargainBabe.com is up for Go Banking Rates‘ Top Money-Saving Site for 2012!
We are among top-notch money-saving sites (and blogger friends) including Bargain Briana, 5 Dollar Dinners, Frugal Dad, and many more.
Readers will get to decide who gets the honor by casting their vote for their favorite site through Feb. 29.
We’d appreciate it if you shared your love for BargainBabe.com! All you have to do is head over to Go Banking Rates and vote for Bargain Babe – it will only take a minute.
The winner will be announced March 1.
I’ve got a sinus infection and hope to sleep all day. I wanted to launch the Halloween costume contest today, but it will have to wait until I can breathe through my nose.
See you tomorrow, I hope.
Julia
Aka Bargain Babe
fekaylius/Flickr
This post originally appeared on the Bargain Hunter blog, which I wrote at the LA Daily News.
A lot has changed in a decade, but when it comes to finding bargains on September 11, I still feel the same way. I cannot do my job. Ten years has passed; should I move on? I see many have, and I also see the compulsion people feel to mark a neat round number. I prefer to take Sept. 11 as a holiday to remember and cry. A few years ago I told you why and here’s that story again.
Forgive me for not posting any bargains today, the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Trying to save $3 on a sandwich or find a shoe sale seems silly and out of place today. Instead, I’m going to try to give blood, something I wasn’t able to do that day in New York.
I’m taking today off to work on a kitchen renovation project. After week of not having a kitchen, we are finally installing cabinets. Post have been light this week because I’ve been sneaking down after lunch to sand and paint. There are still two weeks of washing dishes in the sink in our future, but things are starting to get less chaotic, not more. (The entire kitchen was relocated to the dining room/living room).
Expect a post soon about ways to save money on kitchen renovation! I’ve accumulated a lot of tips.
See you Monday.
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
It’s been a long time since we’ve had any Friday Fun posts, but after watching this 3:22 video a handful of times, I wanted to share it with you. It’s about a talking shell that has a curious life of its own. Enjoy your weekend!
Bargain Hubby with Simba
This is a post I never wanted to write, but coming clean seems the best thing to do. I’m writing this post because it no longer makes sense to hide the fact that my husband and I are getting divorced. In the past I have shared stories from my personal life – how I went from jazz to journalism and why I don’t blog on Sept. 11 – but sharing my heartbreak and his had no place on BargainBabe.com. Until now.
I moved out almost a year ago after months – no years – of thinking, and talking, and crying. Day by day, as I examined what had always been in front of me, I realized Bargain Hubby and I were on one path, and I wanted to be on another. So I packed my things and left.
Starting anew was sad and overwhelming. I am lucky to have a very supportive family and friends who talked and hugged me through each day. More importantly, I am lucky to have married a man who remained as generous and open-hearted in separation as he was in marriage.
I said a private goodbye to Bargain Hubby a few days before my move to Rhode Island and asked him if he had any thoughts on how – if at all – to tell BargainBabe.com readers that we were getting divorced.
“How about an ‘Ode to Hubby’post?” he said. How about it.
Here is a short list of the many things my husband Andrew taught me. Thank you, Andrew, for many wonderful years. I will remember them fondly.
- Have fun everyday.
- Learn how to fight fairly.
- Ordering the best dish on the menu is an art. (I’m still learning.)
- Pull over and watch the sunset. It’s worth it.
- Call muggins when playing cribbage no matter who your opponent is, including your wife the sore loser.
- Experiment in the kitchen.
- Think twice before you trash something. (A dirty black poncho doubled as a rain tarp more times than I can recall; wires can make anything happen around the house.)
- Give hugs liberally.
- Bring another jacket. (I always get cold.)
- Ultimate Frisbee really is the greatest sport ever invented by man.
- Accept your love for who they are and don’t try to change them. If you can’t, you are setting the relationship up for failure.
- Being with someone who always wants to dance, and I mean always, really is wonderful.
- Believe in yourself. You are a star.
UPDATE: Thank you, dear readers, for your wonderfully supportive comments. I am touched.
Katie Tegtmeyer/Flickr
I’m taking the rest of the week off and Monday to move to the biggest little state in the union. Yep, I’m headed for Rhode Island. I never thought I’d live on the East Coast again, but my life has changed dramatically in the past 12 months. I’m taking advantage of my very portable job – I can work anywhere there is a high-speed Internet connection – to be closer to someone I love.
I will still write BargainBabe.com, with fantastic contributions from Yazmin and Bobbi, and blog for WalletPop.com (check daily for new coupons). What will change is my perspective. I expect to write more about stews and comfort food in the winter, for example, and pay closer attention to mitten sales.
I’m going to need your help getting through the summer, too. I’ve never lived in anything but a mega city, and I’m worried living in my new, smallish town is going to be a shock – culturally and financially.
Adjusting means getting to know my local thrift stores, finding the nearest farmer’s market, looking for a discount movie theater, bookmarking the bus and train schedule, and applying for a library card.
What do you look for in a new place to adjust and save money?
If you’d like to watch a news video from the 1980s about my soon-to-be home state, click below. The theme song is catchy. Rhode Island! Rhode Island!
Mike Licht/NotionsCapital.com
I’m in Colorado at the Savvy Blogging Summit and met one of the biggest personal finance bloggers tonight, J.D. Roth of Get Rich Slowly. He is younger and funnier than I imagined. Also, he likes to read books in the bathtub and is a cat fanatic. J.D. has been a blogger for 13 years and shared six blogging secrets.
- be yourself
- tell stories
- assume nobody is reading your blog (write freely) and that everyone is reading your blog (even “anonymous” blogs can hurt people)
- have fun
- do what works for you
- become a good writer and continue honing your skills (J.D. recommended If you want to write, by Brenda Ueland)
The conference is two days, Friday and Saturday. Sessions will cover writing, media, monetization, SEO, and a lot of other interesting topics (at least to bloggers). I already got one great idea for a new type of post that I hope to make a regular feature.
I’ve never seen a dog get so excited about going on a walk as Bella. She gets air in this 47-second video. Pets are very entertaining!
Note: this video has nothing to do with saving money, it’s just fun.
newyorkinsider/Flickr
If you are looking to grow your business, reinvent yourself at 50, or bring out the best in your children, consider applying to be in a new video series with Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul (pictured above). The video series will appear on AOL and WalletPop.com, which I blog for, and address these ten topics:
- Presenting yourself in the best light (Dress & Public Speaking)
- Developing Your Company’s Vision / How to Brand
- Adept Hiring (and Adept Firing)
- Doing Your Homework for meetings
- Recognizing When to Move On
- Starting Up Pitfalls
- Bringing Out the Best in your Children
- How to Blow Up Your Business in the Blogosphere
- Creating Robust Partnerships
- Reinventing Yourself at 50
As the “real person” in the video, you’ll ask a question that Barbara will answer. Each video will be between 5 and 7 minutes long. If you are in NY, you can go into AOL’s studio or you can appear via Skype. The folks producing the series are looking for a mix of men and women from around the country who may be small business owners, workers with a dream, or people trying to make a living and have a life.
If you are interested, please send the following information to walletpopbc@gmail.com.
Name
Address
Employment situation (employed, self-employed, stay-at-home-mom, etc.)
Internet Connection and webcam availability (and Skype name)
Email and phone
Question you’d like to ask
inju/Flickr
This post has nothing to do with saving money but it’s awfully funny. Thanks to reader Glenn for submitting this collection of unfortunate newspaper headlines.
No crap, really? Ya think?
Now that’s taking things a bit far!
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What a guy!
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No-good-for-nothing’ lazy so-and-so’s!
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See if that works any better than a fair trial!
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