Easy Shop DropConsumer Shopping Reviews

Brent returns to admit he stumbled more than once this weekend on his No-Buy Month spending challenge … and literally paid the price. — lfk.

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Since the theme of our shopping lives this season is finding affordable items that transcend time and trends, we had to highlight one of Spring ’09’s must-have item: the cropped belted trench.  No need for a mafia-style, floor-length trench when the weather gets warmer–all you need is an easy, breezy lightweight trench that uses function to get you through the chilly nights and fashion to add a sleek layer to your spring ensemble.

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A glut of unsold homes and plummeting prices are luring more first-time buyers into the market. According to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, first-time home buyers made up more than 40 percent of all buyers at the end of 2008, up from 36 percent in 2006when boomburgs and boomburbs were, well, booming.

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Arby’s is giving away coupons for a free Roast Burger with the purchase of a drink at participating locations.

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Yet another retailer has filed for bankruptcy protection in this terribly tumultuous economy - Ritz Camera. Ritz, the largest retail photography chain, filed for Chapter 11 yesterday and according to Business Week, owes their lenders approximately $47.7 million in revolving credit. Ouch! Ritz has about 800 photo stores in 40 states, operating under names Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Kits Cameras, Inkley’s and The Camera Shops.

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The Wrestler isn't the only recent film with an appliances connection. In a key scene in Rachel Getting Married, directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Best Actress nominee Anne Hathaway, the father of the bride (Bill Irwin) and the groom (Tunde Adebimpe) engage in a dishwasher-loading contest. This moment of levity in an otherwise somber tale was apparently inspired by an event in the life of screenwriter Jenny Lumet.

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Cindy Hockenberry, research coordinator with the National Association of Tax Professionals, answers these questions about the first-time homebuyer credit:

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In this installment of 10 Questions for . . ., Associate Editor Gian Trotta speaks with Dan Holohan, a former heating-industry pro whose 10-year-old HeatingHelp.com provides plumbing- and heating-related information and lively, active forums for consumers and industry members. Here's his take on how the industry is dealing with the recession; Joe the Plumber; and energy-saving technologies.

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Buy two books for a penny each at bookcloseouts.com today through Thursday, Feb. 26.

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