Farnoosh Torabi's Blog, page 76

MoneyWatch: Extreme Couponing

This Friday on MoneyWatch.com I unveiled some of the unfortunate facts about coupons, including how many clippings are for unhealthy foods and excessive couponing can be symptomatic of a bigger financial disorder. Read an excerpt:

Most food-related coupons are unhealthy.

Couponers saved more than $3.7 billion in 2010 thanks to 50 cents off here and $1 off there. But most of those coupons went towards unhealthy products. We rarely see clip-and-save options for fruit, meat or organic foods. Instead, most coupons in the food category are for processed foods and snacks – otherwise known as "junk" food. The top 5 coupon categories compiled by CouponsInc.com in 2010 were:

Ready-to-Eat Cereal
Yogurt
Refrigerated Dough (e.g. cookie dough and biscuits)
Portable Snacks (e.g. pudding cups, cookies and chips)
Vegetables

It's nice to see vegetables finally making the list. In the past they were nowhere to be found.

Why most food tied to coupons is unhealthy is a case of unfortunate economics. "Coupons are usually issued by big companies with deep pockets, because the setup of a coupon business is quite expensive," says Hemi Weingarten, founder and CEO of Fooducate, an iphone app for scanning and choosing healthy groceries. Businesses, in fact, spent more than $45 billion on promotional marketing in 2009, including coupons, according to VSS Communications. "Many of the healthy food brands are too small and cannot afford it. And since most produce is not branded, there is not enough of an incentive along the supply chain to provide coupons," says Weingarten.

Couponing can become an addiction.

At best, coupons can help us save money on healthy foods and household products we would buy normally. At worst, the pursuit can affect our mental health. "There's a line between being prudent and having the activity take control of you, instead of you controlling it – whether its couponing, exercising, eating, whatever," says Dr. Klontz. He says the obsession with saving money can take over people's lives, destroying marriages and other relationships. "There's a point to which couponing makes sense, and then there are people who step over the line. They fall into the category of what we would call financial hoarding disorder," he says. If coupon hunting is beginning to occupy more and more of your time – to where you're neglecting other, more important things, like our well-being, family and job – or if your loved ones are complaining that you're spending too much time on the web or circulars surfing for coupons, you may have a problem.

CBS: Curb Rising Household Prices

The jump in oil prices is causing the cost of everyday household products, including groceries, toilet paper, diapers and crayons to soar. I stopped by the CBS Early Show on Saturday to review the top 5 categories of products affected by oil prices and how you can save. Video below.

Don't Pay For This!

Some things in life are best kept free…and in our latest Yahoo!Finance video we break down the top 5 things you shouldn't have to pay for. From text messages to hotels, our list is short but sweet. Check out the video below. What are some other things that you think we can easily find for free?

Scale Back and Save Big

In this week's video installment of Financially Fit on Yahoo!Finance we take a look at the many ways you can reduce clutter and save tons of money along the way. One tip could save you as much as $9,000 a year.

Intrigued? Check out the full video below.

Secret Saving Tips

This week in our Financially Fit Series on Yahoo!Finance I interview America's Cheapest Family to find out some of the best-kept secrets when it comes to saving money. If you've never heard of the family, definitely check out their web site, which includes information on their best-selling books, as well as tons of additional advice on how to keep more money in the bank, without making tough sacrifices.

Watch the clip below!

Yahoo!Finance: Secret Saving Tips

This week in our Financially Series on Yahoo! I interview America's Cheapest Family to find out some of the best-kept secrets when it comes to saving money. If you've never heard of the family, definitely check out their web site, which includes information on their best-selling books, as well as tons of additional advice on how to keep more money in the bank, without making tough sacrifices.

Watch the clip below!

Credit.com: 5 Dollar Store Dangers

This week on Credit.com, check out my post on items you should avoid at all costs at your local dollar store – even if it's just 99 cents.

Here's a snippet.

This weekend, the San Diego Union-Tribune had an interesting story on the success of dollar stores in this economy where everyone's looking for a deal. Dollar store stocks have been outpacing the market, giving Walmart and other giant retailers a run for their money. And while it's true that these stores can be fantastic places to stock up on inexpensive party plates, notebooks, cleaning supplies and gift wrap, the truth is you're better off leaving some items on the shelves. In fact, Consumer Reports has done extensive research in the past outlining exactly what you should and shouldn't buy at local dollar stores.

Here are the top five things you're better off ignoring:

Batteries: The dollar-store variety of batteries are often of poor quality, which can amount to possible leakage and poor performance. Better off going to a big-box retailer or wholesaler to stock up on batteries, should you need many.

Children's Toys: Researchers found these items tend to be of very low quality and pose safety risks to children, often because of their small, detachable parts. Some also lack required safety labeling.

For the rest, check out Credit.com

Photo courtesy Daniel Beaman photography

Today Show: Student Loans v. Retirement

This morning on Money 911, we tackled your biggest financial questions – from refinancing a mortgage to paying down student loans. In case you missed us live, here's the clip below.

And thanks to everyone who joined me for the online chat session right afterwards. Please continue to send me your questions at farnoosh@farnoosh.tv

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Get a Store Discount!

Asking if you can pay cash instead of credit is one way to earn a discount at some retailers. Check out our latest Financially Fit video at Yahoo!Finance for the different ways you can save at the mall.

Nate's Blog: Last-Minute Tax Tips!

Have yet to file your taxes? We have an extra three days to get our paperwork into the IRS this year, so no excuses! I've got some last-minute reminders for those who've yet to tackle their returns on TheNateShow.com. Here's the video below: