A Fool and His Money ... You Know

Eight tips for purchases that will boost your pleasure

(NEWSER) - Money may not be able to buy happiness, but if you spend wisely, you can at least avoid purchases that make you unhappy. SmartMoney lists eight tips for happy spending, based on new research published this month:

• Buy experiences, not things: People overwhelmingly report that they get more happiness out of things they did than things they bought.
• Buy lots of little things, not one big thing: Because we can so quickly grow tired of new possessions, or at least get used to them, it's better to focus on frequency than intensity. Think new underwear instead of a new TV, or a day trip instead of a weeklong vacation.

Managing the expectations of your free-spending kids

(NEWSER) - What to do with a 10-year-old daughter who insists—insists!—on designer 'jeggings' for fall? "Manage expectations," advises the Wall Street Journal in a feature on suddenly cash-strapped middle income parents and their "costly" kids. Today's children face a real drop in their standard of living, writes Sue Shellengarger, and it's up to their parents to guide them through this "painful" shift. More»

(NEWSER) - If you’ve had a few kids, you know that you don’t need half of the baby products littering the shelves of Babies “R” Us, but new parents are easy prey for marketers. Brad Tuttle offers a list of the silliest, most useless crap in Time:

• Crib bedding sets: The bumper pad and comforter pose suffocation hazards, meaning you pay big bucks to use half a set.
• The Wipe Warmer: “Are wipes really THAT cold?”

Many sites pay for a quick contribution

(NEWSER) - Look no further than the Internet for some recession relief. Popular Science suggests some ways to make money—a little bit, at least—online:

1. Charge for wit. Tipjoy.com lets Facebook and Twitter fans award you for your quips.
2. Research for the KGB. The Knowledge Generation Bureau, silly. It pays a dime for answers to user-submitted questions.
3. Review music, or software. Several sites pay users for their opinions.

Shops to shut, brands to fold as bankruptcies soar

(NEWSER) - Shaken by a tough holiday season and bracing for more trouble, the retail scene may look very different in 2009, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some stores will be reducing inventory and cutting suppliers, which could force small manufacturers to fold. Retail bankruptcies could abound. "We will have a lot fewer stores by the middle of 2009,” said an expert. “It's happening very, very quickly.” More»