6 Things You Use That Are Way Overpriced... Part II

As promised according to CNNmoney.com here are more items and services that have an enormous markup.

4) Name-brand pain killers: Is it worth paying more for a pain killer that is in a bottle that you saw on TV, or are you willing to save money by buying generic? A name brand bottle of ibuprofen can cost aprox $8.49 and the same dosage and count of generic (store brand) ibuprofen can cost aprox $5.29, that is a 60% markup. Is generics safe? FDA mandates that generics have to be just as safe as name brand.

5) Wine at a restaurant: Enjoying a bottle of wine at a restaurant can cost you about 6 times as much as it would to enjoy at home. Restaurants typically mark up a bottle 500%. Cheaper wines are sold at three times their regular retail price and expensive wines marked up two times as much. Maybe staying home isn't that bad of an idea.

6) College textbooks: Something you normally wouldn't consider until you are standing in the campus bookstore. College kids are forced to buy books for their classes spending on average $900 a year, and many people don't agree with the prices. Single text books can cost anywhere from $20 to over $200 and usually are considered outdated within a year or two. Unfortunately the resale value on text books is almost nothing.

Unfortunately we are at the mercy of these retailers for the pricing on what we want and need.

6 Things You Use That Are Way Over Priced... Part I

According to CNNmoney.com Americans are way overpaying for items and services that you use almost everyday. Here are 6 things that you can't help but pay to much for...

1) Text messaging: If you have a plan that is pay per text your paying aprox $0.10 - $0.25 each. Even plans that are unlimited for a flat rate you're still way overpaying! why??? because texts are such a small amount of data that it costs the carrier less than a penny each to transmit. What does that mean??? You are paying a markup of up to 6,500 %, that's pure profit for the carriers. Phone companies say they use that money to invest in new technology.

2) Movie theatre popcorn: One of the cheapest snacks known to man (so cheap that even bars give it away for free) is popcorn. On average a medium bag of popcorn only costs $0.60 to make and retails for about $6.00, that is a markup of 900%. So why so expensive? Theatres don't make much profit off of movie tickets so they make it up with the snack stand. Popcorn profits are what pays the payroll and maintenance costs.

3) "Free" credit reports: Some websites offer a print out of your credit report... what they don't tell you up front is that it is only free if you sign up (and pay for) their credit services. Which can cost anywhere from $14.95 a month to about $200 a year. That is a lot to pay for a "free" credit check. Instead you can go to AnnualCreditReport.com which is run by the Federal Trade Commission and you can get one truly free credit check a year.

Check back tomorrow for more items/services that are overpriced and why they are that way.

Today is Wednesday February 3rd

Celebs Celebrating Birthdays Today

Morgan Fairchild 60- Actress

Today is National...

Girls and Women in Sports Day

CBS To Deny Racy Superbowl Ads

This year CBS is taking a stand against airing racy advertising during the Superbowl. The most recent denial is for a male dating site called ManCrunch.com. It was a 30 second ad that featured two men groping each other. CBS told the company that all ads were sold out. ManCrunch asked to be put on a list for reconsideration if someone else dropped out. Later CBS said that the content "creative is not within the networks broadcast standards for Superbowl Sunday." ManCrunch commented that if their commercial would have featured a heterosexual couple of even two women it probably would have been approved. Another big advertiser during the big game has been godaddy.com known for their racy ads, CBS denied one of their commercials this year too.

What do you think, is CBS making an obvious stand on certain types of sexual situations? Do you think they are legitimately doing their part to clean up TV? Let me know what your thoughts are.

Following Up On Toyota Recall

As we learned last week, Toyota has issued a huge recall effecting 8 of their vehicle models. Then learning that the issue was so big that the auto company had to shut down their production lines and stop selling those models of cars and trucks until the problem is repaired.

To update you on the status of the recall and repair... Toyota issued a statement on Monday saying they have found a way to repair the sticky gas pedal problem and that parts are being shipped to dealerships by the end of the week. Toyota is also instructing the dealerships on how to repair the vehicles, and some dealerships will be staying open around the clock to repair customers vehicles. The sale of the effected vehicles can begin again once the repair work is complete on them, but cars already on the road are first priority. Production of the Toyota vehicles will begin again on Feb 8th.

If you have any questions on whether your vehicle has a recall on it... please contact you local Toyota dealer.

How TO Lose Weight W/out Starving... Part II

Here is part 2 of helpful tips from Prevention Magazine on how to lose weight without sweating it out at the gym or living on salads.

1) Play waiting games: Instead of sitting there watching your computer download, do some stretches or butt squeezes. The key is to be active whenever you can.

2) Do chair-robics; for example... set a timer to go off every hour. When the buzzer dings stand up and sit down four times in a row. It is a great way to stretch during the day and you get in many rounds of squats each day, a great way to strengthen your lower body.

3) Go the distance: Instead of using the closest rest room or parking space. Challenge yourself to get in more walking by parking further away. Try using the rest room on another floor and take the stairs to get there. A great way for busy working women to get in a little extra exercise.

Today is Tuesday February 2nd

Celebs Celebrating Birthdays Today

Shakira 33: Singer also known for her sexy belly dancing.

Christie Brinkley 56: Super model, also married to Billy Joel for awhile.

Farrah Fawcett 63: Charlies Angels actress, recently passed away from cancer.

Today is National...

Groundhog Day

*Will he see his shadow?*