Global 2011: 5 Products I Gladly Pay More For

Image via Wikipedia
Being frugal isn't always sensible, at least not when you are spending extra money to replace the "bargain" item that doesn't work. I've found, in many instances, that it's counterproductive to buy the cheapest products, whether they're food, electronics, or clothing.

I am usually the queen of frugality. I make my own window solution with vinegar and water, re-use plastic baggies, and clip coupons. I still wear a classic wool skirt I bought in 1988 because intelligent purchases, I find, stand the test of time.

Here are the five purchases I am not afraid to spend more on, and how much I save by choosing quality and/or brand over price.

1. Designer pocketbooks or wallets
2. Health food and drinks
3. Quality shoes
4. Computers and cellular phones
5. Kitchen appliances and tools

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/First-Person-5-Products-I-ac-3331555504.html?x=0

Related articles

• Frugal Living Requires Planning (couponshoebox.com)
• 7 Important Lessons Frugal Parents Teach Their Children (wisebread.com)

Global 2011: Biometric Wallet

Image via Wikipedia
This biometric wallet has a Bluetooth proximity alarm, carbon fiber shell, and fingerprint sensor for maximum security. It will set the rich and paranoid back about $825.

Afraid someone might take something out of your wallet? If you have $825 to spend, fear no more. Dunhill is selling what it calls a “Biometric Wallet” that it claims is virtually indestructible and can only be opened with your fingerprint. Scared of someone taking the entire wallet? It can be linked to a mobile phone via Bluetooth and set to sound an alarm if your phone and wallet are separated by more than five meters (15 feet).

http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/565/biometric-wallet-is-virtually-indestructible-opens-with-your-touch/

Related articles

• Biometric Wallet (schneier.com)
• Digital Wallet of the Future (foxnews.com)
• Biometric Wallet opens only with a magic touch (gizmag.com)

Global 2010: Texting Taking a Deadly Toll on Roads

Image via Wikipedia

Distracted driving fatalities caused by cell phone use and texting soared in the space of three years, according to new U.S. government research released Thursday.

Texting alone caused more than 16,000 deaths in car accidents from 2001 to 2007, the researchers estimated. But auto deaths involving cell phones and texting while driving rose 28 percent in just three years, from 4,572 in 2005 to 5,870 in 2008.

"The increases in distracted driving seem to be largely driven by increased use of cell phones to text," said lead researcher Fernando Wilson, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.

"Overall use of cell phones have been pretty steady, but texting volumes have increased dramatically in the last few years," he added.

Distracted driving and its deadly toll was the focus of a government summit this week in Washington, D.C., at which officials called for tougher laws to counter the growing trend. They reported that more than 5,000 people were killed last year in distracted driving crashes.

In January, the government banned truck and bus drivers who travel interstate roadways from using a handheld device to send text messages.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100923/hl_hsn/textingtakingadeadlytollonroads

Related articles by Zemanta

• Stop driving distractions (timesunion.com)
• US official wants 'distracted driving' label on cell phones (alternet.org)
• Transportation Dept. proposes ban on texting by truck drivers hauling hazardous materials (taragana.com)