Andrea Karim's blog

Free and Cheap Things to Do in Seattle

Seattle's natural beauty and mild weather make it a fairly easy city to enjoy. Here are some of Seattle's local attractions that cost under $5 per person.

Small, Cheap Steps to Weight Loss

If you prefer baby steps to great strides, try these tips and tricks for cutting calories from your diet and burning off some extra pounds.

Dumbest packaging ever?

I tend to believe that American consumers are savvier than advertisers and marketers give us credit for. That's why I don't understand why marketers waste so much time trying to se

So, You Think You're a Carnivore?

Does your voice get slightly deeper and more husky as you discuss the pleasure of biting into a medium-rare steak? Do you proudly declare that you could never be a vegetarian becau

How much money should a CEO make?

According to the Institute for Policy Studies, in 1980, American CEOs earned over 40 times more per year than the average American worker. Today, the average American CEO from a

Grocery Shopping for the Cheap and Lazy

You can be incredibly lazy and still eat well for very little (while avoiding Top Ramen). Dine at home and save a bunch on food without ever making a shopping list.

7 Beauty Secrets that Cost Almost Nothing

Forget Cosmo. Put away your Oprah Magazine. Turn off the microdermabrasion informercial and toss the $75 ultra-rich moisturizer. There are the cheap ways to look and feel beauti

Knowing Your Triggers Can Prevent Emotional Spending

They don't call it "retail therapy" for nothing. Uncontrolled, emotional spending has a lot in common with other addicitons and eating disorders. One of these shared traits is the

It Bears Repeating - Driving Slower Saves Money

We've talked about it until we're blue in the face, but it's worth repeating - driving slower saves gas and money!

Your Interest Rates Are About to Go Up

Have good credit? A low APR on your credit cards? Always pay your bills on time? That's not going to stop your credit card company from jacking up your rate whenever they feel like

Can you talk to your friends about debt?

Can you talk to your friends about your debt? Can you talk to your friends about their debt?

The case for caloric labeling

As a conscientious consumer, you have a right to know what you're buying, eating, or wearing. New York City is enforcing a law that requires chain restaurants to provide nutrit

These Choos were made for walkin': an interview with a modern urban nomad

Ever feel stuck? In a rut? Running in place, but not getting much exercise? There's another way to live, you know; a way that bypasses, or at least delays, the mortgage, the co

Does a plastic cork make for a lousy wine?

I remember the first time my mother opened a bottle of wine that featured a plastic cork. She gasped audibly; the family gathered in the kitchen, where we took turns poking at this

Getting Rich Slowly: Interview with JD Roth

Get Rich Slowly is one of the most popular personal finance web sites on the internet. JD Roth, the man behind the site, agreed to share some of his fiscal background and financial

Urban Composting - It CAN be done!

Think that living in an urban center means that you can't recycle your food scraps, paper towels, and pizza boxes? Think again. There are so many ways to compost these days, th

What's your frugal obsession?

Even the biggest spendthrifts have a frugal obsession or two. Wise Bread readers must have their own obsessions or habits that save money, and more importantly, offer a sense of sa

A year without toilet paper - The Interview

You wouldn't necessarily know it from watching him on his appearance on The Colbert Report. He comes across as a soft-spoken, good-natured guy, for sure. [more]

Your cell phone number is no longer unlisted

My cell phone is my only phone, which saves me quite a bit of money every month. Telemarketers don't have the number. [more]

How to be charming

What makes someone charming? Is it their bearing, their countenance? Is it their sparkling conversation? Their dazzling personality and razor-sharp wit? [more]