MoneySmart

Gaultier to Design for Target

Another celebrity designer has signed on to create a collection for discount department store Target.

Jean Paul Gaultier, most famous for outfitting Madonna in cone bra corsets during the 1990s, will design a collection "for the American woman" which will grace racks at 250 Target stores and online at Target.com this spring.

The French designer's collection will appear from March 7 to April 11. Gaultier is the third luxury designer to lend a haute hand to the discount retailer's Designer Collaboration series. Alexander McQueen and Anna Sui have both created affordably-priced lines for the mainstream store.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann 

Give your furniture the old switcheroo

Want a home makeover, but don't have the cash?

Who needs new furniture when you can artfully rearrange the stuff you've got? Moving things around makes a room feel fresh and can give your spirits a lift. The best part is that it doesn't cost a dime.

Among several interior design software tools available on the Better Homes and Gardens Web site is Arrange-A-Room, an awesome, free program that helps you try out room configurations without having to lug heavy furniture around the room.

All you do is pick your room shape and size, add furniture and colors and voila! You've got a pretty good idea of what you're dealing with. The site also have lots of great tools to help you try out paint colors, new kitchen cabinetry and other improvements before making a purchase.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

More $10 toys at Walmart

Last year, deep discounter Walmart responded to consumer spending cutbacks by offering a line of more affordable toys in time for the holiday season. It put 10 different toys on its shelves, for which it charged $10 apiece. Following the success of that strategy, the chain announced it will do it again this year. Only this time around, it's bumping up the offering to 100 toys at the $10 price point.

Included in the list of toys are brands such as Barbie, Tonka, LEGO and Transformers, as well as popular board games such as Monopoly and Connect Four. Some of the toys will be specially produced to fit the $10 mark, others are already on shelves and will take a price cut of up to 50 percent.

In addition, Walmart said it will match any price advertised elsewhere for less than $10.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Attractive sales reps keep some customers away

 

If salespeople are too good looking, some of us just won't give them our money.

That's what PhD student Bianca price found in a University of South Australia published in the Journal of International Business and Economics. A behavioral study of female shoppers aged 18 to 26 found women were less likely to buy merchandise from women they deemed better looking than themselves.

Apparently, females are biologically wired to see attractive women as a threat to their viability. Does this ring true with you? Do the looks of sales staff affect your buying habits in any way?

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Old Navy has $2 tank tops Saturday

This Saturday, August 15, Old Navy will be selling ribbed tank tops for just two bucks. No coupons necessary--the merchandise will already be marked down. There is a limit of five per person.

When offered before, these sales have gotten crazy, so you might want to go online now and pick out your colors. You may even want to try your size ahead of time so you can just walk in and grab the five you want.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

More help for Web site coupon clippers

In her column today, our Discount Diva Samantha writes about some of the money-saving Web sites out there that do all the bargain hunting for you. She mentions BOGOfetcher.com and ShopItToMe.com. One useful Web site I found is alice.com, which finds good deals on everyday household items such as deodorant, laundry soap and more. The service even includes free shipping and reminds you when it's time to reorder. There are also specials and coupons. $0.79 for a 2.25 oz. stick of Old Spice deodorant can't be beat. Share your favorite money-saving Web sites here.

- Joseph Popiolkowski

Procter & Gamble launches "Tide Basic"

Procter & Gamble is testing sales of a new, cheaper type of Tide laundry detergent called Tide Basic, the Associated Press reports.

The product is on shelves in the southern and southwestern states for a trial run at 100 Wal-Mart and Kroger stores. It costs 20 percent less than regular tide, comes only in powder form and lacks the advanced cleaning technologies marketed with premium Tide.

It is an attempt to attract new consumers who do not normally purchase Tide, as well as a bid to hang onto loyal consumers who might be tempted to switch to a lower-priced brand amid the recession.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Only 182 shopping days 'til Christmas...

                                 

Think it's too early to start your holiday shopping? Before you answer that, you might want to check out Bath & Body Works' clearance sale.  

You know all those gift sets that retail for 30 bucks in December? You can get them now for $7.50.

The store is also offering 75 percent off a whole slew of merchandise. Availability is hit or miss in stores, so if you're looking for a certain scent of body lotion or perfume, you might want to check online. Besides the increased selection, there's an abundance of stuff on the company's Web site that isn't available in stores, like rain boots, pajamas and makeup.

You can also get $3 shipping today until midnight, $4 shipping Saturday before midnight and $5 shipping Sunday before midnight.

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Eyeliner for your hair?

Looks like some savvy marketing company has found yet another way to sell cosmetics to macho men.

Natural cosmetic company Pencil Me In is hoping to take guyliner to a whole new level with Graff*Etch. With it, tough guys who shave patterns into their hair can "set it off" with a bit of added color using Pencil Me In eyeliner. The effect comes out like this:

 

Each pencil retails for $6.99. Can you see this catching on anytime soon?

---Samantha Maziarz Christmann

Five Things You Should Always Buy Online (and other advice for guys)

My friend from college developed Primer Magazine as an online weekly guide aimed at guys too old for Maxim but too young for GQ - so we're talking mid-20s, independent from the parents and graduated from college. It seems to be taking off. The content is getting consistently better and more focussed. One of its most popular topics is money saving advice. 

Take Friday's post Five Things You Should Always Buy Online, for example. Some things such as plane tickets and books are obvious but did you know that buying prescription eyeglasses online results in massive savings? (Actually, yours truly wrote about the benefits of buying eyeglasses online last year)

Check out this and other tips such as "What You Should Know Before You Buy Your First New Car" and "The 5 Best Sites for Great Deals on the Internet," among others. And, note, much of the advice is helpful for anyone - not just young guys setting foot in the world.

- Joseph Popiolkowski