By Linsey B. Knerl

As you pack up the holiday cheer and head to the mall to take advantage of the drastically-reduced Christmas merchandise, be aware that some holiday products have been recalled. A recent set of warnings and actions may affect some of the nifty displays sitting on your fireplace mantle. Do you have these products in your home?

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By Your Consumer Curmudgeon

I occasionally read an investment blog I like, called (believe it or not) The Tycoon Report. Not because I have much left to invest (having foolishly followed the advice of a rival publication), but then, neither do those actual tycoons. I read it mostly out of sentimentality, perhaps, looking for some silver lining somewhere in that cloudy snowy sky. Or still hopeful perhaps that Santa can still squeeze down my tiny condo chimney, or that Tiny Tim will stop by and wish us Merry Christmas, one and all.

The quaintly named Tycoon Report is actually written by a bunch of young guys in Florida, busy pondering what happened to all their real estate. But I mention it today because they recently published a guest column, which I'd like to share, as part of my own Christmas dispatch.

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By Colleen Rothe

Much of the nation is being blasted by severe winter weather. Frigid temperatures and lots of snow and ice precipitation are making me wish that I had some snow tires on my vehicle, especially since we invested in some for our other vehicle. The vehicle with the snow tires seemingly makes four-wheel drive unnecessary, even in our hilly neighborhood, which currently is covered with ice and 10 inches of snow.

Snow tires have been designed and manufactured specifically to perform well under the winter conditions the country is experiencing. These tires are modified in both their tread and the type of materials which they are constructed. The rubber used to create snow tires is typically more pliable than your summer or all-weather tires. Therefore, the softness of these tires is not ideal for the hotter seasons – in July your snow tires will be worn quickly.

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By Colleen Rothe

If you’re like many Americans you’ve battened down the hatches to try and weather the economic storm we’re living in currently.

For some that means you’re really focused on getting your finances under control and becoming smart consumers. The first of the year – a financial resolution if you will – is the perfect time to buckle down and get your personal money matters under control.

The first step is to have a goal, and not a broad one. Be specific. Don’t just say you’re going to pay off your credit card debt. Determine exactly how you’re going to do it. An example of a concrete goal is: I will pay $100 extra to BaddMammaJammer Credit Card each month, using the money I earn from monthly side job.

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By Linsey B. Knerl

In a recent article by the Consumerist, bloggers explore the issue of the currently unregulated use of glass in common furniture items, like coffee tables. The recent death of an 11-year-old brought the discussion into the forefront, prompting consumers to question why the furniture industry doesn’t answer to the need for more proactive safety measures. Here’s the scoop on a hot debate that will seemingly only get hotter.

Meg Marco at the Consumerist recently published “Got Kids? Glass Coffee Tables Can Be Crazy Dangerous,” which prompted me to consider the possibility that my own children could be a whole lot safer. Sure, we don’t have glass tables at my own home, but I have plenty of relatives who do. And while it seemed kind of obvious that glass tables wouldn’t be the greatest thing to raise children around, I was oblivious to the numbers of accidents caused by their use (or misuse).

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By Colleen Rothe

My husband is stuck doing our first holiday return today. We inadvertently purchased the wrong gift for my father-in-law.

Hubby was understandably chagrined by having to deal with the throngs of last-minute shoppers as well as what he dubbed, “the look of criminal intent” given to him by the customer service counter clerk.

“You won’t have a problem,” I said. “We have the receipt!”

“We do?”

“We should,” I said, knowing that if it was in his custody, we may not. Sigh.

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By Gene Ayres

There's a big push now to go paperless. Tons of articles are being published every week in the Federal Registry, which has yet to go paperless, but wants to. I've gone paperless for most of my utilities, although a few remain stubbornly paper-bound. While I'm not a fan of automatic payment withdrawals (which tend to come when you least expect them and without notice, thus rendering your account in minus territory), I use my bank account Bill Pay feature, and it's great. You just log on, sign up for paperless billing, and get your bill by email each month. Then you can designate and control all your payees and payments, enter the date and amount for each month, and even repeat payments, if it's always the same each month, like my Comcast Cable bill. It saves not only paper, but postage, and also printing ink, the subject for today's curmudgeonly commentary.

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By Linsey B. Knerl

The general consensus is that Black Friday was a bust. If you factor in that many more people stayed home and shopped online, and that the prices themselves weren't all that fabulous, it may make you think that the opportunity to save has been long gone. It's still here, however. You just have to be more savvy and flexible than ever.

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By Gene Ayres

Greetings, Consumers. Your Consumer Curmudgeon here.

Firstly, I want to clear up an apparent misconception by some readers who accuse me of being “against consumerism.” If this means against rampant spending on things we don't need and can't afford, I plead guilty. But if to be “against consumerism” means against consumer protections, well, that's like calling the people who forced dairy distributors in China to dump melamine-contaminated milk “anti-consumer.” The problem is, if ever there was a person or group of persons guilty of being anti-consumer, it would be the entire administrating wing of the current U.S. government. We now live in a time in which the only people benefiting from today's economic and consumer environment are large corporations and executives in bed with political leaders who have furiously and consistently fought every level of consumer protection ever established. And it is these people and companies that have profited, often hugely, from selling phony securities, faulty, useless or even injurious products, and worthless commodities, as well as engaged in exploitive practices like weapons profiteering, drug profiteering (both legal and illegal), stripping and gutting natural resources, sexual exploitation, and all other forms of exploitation that involve a zero sum result, which is always, always to the detriment of the consumer.

So that said, here is today's curmudgeonly case in point:

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By Colleen Rothe

Anyone else feeling the panic? You thought there would be rejoicing in the streets that gas is a mere $1.95 (on average) around the nation. Instead, it’s making folks cower in a bit of fright.

The news is out that Black Friday – the Friday after the Thanksgiving Holiday that typically puts retailers in the black for the year – was populated, but not productive. The news was bleak – from the poor person trampled during a “door-buster” sale at a New York Wal-Mart to the final tallies of the till at the end of the day. The rest of the weekend didn’t prove any more fruitful.

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By Linsey B. Knerl

Recent Black Friday sales (or lack thereof) have finally got me convinced. One-stop shopping is not only convenient, but it is good for your wallet. If you are not already using your favorite retailer’s price matching services, you are missing out!

Wal-Mart was most famous for its venture into price matching practices, and it still offers to beat any deal on ads brought into its retail location. This is usually a painless process, and only involves you being aware of the prices at other competing retailers and bringing in a print or internet ad that proves it. I have seen it done many times, and the cashiers are so used to doing ad matching, that they don’t seem surprised or even put off by requests. Most other big box retailers price match as well.

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By A. Simpleton

I am now a father of almost eight months. Previous to the birth of my daughter, I had changed one diaper. That’s right, only one. And it was not an enjoyable experience. I am very susceptible to the gag reflex, induced, for me, mainly by scents. You can imagine my fear at having my own kid and changing diapers daily, hourly, and sometimes even closer together than that. When my wife was pregnant, she suggested that we use cloth diapers for our bundle of joy, so we could save money. As the explanation of what was involved in using cloth diapers was relayed, I became more and more opposed to the concept. But as I have come to find out, getting my hands a little dirty has been worth it.

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By Gene Ayres

I noticed (cut to wide sheepish grin) that not everyone followed up on my suggestion to take Friday (aka Black Friday) off, at least the shopping part. I also must confess that I was ultimately forced (under duress) to succumb to my immigrant wife and daughter's insistence that it was unfair to keep them from experiencing this important American holiday event themselves. Plus, girls like shopping, it seems. One can only fight so many battles in a week, even on behalf of cautious consumerism. Hence my new self-designated media monicker: your Consumer Curmudgeon. So...

Hello fellow Holiday Weekend Survivors, your Consumer Curmudgeon here.

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