MelissaPainter's Blog

I love shopping at the Dollar Tree.  Seriously.  It's so fun to walk out with a few bags and only spend a few bucks!  I find the best deals are on party supplies, gift cards and kids' toys.  Also, the helium balloons are fantastic!

Watch out on the food items.  Sometimes you'll see pre-packaged goods that are in smaller amounts.  I always look at the price per ounce to make sure I'm actually getting a good deal.

Anybody with me on this?

I like to save money but dealing with coupons isn't always my favorite task.  Here's an easy compromise... www.coupons4thetriad.com   Print the coupon when you want it.  Print it and use it as many times as you want.   The best part of this website is that it features so many local businesses.  Great for the local economy and great for us too!

Let me know about any other helpful coupon websites.

I'm looking for a volunteer to test Rosetta Stone for our Deal or Dud segment.  I need someone who is willing to make a committment for three months to spend time with the program online every day for at least 30 minutes.  We will provide the program.  You need a computer with an internet connection.  Let me know if you are interested by e-mailing me-- mpainter@wghp.com    Also, we would videotape your progress and interview you on camera.  It's fun!

On Friday night at 10:15 p.m. I found out that Skybus had gone out of business and was canceling all flights.  Unfortunately, my mom and I were in Michigan visiting my cousin who just had a baby.  We had flown Skybus to Gary, Indiana and driven to Michigan.  We were supposed to return to Greensboro on a flight the next day.  Immediately, I thought... Skybus can't do this.  This can't be legal.  We were stranded.  Then my consumer reporting skills came into play.  What are my rights in this situation?  What's the smart move to make?  How can I protect my wallet?  Even as a consumer reporter, I came to the quick conclusion that  I was out of luck.  My mother and I got online and bought tickets with another airline to get us home.  My one-way flight from Chicago to Charlotte cost $290.  Her flight from Chicago to Jacksonville, Florida was $240.  Our rental car costs increased by $193 because we were charged a drop fee for returning the car to Chicago instead of Gary, Indiana.  My mother made it home safely last night.  I did too.  We'll never get the money back that we spent on those one-way flights or the rental car even though we purchased the travel insurance coverage that Skybus offered through AIG.  AIG has an exemption for bankruptcies. I'll file with my credit card company for the cost of our Skybus tickets.  We'll see what happens. 

Driving with my mother to Chicago O'Hare airport on Saturday, I was so mad.  I felt like our trip had been ruined.  We were forced to spend all of this money to get home.  I felt abused.  My mom agreed with me but then she said, "Melissa, take a minute and think about all of those people who just lost their jobs.  Yes, this is bad but think about those flight attendants that we were talking to on Wednesday.  They were so sweet and now what are they going to do?  We're going to be fine.  We still have jobs."  The wisdom of mothers!  So, as I fight to get my money back and fight to get your money back, I'll keep those employees in the back of my mind.

Let me know if you need help with the Skybus situation. 

Ever hired an attorney?  It's expensive.  Never fear!  FOX8 On Your Side is here!

Do you have a question for a lawyer?  Send it to me and I'll try to get it answered for you.

We'll air the questions and answers on the FOX8 5:00 p.m. newscast.

E-mail me  mpainter@wghp.com

Against Happiness- it's the title of a new book by Eric Wilson, an English professor at Wake Forest University.  I read the book and it was excellent.  I found it to be a thorough examination of our search for happiness.  Sometimes we settle for less than the real thing.  Dr. Wilson encourages his readers to embrace those stretches of sadness that are inevitable in life and to learn from them.  When my grandmother died in June, it was the hardest emotional experience that I've endured, but through the pain, I learned a lot about myself.  That's Dr. Wilson's point.  He's not really against happiness.  He's just a proponent of allowing yourself to feel the melancholy of life so that you might bring a depth to your experiences and find more than happiness... you just might discover true joy!

You can buy Dr. Wilson's book at major stores like Barnes and Noble or Borders or online at www.amazon.com.

Story tonight on the Saturday 6:00 p.m. newscast about "All you can eat" seats at sporting events. You buy a ticket and your seat comes with all the food your gut can handle -- hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, popcorn, peanuts, water and soda. (Alcohol and desserts not included.)

Lowe's Motor Speedway tried it out and they're doing it again for the All Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600. Tickets for the race start at $39. Tickets for the All You Can Eat Grandstand start at $59. 20 dollars for all you can eat for a race? My husband thinks that's a good deal. Of course, you could just bring your own food to the race too!

Baseball parks are trying out the "All you can eat" seats as well.

"All you can eat" might be a good idea for your wallet, but what about your waist line? The cost of a hot dog always keeps me from going back for that second one!

Click below to read the story.

http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Cont
entDetail?contentId=6100313

Great story out of London about a guy who put a $12,000 engagement ring inside a helium balloon.  His romantic idea?  As he popped the big question to his girlfriend, she would pop the balloon and get the expensive, beautiful ring.  Problem?  The HELIUM filled balloon floated off into the atmosphere with the ring inside of it.  The guy chased the balloon for a couple of hours but he could never get it.  He hopes someone will find the balloon/ring and return it to him.

My advice in this situation:  If you are the type of person to spend $12k on a diamond and then put it in a balloon, INSURE THE RING.  It's called a personal articles policy.  Make the investment and buy the insurance.

I hope this guy's girlfriend still says yes to his proposal.  Sure would be a sign that they could handle life's highs and lows!

I begin a week long vacation tomorrow.  Everyone keeps asking me... Where are you going?  My answer?  I'm staying here.  Instead of jetting off somewhere, my husband and I decided to just chill at home and explore the lovely area where we live.  We're so busy that we never get to do the fun stuff that we always want to do.  So this week, we'll be hiking at Pilot Mountain, eating too much bar-b-que, visiting Reynolda House, and shopping in downtown Greensboro.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it... and best of all, when I come back to work, I'll be relaxed and happy!  I won't need a vacation from my vacation! 

By the way, let me know if you have anything you think we should do this week!  I'll check the blog.

In this week's Deal or Dud, we tested Bark Free.  It's a product that uses ultrasonic soundwaves as negative reinforcement to keep your dog from barking.  A viewer asked me to help him out.  He works third shift and sleeps during the day.  He's got a problem.  He likes his neighbor,s but can't stand how much their dog barks.  He's asked them politely to keep the dog inside during the day, but eventually the dog always shows up again and ruins his sleep.  It's a tough situation.  I have to admit, I'm struggling with it myself.  Thankfully, I don't work third shift and my neighbor's dogs' barking doesn't begin until 7:30 a.m.  I'm much too passive to talk to our neighbors about it.  I just keep hoping the barking canines will one day turn into sweet, quiet pets like my 11 year old poodle!   Thus far, no such luck, but I'll keep hoping.  By the way, I encouraged our viewer to invest in some high quality ear plugs.

If you missed this week's Deal or Dud, you can watch it here:

http://www.myfoxwghp.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;js
essionid=03457C05AF8489D47D39AB7D84803174?contentId=589
6746&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.
1&sflg=1

Do you make a list for your trip to the grocery store?  Does it help?  We're testing a new piece of technology that promises to update that old fashioned list into something that you can't live without!  I'm looking for a busy family to help me find out if this product is a Deal or Dud.  If you're interested in helping, e-mail me ASAP at mpainter@wghp.com.  You would need to be available between the hours of 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. so a "work at home" mom or dad may be our best volunteer for this story.  I promise it'll be fun-- Deal or dud stories always are!

I need your help!

Have you won a sweepstakes?  Do you constantly enter sweepstakes contests?

If you answered yes to either of those questions and would be willing to help me with a news story, please e-mail me at mpainter@wghp.com as soon as possible.  I promise it will be fun!

Thank you!