I buy maybe three video games a year, which is as often as they make games good enough to buy. I find it impossible to pay $60 for a new game, partially because as a child of the original Nintendo, I got accustomed to $40 games, so I always wait at least a couple weeks to get a used copy. And I did the same thing with Assassin’s Creed II, which was worth every penny.But I’m not going to tell you how awesome this game is, since you’d either like it or you wouldn’t. No, the interesting part is how I almost wasted a bunch of money on it.

When Consumer Reports tests new cars, their staff shop just like consumers. They stop into dealerships and buy cars without giving any indication they intend to test the cars for a major magazine. Rather than receiving specially tuned or improved vehicles, the magazine takes to its test center the same cars ordinary shoppers would buy.Testing involves both subjective and objective evaluations. Consumer Reports offers a number of short videos explaining their testing methods. featuring their 327-acre facilities. Here’s their explanation of how they test acceleration:

My wife and I went on a mini-vacation this past weekend (our first using only cash), and while we didn’t specifically plan to limit spending on meals, we managed to do better than I had hoped.

Although my income has increased over the past few years, my spending has increased as well. After living the better part of the decade watching just about every dollar leaving my bank account, saving as much as possible, and living within my means, I’ve recently begun allowing myself to spend more freely.

Another day, another recall. Normally, automobile recalls are not much of a problem. A recall usually involves bringing your car to a dealership, subjecting yourself up to some sales pitches, getting your car fixed, and driving home. Toyota’s recent string of recalls is more complicated because some of the problems do not have solutions yet.If you own one of the many Toyota cars affected by one of the company’s recalls, you probably have already received a letter.Here is what has happened so far: