Three Shopping Resolutions For the New Year

by Catherine R, January 3rd with 0 comments

It’s that time of year again… time to declare resolutions that I know I won’t keep for more than a week. But today, instead of sharing with you all my big plans to lose weight, learn Mandarin Chinese and stop texting at the dinner table, I’m going to share a few shopping resolutions. Ones that I will do my best to keep… at least until May.

Tales From the Returns Line

by Catherine R, December 27th with 0 comments

OK, so you didn’t get exactly what you wanted this year. Or maybe you got what you wanted, but it was broken when you opened it. Or maybe you got what you wanted but it was the wrong size. Poor you… now you’re in the Returns Line, which is akin to Dante’s nine circles of Hell. I was a really lucky girl this year; you won’t find me in the hellish Returns Line. But I’ve gathered tales of woe, from this year and years past for your reading enjoyment.

Harper Grey: A Few of My Favorite Things

by Catherine R, December 20th with 0 comments

These are a few of my favorite things…

OK, pretend that I’m Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. Except not quite as dorky. And better-dressed. And I’m singing. On key.

Gift Exchange and Giving Goats

by Catherine R, December 13th with 1 comments

Every year I attend several parties that host a “fun” gift-exchange game. I bring a $5-$15 wrapped gift and put it in a pile along with everyone else’s offerings. Then I get to unwrap a $5-$15 gift that someone else brought. Yay! Or not.

OK, I get that Christmas has turned into a holiday of consumer-driven madness. And hey… I’m a shopper. I even get paid to write about shopping! So I’m not going to go on a rant about how wrong it is to buy, buy, buy during the holidays. I like presents. A lot.

But I hate the give exchange game. Because what can you buy for $15? Not much.

Let’s Talk About Your Holiday Decorations…

by Catherine R, December 6th with 2 comments

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… but can we talk about your holiday decorations? Every year, I look forward to the weekend after Thanksgiving with both excitement and trepidation. The neighbors rummage through their crawlspaces, basements, garages and storage sheds and drag out all the Christmas bins. They hang a wreath on the door and lights from the eves. They install the Christmas tree in the front window. By mid-Saturday morning, the yards up and down the street are looking fabulous.

Tiny Java and the Challenges of Entrepreneurship

by Catherine R, November 29th with 3 comments

This week the articles on the Signs.com blog have been all about home-based entrepreneurship. Brad Manuel’s guest article on Monday told us about Nothing Knew, the business he started from his home in order to keep track of his three busy teenagers. On Tuesday, our copywriter Catherine interviewed the owner of Pear Tree Preschool. Libby Monson’s in-home business allows her to spend the day with her four-year-old and be finished with work in time to care for her two school-aged boys. On Wednesday, Catherine shared seven of the traits she’s seen time and again while interviewing successful small business owners.

Harper Grey: What We Are Thankful For

by Catherine R, November 22nd with 0 comments

My job at Signs.com involves writing a weekly column for the blog that provides readers with an insider’s view of my shopping escapades, eating-out adventures and experiences with customer service, both good and bad. I love to shop (that’s why I landed this super-sweet gig). I love to eat out. I love to indulge in services—everywhere from the nail salon to the carwash. I’m a consumer—it’s one of my best skills, according to my husband. Even though I am very talented at spending money (and then writing about it here), life’s not ALL about the stuff. Sometimes it’s about something more.

Harper Grey: A Better Idea for Black Friday

by Catherine R, November 15th with 1 comments

I write a column every week about shopping. Obviously, I like it. A lot. Too much, some (read: my husband) might say. I enjoy browsing through shops, looking for great clothes or fun gifts. And I love, love, love a bargain. But what do I NOT love? Black Friday.

I don’t do the wake up at 3:00 a.m. and stand in line in the freezing cold just to save $10 on a video game thing. I’d much rather stay in my nice, warm bed and do my shopping at a more reasonable hour, thank you very much.

Harper Grey: The Consumer Side of Signs

by Harper G, November 8th with 0 comments

Many of the signs in any community are generated by businesses or organizations. Signs that identify stores, custom sale banners, signs advertising 5k runs for charities, vinyl banners for the local health department… most are created and displayed for some kind of official use.

But regular people use signage, too. Sometimes to great effect… sometimes not so much.

Is Your Sign Vintage or Just Old? 5 Ways to Tell

by Harper G, November 1st with 0 comments

Oooh I just love vintage stuff. Maybe I’m just a sucker for nostalgia, but I love everything about vintage (real or just copycat). Shows like Mad Men have many of us wishing for the “good old days.” Not that they were really that great. I mean really, do we want to go back to the time period when everyone smoked a pack a day and women were expected to land a good husband and quit her secretarial job so they could move to the suburbs, have babies and rely financially on men? But you have to admit, some of those vintage signs were pretty darn awesome.