At the end of each year I pick a quote that I would like to embody the coming year. This is the one I have chosen for this year:
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all - Helen Keller
I chose this one because I haven’t done much of the exploring that I love […]

With the end of the year, my guess is that a lot of personal finance writers are going to be giving you advice on some of the money moves you can make as financial resolutions. The moves will likely be sound and you should seriously consider adopting the suggestions that apply to you if you […]

One of the special moments that occurs when children are growing up is the loss of their first teeth. To celebrate this special occasion, parents often leave a small amount of money under the child’s pillow in exchange for the tooth that has been lost. Here are some ideas to make the exchange a memorable […]

It was only a matter of time before the cable companies caught onto the trick of people asking for the introduction rate every time their cable rates were jacked up to the regular prices. While calling and threatening to switch companies had worked brilliantly before (1 & 2), this time I was met with the […]

I, apparently, am fond of nude yoga. I found this out today when a reader sent me the following Amazon reviews that “Jeffrey Strain” wrote (he wanted to know if I had written them). I also apparently find Nude Personal Training “An Inspirational Exercise Tape” and was disappointed with Nude Cardiovascular Workout/College Co-eds Uncovered because […]

Have you ever wondered why coins have a musty, metallic odor after they have been in your hands awhile? You may have assumed that it was the coins being dirty, but in reality it isn’t the coins at all - it’s you. That’s right. That smell is your own body odor. According to a recent […]

This trick isn’t for everyone, but one that I use to my advantage and anyone willing to do a small bit of networking can also do. If you use a lot of batteries for high powered electronic devices, then you likely want to purchase a good set of rechargeable batteries, but if you need a […]

I received an email from a woman that was depressed that she couldn’t afford a $100 for a Christmas tree at the local tree lot. I remember seeing a number of creative Christmas trees that people had made using only the stuff they happened to have and did a search to give some examples to […]

One step that I believe all people should be taking to improve their personal finances is to look for a side business that they can do. If you haven’t begun doing this, the New Year is a great excuse to begin. And a bit more motivation to get you started is a small business idea […]

If one of the things on your to-do list in 2007 is to learn a new language, there is no need to pay a lot of money to do so. FSI Language Courses is a website that hosts the language courses developed by the Foreign Service Institute by the United States government and are […]

When it comes to your money, being proactive can end up saving you a lot. If you are planning to make a trip in early 2007 (or willing to go on one if there are some great prices), go and get your passport now if you don’t already have one. A lot of people don’t […]

Let me begin here by saying that I hate tipping. Having lived 10 years in Japan where there is absolutely no tipping for anything, every time I come back to the US I cringe at the thought of having to figure out how much I should tip and who I should tip.
I could take […]

Do you need money and think that you have a great story that you can get across in 1 minute? NBC is holding casting calls for a new show called Fortune where people can give their pitch to multi-millionaires to try and convince them to give the money.
I’m curious to see this show. There was […]

If you’re like me, you’ve heard many a time that commercials and advertising influence you, but you don’t think that it applies to you. You feel that you are smart enough to make a conscious decision when you purchase something and even though there is a lot of advertising out there, you can weed through […]

I received a package in the mail the other day with a line of books called Tax Deductions A to Z by Anne Skalka ($12.95 each) which I found to be an interesting twist to most tax books I come across. First, instead of trying to include tax information for every possible situation and for […]

One of the most common promotions that eating establishments do is offer something free to people who are having a birthday. The following is a list of places where you can get free food of some kind on your birthday, but it is by no means exhaustive. If you have a favorite restaurant that isn’t […]

A good friend (who happens to be a woman) came up to me the other day and said, “I hate shopping for men. I never know what to get them.”
I couldn’t believe my ears since men are undoubtedly the easiest people to shop for in the world. If you’re a woman and are looking […]

I mentioned earlier that turning off your computer can save you a lot of money over the course of a year, but for some people, turning off the computer at night may not be an option. There also may be times during the day that you’ll be away from your computer for an hour or […]

You don’t see them very often these days (I remember getting them as gifts from my parents when I was young - just to date me), but at one time you actually received a certificate when you purchased stock (shares are now typically held for investors in “street name” at their stock brokerage firm) to […]

A friend brought by some old silver certificate bills and asked me how he could exchange them for silver. When I explained that he couldn’t, he said the thought that money was backed by the gold and silver in Fort Knox. While it is true that at one time it was, the US government stopped […]