Personal Finance Advice

The number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. The first few weeks of January are past and a lot of people are sticking to that resolution. I’m on a double diet. I’m trying to lose weight and control spending. It’s turning into a real challenge.
For many, dieting is synonymous with eating healthier and [...]

There are a lot of ways that you can save significant amounts of money by prudently marshalling your resources and spending wisely. Many of our topics suggest ways that savvy consumers can save tremendous amounts of money over time, whether by going without certain products or services, or by cutting back on certain purchases. [...]

The people around me are struggling with cut hours and layoffs, and cutting back on finances is only part of the effect. My friends are suddenly finding themselves with less to do. More time with the kids is good, but when the kids are in school — watching TV only has so much interest, until [...]

Over the years I have used many techniques to keep my finances in order and work toward my goals. Some methods have worked better than others, but I’m always on the lookout for new ideas and I’m willing to try anything that sounds reasonable. About two years ago, I tried financial journaling for the first [...]

Romance doesn’t come wrapped in red foil and stuffed in a heart – shaped box. Chocolate is nice but not the best idea for someone watching their weight. And while we’re on that subject; one size does not fit all, so be careful buying clothes for your loved one. When it comes to making [...]

It has happened again. Because of the ailing economy, my local television news is reporting another story on how to save money. Very helpful, yes, but what got my ire up was the tone of the broadcast.
This particular story detailed the local rise in people shopping at thrift stores. The report left me [...]

[Disclaimer: Yes, I know that the characters in books and on TV are fictitious. In this article I'm not trying to say that these people are "real" in any way. I'm merely using them as an example to make a point. So no, I'm not nuts enough to really believe that these people live real [...]

My most recent “real” job was working for a large publishing company. My employer’s total annual sales exceeded $6 billion. Needless to say, that gave my employer a great deal of clout when it came to negotiating contracts for employee benefits. For example, we had a great health insurance program, generous dental [...]

One of the truths of getting older is that it takes a lot more work to maintain one’s fitness as compared to when we were younger. Not only do you need to be serious about watching what you eat, but what you eat is more likely to stick to unwanted places. Thus, began my search [...]

I wrote earlier how to minimize shipping costs of by purchasing a digital scale, skipping the post office, avoiding Stamps.com’s printable stamps, buying old stamps from eBay, and using free online tools. Here are six more ways to keep your shipping costs down.
Take advantage of free USPS supplies: If you’re sending items via USPS [...]

The age-old list of New Year’s resolutions is common among most Americans. Eat less, learn more, play more, exercise more, and save more are fairly typical items on our lists. As you’ve probably witnessed though, most resolutions are left by the wayside before too many weeks have passed. It’s been three — are you [...]

With the death of defined pension plans, 401(k) retirement plans have become a staple for many employees, but the recent financial turmoil has put these once infallible savings vehicles under the microscope. There have been numerous news articles detailing the stunning losses of the stock market since October of last year. Such stories usually offer [...]

Part of what has gotten the economy into such a mess is the belief that everyone should be a homeowner. Everyone from the government, to the mortgage brokers, to the banks, to the realtors and the homebuilders thinks that everyone in this country has the “right” and “duty” to own their own home. “It’s the [...]

Earlier today I had to buy a backpack. I had to buy a backpack because my high school aged son managed to break his current backpack. Now, I am not really sure how one breaks a backpack. Indeed, until today, I did not believe that one could actually break a backpack. [...]

The first time I went to the 99-cent store was about four years ago. I went primarily out of curiosity, and I was pretty creeped out. I was mostly interested in looking at the food, and it seemed like everything they sold was one letter off from the brand name item: Rice Krispis, Milk-e-way, you [...]

When I was about twelve years old, I used to hang out at a bowling alley with about ten of the kids from my neighborhood. We played pinball and Space Invaders, which was the only stand alone video game in existence at that time (other than pong). We fed our quarters into those [...]

I’m pretty frugal and don’t get my entertainment from hanging out in stores. Actually, I generally hate shopping except on the rare occasions when there is something I really want that I’m excited about. I can shop online for most stuff and save myself a lot of headache and time. Because I don’t like shopping, [...]

Do you love your job? Do you wish you did? Your mantra may be, “there’s a reason they call it work,” but you don’t have to trudge through your weekdays forever if you don’t want to.
The first step to landing your dream job is getting rid of the negative thoughts that are preventing you [...]

In 2008 you worried and logged every cent you made. You made out a budget and tried to stick to it. Every month you failed. Something came up and you overspent. It caused a great deal of tension and maybe even some arguments between you and your beloved spouse. It even made the kids feel [...]

Weekend reading is a round-up of personal finance and money related stories that caught the eye of our forum members this week:

Circuit City to liquidate remaining U.S. stores
Congress considers ‘cash for clunkers’ proposal
This is why you continue to get those Nigerian scam emails
Chef Amanda Freitag Tries To Prep Family-Friendly Dinner On [...]