Monthly Archives: January 2009

Brother, Can You Spare Some Time?

Posted on January 17, 2009 by Jennifer Touchette

With this downturning economy, even governments are having a hard time. My own city is facing at least a $4 million dollar decrease in revenues, and my state is facing more than $140 million in shortfalls. One alternative to getting … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance | Tagged community work, down economy, public service, tax shortfall, volunteer | 3 Comments

How to Stay Busy When You’re Out of Work

Posted on January 16, 2009 by David G. Mitchell

I have been out of work for a few months. At first, I enjoyed having a bit of stress free time. As I look back on the most tranquil times of my adult life, they were almost certainly the summer … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Work | Tagged job, looking for work, out of work, part-time work, take classes, unemployed, unemployment benefits, update resume, Work | 13 Comments

15 Things that Make Flying Coach Bearable

Posted on January 16, 2009 by Amy L. Fontinelle

Baby boomers remember a time when airline travel was a luxury and a reason to dress up. But these days, does anyone look forward to flying? Passenger complaints have been increasing along with consumer activism and lobbying congress, but the … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 2 Comments

Buying Instead of Doing

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Jennifer Derrick

There’s a lot about our consumer culture that worries and, sometimes, shocks me. Sometimes things even worry me. Like this: Lately I’ve noticed that things are becoming substitutes for actual experiences. We’ve taken to buying rather than doing. I see … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Shopping | Tagged becoming an expert, buying gear, expensive illusion, experience | 9 Comments

Optimism in The Stock Market

Posted on January 15, 2009 by Ann Hartter

Dave Kansas of the Wall Street Journal has what I like to see in a capitalist economy: optimism. Talking about the year ahead, he described the stock market as looking “to the future, rather than the past.” Isn’t that exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in Investing, Personal Finance | Tagged buy stocks, Investing, stock market, stock market 2009, stocks | Leave a comment

The Rules of the Road

Posted on January 14, 2009 by David G. Mitchell

I went for a drive today. I did not go very far – just the distance of two subdivisions so that I could drop my son off at a friend’s house. I must have seen at least ten or twelve … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars, Health, Medical, Personal Finance, Relationships | Tagged helmets, safety, seat belts, traffic safety | 14 Comments

Thinking About a Second Job?

Posted on January 14, 2009 by M. Beddingfield

There are those who get up and get things done and those who sit and complain. If you’re a get-r-done type of person, then you’re probably considering a second job to help you through financial problems. Sometimes things are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Work | Tagged costs of a second job, extra job, make extra money, part-time work, second job, self-employed | 8 Comments

How to Nicely Furnish and Decorate Your Apartment for Under $1,000

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Amy L. Fontinelle

When you move into a new apartment, you will undoubtedly need or want some items that you didn’t have in your previous apartment. Every apartment has a different layout, different windows, different amounts of storage space, and other subtleties that … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Housing, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Shopping | Tagged cheap furniture, decorate apatrment, frugal furnishing, furnish an apartment, furnishings | 6 Comments

It’s Never Too Soon To Teach Kids About Money

Posted on January 13, 2009 by Joe Morgan

Children don’t usually learn money management skills in schools, but don’t think that means they don’t learn about money. Children are like sponges. They soak up everything they can at an early age, and learn much more than we’d like … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Personal Finance, Relationships | Tagged children and money, money skills, talk about money, teach money skills, teaching kids about money | 6 Comments

Keep Your Brain Active To Save Money

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Jennifer Derrick

We all know that staying healthy saves us money. The healthier you are, the lower your insurance and medical expenses are likely to be. We are encouraged to eat right, exercise and sleep well in order to remain healthy. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Medical, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged cultural events, disease, eat healthy, exercise, health insurance, healthy brain, keep active, medical insurance, staying healthy | 2 Comments

Make Your City Better without Raising Taxes

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Jennifer Touchette

I have been walking regularly to many errands to save money on gas, wear-and-tear on the car, and to tamp down the urge to spend money on a gym membership. While an energizing and cleansing experience, these walks reveal unpleasant … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Taxes | Tagged budget shortfall, community, community organizer, leaves, litter, shopping carts, Taxes | 4 Comments

Renting Responsibly: How Not to be a Victim of Foreclosure

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Ann Hartter

The business section of the Denver Post included a bit about Fannie Mae signing interim rental contracts with tenants of properties their landlords couldn’t pay for. What does this tell me? A renter doesn’t know the financial position of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, Personal Finance | Tagged Fannie Mae, landlord, raise the rent, rent, rental contract, renting | 4 Comments

Weekend Financial Reading Update

Posted on January 11, 2009 by Jeffrey Strain

Weekend reading is a round-up of personal finance and money related stories that caught the eye of our forum members this week: WSJ Tries Blaming Economic Woes on People Being Frugal Porn industry seeks federal bailout If You Don’t Need … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance | Tagged Debt, financial reading, frugality, green, Personal Finance, weekend reading, weekly reading | Leave a comment

High Cost of Childcare

Posted on January 10, 2009 by M. Beddingfield

The Washington Post recently ran an article that really hit home with me. The article detailed the high expense of day-care and cited cases of young children being left at home alone. It went on to explain that many middle … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Relationships, Work | 3 Comments

11 Actions You Can Take To Improve Your Airplane Experience

Posted on January 9, 2009 by Amy L. Fontinelle

When we pay so much money for plane tickets, why does the experience have to be so miserable? Well, maybe it doesn’t have to be. While this article won’t tell you how to maintain your sanity in a grounded plane … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Travel | Tagged airline seat assignment, flying experience, frequent flier, frequent flyer, plane tickets | 4 Comments

The Joys of Stocking Up

Posted on January 8, 2009 by David G. Mitchell

My wife is a creature of habit – in a good way. She gets up at 5:30 am every day except Saturday so that she can enjoy a healthy breakfast of oatmeal (always from scratch — never instant!) and walnuts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Food / Groceries, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Shopping | Tagged BOGOstock the pantry, bulk purchase, buy on get one free, grocery shopping, sale, Saving Money, Seattle�s Best Hazelnut Cream Coffee, stocking up | 25 Comments

6 Ways to Minimize Shipping Costs and Maximize Your Profits

Posted on January 8, 2009 by Amy L. Fontinelle

If you’re like me and you sell pretty much anything you don’t use anymore on eBay, then you do a lot of shipping. I hate to eat into my profit margin by paying for shipping supplies, though, so over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Frugal, Making Money, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged digital scale, media mail, parcel post, post office, postage stamps, save on shipping costs, sipping costs, stamps, stamps.com, USPS | 5 Comments

Why Being “Above” A Job is a Dumb Strategy

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Jennifer Derrick

I know someone who has been out of work for four or five months. (He had been a big-wig at a financial/investment firm and got laid off.) I greeted him the other day when we were both out raking leaves … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Work | Tagged finding a job, finding work, job, menial work, Work, work beneath you | 17 Comments

“You’re Overqualified”: How to Beat the One-Liner and Get the Job

Posted on January 7, 2009 by Ann Hartter

In the current economy with layoffs, downsizing, and the flat-out lost job, there are a lot of professionals hoofing the street for a job as well as skilled laborers and unskilled workers. If all you’ve ever done is something as … Continue reading →

Posted in Making Money, Personal Finance, Work | Tagged downsizing, getting a job, job interview, layoffs, new employment, new job, over qualified | 5 Comments

Retail Therapy

Posted on January 6, 2009 by David G. Mitchell

Sunday, December 28, 2008, was a black day. I needed advice from a real person regarding my iPod. My younger son needed software for his iPod. My wife had returns to make at Old Navy and The Gap. My older … Continue reading →

Posted in Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Shopping | Tagged Frugal, relaxation, retail therapy, shopping. shopping mall, spending money | 11 Comments

Monthly Archives: January 2009

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