Personal Finance Advice

It is almost comical the trouble I am running into saving money lately.
For instance, I was shopping at a favorite second-hand store when I found a great purse. I was so excited to find something that was the right size, reasonably priced and in fairly good shape that I quickly paid for it and moved [...]

By Dr. Nancy Kay
These days people need to be creative thinkers in order to make their dollars stretch further. Not only does this apply to gasoline and groceries, but to pet health needs as well. If you find yourself in a financial pinch as many do these days, here are ten things you can [...]

If you watch the news or read many magazines or newspapers, you’ve probably heard about “lifestyle diseases.” These are diseases and ailments that we get because our lifestyle and/or environment are unhealthy. Some examples:

Obesity
Alcoholism
Diseases associated with smoking such as lung cancer, asthma or emphysema
Drug abuse
Depression/anxiety
Some forms of cancer related [...]

It sounds like a no-brainer, but a big part of what keeps us out of debt is simply not spending too much money. Whether it’s on splurge items or our regular budget items like utilities, clothing, etc. we are always careful never to spend more than we have. However, just like everyone else, we tend [...]

People make fun of me because I always have NPR, CNBC or The Nightly Business Report on in the background when I’m working. They tell me I’m a finance junkie, and they’re not far off. But, it’s entertainment for me and every now and then I get to hear someone utter words that are so [...]

I recently wrote about services that we never would have purchased forty years ago but which now are commonplace expenditures. Indeed, I suggested (or at least implied) that there was no real reason to ever use services such as a lawn service because most domestic services we could and should handle on our own. [...]

Knowing what to do when you first graduate isn’t easy. There’s so much at stake: paying off student loans, choosing a geographic location you’ll enjoy, starting your career off on the right foot—how do you know what jobs to spend your time and energy applying for, when to accept an offer, and when to keep [...]

As I read the daily news, I can’t help but wonder about the causes of our current economic downturn. I know the reasons that are propounded by economists and business leaders and I understand, generally, the current credit crunch. That said, I also wonder whether our economic problems might not boil down to [...]

The other day, a friend and I were talking about the things we do to be frugal. We were discussing all the tips and tricks we’ve learned to save money and cut down on waste. We were also discussing how, with the current economic downturn, more and more people are learning how to be frugal. [...]

People frequently ask me why I’m so committed to living without debt. Am I debt phobic? Afraid of bankruptcy? Am I afraid that I’ll get in over my head? Am I just out of touch with “the way people do things these days?” I always answer no to all of these questions. The reason I [...]

I get tickled when people tell me that they read a certain book or listened to a certain guru and followed the plan to the letter, but still have financial trouble or they can’t meet their goals. They seem stymied as to why the plan didn’t work. I often ask them if the plan was [...]

We have all struggled with our finances at one time or another, and I worry how my children’s financial lives will proceed. I want to spare them the trials and tribulations of my experience, but I wonder is that really the right thing to do?
I want my children to be financially savvy, so I [...]

The media would have us all believe that our beloved country has its foot to the floor in a race to heck. Everywhere you turn; there are reports of more business closings, higher unemployment and threats of losses in every quadrant of the nation. People are worried sick about what might happen. What might happen?
I [...]

We had a rare spring-like day this week – sunny and warm enough to shed the winter jacket for a bit. It was also the same day my favorite seed catalog arrived in the mail. Coincidence? I think not! Garden season is close.
Gardening has always seemed to me like a thrifty three-fer: exercise, time outside, [...]

Lately, I have been busy. Really busy. I am studying for a professional licensing exam and trying to balance 8 to 10 hours of studying per day with the responsibilities of being a good husband and father. On the whole, I am managing just fine. I hope.
That said, I don’t [...]

If you ever vacation with friends or family, chances are that one of your journeys will eventually find you traveling with people whose financial means are different from yours. They may have more money than you (or be more willing to incur debt on vacation) or less than you. Whatever the case, vacationing with people [...]

For all the time and expense involved and for all the talk about how a college degree will help you land a job and make a higher salary, there sure are a lot of important things that many college curriculum don’t teach you about how to excel in the working world. Here are a few [...]

A lot of people are realizing that a life without debt is both liberating and safe. It’s something that more and more people are striving for. The problem is, many people who would like to live a life without debt have no idea what that sort of life looks like. They have spent so many [...]

I’m sure I’m dating myself by telling you that I remember the days when boys in high school took shop and the girls took home economics. I don’t know what went on in shop class, but I know that home economics, as it was taught then in my school, was a joke. We did learn [...]

I grew up in the 1970’s. Looking back, I realize ever more what a really cool time that was. I knew people who had lived through the Great Depression and both of the World Wars. They had grown up through greater hardship than any we face today and they had learned to [...]