Personal Finance Advice

Recently we got a bit of a shocker to our budget. The washing machine, out of nowhere, decided to give up on us. I can’t say I’m totally shocked; the poor thing was thirteen years old, after all. But still, it gave no warning before deciding to conk out completely. Turns out that the motor [...]

Okay, it’s no secret that the economy is in the tank. And it’s likely that this has you worried, angry, upset, and stressed out. And it’s no wonder. You’ve probably watched your investments fall, your retirement may be on hold indefinitely, you may have been laid off, your house is possibly worthless, and your credit [...]

Last month, I registered my e-mail address with a local pizzeria. It took me all of ten seconds and, for my trouble, the pizzeria entered me into its daily contest to win a free lunch. Every day since I registered, I have received an e-mail announcing the pizzeria’s daily specials and the name of the [...]

If you’re trying to scale back your spending and live within your means or just save a little more each month, how do you determine reasonable spending amounts for each category of spending in your life like food, clothes, and transportation? Well, there are several government standards that you can use as a guideline. The [...]

I have mentioned my elder son, who tends to pursue a less than industrious path at times. In contrast, I also have a son who zealously protects every penny that he gets in the hope that he can purchase a condominium and become his brother’s landlord. As my thrifty son pointed out, he assumes that [...]

I am frequently asked (and more often now that the economy is in the tank), “What can I do to generate some extra cash?” There are many ways to generate additional cash, some of them quicker than others. If you need a lot of cash, these tips alone probably won’t do it; few, if any, [...]

If you are at all interested in finance, you’ve probably heard that it is necessary to be debt free in order to build substantial wealth. While a few gifted investors manage to build wealth while having a lot of real estate debt (think Trump) or debt that finances a business venture (think the people who [...]

One piece of financial advice that I often see offered is this: If you are part of a couple, give each other a measure of freedom with the money you earn but consult each other on any purchases over $100. In some variations the consultation amount is $50 or even $20. Whatever the amount, the [...]

I recently had to book a two night stay at a hotel in Tampa. The excursion was going to be work for me and an opportunity to relax for my wife and one of my sons. The hotel was an upper end brand – partly because I am a bit germphobic and always find that [...]

My dear friend recently went back to work after being unemployed for a time. She is grateful for the job, but this work earns her much less per hour than before. In fact, it offers both fewer hours and smaller per-hour pay. Thus with a diminished earning power, she is understandably finding it hard to [...]

If you can’t afford the luxury of a professional crew of organizers and designers to organize your clutter and maximize your space, that doesn’t mean you have to keep living in chaos. Those of us on a budget still have plenty of options for getting organized. All you need to get started is some time [...]

By now, almost everyone has probably read of the huge bonuses that AIG recently paid to more than seventy of its executives with money that AIG received from the US government as part of its bailout. If you have not read about it, take a few moments to do so. Although there is tremendous outrage [...]

It’s well known where I work and in my circle of acquaintances that I am, shall we say, financially conservative. I don’t blow money for fun and everyone knows that about me. So it never ceases to amaze me the number of people who still ask me out to pricey restaurants for lunch, or to [...]

A couple that we are friendly with recently asked us to go to a play with them. We were interested because the play was one we’d been wanting to see for some time. However, tickets for this production were $60 for the nosebleed section. Add on $12 per ticket in service fees, plus sales tax [...]

There’s no need to disclose exactly how old I am. Let’s just say I’m at the age where my hair is turning gray, wrinkles are appearing, and things are starting to soften a bit. My hairdresser asked me the other day, “Well, when are you going to start coloring your hair?” as if it was [...]

My parents were pioneers in the green movement. They weren’t necessarily trying to save the environment, but they grew up during the Great Depression when every penny counted. It turns out their thrifty habits are gentle on the environment too. Many of these habits work today to both save money and help my family reduce [...]

A recent Saving Advice article called on all of us to pursue the path of kindness when confronted with people who are suffering as a result of our current economic crisis. I am very much in agreement with the author’s plea that we approach people in hardship without “anger” or “resentment” – those emotions are [...]

Though there have been reports that credit card rewards programs are being scaled back and there don’t seem to be as many great signup bonuses these days, there is one signup bonus that is being heavily advertised that you may want to check out. Discover is offering a $100 Cashback Bonus when you make $500 [...]

I hang out on a lot of finance/frugality related message forums and websites and I’m noticing a disturbing rise in the number of people being mean to those who ask for help. There have always been people who get their shorts in a wad over this or that hot button issue; that’s nothing new. And [...]

One of the things you learn when you live a life committed to being debt free is how to get by in tough times. We’ve had our share of lean years, emergencies, and layoffs and yet we’ve always managed to remain debt free. The worst time I can remember was after we were first married [...]