Monthly Archives: January 2011

The Student Loan Myth

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

For the past generation or so, lenders and financial gurus have been promoting the myth that all student loan debt should be considered Good Debt. Student loan debt is said to be good because it is debt accrued in the … Continue reading →

I Am Homeless

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

I choose to be homeless. I am what is often referred today as a digital nomad. I travel full time although I do have a few “home bases” with family and friends where I’ll stay for a week or two … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Housing, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Travel | Tagged cost of utilities, digital nomad, financial decisions, full time travel, home mortgage, homeless, Internet nomad, nomadic life | 20 Comments

Measure Everything: Strange Ways To Save Money

Posted on January 26, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

How many times have you just dumped detergent in the washing machine, or grabbed a swig of cough medicine without measuring? This may be quick and convenient, but likely you are wasting money and product by not measuring. Some products … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged cleaning products, electricity, food, laundry detergent, measure everything, medice, mouthwash, pet food, save money | 6 Comments

What Changes Your Life?

Posted on January 25, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

When it’s time to make financial decisions such as contributing to your retirement, paying down debt, saving for college, buying a home, and building an emergency fund, you need to ask yourself a question. “Will this change my life for … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Relationships | Tagged change your life, Debt, financial decisions, financila life, paying debt, Personal Finance, take action, time and energy | 3 Comments

The Benefits of Board Games

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

I am a board game nut. I get excited when Christmas rolls around and all the new games show up in the stores. I also love the classics. So why, in a world of electronic entertainment, do I love board … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Frugal, Personal Finance, Relationships, Saving Money | Tagged benefits of board games, board games, Entertainment, inexpensive entertainment, life, monopoly, pay day, stress relief | 2 Comments

Exercise Frugality – How Fitness Can Boost Your Bottom Line

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Guest Writer

When most people first begin to think about overhauling our finances or saving money, they usuallyfocus on issues such as budgeting, cash flow analysis, and how to improve a credit score. But almost all aspects of your life can affect … Continue reading →

Posted in Health, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged exercise, free exercise, frugal exercise, Health, increase energy, lose weight, no cost exercise, reduce depression, save money | 4 Comments

You Create Your Own Luck

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

My friends often comment on how lucky I am to be able to travel as much as I do. While I’m certainly lucky in many respects, the truth is that I have created the “luck” that allows me to travel … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Travel | Tagged airplan boneyard, creating luck, hiking, lucky, meteor crater, national monument, National Park, national park yearly pass, Pie Town, Travel, travel budget | 6 Comments

Don’t Buy Envelopes: Strange Ways to Save Money

Posted on January 20, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

Now that I pay most of my bills online, have email, a cell phone, and a million other ways to stay in touch, I have very little need for envelopes. I rarely have envelopes in the house anymore and, on … Continue reading →

Posted in Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged diy, Do-It-Yourself, envelopes, Frugal, letters, make envelopes, reuse envelopes, save money | 6 Comments

The Secret to Financial Success: Be an Independent Thinker

Posted on January 19, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

Over the years I’ve discovered that the single greatest thing you can do to help your finances is to be an independent thinker. You need to make your own choices and live according to what you know is right for … Continue reading →

Posted in Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money | Tagged debt free education, financial success, independent thinkier, retirement savings, small houses, used cars | 3 Comments

Renting vs Owning A Car

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

While most people are surprised to find out that I don’t have a cell phone, they are even more surprised when they also find out that I also don’t have a car. As with the cell phone, the reason I … Continue reading →

Posted in Cars, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Travel | Tagged buy vs rent, car, car costs, car free, carless, cheaper to rent, cost of owning a car, cost of renting a car, rental car | 4 Comments

Missing the Biggest Sale of All

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

In the wake of the post-Christmas sale frenzy, I found myself wondering, “Why is it that people will beat each other senseless to save 75% on wrapping paper and cards, but they won’t take advantage of the biggest sale of … Continue reading →

Posted in Frugal, Investing, Making Money, Personal Finance | Tagged after Christmas sales, buying stocks, down stock market, Investing, investing in stocks, market bottom, stock portfolio, stocks | 4 Comments

Knowing Yourself Saves Money

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

One of the most interesting things I have learned about personal finances is that things that seem to have absolutely nothing to do with money often have a huge impact on your finances. A good example is knowing what makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Food / Groceries, Frugal, Health, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Shopping | Tagged bulk purchase, buy food, buying in bulk, grocery store, know yourself, knowing yourself, save money, Saving Money | 9 Comments

We Create Many of Our Own Financial Problems

Posted on January 13, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

A coworker came to me moaning about her debt level the other day. Her New Year’s resolution is to get out of debt and she wanted to know where to start. I asked her what kind of debt she had. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Debt, Personal Finance | Tagged Debt, debt level, financial choices, financial issues, financial problems, money problems, poor decisions | 6 Comments

Become a Coupon Broker: Strange Ways to Make Money

Posted on January 12, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

If you already use coupons, chances are that you get coupons in the paper that you don’t use. Even if you don’t use coupons, you probably have access to coupons from the paper or magazines that you receive. Wouldn’t it … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Food / Groceries, Making Money, Personal Finance, Shopping | Tagged coupns, coupon broker, couponing, make money, make money selling coupons, money making ideas, sell coupons, sell coupons on ebay | 8 Comments

Pain Free Cost Cutting

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

Over the years, I have called the cable company to reduce the amount of money my mom pays for her cable TV on a fairly regular basis. I just did it again this week and saved her $170 over a … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Credit Cards, Debt, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Shopping, Utilities | Tagged better deals, cost cutting, Debt, getting the best deal, pain free cost cutting, pain free saving, painless cost cutting, painless saving, promotional time periods, renegotiate | 6 Comments

Don’t Just Show Up for Life, Participate

Posted on January 10, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

I know quite a few people who seem to think that life owes them a good job and income simply for getting out of bed every day. They go to work and do the bare minimum, yet wonder why they … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Finance, Relationships, Work | Tagged be proactive, do more than required, financial success, innovate, learn something, life, meaningful life, participate, success, working hard | 5 Comments

Avoiding Burglary in the Digital Age

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

This week there was a story in the news here about a man who was robbed thanks to a post on Craigslist. He posted several items that he wanted to sell including a game console, TV, some DVD’s and other … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 3 Comments

Make Buttons: Strange Ways to Make Money

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Jennifer Derrick

Trawling Etsy.com this week, I cam across this shop. This person makes pin-on buttons and sells most of them for $1.00. For fifty cents more, you can have the button made into a magnet. Some of them are cute and … Continue reading →

Posted in X Files | 3 Comments

Reasons Not To Have A Cell Phone

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

I am probably one of the last people in the US that doesn’t have a cell phone. I don’t have a cell phone to protest in any way. I actually think there are a lot of interesting aspects to them. … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Personal Finance, Saving Money, Utilities | Tagged cell phone, cell phones suck, cellular phone, cost of cell phone, needs, reasons not to have a cell phone, save on cell phonecell phone plan, wants, wants vs needs | 15 Comments

Know What Makes You Happy to Improve Your Finances

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Jeffrey Strain

I am a firm believer, from my own experience, that after committing to spend less than you earn, the most important thing that you can do for your finances is to truly understand what is important to you and what … Continue reading →

Posted in Budgeting, Frugal, Personal Finance, Relationships, Saving Money, Travel | Tagged dreams, experiences, financial decisions, goals, money decisions, needs, wants, wants vs needs, what makes you happy | 5 Comments

Monthly Archives: January 2011

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