Personal Finance Advice

I have recently read a number of articles about the businesses which are being hit the hardest by the current downturn in US and well as the global economy. This got me thinking about the businesses that should be affected, even though apparently some of them aren't. Giant Gas Guzzling SUVs: Not only are they excessively expensive up front, but then there is the cost of the copious amounts a p [...]

If you've ever wanted to be paid for the time you spend surfing the Internet for porn, I've got good news for you. It is possible to get paid to look at porn on the Internet. We all know that the Internet is a big place and that it is difficult to police. User generated content sites that don't want any pornography on them such as YouTube, Facebook, PhotoBucket, and others have a hard time keeping [...]

You cannot recover the money that you spend, but you can always earn more. Money will come to you from hard work, good fortune and simple luck. You will spend all of it or some of it and often you will be able to control how you much of your money you give back to the economy. That is a good thing and it can give us a sense of control over our lives. We cannot control, however, the time that w [...]

I'm often puzzled when, in an effort to help someone else save money, I'm looked at like some sort of criminal or crazy person. Here's an example. This week I had a coupon for $5 off at TGI Friday's. The coupon explicitly stated that it could be used multiple times or given away to friends. So I printed one off and went for dinner. After we had eaten and paid, the waitress gave the coupon back to [...]

A fire is not only emotionally devastating and life threatening, it can be financially devastating, as well. Even with great insurance you may find yourself having to pay out of pocket for things you didn't have covered or for unexpected expenses. If you don't have insurance, or not enough enough insurance, you could be out hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, in the worst case, if a fire you ca [...]

I recently read an article where the author gave 8 Reasons Not To Coupon. I understand that it was probably an assignment given to a "journalist," but overall the article kind of annoyed me. I do not coupon directly, but I do save a ton of money using the coupons that my wife prepares for me. Using coupons with sales at drug stores I am able to get several items each week where I can buy produc [...]

Contests and sweepstakes can be fun to enter and the prizes can be great. You can win everything from a few bucks in cash all the way up to new cars or houses. Contests are easily found. You can find them on product packaging, advertised on TV or in magazines, and through associations to which you belong. They're also all over the Internet. Some people are quite successful and win many of the cont [...]

Everywhere I turn there's evidence that this summer is coming to a close - articles on various websites about back-to-school shopping, co-workers who talk about their kids or grandkids returning to school, whether it's grade school or college ... In my opinion, when you're pre-children, post-education or both, summer vacation really doesn't impact you. I don't have to worry about finding exte [...]

Unless you live in Germany with access to the Autobahn or own a private race track, chances are good that you will never have a legitimate reason to travel at speeds faster than the law allows. You may want to travel faster than the speed limit and you may do so regularly, but you probably do not have any reason that the law would consider justifiable. Why then, do automobiles have speedometers [...]

When we talk about bargain hunting and getting the best price on items that you need, it's usually with the assumption that you have time to shop, compare models and prices, and wait for sales. Most of the time that's the case. But there are times when you need something right now and you can't wait. Think about what happens when the refrigerator conks out and the food is spoiling. Or the washer i [...]