Personal Finance Advice

The people around me are struggling with cut hours and layoffs, and cutting back on finances is only part of the effect. My friends are suddenly finding themselves with less to do. More time with the kids is good, but when the kids are in school — watching TV only has so much interest, until [...]

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 what we should do with our money? We save for the future, we plan for [...]

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 landlords. It used to be that was a just fine arrangement, but maybe it is [...]

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 specific as, say, Title Insurance, how do you get the job at something “less” prestigious? [...]

I’m very careful with my money, but everything about it is not clear as crystal. Every year around January, questions I have to ask about taxes, income, claims and reporting. Later, around September, I do my business finances and re-configure my rates (I work on the school’s calendar year). I wake up and my mind [...]

We’ve heard the phrases, discussed our strategies, tried to forget about the money when we make a budget, and several other things pertaining to the vital emergency fund. Save up an emergency fund :: How much is in your emergency fund? :: Is an emergency fund necessary? :: Can I have an alternative emergency fund? [...]

Al Gore offsets his carbon footprint. Volunteering for your community is offset for minor crimes. If you can offset those, you can definitely offset luxurious spending. The opportunity or the cost of that opportunity is a perceived value. Sometimes you even have to make a case to yourself for something you know isn’t the most [...]

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I saw an ad looking for an tutor for English as a Second Language. School-age boy, in town about a month, rate $50/hr. In less than four hours, I determined it was a scam. Crud. That could have been a good job, had it been [...]

The fourth of July promised to be a leisurely, stress-free weekend. My credit card was paid off and ready for gas purchases. My car was running smoothly. Our campsite was at a private cabin at a lake, and we’d long ago collected all necessary camping gear. The food was to be communal so we brought [...]

What is it about children that invite us to spend money on them? Is it that we see they are cute at everything, so everything is fair game? Is it that we want them to have the best so we better make sure that they have the newest and most recent and most expensive? Is [...]

Saving is one half of an equation, but to save, you have to make money. Many like to supplement their regular jobs, many are retired and would like to work — but not too much. Many are teens and can’t get a regular job yet. What, oh, what can you do? So you can hit [...]

There are few sources of information these days that do not come riddled with advertising, or at least with a list of generous corporate sponsors. To escape the constant bombardment of “buy this” “recognize my name” and “we’re so cool” I decided to take some drastic steps. As a result, I have noticed an improvement [...]

I hopped into the craft store for paint supplies and found myself staring at a display across the aisle as I was checking out. “Designer Scrapbooking” said the banner. Little cellophane pockets were filled with cardstock flowers with little glittery plastic jewels nestled in the center, a paper child with joints that moved, and fabric [...]

I’ve tossed a couple parties in the direction of my backyard from grilled gourmet, hanging out and birthdays, but none were quite so successful, or quite so affordable, as my no-reason-at-all box party. I entertained for a good hour and a half having only purchased some packing tape. In my happy green world, there are [...]

A hoard of junk mail has passed through my in-box and into either the shredder, a pile for reuse, or straight into the recycle bin over the years. It wasn’t until recently, though, that I started noticing how photogenic money can be in the advertising. It looks good, it’s appealing, and it’s hard to throw [...]

I love my blue jeans. They’re a pain to find and when I do, I pay top dollar for something that fits and isn’t too fashionable. I then wear them till they’re holding on by mere threads. I do get good use out of my jeans, but the price I end up paying after a [...]

I went to the grocery store this morning. My list included four items. I returned with ten. It would seem I had a problem with the impulse buy. That’s not, however, the case. Four of the things I returned with were on sale, so maybe it was sale-blindness. That’s not the case either. I rarely [...]

I got a letter today from a soldier in Bagdad. She’s bored. She ranted about the perpetuality of her job, and the things she “always” does, and my first instinct is to send her another package. She suggested we send her microwavable add-hot-water foods, and movies. If it wasn’t for the cost of shipping the [...]

I’m a tutor by trade. I teach a myriad of students who have a myriad of struggles with a myriad of subjects. I use my position as a former student, writer, and educational professional to get into the annual writing conference for high school students put on by the college. I teach workshops, more in [...]

With any luck, St. Patrick’s Day will bring full bellies and full beer mugs. While there are Irish tunes, blessings, drinks, and colors splashed about our dining rooms and bars, there are also fun stories, legends and myths to share among our friends. Being the bookworm that I am, I looked into some of these [...]