Personal Finance Advice

The other day I found myself considering the purchase of another filing cabinet. Yes, not quite a monumental decision, but one that takes careful consideration because my family lives in a 1000-square-foot home. Where will that filing cabinet take away precious space? There just aren’t many options.
The size of my home isn’t much smaller than [...]

As the child of people who lived through the Great Depression, I grew up on an “energy diet.” My parents encouraged us to turn off the lights when leaving the room, put on a sweater instead of turn up the heat, and walk to the store instead of drive.
My parents ingrained these habits into their [...]

It’s that time of year. The Holidays are just around the corner and it’s time to think about gift-giving, parties and such. On top of it all is the ongoing meltdown of our financial institutions.
I was already considering how to handle the holidays with my children and their “gotta haves” from Santa when the [...]

When my mother died, I worried a lot about my father. How will he cope? What will he eat? Despite my worrying, I didn’t need to worry much about his finances. His forethought saved his financial life, despite our family’s terrible loss.
Dad always has been a stickler for details. This carries over into his [...]

When I was in college, I was content to open my kitchen cupboard and find it full of Ramen. Every flavor – except shrimp (yuck) – was represented after a trip to the grocery store. Not only did I know where my next meal was coming from, but I had saved money. Never mind that [...]

If there’s anything designed to ruin a marriage, it’s money. Not only could tension be created by the amount coming in, but there could be different money styles – a hoarder vs. a spender.
My husband and I, thankfully, have similar styles. He’s more of a tightwad than I am, but we can find the middle [...]

It all started after my mother graduated from college in 1979. With a teaching degree in hand, a student loan to pay off, and a family to support, she began shopping at thrift stores.
We had fun those Saturday mornings, going through our community’s small thrift stores. Over time we bought everything we needed: clothes, shoes, [...]