Personal Finance Advice

I have a friend who is into Star Wars. I mean really into Star Wars. He has every release of the movies going back to VHS. He has the trading cards, all of the books, the toys going back to the 1970′s when he was a child, the collectible glasses given away by fast food [...]

Sometimes, when the weather isn’t pretty, it’s tempting to go out and do something that’s going to cost you money. The movies, a restaurant, a bar, a trip to the mall or the bookstore. All of these offer some relief from being trapped inside your house. But if you’re trying to save money, you need [...]

We enjoy camping in our RV. As a result, I spend a lot of time on RV-related message boards. This week I saw a sad story. A family wanted to get into the camping lifestyle, so they went to the local dealer to see what they could or should get. They planned on towing the [...]

People like to refer to life as a game or a competition. The winners are the ones who accumulate the most or best things, achieve the most success, or get the most power. That’s the conventional wisdom, anyway, which means that a large number of us are playing a game we’ll never win. We’ll never [...]

“I’m so messed up. I’m going out for a little retail therapy. Wanna come?” So began a recent conversation with my neighbor. I’ll admit that she’s got every reason to be upset: Her kids are in trouble, there are financial problems in her house, her job is a mess, and her relatives are the sort [...]

Lately I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to get a Target Red debit card. As much as I shop at Target, the five percent discount would be nice, but there are some drawbacks. I’m still looking into it and will probably make a post about what I’ve learned once I make my decision. [...]

Many people dream of retiring while they’re still young enough to have some fun. Then they look at their bank balance, sigh, and decide that they will have to work until they’re eighty. This might not be true, however. Lots of people retire early without a fortune in the bank or a large inheritance on [...]

A couple of years ago, I had a run in with the neighborhood jerk. A group of neighbors was trying to mobilize against a potential new road that would cut through some properties and lower the value of others. Everyone in the neighborhood was against the road except this one guy. He felt like having [...]

The other day I was perusing another personal finance message board when I came upon, of all things, a debate about the merits of Blu-ray versus standard DVD. It came about because someone was mad that they were being “forced” to buy a combo pack that included both formats because the movie studio refused to [...]

I’ve noticed something about myself. I am uncomfortable in high-spending situations. And this is true even when I’m not the one paying. Not long ago, a potential vendor took me to lunch at a swanky restaurant. He was paying, but I felt uncomfortable in there. I’ve been frugal for so long that spendy places give [...]

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a post on another message board from a person who admitted to spending forty percent of his time at work surfing the Internet for personal reasons. He was even going so far as to use Log Me In to access his home computer from work so he [...]

One of the things that gets people into trouble financially (and in a lot of other areas, too) is failing to actually think about what they’re doing. We’re all guilty of putting our lives on autopilot. We buy the brands we always have because they’re what we know. We shop in the same stores we [...]

Lenders rolled out an extra-long-term car loan last week: The 97 month loan. (That’s eight years, folks.) The lenders claim that this is because the average price of a new car has risen to $31,000 and extra-long loans are the only way that some buyers can get an affordable monthly payment. I’ve seen several reactions [...]

Earth Day is coming. It’s one of those days I actually look forward to each year. While I get sick of the “greenwashing” that the big corporations engage in every year, I do enjoy some of the local celebrations at the farmer’s market. It’s also a day that reminds me to reduce, reuse, and recycle. [...]

I see plenty of people, both online and off, who are desperate to work from home. Despite the fact that working from home is definitely not for everyone, many people idealize the lifestyle and want it for themselves. It’s funny, though, that many people seem to be seeking some sort of magical work from home [...]

I have a friend who has lusted after a certain board game for years, now. It’s out of print and if you can find it on the secondary market in good to mint condition, it usually sells for north of three hundred dollars. While this seems crazy to me, it’s not to him. To him, [...]

If you’ve watched much TV lately or listened to the radio, you’ve probably heard some of Fidelity’s new ads that say, “Let us help you take control over your personal economy.” Their website explains, “Your Personal Economy includes the things you care about — your kids, your family, your retirement, your career. We can help [...]

Manufacturers, retailers, and advertisers love to tell us that advertising will save us money. They like to tell us that placing ads in and on everything from video games to toilet paper will save consumers money. The theory is that the advertising subsidizes the cost of the item or service, allowing the seller or provider [...]

We all have a finite amount of time to be on this earth. The time we have to spend with loved ones, to pursue fun hobbies, to do work we love, and to explore this world is limited. Time is the one resource that no amount of money can buy more of. I’m always amazed [...]

I live in a rural community and we get three newspapers here. The first is our main, statewide paper. Though it’s a daily paper, I only subscribe to the Sunday edition of that one for the coupons and sales flyers. However, we also get two other small-town papers each week. We don’t pay for these [...]