Personal Finance Advice

With summer just around the corner, one of the top priorities for a lot of people will be to take off to the beach for a day, or for an extended vacation, when the opportunity permits. One of great things about going to the beach is that it can be a relatively low-cost, day-log activity. [...]

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. [...]

Like most holidays, preparing for Easter can put a dent into your budget if you aren’t careful. If you have children, you probably know that buying new clothes, gifts, or other Easter accessories adds up very quickly, and can cause unexpected stress to your monthly budget. Here are a few ways to celebrate the holiday [...]

This time of year there are lots of tips about how to save money on Valentine’s Day. Advice abounds about ways to show your love for free and alternative gift ideas such as coupons for kid-free days and taking over your partner’s chores for a weekend. While all of these are very valid ways to [...]

This past Christmas I gave many gifts. None of them were dramatically expensive, but my family really enjoys the gift exchange and I enjoy finding the perfect gifts for each person. The hunt is almost as much fun as the actual gift exchange. This year, though, one of my recipients stumped me. When I asked, [...]

While some people think it’s better to avoid making New Year’s Resolutions, it’s important to get specific as possible if you do decide to do make them. If you’re they type where New Year’s resolutions help motivate you to achieve those goals, here are some that you should consider relating to your finances: Save More [...]

Apparently I am already cheating on the minimum wage challenge even though I haven’t even started it. At least, this is the argument my sister has decided to make. I recently sent out a “Christmas wish list” to friends and family for what I would like this Christmas. My sister didn’t like my choices of [...]

So we’re in the thick of the holiday season right now. You’re busy and harried, so it’s too early to think about next Christmas, right? Wrong. Some common advice to prepare for next year is to hit the after-Christmas sales to get gifts for next year, to buy craft kits for next Christmas, or to [...]

Christmas is just around the corner. Many of us would love to have some extra money for the holidays, whether that money is going toward vacations or presents. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to earn some extra money for the holidays. Amazon Trade-Ins For instance, did you know that Amazon has a trade-in program? [...]

When we were first married and broke, I remember one of my mothers’ friends gave us Christmas ornaments for a wedding present. She said, “It’s the one thing no one thinks to give you when you’re just starting out, but it’s something you’ll really want and won’t have any money to buy for yourself.” Given [...]

With Black Friday just around the corner, you might be wondering if you should take a peak at the advertisements and possibly wade into the crowds to try to score a great deal. Don’t! Seriously, it isn’t worth it. You’re only going to end up spending a lot of time and effort to not get [...]

It’s so easy in our day-to-day lives to get caught up in the moment and forget about all the good things that there are to celebrate. Most of these things have very little to do with money (although having money can sometimes make them easier to accomplish). I think it’s important to sit down every [...]

I recently received an email asking me if I could give some pointers on how to get a free turkey for Thanksgiving since I’d managed to buy and cook a full Thanksgiving meal for six people for under one dollar (this is what it looked like). One of the biggest obstacles that I faced with [...]

It’s that time of the year again with Halloween less than a month away. That means that you will soon need to decide on a costume, and the more time you take to prepare, the better chance you have of keeping down the costs associated with it. Here are some ways that you can save [...]

Whether it is for a birthday, Christmas or any other gift giving event, there are a lot of great money management and personal finance educational gifts that you can purchase. Everyone knows that kids love money, but often they don’t learn how money management and personal finance works. By giving a gift that can help [...]

It’s summertime and that means that the kids are out of school. And they’re hungry. If you live in a neighborhood where the kids play together all day long, you’ve probably found yourself facing a horde of hungry kids. Even when practicing ways to save money on food, feeding a lot of kids can get [...]

No matter how well we budget for the coming year, holidays always seem to sneak up on us. Think about how many special occasions require extra spending in just one year: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, the winter holidays including New Years, religious celebrations, or any weekend where you get together with family and friends. All [...]

With the 4th of July just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about the fireworks that you’re going to be buying to celebrate. Depending on how extravagant you want to go, the cost of a home display can get quite expensive. With a little bit of planning and organization, however, you can create [...]

Christmas is a time for giving, and it’s easy to get caught up in the spirit. Giving feels so good that it can easily result in overspending and sometimes stretching your credit to the limit. That means you might spend several months after the Holidays just taking care of debts you built up while the [...]

A conversation recently came up amongst several people in my book group. One of the members has been looking for a job for about six months with little success. A couple of weeks ago, she was offered a job at a company that she was excited about. During the negotiations, she mentioned that, since she’d [...]