Personal Finance Advice

We just had our first cool snap of the year. While it will be hot again by the end of the week, the cool weather reminded me of the things I need to do to get my home and family ready for the colder months ahead. Some simple preparation and prevention efforts now will save [...]

A friend of mine who, like me, has always lived a debt free life recently ran into a perfect storm of disasters. He was diagnosed with an illness and, despite having good medical coverage, ended up with bills that threatened to eat up much of his non-retirement savings. As if that weren’t bad enough, he [...]

We’ve all done it. Your best friend’s birthday is today and you completely forgot. Your anniversary is today and you haven’t done anything. You forgot to buy a Christmas present for Aunt Imogene and she’s at the door. You don’t have time to pick out a fabulous present, so what can you do, besides the [...]

Summer’s coming and that means vacation time! With gas prices lower than they have been in the last few years and with airlines gouging you for everything from extra bags to nuts, many people are hitting the highways this year. While road trips are typically less expensive than other forms of travel, there are some [...]

I recently described my frustration in dealing with a reservationist at a higher-end hotel chain. The reservationist was seemingly incapable of determining the best rate for which I was eligible. Unfortunately, my problems with the reservationist were only the tip of the iceberg of difficulty with the hotel. Our problems started with inconveniences that we [...]

I recently had to book a two night stay at a hotel in Tampa. The excursion was going to be work for me and an opportunity to relax for my wife and one of my sons. The hotel was an upper end brand – partly because I am a bit germphobic and always find that [...]

If you ever vacation with friends or family, chances are that one of your journeys will eventually find you traveling with people whose financial means are different from yours. They may have more money than you (or be more willing to incur debt on vacation) or less than you. Whatever the case, vacationing with people [...]

Men dread Valentine’s Day. Women love it. It’s a gal’s holiday. I realize that this is a generalization, not all men dread Valentine’s Day and not all women love it. But in general, women are more geared towards all that romance and mushy love stuff. So, how can a woman please her man on Valentine’s [...]

Romance doesn’t come wrapped in red foil and stuffed in a heart – shaped box. Chocolate is nice but not the best idea for someone watching their weight. And while we’re on that subject; one size does not fit all, so be careful buying clothes for your loved one. When it comes to making a [...]

Sometimes it seems like a minor miracle if you can make it from the airport doors to your seat on the plane without being searched, patted down, waiting in an exorbitantly long line, having your gate changed, being charged a fee, or a host of other annoyances. There are many things at the airport that [...]

Christmas is a wonderful time of year, but it can be stressful as well. Sometimes, people have expectations so high that they could never be met. Other times, it’s the little things that can pile up and just wear a person down. Here are some of those little things you probably want to avoid this [...]

Conventional wisdom has long held that the best deals come close to the holidays. Another bit of conventional wisdom is that the best time to buy is when the economy is in recession and retailers need the money. These age old rules of shopping may not be as rigid as they once were. They still [...]

As the years have gone on, I’ve grown tired of the Christmas retail madness. We are a family of all grown ups so gift buying is almost impossible. Everyone tends to buy what they need and want throughout the year, leaving little left for Christmas except an exchange of gift cards. (Which is kind of [...]

I thought since the holidays are fast approaching that I would share a few, very easy recipes that are also cost effective. My favorite quick and easy cookie recipe is especially suited to letting the kids help. As a person with several years of baking experience, I want to first recommend using good quality ingredients. [...]

About fifteen years ago, in mid-February, I walked into a drug store and saw a surprisingly large display of Christmas wrapping paper. Everything was marked down to ten cents per package – regardless of how much wrap was included in the package. Some of the packages were multi-rolls of very nice wrapping paper. Others were [...]

I spend a lot of time thinking about the holidays with thoughts about Christmas, cheap dates at Christmas (the holiday dates section), and the benefits of artificial Christmas trees among others. Whether you agree with my ideas or not, I believe that thinking about the holidays and how they affect your wallet is important. I [...]

By Maggie Ellis, guest writer It’s that time of year again. The time of year when my spouse and I are punished for our thrifty ways. How are we punished you ask? By being forced to spend the holidays with our families who are, at best, financial half-wits. (Half-wit is probably generous in some cases. [...]

If you came of age in the days when you might have had 8 or 9 channels that you received on your television, before cable and VHS, you remember that if you wanted to watch a movie, you had to see it in a cinema or wait for it to be rebroadcast. Sometimes, the rebroadcast [...]

If you celebrate Christmas, chances are good that you decorate a Christmas tree. Whatever other decorations, ornaments and other seasonal reminders with which you adorn your home, your Christmas tree is probably the focal point. You may decorate your tree on Christmas Eve, as one of my neighbours used to do, or you may set [...]

Is this a recession or opportunity knocking? I’ve seen this question posed all over the media. A lot of the articles are aimed at higher income execs who work the stock markets. But I’m beginning to see front porch lights coming on in businesses everywhere. Yes, we’re all still feeling the pinch of high unemployment [...]