Personal Finance Advice

It was a pretty uneventful day in regard to spending since most of the day was spent catching up on the things I had put off while on the three day trip. When it comes to the minimum wage challenge, uneventful spending days are days to be celebrated. It wasn’t a no spend day, however, [...]

Anyone who uses birth control knows that while it’s such a great thing to have, certain brands can get expensive, especially if you don’t have health insurance that covers it. For instance, Ortho Tri-Cyclen costs around $50 a month. That’s $600 for an entire year’s worth of prescriptions! Birth control costs can range from $100 [...]

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how the “Emergency Fund” should really be called something else, since so few financial events are really emergencies. Regardless of what you call it, you need to be setting money aside to cover car repairs/replacement, appliance replacements, home maintenance, medical expenses, and all those pesky problems of [...]

A friend of mine recently went to the doctor for her annual physical. Her blood pressure was on the high side, so the doctor trotted out the prescription pad and wrote her a prescription for a blood pressure lowering drug. He didn’t offer any other suggestions or advice, just the scrip and a push out [...]

Most financial writers, including me, counsel people to be their own advocate for less-expensive healthcare. We teach that you should question everything on your bill, know the limits and allowances of your health insurance policy, and negotiate prices where possible and look for lower cost options. All of this is great and can certainly save [...]

In the not too distant future I’m going to have to have surgery on my foot and ankle. This is going to mean six to eight weeks of essentially being off my feet except for limited excursions to the bathroom and from the couch to the bed. I’ll be able to do some things, but [...]

Most people only consider the cost of cigarettes when they calculate how much smoking is costing them. It’s easy to calculate this cost as you know exactly how much you are handing over in cash for each pack of cigarettes you purchase. The truth, however, is that the cost of cigarettes is only a small [...]

If you’ve been to the dentist lately, you know it isn’t cheap. Making matters worse, many employers don’t offer dental insurance to help defray the cost. Those that do rarely offer comprehensive policies. Dental policies are more likely to cover only a small portion of a treatment leaving you to pay the difference. Many peoples’ [...]

It’s not news that you can make money by becoming a medical research subject. There are ads in most major papers, on TV and the Internet recruiting people with various conditions to try new drugs and therapies. These can be good ways to make money if you qualify and if you aren’t worried about the [...]

If you ever face a medical crisis, you’ll be amazed at how quickly the bills mount up, even with great insurance. You could argue about whether insurers are inherently evil, coldhearted, or callous, but the bottom line is that insurers are businesses that want to get the most money they can out of you. Sometimes [...]

A friend came to me for advice the other day regarding a big problem brewing in his house. His in-laws are getting up in years and have very little saved to cover their health care and long term needs. Health problems are starting to show up and expenses are mounting. They’ve told their daughter and [...]

Most ice cream stores shops will allow customers to sample flavors before making a purchase. It makes perfect sense for ice cream stores to do that because it lets the ice cream sell itself. The same is true in cheese shops and many other specialty stores. Free samples are great, but they are just that [...]

By Jeff Apton In today’s healthcare debate nobody seems to be talking much about the high cost of dentistry, or the lack of insurance coverage. Maybe you’re lucky and squeak by with a few cleanings and a filling here and there. For those who are not so lucky, the cost of dentistry can be devastating, [...]

There is nothing good about influenza. People who have experienced a bout with the flu know that it is a miserable experience that brings fever, chills and muscle pain, among other symptoms. You will know when you have a bad case of the flu when you feel like you have been hit by a truck, [...]

When my mother became ill a few years ago, I did what all adult children usually do: worry and think, “She has to be OK! She’s the parent.” Finances, however, didn’t enter my mind. It was interesting to note that my parents – level-headed as always – remembered to consider the financial repercussions of Mom’s [...]

I went for a drive today. I did not go very far – just the distance of two subdivisions so that I could drop my son off at a friend’s house. I must have seen at least ten or twelve kids riding bicycles, roller blading and skateboarding. It was a beautiful day so that is [...]

We all know that staying healthy saves us money. The healthier you are, the lower your insurance and medical expenses are likely to be. We are encouraged to eat right, exercise and sleep well in order to remain healthy. But one area that is often overlooked when we talk about the health/money relationship is keeping [...]

My husband is on the verge of a life-changing diagnosis: type 2 diabetes. I’m proud to say that he is looking this impending diagnosis in the face and calling its bluff. Besides the symptoms is the sheer expense of diabetes: insulin, blood meters and co-pays for the doctors’ appointments, to name a few. In our [...]

We talk a lot here at Saving Advice about the things you “should” do. Make a will and keep it updated, keep your financial affairs in order, plan for the succession/sale of any businesses you might own, get life insurance, arrange for your healthcare in the event you’re incapacitated, and generally plan for the future [...]

The company I worked for up until last Friday had been facing financial challenges for over a year. All of the employees knew that it was only a matter of time before the company resorted to drastic measures. We joked that one day we would arrive to work and find that our keys no longer [...]