Personal Finance Advice

Some people hate to use coupons. Some can’t be bothered, some don’t see that the time required is worth the savings, some are embarrassed, some figure coupons are only for junk food (they aren’t), and some are afraid of being associated with the crazy, extreme couponers out there. Whatever the reason, these people are uncomfortable [...]

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 [...]

We all want to be treated fairly and receive the products and services that we pay for. We want things to match our expectations and the manufacturer’s promises. When things fail to live up to those promises or expectations, it’s up to us to complain, to let the companies know that we won’t be messed [...]

When it comes to putting in the time and effort to get personal finances in order, I have heard a lot of supposedly good reasons why people haven’t started. There is no doubt that there are a lot of sacrifices that need to be made and it’s not an easy process for many. That being [...]

We all have times where we need to be creative. Creativity helps us solve problems at work or home, come up with new uses for old products, and entertain ourselves. Many people don’t believe that they are creative, that it’s something you either have or you don’t. But that’s not true. Creativity is a skill [...]

In the past couple of years, the bad economy has forced many people to take a “staycation” instead of a vacation. A staycation means staying in your local area instead of traveling domestically or internationally. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have fun! A staycation can involve hanging around your house or [...]

If you’re a frugal person, the concept of planned obsolescence stinks. There’s no polite way to put it. Manufacturers create things to last a short period of time, forcing you to upgrade or buy a new one at regular intervals. It’s become common practice in everything from appliances to power tools to electronics. Nothing is [...]

Many people have financial troubles, and while financial difficulty happens due to legitimate reasons such as job loss or medical expenses, many times the poor financial state is due to nothing more than bad habits. Here are a number of things that people do that keeps them poor: Inability to Save Money There are a [...]

When you’re ready to improve your financial life, how should you go about it? Do you immediately cease all unnecessary spending, slash expenses to the bone, and use all of your extra money to pay down debt? Or do you go about it gradually, making a couple of small changes at first and then adding [...]

One of the easiest ways to prevent theft (aside from locking the doors, which is something too many people neglect but is effective) is to keep what you buy and what you own private. If other people know what you own, you’re more of a target than if a crook has to gamble and guess [...]

Soda can be a delicious treat, but as many of us know, it’s a treat that’s loaded with sugar and calories. Like many delicious drinks, soda isn’t exactly a healthy drink. If you’re looking to cut back on your soda intake, there are plenty of other healthy alternatives that are just as delicious and will [...]

Many months ago, one of my posts about how financially secure people eat leftovers turned up on another message board that I frequent. That board has nothing to do with finance, but the poster came across my article when she was trying to figure out whether the guy her daughter was dating was bad news. [...]

Gardens can be a wonderful addition to your home. Not only do they provide you with fresh produce, but they can add a nice atmosphere to your back yard. Unfortunately, sometimes gardening can become expensive. Here are a few ways to create an inexpensive garden that will keep the overall costs down: Start Plants from [...]

I have a relative who does nothing but whine about how she doesn’t have certain things, how she never gets to travel, she doesn’t have any money, and she’ll never own a nice car. Well, while I tend to think that most of her whining is over pretty superficial stuff (she does have a loving [...]

I have an uncle who is pushing ninety years old. He still gets up early, gets dressed, and goes to work every day and often on weekends. He doesn’t do it for the money; he’s covered in that department. He simply loves what he does so much that retirement has never entered his vocabulary. He [...]

Are you tired of paying an outrageously high cable bill each month? Do you have a cable package for hundreds of channels, but only watch about a dozen? Do you just not want to deal with the cable company anymore? Cable TV isn’t the only choice, and there are plenty of alternatives that you should [...]

Most of us tend to think that more is better, especially when it comes to our “stuff.” If two pairs of shoes is good, ten must be great. If a library of thirty DVD’s is good, a hundred must be better. If having fifteen board games provides a lot of entertainment, a library of fifty [...]

There are a lot of places to look for coins when you are walking about outside. When there is a need to quickly find a few dollars, however, you may want to search in your house instead. Money sometimes gets stored for a later date and accidentally forgotten about. Other times, it simply gets misplaced. [...]

Optimism is generally a good thing. It’s good to look toward the future with hope and confidence. Research shows that optimists tend to be happier and live longer than pessimists. Optimists are healthier and deal with adversity better than their pessimistic counterparts. That’s all great news but unfortunately, being too optimistic can be detrimental to [...]

One of the financial phrases that always irks me is “disposable income.” Disposable income is money that has no designated purpose and thus can be blown on anything you want. It’s money that is not “needed” to meet your obligations and thus can be spent on frivolous stuff. The word disposable brings to mind images [...]