Personal Finance Advice

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 [...]

Making your own things, sewing your own clothes, or making gifts are often touted as ways to save money. After all, the thought goes, you can make something for less than it would cost to buy the item. Unfortunately, while making your own items can bring you many rewards, saving money isn’t always (or even [...]

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 [...]

It’s one of the worst feelings you can ever have. That moment when you see there is still a week left until you get you next paycheck and you have no money, little food and you have no idea how you are going to make it. Your mind starts racing trying to figure out where [...]

The fact that I really dislike driving would seem to make the choice here rather easy. If I had my choice, I would not drive at all (and quite frankly, it’s ironic the amount that I do drive with this attitude). I really miss the days when I lived in Japan where the public transportation [...]

With winter now upon us, many people are planning their weekend getaways or fun winter activities. There are so many different activities to partake in during the winter, but fortunately, not all of them are as expensive as skiing. If you’re trying to save some money and aren’t keen on the idea of spending hundreds [...]

One of the biggest decisions I need to make that will determine whether this living well on minimum wage challenge will be successful or not is my living conditions. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this and there is little doubt that renting would definitely be the safer, cheaper option. The first question [...]

The retail sector and the media love to sell us “stuff” to solve our every problem. They even try to manufacture “problems” just so they can sell us stuff. (I tend to think the no-touch hand wash system falls into this category. It dispenses soap without you having to touch the dispenser so you don’t [...]

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 [...]

I reluctantly became a grocery shopping coupon “expert” a few years ago when I made a bet with my sister and told her that I I thought I could eat well only spending $1 a day for food. I managed to succeed doing it through the use of coupons, but I never really enjoyed the [...]

Do you enjoy skiing? Maybe it’s one of your favorite pastimes or maybe it’s something you only indulge in occasionally. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to learn how to ski but were worried about how expensive equipment and lessons could be so opted for less expensive winter fun. There are always ways to save money [...]

By Mitchell Pauly The notion that going to a “good” college is a ticket to a brighter future should be taken on a case by case basis, but this isn’t what American society would have you believe. I want you to think about this example, which is all too common: an extremely high academically performing [...]

We all want to be able to put more money away for the future, rainy days, or those special goals that are dear to our hearts. Unfortunately, sometimes in our zeal to save money, we devise some strategies that end up backfiring. This usually happens when we feel like we have a discipline problem with [...]

There are plenty of organizations out there that claim that it’s worthwhile joining their ranks. It’s important to evaluate a membership to make sure it makes sense for your particular needs. Even when you have to pay, there are times when a membership makes sense and you can get much more value back than you [...]

On one of the board gaming forums I frequent the term, “Cult of the new” is frequently tossed about by posters. What they’re referring to are all the new games that come out each year. They’re new, hot, and hyped to the max. People pay exorbitant amounts of money to get their hands on the [...]

One of my favorite restaurants in town isn’t the swanky chain restaurant, the fine dining establishment, or the fast food place. It’s the simple cafeteria. You know the drill: You push your tray down the line past the steam tables laden with everything from salad to dessert. Many people think that the cafeteria isn’t good, [...]

While it’s estimated that some 147 million people will participate in Black Friday, this is not the only choice that people had on how to celebrate. The day after Thanksgiving is also Buy Nothing Day, the biggest no spend day of them all. If you decided to shop on Black Friday, you made a conscious [...]

In this day and age of factoids, time saving gadgets, news that’s more infotainment than real news, and our harried pace of life, most of us find ourselves just skimming the surface of information, hobbies, and work skills. We absorb what we need to get by and then move on to the next thing. What [...]

I hear from people who are struggling with money that one of the things that bothers them the most is their inability to financially help their favorite nonprofits and charities. The view that the only way to help these organizations is through a monetary donation is one that is far too prevalent. I hope this [...]

One of the keys to financial success is learning how to separate wants from needs. It sounds easy. A refrigerator is a need. A car (in most cases) is a need. Housing is a need. Utility usage is a need. This is all true, to a point. However, these things can easily bleed into the [...]