Personal Finance Advice

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 [...]

You’d think that if a manufacturer offers a warranty, getting service or a replacement under that warranty would be easy. You’d think that al you’d have to do is call the manufacturer, provide proof of purchase, and get your problem taken care of. Oh, if only it were that simple. While some manufacturers are great [...]

Everyone would like to save money on food if it means they can still get the same quality for a better price. One are where most people can save on their food bill is to reduce the amount of food they waste. Americans through out as much as 40% of their food according to a [...]

One problem people have when it comes to money is prioritizing. They either don’t have the ability to sort out what matters most, or they simply can’t decide what’s most important. It’s a skill people need to master because achieving financial success (without a Trump-sized income) requires prioritizing. You have to put your true needs [...]

Target is one of those stores you visit when you’re looking to do most of your shopping in one place. They have food, clothing, furniture, and most household amenities. However, even though many of those items are fairly inexpensive, your final bill can still end up being quite high. Fortunately, there are some good ways [...]

A membership to a warehouse club like Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s is something that you have to evaluate carefully, both before you sign up and each year at renewal time. If you’re going to pay to shop somewhere, you need to make certain that your savings will offset the membership fees. When we first joined [...]

I was talking to a friend about her recent home buying experience. Things were going well in the beginning, but as closing approached more and more issues came up. They decided they didn’t like certain aspects of the house as much as they thought they would. Some of the renovations that they wanted to do [...]

Farmer’s markets are wonderful things. They range from fresh, local produce to homemade sweets and breads to interesting craft products to brighten up any room in your house. It can be a great way to pick up healthy food and fresh food from local vendors. Unfortunately, if you’re not careful, you can end up spending [...]

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 [...]

It’s no secret that I love Amazon. Living in the sticks, it is often the most efficient way for me to shop. I don’t have to get in the car, waste a lot of time, and use a lot of gas to get to town. I just sit at my computer, find what I want, [...]

The sounds coming from our eighteen year old refrigerator have recently changed. There’s more moaning and banging now instead of the smooth hum that has always been there. I’ve taken this as the cue to begin the search for a replacement, after attempting to solve the problem myself. The search has been depressing in more [...]

More and more parents are deciding that homeschooling is the correct choice for their kids. Those that do decide to homeschool soon discover that it can be an expensive endeavor. It doesn’t have to be that way. There are a number of simple steps that can be taken to reduce the cost of homeschooling. Here [...]

Over the years, I’ve made many purchases that I wouldn’t have made if I’d just tired the item before I bought it. Sometimes the item hasn’t lived up to my expectations (video games that turn out not to be fun or challenging, for example) or it’s had unexpected downsides (the refrigerator that was incredibly loud). [...]

A lot of websites now offer “Subscribe and Save” programs. If you agree to have an item delivered on a set schedule (such as every week, month, every other month, etc.), you are given a slight discount over the single purchase price. These deals are typically found on health/beauty products, pet products, paper products, and [...]

Ah, hurricane season is here again. That means it’s time to check over the emergency kit and make sure I have enough water, food, and other supplies to make it through several days if we should lose power. Even if we don’t get a hurricane this year, there’s snow and ice season to look forward [...]

Sometimes we pay for things without really thinking about what they cost or alternative ways we could get the same thing, but at a better price. This is often the result of habit and/or convenience, but there are some things that you really should take a second look at to make sure that you aren’t [...]

As an avid gardener one of my favorite things to grow is herbs because they have so many uses and from what I’ve found can actually help save money. Yes, herbs like thyme, lavender, citronella, mint and many others are a lot more than just scented plants that add a certain flavor to our surroundings. [...]

Getting kids ready for a return to school can be an expensive endeavor, especially if you have a back to school supply budget. This is especially true if you don’t take the time to figure out exactly what you need (and don’t need) to purchase for the coming school year. Organization is a big money [...]

There are many ways to save money when using both your washing machine and dryer which everybody should be attempting to do when possible. One of my favorite simple tricks to save money that doesn’t cost a cent and takes less than a minute to do is to place a dry towel into the dryer [...]

Chances are that you’ve had at least one disgusting experience with food that’s been lost in the back of the pantry or in the bottom of the freezer. Mine was the time I excavated the pantry to discover that a can of pineapple had gone so far beyond its expiration date that the can had [...]