Personal Finance Advice

I am a sucker for sales. I’m the kind of person that will buy something that is deeply discounted even though I don’t really need it. I’ve come to realize that no matter how good of a deal it is, it’s not a deal for me if I don’t need it. However, that knowledge does [...]

It is an accepted part of self-help wisdom that it takes twenty-one days to develop a new habit and make it stick. This has been found to be true in weight loss, smoking cessation, reducing alcohol consumption, and many other regimens designed to create positive habits. It can also be applied to your finances. If [...]

With any luck, St. Patrick’s Day will bring full bellies and full beer mugs. While there are Irish tunes, blessings, drinks, and colors splashed about our dining rooms and bars, there are also fun stories, legends and myths to share among our friends. Being the bookworm that I am, I looked into some of these [...]

Since I landed my first job at age 15, I have been with the same bank. It is a credit union open only to residents of Washington State and I love the perks it gives us. When my husband and I got married, we decided to go with my bank for our checking and savings [...]

This past weekend I went to the annual bridal expo with a friend who is getting married soon. As my wedding was many years ago, I was astounded to see how far the bridal industry has come. Or maybe I should say I was astounded to see how far the bridal industry will go (to [...]

One thing saving has in common with the rest of life is that opportunities are always changing. Economic conditions, companies’ offers and policies, tax laws, and personal financial situations are not static. As a result, the best ways to save today might not be the best ways to save tomorrow. The best savers don’t say, [...]

“Act now, and you may be able to pay less than you owe!” proclaims an ad for debt consolidation services. I’m all for paying off debts, but I was offended. Why should some people be allowed to pay less than they owe when others (like me) are habitually denying themselves things they want in order [...]

Do you ever find that it is difficult to remember things? A weak memory is often hard to fix, but there are some things you can do to help yourself remember things. I’ve actually found that having a budget helps me remember certain things. How is that? Well my budget is a spreadsheet where I [...]

I have always assumed that if your career/job pays you decent money that you should have no trouble getting ahead financially as long as you’re responsible with money. But recently an old friend who works in a high powered, high paying, high stress career made me rethink that assumption. My friend works for a large [...]

Most people don’t associate personal finance with fun and it’s hard to blame them. There’s a lot of doom and gloom, especially these days. Writing out a budget seriously stinks. Really, who wants to find out they can’t afford the things they want and see it on paper? And it’s certainly no fun to do [...]

When saving money, meals in restaurants are rightfully one of the first expenses to be cut, but if you hate to cook as much as I do, budgeting for a meal or two out each week may save enough of your sanity to be worth the expense. On the days you do choose to eat [...]

Nearly half (45%) of college graduates are working in fields unrelated to their majors four years after graduation, according to a 1997 survey by the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s hard to imagine when reading the want ads, which often have high expectations for candidates with specific degrees and several years’ experience in a [...]

Mmm.. Organizational shows: watch and drool. Suddenly you find yourself grasped by the impulse to tidy your tiny world. Most of us realize that a a cluttered life can cost us money, but how can an uncluttered home put a hole in your purse? Organization is a window into a world, a world where everything [...]

Children live in a very self-centered world as they focus on learning about themselves and how the world works according to them. As they go along, learning how to mimic parents and other adults, observing behaviors through cause and effect, they learn very early about this thing called money. It seems fitting that this first [...]

I would be willing to bet that most of the people who read these blogs are pretty financial savvy — or at least are trying to be. But everyone once in a while people can get duped into spending money on something that is either a scam or simply a waste of money. I admit [...]

This morning it was 2 degrees outside when I woke up. When it’s that cold outside, most people tend to want a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate to warm them up. However, I made myself an iced latte this morning. Most people think I’m crazy for drinking iced coffee when it’s hardly holding [...]

I know many kids who grow up and go to college on their own dime, spending all their own hard earned cash for the next twenty years getting out of that debt. I also know of several kids who had a stockpile of cash they could use for tuition, even if they skipped a couple [...]

As a child, I went grocery shopping with my adult sister at a store that didn’t exist in my hometown. When she checked out, the cashier gave her a number of stamps based on how much she had spent, and she discovered that she had enough saved to treat me to a toy chosen from [...]

Other than our mortgage and utilities, the majority of our regular spending goes to consumables. It’s amazing to think how much it costs to keep our bodies fed, clean, and healthy. Penny pincher that I am, I try to squeeze every last bit out of our consumable items before I throw them away. Each little [...]

“Countercultural” is one of the last things most people would call me, but the description that fits me well. Chances are, if you are reading this article, you are countercultural, too. Living within your means and saving for the future are pretty radical ideas in our culture of easy credit and instant gratification. In addition [...]