Personal Finance Advice

Earth Day is coming. It’s one of those days I actually look forward to each year. While I get sick of the “greenwashing” that the big corporations engage in every year, I do enjoy some of the local celebrations at the farmer’s market. It’s also a day that reminds me to reduce, reuse, and recycle. [...]

Most people are well aware of all the common household items that can be recycled – whether by sending them off on the local recycling day or by repurposing them. However, there are plenty of items that you may own that you have never given a second thought about recycling, but you should. Here are [...]

I should probably point out right away that the subject of this article isn’t for the faint of heart. I’m sure that the idea of sorting through garbage probably conjures up some awfully nasty visions for some readers. Dumpster diving, sometimes referred to as trash trawling, is becoming more commonplace and even something of a [...]

I have to admit that I enjoy figuring out new ways to use things. I’ve never thought much of the lowly dryer sheet (sometimes referred to as a fabric softener sheet), but have come to learn that it can do a lot of wonderful things — even after it’s been used. You may be surprised [...]

Recycling can be good for both the planet and your wallet. You won’t get rich recycling, but you can earn a little extra cash and keep a lot of waste out of the landfill. So just how do you make money recycling? Simple. Every time you are about to toss an item (even if it’s [...]

Last week I was out walking my dog on trash day. As I was walking past my neighbor’s trash heap (I say heap because they always have more trash than will fit in the trash can and they just pile it up on the road), I noticed a cute wire basket that was decorated with [...]

When I was in college, my roommates and I didn’t think twice about picking sofas, coffee tables, and housewares out of other people’s trash. Don’t get grossed out. We always gave them a good scrubbing and disinfecting when we got home. We were definitely tried and true dumpster divers, mostly because we were too broke [...]

I love my blue jeans. They’re a pain to find and when I do, I pay top dollar for something that fits and isn’t too fashionable. I then wear them till they’re holding on by mere threads. I do get good use out of my jeans, but the price I end up paying after a [...]

I don’t need the media or the government to tell me that the economy is heading south. I have a foolproof barometer of economic health in my own town. It’s called the scrap heap, aka, the metal recycler. For about ten years, I’ve been collecting my aluminum cans and taking them to the scrap heap [...]

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 [...]

When people ask me about ways to save money, I give them the usual answers. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need, look for the best deal on what you do need, be conscious of your spending, etc. But I also throw in one more simple piece of advice. Don’t throw stuff away that you know [...]