“Falling housing market.” “Possible recession.” “Troubled economy.” These phrases have been buzzing around lately in the media. Real estate prices were going up and many people decided to buy more house than they could afford with unconventional mortgage terms. Now the house prices are falling in many areas and people can’t keep up with their [...]
You can save a lot of money just by reading the fine print that retailers post on their websites and in their store polices. I’m embarrassed to admit that, as careful as I am with money, I didn’t really tune in to this fact until about a year ago. You usually have to look for [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
For all that I supposedly know about money and personal finance, I learned this week that there is one thing that I still don’t know. I don’t know what to say to someone whose life is in crisis due to financial problems. Because money is so private, personal and (in this country, at least, taboo), [...]
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 [...]
My husband and I recently celebrated our 2 year anniversary at the end of January. As it happened, it coincided with the aftermath of a bit too much spending at Christmas time — the dreaded credit card bills. Granted we pay our credit card bills in full each month, so when the ones from Christmas [...]
If you haven’t heard, the government is devising an “economic stimulus package” to jump start the economy. While the details aren’t yet final, it appears that the majority of American workers and retirees will be getting some rebate money from Uncle Sam. The latest figures to be tossed around are $1,000 per couple, $500 per [...]
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 [...]
Music has a profound effect on many people. A specific song can trigger long-forgotten memories and emotions or can inspire someone to make a life change — maybe proposing marriage, following a dream, entering rehab, or expressing appreciation to parents. Music is a creative way to express the thoughts and emotions dearest to our hearts. [...]
