Countless employees dream of leaving behind a demanding boss, working from home, and earning a limitless income. Self-employment, however, is not the same as a life of leisure. As was already pointed out a few months ago, much of the mythos surrounding self-employment is simply mythical. Businesses that promote work from home “opportunities” thrive on [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
You may have already heard that if you bought a diamond or diamond jewelry between 1994 and 2006, you might be able to get a share of a class action settlement. Is it worth your time to submit a claim? Based on the results of past class action suits, it’s a bit of a gamble. [...]
Before money existed, people exchanged goods and services through bartering. Even after money became the logical solution to the problem of finding someone who could offer what you wanted and wanted what you had to offer, bartering remained a viable alternative way to do business. Today, as the Internet has enabled more would-be barterers to [...]
When I volunteered to send greeting cards to members of the congregation as part of our church’s “encouragement team,” the team leader told me that the church could stamp the envelopes if it was a financial hardship for my family. “We can manage it,” I said a bit sheepishly (as I do when I don’t [...]
If you have a lot of storage space, warehouse clubs, such as BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Club, can help you save some money on products you use frequently. The one we visit does not offer the best deals on every product, but we depend on it for consistently low prices (usually about 30% less than [...]
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 [...]
