In our world of electronic gadgetry, the old-fashioned jigsaw puzzle gets short shrift. It’s not sexy or exciting, some think, so it can’t possibly be any fun. But jigsaw puzzles are a great source of frugal entertainment. As you pass the jigsaw puzzles in the toy department on the way to the more glamorous Lego’s, [...]
Many of us own or want to own toys. Campers, boats, jet skis, snowmobiles, ATV’s and classic cars are just a few of the toys that grown ups aspire to own. Many people, when considering the purchase of such items, only look at the cost of the item. They say, “Well, that used boat is [...]
People often wonder why I don’t embrace technology more than I do. I use computers for my work and I have to keep those up to date. But I don’t own a smart phone. My phone is stupid and used only for talking. I’ve given up on video games. I don’t have an iPad. I [...]
The movie, “Pretty Woman” came out when I was in college and it remains one of my favorites to this day. On the surface, the movie is about a prostitute (Vivian, played by Julia Roberts)) who finds the man of her dreams (Edward, played by Richard Gere) on one of her “dates” and they live [...]
We often think of hobbies as expensive, and some are. If you want to raise horses, collect antique cars, take up drag racing, or own your own plane to indulge your passion for flying, you’re going to pay a lot of money. However, there are plenty of hobbies available that are free or inexpensive. With [...]
This Week’s Money Tip: Visiting Las Vegas for a few days to see a friend made it readily apparent that hotels here have found a wonderful way to make their hotel prices seem much less expensive than they really are. Hidden fees come in all shapes in sizes. Most people are aware of the hidden [...]
I used to have a bad TV habit. A really bad TV habit. There were the daily prime-time shows during the week that I began watching as soon as I got home, and then sports the entire weekend. It never occurred to me that there could be a life without TV. It was just the [...]
Entertainment is a large category in many people’s budgets. We all want to have fun, after all, with what limited downtime we have after work and chores are completed. The problem is that, “entertainment” money is easy to waste on things that have little lasting value. Now, by lasting value I don’t mean that something [...]
I don’t go to the movies that often, but when I do I’m reminded that it’s not only the movies themselves that can teach lessons about money. Sometimes you can learn about money simply by going to the theater and paying attention to the whole experience. Here are some money lessons that you might pick [...]
When most people think about New Year financial resolutions, they think about tackling those difficult issues that they know that they should be doing, but have been avoiding because they know working on them is going to take time, effort and probably a little pain. Get rid of the credit card debt. Reduce costs. Make [...]
