I’ve reached a point in my financial life where I tend to analyze everything to death. It’s not just because of the money, either, although that’s a big part of it. My small house only has so much space, so I’m constantly thinking, “Do I really need/want this?” Not only that, I have several longer-term [...]
Many people often pay their bills while grumbling about how much they have to pay. It’s true that many services are very overpriced, but what most people don’t realize is that some of these services can easily be lowered. Sometimes all you have to do is make a phone call to the customer service department [...]
When I was in college and, later, working my first jobs, I never had a regular schedule. The jobs I had back then were either temporary or service oriented. Sometimes I’d work nights, sometimes days, and sometimes both. I worked holidays, weekends, and other times when no one else could or would work. It wasn’t [...]
Christmas is a time for giving, and it’s easy to get caught up in the spirit. Giving feels so good that it can easily result in overspending and sometimes stretching your credit to the limit. That means you might spend several months after the Holidays just taking care of debts you built up while the [...]
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the latest social media sensation called Pinterest. It’s a big virtual bulletin board where users can post pictures of just about anything and group them into collections like, “Things I love,” “Books to Read,” and “Things I’m passionate about.” While I’m not on Pinterest [...]
A friend of mine recently went to the doctor for her annual physical. Her blood pressure was on the high side, so the doctor trotted out the prescription pad and wrote her a prescription for a blood pressure lowering drug. He didn’t offer any other suggestions or advice, just the scrip and a push out [...]
It should go without saying that you should treat everyone you interact with during the day with respect and consideration even if there weren’t any benefit to doing so. It’s simply the nice (and right) thing to do. The fact is, however, that being considerate to others can often result in you saving money. Here [...]
I and other financial writers often tell people to ask for discounts, particularly on large ticket items, because you just never know when a retailer might be willing to cut you a break. Many people are reluctant to try it, however. Some are afraid of being embarrassed and some think it just won’t work. The [...]
It’s an easy trap to fall into. Your friends have cool stuff. You buy cool stuff. Before you realize it, you’re surrounded by the latest and greatest model of everything and working 3 jobs to pay for it all. The easiest way to stop the madness is to recognize the signs and break the cycle [...]
Years ago when I was first thinking about self-employment, one thing scared me above all others. Taxes. It sounds silly, but I was terrified of screwing it all up and ending up in jail. Estimated taxes, quarterly payments, and self-employment deductions freaked me out so badly that it almost seemed better to stay employed with [...]
