You know you need a new car when ...
Earlier this month I celebrated (admittedly, it was a low-key affair) my car's 19th birthday. When I bought it, nine years ago, a gear-head friend sniffily observed, "Oh, it's a BMW 520i. Bit basic and...
View Article3 things to remember when your credit improves
I traveled back to my hometown for an extended holiday this winter, and it isn't a full trip home without the whole crowd of my aunts and uncles standing in coats and hats around the brick firepit...
View Article3 tips for hassle-free couponing
I used to think that couponing was complicated. Buy the newspaper, sort the coupons, keep a binder, maintain a calendar of expiration dates. Extreme couponing may be fun for some people, but I found it...
View ArticleHelping a financially troubled friend (without spending a cent)
So you've done it: Your financial life is under control. You've strengthened your finances by completing most, if not all, of these key financial tasks: Created a budget to ensure you're not spending...
View Article5 everyday ways parents can save money
According to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year, the average cost to raise a child born in 2013 to age 18 is expected to be $241,080. Government number-crunchers examined...
View ArticleBuilding a better brown-bag lunch
If you're anything like me, it's hard enough finding your way to the coffee pot in the morning -- let alone making a plan for a healthy and delicious lunch. As a result, it's easy to fall into bad...
View Article2 steps to making saving easier
It may still be early in the year, but if you're like me, you've already failed at a New Year's resolution (or five). I think one of the reasons so many resolutions fail is because they require that...
View ArticleHow to fix a broken savings strategy
The only thing that stands between me and my being a good saver is my inability to differentiate between things I want and things I need. Show me something that it would be nice to have, and I'll show...
View Article4 ways to stop a wedding invite from breaking the bank
If you're like me, you're going to be a sucker for weddings. No quantity of divorce statistics or doubts about the gene pool from which one of the happy couple was derived is going to stop me loving...
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