Overdraft protection: when it hurts, when it helps
Now that you've graduated from school, you may find yourself acquiring not only a diploma, but also heaps of debt and a whole new set of responsibilities. Credit card payments, car insurance, utility...
View Article12 easy steps to use eBay and pay down holiday credit card debt
Our family loves the holidays, but every year after the tinsel and pine needles have been vacuumed up, we find ourselves with a couple of small problems: Too much credit card debt and a couple of...
View ArticleFrugal ways to be sexy on Valentine's Day
Plan a beautiful Valentine's Day this year but with a difference [...]
View ArticleProtecting yourself from overdraft protection: 4 steps you should take
Overdraft protection. The words sound almost comforting--like an extra layer of security around your checking account--or perhaps a safety net to catch any mistake you might make in your account...
View Article7 ways you can beat the banks and live frugally
When you sign up with a bank, you may think you're protecting your money--but in many cases, financial institutions implement fees and other charges that can chip away at your hard-earned savings. Here...
View ArticleHow to turn a vice into a vacation
Vices--habits we would like to break, but just don't. Mine was an addiction to Dr. Pepper, but once I looked at not only the health benefit of lowering my soda intake, but also the financial...
View ArticleClick, print and save: the e-coupon revolution
Join the "Extreme Couponing" TweetChat on Wed. Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific. Hosted by GetRichSlowly.org. #moolah With tough economic times, the rise of the electronic coupon has now...
View ArticleHow to teach your kids to save
As any parent who has used a variation of "Do what I say, not what I do" knows, it's hard to teach your kids a lesson if you're not following your own advice. If you're not a saver and your children...
View Article4 secrets of travel credit cards
When I first heard about credit cards with miles promotions, I figured they were a passing fad. Airlines had long offered programs for frequent fliers, allowing them to amass hundreds or thousands of...
View ArticleHow your tax withholdings can teach you the power of saving
With tax season in full swing, people from coast to coast are finding themselves either happily or unpleasantly surprised by the size of their refund. Here's a simple method to help increase the size...
View Article3 oft-overlooked ways to add savings
Though much of my life, I've had a reputation as a tight-fisted, penny-pinching pinchpenny. "The cheapest guy I ever met," is how one friend of 30 years refers to me, with just a hint of a smile...
View Article4 ways to avoid the office spending trap
A couple of years ago, my husband and I worked together at a local funeral home. Unbeknownst to me, an unexceptional weekday turned out to be "Administrative Professionals Day." I had never heard of...
View ArticleTired of extravagant birthday parties? Fight back with frugality
If you have school-aged kids, or younger, you've probably been invited to your share of birthday parties. And, the expectations seem to creep up every year. I've seen everything from fancy custom...
View ArticleDear Secret Santa: Make the holiday work expenses stop
It's still October as I write this, but the holiday onslaught at my day job has already begun with our annual Halloween potluck and gift exchange. Yes, you heard that right. We are expected to bring a...
View Article3 frugality myths that need to die
It's always been a dorky thrill of mine to find small ways to save money. Over the last several years, I've developed a workable strategy for frugal living that decreases my everyday costs, but allows...
View ArticleGive like Santa, spend like Scrooge: 4 tips
Whether we like it or not, the holidays are back. Did you miss them? It really seems like last year's shebang just ended, but yards are already filled again with Christmas light displays and blow-up...
View ArticleYou 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...
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