Do-it-yourself projects are in–another result of the recession. A recent Time magazine poll found that nearly one-quarter of us are doing more home repairs ourselves rather than hiring help. The downside is that emergency room doctors are treating more people hurt during home repair projects gone wrong
Author Archive | Matt Bell
Curbing Your Enthusiasm to Spend
Spending money wisely takes more than a budget and a stack of coupons. It takes some self-knowledge. A good article on Oprah.com highlighted several ways to keep our emotions from trashing our finances. For example, researchers have found that when we run up big tabs on a single trip to a single store, which can […]
Is Frugality Fading?
Frugality has been all the rage during the recession. But now there’s some evidence that our money-saving ways may be going by the wayside. A CNN.com story noted that the personal savings rate dipped in June after several months of strong growth. And, while an HSBC survey found that 85 percent of people have modified […]
Energy Saving Facts and Fiction
When it comes to saving energy, there are some confusing and conflicting ideas out there. A recent Associated Press story sought to sort out fact from fiction. For example, do computer screen savers save energy? No. Sleep mode, which uses about 70 percent less energy, is a better choice if you’re not going to be […]
Teaching Kids About Money
Most kids have piggy banks – 85 percent of children ages 8-14, according to a new survey from T. Rowe Price. However, in many cases whatever money is going into those piggy banks is coming out just as quickly. More than 40 percent of parents who give their kids an allowance say it’s all gone […]
How Outlet Malls Promote Overspending
Outlet malls may not be the money-savers they appear to be. As noted on Consumerist.com, the new book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, describes manufacturers’ suggested retail prices, against which the outlet store prices are compared, as “often fabricated to give consumers the impression that they are getting bargains.” The book also notes […]
Putting Your Money Where Your Values Are
Have you ever taken the time to see what companies your mutual funds are invested in? And do you know what businesses those companies are involved in? According to a U.S. News & World Report article, such concerns have fueled the rapid growth of socially responsible investing (SRI). Numerous SRI mutual funds are now available […]
The Give and Take of Credit Card Fees
American Express and Discover will soon stop fining cardholders for going over their credit limit, an early result of new legislation designed to limit such fees. However, American Express plans to raise its late fees. And Consumer Reports revealed another way that American Express plans to replace its lost over-limit fee income: holders of American […]
Choosing What to Take In
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 Right after our five-year-old watches a DVD, he’s often eager to act out whatever he saw. If there was singing on the DVD, he […]
Don’t Get Taken for a Fee Ride
It wasn’t long ago that banks would not allow debit card transactions to go through if you didn’t have enough money in your checking account. But then they discovered how profitable it could be to allow such transactions and then hit you with an overdraft fee. Such fees will total an estimated $38.5 billion this […]