You’re in a store looking at TVs or T-shirts or tea bags. The price looks good, but is it really? The answer may be a quick text message away. As noted in a Real Simple article, send a text message to Google at 466453 (“Google” on most devices), type “price,” and then enter the name […]
Author Archive | Matt Bell
Fresh Foods for Less
Doesn’t it seem expensive to eat well? Everything from hormone-free milk to pesticide-free potatoes cost more. But if you know where to look and when, you can buy fresh, chemical-free food without breaking the bank. That’s the theme of an article from The Simple Dollar, which provides helpful links for finding nearby farmers’ markets, knowing […]
Diet Is Not a Four-Letter Word
A new weight loss study shows the power of tracking what we do – a lesson applicable for anyone wanting to use money more effectively as well. The research, conducted by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research and described in a U.S. News & World Report article, followed nearly 1,700 overweight people as they […]
A Dream (and Many Prayers) Come True
I don’t usually use this space for promotional purposes, but I’m making an exception to announce that NavPress will soon publish my first book, “Money, Purpose, Joy.” The book is about clarifying what’s most important in life–understanding what makes our lives meaningful and joyful–and then allowing those priorities to guide our use of money. I’ve […]
Upcycling – the Next Generation of Recycling
Today, there’s a lot of stuff that can be recycled–newspapers, magazines, bottles, cans, plastics. But there’s a lot of other stuff, especially newfangled containers such as juice pouches, the cellophane-type material that encases packages of cookies, and energy bar wrappers, that can’t be recycled. Until now. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, a company […]
A Credit Score Primer
Checking your credit report may seem about as exciting as flossing your teeth, but it’s important to your financial health. Syndicated personal finance writer Gregory Karp devoted three recent columns to the topic, reminding us of some of the basics and adding some helpful tips. The basics include making sure to order your free credit […]
A Mysterious, Maddening Law of Economics
The Wall Street Journal recently reported on the “insidious and unforgiving Law of Household Economics.” Don’t remember this one from Econ 101? It goes like this: “For every financial windfall that comes into your home, there will be an equal, unexpected household cost.” The article’s author recited several first-hand experiences, such as the garage sale […]
Yes, You CAN Get Out of Debt
“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” – Matthew 5:37 “Yes” is one of the most powerful words in our vocabulary. I’m not talking about the easy yes spoken to a waiter offering us dessert. I’m talking about the yes of commitment. It’s the yes spoken on an altar – “To have […]
Competition for Craigslist
Craigslist has enjoyed a virtual monopoly in the free online classified ad industry. However, Time magazine reports that there are now two competitors–Kijiji (the Swahili word for “village”) and Oodle. Both are trying to steal share from Craigslist by making their sites easier to navigate. Oodle puts a Google map next to each listing so […]
Cracking the Code on LifeLock
By now you’ve seen the commercial in which Todd Davis gives you his Social Security number. He’s one of the founders of LifeLock, a company that offers to protect you from identity theft for a monthly fee of about $10. A New York Times article noted that while the company has lined up more than […]