Housing is most people’s biggest expense. That’s why, of all of the expenses we each have, it’s essential to get our housing costs right. It’s one of the most important keys to being able to be generous, save and invest adequately, and live with financial margin and peace of mind. Here’s how to spend smart […]
With tuition costs soaring and the stock market not exactly helping those who’ve been saving for their kids’ education bills, some parents are getting creative in paying for college. With three sons fast approaching college age and not a lot of money set aside for their expenses, Greg and his wife began entertaining the idea […]
As I’ve shared in the past, I’m not the handiest homeowner on the block. But even I can change a furnace filter. And now that we’ve had to switch our thermostat to “heat,” my money-centered mind has turned its attention toward finding the best deals on filters. In our home, we’re a little fanatical about […]
There are tons of great personal finance articles on the web. Here’s my highly subjective list of 10 of the best from recent weeks – 5 from traditional sites, 5 from blogs. How Die-Hard Couponers Do It (via CNNMoney). Feel like you’re missing out because you’ve read about the coupon pros who by $1,000 of […]
A home is typically a person’s largest expense, which is why it’s so important to choose well when buying a house. And there’s a lot more to it than choosing what type of countertops to get. From a financial standpoint, it means buying a home you can truly afford and getting the right mortgage at […]
One of the key challenges to eating healthy is doing so without breaking the household bank. That’s because eating healthy means not only eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, it means choosing organic food. Add food inflation to the mix and it’s easy to conclude that you can either spend smart or eat healthy – […]
For many families, food is one of their largest expense categories. And you’ve no doubt noticed that food prices have been on the rise. It’s obvious to me that there are fewer discounted items at the grocery store these days. And, when I reached for a can of one of my favorite brands of coffee […]
Your credit score plays an important role in determining whether you will qualify for a mortgage and, if so, at what interest rate. On a $200,000 mortgage, for example, someone with a good score (760 or higher) will pay nearly $200 less per month than a person with a bad score (639 or lower). You […]
Homes and cars are typically two of the biggest expenses for most people. With a house, just think of the mortgage, the property taxes, and the insurance. With a vehicle, even if you don’t have a loan, just think of today’s mortgage-like fuel expenses and the insurance. But wait. I missed something. Did you notice? […]
With the school season coming to an end, a parent’s thoughts quickly turn to, “what are we going to do with the kids all summer?” Fortunately, lots of movie theaters offer discounted tickets to G- and PG-rated movies. There used to be a tradition of offering free kids’ movies in the summer, with theaters trying […]
