Text to Save
Texting is usually seen as a high cost item, with teens sending their families off the financial cliff with their constant missives about what to wear and who said what. However, a new study reported on by the Wall Street Journal found that texting can be an effective way to foster increased savings. In three […]
Smart Shopping at the Grocery Store
For most families, the grocery store is one of the most frequently visited retail stores. That’s why it’s so important to be proactive in spending wisely when doing what can feel like a routine chore. As pointed out on MSNBC recently, “Marketers have put more thought into grocery stores than any other type of store […]
Christmas Sanity
December is right around the corner, and if you don’t plan ahead one of the most meaningful holidays could easily turn into one of the most stressful and costly times of year. Fortunately, lots of holiday-smart articles are filling the blogosphere these days, offering good reminders like the importance of setting and sticking to a […]
Clutter is Money
Clutter can either cost us money in the form of wasted time spent searching for stuff or it can generate money when we put some of our unused stuff up for sale. A helpful article on Mainstreet.com offered several good ideas and web sites for organizing, repurposing, or selling our stuff. Among the recommended sites […]
One-Stop Deal Shopping
An ever-expanding number of web sites offer coupons, coupons codes, and other ways to get the best deals. Now, the company behind the Ask.com search engine has rolled out a deal aggregator called Ask Deals. The one-stop shop for deal seekers taps 40 coupon sites, online promotions, store circulars, message boards, blogs, and more. To […]
Your Life is an Open Book
It sounds like a horrific scene out of some sci-fi movie set decades down the road – lots of computer databases filled with lots of information about…you! But it’s not some fictionalized account of the future; it’s today’s reality. As described in Consumer Reports, information about your use of credit, insurance claims, medical history, and […]
The Wisdom of Waiting
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently before him.” – Psalm 37:7 Have you ever seen an advertisement that included these words: “Think about it for a while before making a decision to buy this item”? Or, “Sleep on it and come back when you’re good and ready to make a wise decision.” Of […]
The Hard Lessons of a College Education
Student loan defaults are rising, according to an article in the Washington Post. A quarter of a million student loans went into default in the Education Department’s most recent period. Some blame high interest rates on student loans. However, a survey by student loan provider Sallie Mae and Gallup identified another factor in the high […]
Money Market Funds Lose Insurance Protection
A temporary program insuring money market funds has expired. However, according to an article in on Kiplinger.com, there’s not much reason to worry about the safety of money invested in such funds. The insurance program was put in place last fall after the Reserve Primary Fund “broke the buck” – that is, the fund’s investment […]
Financial Stress Cutting Into Sleep Time
Money matters are still keeping a lot of us up at night, but a new survey from Harris Interactive and Principal Financial Group also contained a few slivers of positive news. As reported by U.S. News & World Report, inflation is the top concern among retirees, keeping nearly 40 percent from getting a good night’s […]