A few weeks ago I received word of a Facebook application called Buddy Bailout. It’s a spin on the giant corporate bailouts that have happened recently, and in part it plays on people’s thinking: “Why can’t I get a bailout, too? I sure could use one.” Maybe one of that person’s friends (a) knows that … Read more
Cutting costs anywhere that makes sense adds to that budgetary cushion that can be used to pay off debt, add to an emergency fund, save for college, or anything else. One fairly easy way to do this is to reduce, or eliminate, trips to the vending machines down the hall. The markup in our building … Read more
We just had an offer accepted for a new home a couple of days ago. As such, there’s now a flurry of excitement and financial activity going on in our household now, and there will continue to be excitement even after our current house is sold. Part of this excitement involved taking the first steps … Read more
I do software development at work. A term that gets thrown around a bit is code smell. It’s a catch-all for any number of programming practices that indicate more serious underlying problems, or that indicate that quick fixes were made that will be more costly to maintain down the road. Basically, the code smells a … Read more
Getting a bolstered emergency fund is a great idea now. (It usually is, but now especially.) One way to get to a decent cushion is to spend less so that the extra can go into savings. Many kinds of expenses can be cut, but the easiest ones to eliminate are ones that you probably won’t … Read more
I tell you: It just doesn’t pay to be human anymore. Big or small. I’m well aware of how being fat costs money. But there are now rumblings on the possibility of the following: If an individual, or family, can reasonably afford health insurance, but does not get it, they face the possibility of being … Read more
Usually, a promotion at work is a good thing — more money and more prestige — but it’s not always welcome. It could infringe on family time with extra hours, or take a toll on health and well-being with added stress. Or, it could place people in hard ethical situations. What should you do if … Read more
My wife and I rode up to New York State yesterday to visit my parents. She asked me on the way up, “So what are your big plans for this long weekend?” I didn’t really know but I knew it would involve (a) seeing my three-week-old niece (who is absolutely adorable by the way); (b) … Read more