I was in town (Fredericksburg, VA) early enough today that I was able to hit a couple of pawn shops and three thrift stores. If you know what the price of things are, these can be places for incredible bargains. My favorite pawn shop so far is Spotsylvania Gold and Pawn. Courteous staff, great deals, … Read more
My wife pulled out this article from this month’s Reader’s Digest (eBay) called “Married, With Money.” The article is in the Money Talks column and is authored by Maria Bartiromo. I’ve heard this a gazillion times, but the number one thing that married couples butt heads with is money. We used to fight more about … Read more
My daughter likes to reach for the phone when my wife is talking. Especially when she hears my voice over the speakerphone. (Hey — she doesn’t know any better yet!) So we got her her own phone so that she could talk just like Mommy and Daddy. My wife was looking for an inexpensive phone … Read more
Mary Rowland’s article on MSN.com called “10 Steps to Debt Freedom” has some solid advice and concrete actions for killing the debt dragons that may be smoking up your personal finances. The ones that are especially good: Figure out how much you owe. Where are you now? It’s hard to know where you’re going if … Read more
401(k)s are employer retirement programs that allow money to be invested pre-tax, and allow interest to accrue tax-free until withdrawal. There are federal, and sometimes company, limits on how much can be contributed in one year. Companies also may match some of the contributed dollars, but usually not all. Which brings me to my question: … Read more
We had been pricing a newer TV and VCR for our living room. Our VCRs had pretty much bitten the dust, and our TV was a hand-me-down from my parents and mid-80s vintage, so it didn’t tune all of the cable channels (only 50 or 60) without the VCR. Our other TV tuned all of … Read more
I need to come to grips with this. Being a customer at a thrift store doesn’t entitle you to world-class service. You get the impression that they’re doing you a big favor by being open, and you had better follow their rules and accept their brusque “customer service.” Auctions: Sold as-is, where-is, no refunds, lug … Read more
We’ve gotten photo cards from several people for Christmas. We (actually, my wife!) made our own this year at a cost of under 50 60 cents apiece, including postage! She took a picture of our daughter (which wasn’t a chore for either of them — my daughter loves the camera). She draped a dark piece … Read more