We usually fill up our Town and Country at about 1/4 tank, and our fill-ups were running in the mid-$20s for a while. I had made a mental note that gas would be “expensive” when my fill-up cost over $30. Today I hit $29.98 with almost 15 gallons. Gas was $2.019/gallon. People from outside the … Read more
I’m going to be participating in a church yard sale this weekend, so I got some rolled change from my credit union. The credit union’s policy is to accept rolled coins if the account number of the depositor is written on them. They usually do a “length check” to judge whether the roll is full … Read more
This insurance is sometimes thrown in by the seller in a real estate purchase contract. It protects the buyer from unexpected repair costs in their new home for a period of time — typically one year after purchase. Repairs on most major systems in the house (heat, air conditioning, septic, etc.) and most major appliances … Read more
In case you’re not familiar with the term, “sniping” an auction refers to holding off a bid until the last minutes of the auction. Essentially, you come out of nowhere with your bid to try to win the item. Sniping makes good sense for the buyer. Bidding early, on the other hand, is good for … Read more
“Nectar from the bean of life,” as a friend from church calls it. Like any fix, it can be a budget drain. Richard Bach makes this caffeinated wealth leak a cornerstone of his Automatic Millionaire program — called the Latte Factor™. Buying a cup of joe on the run every day translates directly to hundreds … Read more
Pay for gas with a debit card without entering your PIN, and the station may put a hold of $75 on your account for several days — without your knowledge or permission — resulting possibly in bounced checks or refused charges: Hosed at the Gas Pump — By Your Debit Card (Christopher Solomon) The main … Read more
Lots of personal finance experts recommend tracking everything you spend for a certain period of time — usually a month — as a way of benchmarking your spending habits. One thing that can derail this exercise is making things too complicated or detailed every day. If it isn’t easy, you won’t do it. I certainly … Read more
A friend at work scouts Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, etc. for deals on consumer electronics. These deals often have rebates attached to them. For high-dollar rebates, he always keeps records of his submissions. He has fought back and won at least once. The amount of the rebate was $60. “You’d better believe I’d call … Read more