Things that are good deals for one person, at one time, may be horrible deals for a different person, at a different time. Here’s how to spot the difference … When I registered MightyBargainHunter.com back in 2003, I had in mind a website that would offer up ways to buy things for less. All well … Read more
The Empowered Dollar had an enviable problem. She had enough cushion in savings for repayment of student loans. In the end, she decided to split the difference between paying off her student loans and depleting her savings. She “couldn’t bear to part with all” of her savings. For my two cents this was a very … Read more
This year has been a little tighter than usual for us financially for a number of reasons. Things aren’t at the point of desperation by any means, but we have had to answer some financial wake-up calls throughout the year. Not a full-out, kidney-stone-level emergency room visit, but more like acid indigestion. This appears in … Read more
Food is usually a substantial part of a household’s budget. Fortunately, there’s also lots of opportunity for saving money on food. The big budget-killer is usually dining out, so reducing the eating out to a minimum is low-hanging fruit. Beyond that, it’s a matter of spending time to get good deals on food and preparing … Read more
I ran across this article on MSN about retirement planning if you’re broke. There were five main suggestions in the article: Postpone pulling the trigger on Social Security payments. As in, retire later, so that your check is larger and has more room for growth. Take advantage of home equity. For reverse mortgages, and an old-age … Read more
The cost of food is a big component of a typical family’s budget. (Bad things tend to happen if you don’t eat for extended periods of time.) Fortunately, though, the food budget can offer some substantial opportunities for saving money. Typically when we think of “saving money on groceries” we think of saving money in … Read more
My friend J Money heartily disagrees that budgets are boring. I think that budgeting can be made palatable, but fun? If anyone can hit on the magic formula that makes budgeting fun, they’ll be very rich indeed. A blogging colleague was asking around on Facebook about budgeting presentations that weren’t “boring and irrelevant for 18-22 … Read more
Online retailers are kicking it up a level for Cyber Monday. One great way to take advantage of even more savings and make your holiday dollars go a little bit further is with a rebate portal like Mr. Rebates. Taking advantage of the extra savings is easy. Instead of heading to your favorite store directly, … Read more