My stumbleupon button had been sorely neglected for quite a while, and I hit upon this older article on Wise Bread that dares us to take the boring challenge. Sounds fun? Not in the slightest? Yeah, it really doesn’t sound that much fun to listen to the radio instead of downloading MP3s, or heading to … Read more
Financial windfalls, planned or otherwise, are almost always welcome additions to the family budget. (No doubt they’re preferable to large unexpected expenses!) Whether those financial windfalls are spent or saved wisely, though, is an entirely different matter. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to put these windfalls to effective use. Here are two simple but broad … Read more
Nine short days to the federal tax filing deadline on April 18th, 2011. This year, Uncle Sam has a $6,500 tax credit in store for those of us who bought a new home during the first part of 2010 after having lived in another home for a while. The instructions to Form 5405 call a … Read more
Most everyone knows that regular brushing and flossing helps to prevent cavities and more expensive restorations. Ounce of prevention and all that. There are so many benefits to having a healthy set of teeth that it’s difficult to argue against brushing. But here’s a different question. Do you know how to brush your teeth correctly? … Read more
Saw this question over at the Money Stack exchange site: Bigger mortgage downpayment vs. paying extra on the first regular payment? It’s a great question with a slightly non-intuitive answer. A number of things determine how much interest is paid on a mortgage: What the mortgage rate is.Obviously the lower the average rate over the … Read more
Let’s face it. Mortgages are beasts. A mortgage is the largest loan that people are likely to take out in their lifetimes. They’re also very expensive to acquire. Most of the closing costs that are paid by the borrower are largely for the benefit of the lender. The appraisal fee protects the lender’s judgment that … Read more
Allowances for children are a tricky matter. Whether to tie allowances to chores or not is just one question to consider. I still don’t think there’s one right answer but that doesn’t stop people from taking a stand. One of Gary North’s articles today (in his members’ section) has this headline: “Do You Pay Your … Read more
In my review of Jeff Yeager’s The Cheapskate Next Door, one of the points in that book that hit me squarely in the eyes was his distinction between “cheapskate” (meaning someone who’s frugal, and proud of it) with “bargain hunter” (people who enjoy ferreting out deals and buying for less). He claims that there’s a … Read more