This article on MSN MoneyCentral puts the (usually) tried-and-true advice of buying in bulk on the chopping block, and lists fifteen things that are probably better not bought in bulk. A few of them surprised me because they were items that I thought were great to buy in bulk. I’ll reorganize the list a little … Read more
AOL and I will never, ever be BFF. They even told me so. Here’s my story, going way back to 2000. This was a time when every American’s mailbox was absolutely stuffed to the gills with AOL discs. One fine mid-Atlantic day I wanted some internet access on my computer. I knew NetZero still had … Read more
The author’s marketing firm was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of Mark Gilbert’s new book called Complicit: How Greed and Collusion Made the Credit Crisis Unstoppable. I enjoyed the book. It was well-written. (Mr. Gilbert has written a regular column for Bloomberg News for over a decade.) What this book brings to … Read more
Was chatting with a friend today who hadn’t been to a dentist in a while. His teeth are apparently a lot stronger than mine are, as he’s never had a cavity, but he’s still a little leery about going there because of what he might need to have done. Fortunately, though, we both have some … Read more
Once in a great while we really internalize something about managing money. Auctions and yard sales used to be a weakness of mine. I’d go stark-raving crazy buying up all of these bargains for (a) things I had an immediate use for, (b) things I didn’t have an immediate use for, but were such a … Read more
Our new subdivision has a lot of families with kids, which is a great thing for our five-year-old daughter. Her new playmates, of course, have lots of new toys that they’re often very happy to share. At our previous house, the owners had bought a slide and swing playset that our daughter used a fair … Read more
Who wants to be a millionaire? Well, J. Money does, for one. Not only does he have his own millionaire club with a swanky gold leafy discus logo … but he’s crunched the numbers and he thinks that it can happen on just five bucks a day. Granted, that’s $5 a day for 40 years, … Read more
People can fall into debt for any number of reasons. Sometimes it’s because of not-so-benign neglect of personal finances, and other times it’s because of a giant unexpected expense at the wrong time. After the smoke clears and cash flow is back around where it should be, it’s time to pay off the debt. Sell … Read more