Getting Started – $aving Money Tip$

On any given day, you could end up on the wrong end of a moving school bus. So why not live for today and spend your money freely? Photo: b3d_ Yesterday, I was up on top of my garage roof removing some of the cables from our winter decorations. I could have fallen off the roof and died. Today, when I ate breakfast, there was a chance I could have choked on a bite of my scrambled eggs and died. Tomorrow, I could get nailed by a runaway school bus – multiple bus routes run by our house – and die. Given that money really has no use to me after I die – after all, I can’t use it – and given that there

Financial & Investment Tips

admin May 22, 2015 Getting Started

Sometimes

Sometimes, you need to take a young child shopping, and it might throw off your list and your meal plan. But overspending by $20 doesn’t mean you’re a financial failure – it means you’re human. Photo: Quinn Dombrowski Most of the time, I have my financial house in pretty good shape. I follow my well-planned grocery list at the grocery store. I don’t spend much money on stuff I don’t need. I keep us on track with our family’s budget. I don’t spoil my children with expensive stuff or experiences. I save plenty for an early retirement and maybe for a new house in the country. I enjoy the free things in the community and in my home. I

Financial & Investment Tips

admin May 20, 2015 Frugality, Getting Started

Is Time Economy a Good Justification for Wasting Money?

When you factor in the cost of your time, is it still cheaper to make chicken alfredo at home than to order it at Olive Garden? Photo: Olive Garden The other day, I had a great conversation with a reader who wrote in to discuss why I advocate the value of maintaining your stuff, cooking at home, and other such things that require some effort but save significant money in the long run. His argument primarily revolved around the idea of time economy or opportunity cost. Basically, his idea was that it’s often worth paying others to do simple tasks for you, like maintaining your car or cooking your meal, because it saves you time. In some situations, I agree with him. Much of modern life

Financial & Investment Tips

admin May 17, 2015 Frugality, Getting Started

Financial Advice That Needs to Die

Should you spend a whopping two months’ salary on an engagement ring? That depends on whether you listen to your own instincts, or a global jewelry company’s marketing department. Photo: Mary McCartney/DeBeers via Facebook Recently, one of my friends was curtain shopping when she received some pretty crazy advice from a friendly store employee. “You should expect to spend around 5{7dabfd103aa443fce219eea47f0f346a11a54ce587a1a0cbb74f06b9f7a304ca} of your home’s value on curtains and draperies,” the saleswoman explained as she sauntered around the sales floor. Of course, my friend balked at the idea. Not only is spending that much money on curtains absolutely absurd, but it is also highly unrealistic. Where we live, you can get a really nice four-bedroom home for $200,000, throw a few Wal-Mart