Barter, verb: to exchange in trade, as one commodity for another.
When we were kids, we all did it without a second thought. We would trade our marbles or pencils or troll dolls. We’d trade our sandwich for his cookies. We’d offer up those things we didn’t want or value as much for those that we did. But then we grew up, got allowances and then jobs, and we started trading our cash for everything we wanted instead of our devalued stuff. [Read more →]
The cost of communication can be remarkably high these days. Many US households have both landline and wireless phones, often duplicating services and the charges for them. It’s time to take a long hard look at what you’re paying for, decide if you really need it, and determine who is the best provider for what you need. [Read more →]
Have you ever thought about the fee they take with that cash withdrawal in terms of the percentage of the transaction? Most people don’t. Folks pay $2 or $3 and think nothing of it. But if you’re getting $10 out of the ATM and you pay a $3 fee for it, you just paid 30% for getting YOUR OWN MONEY. And unless you’re lucky enough to bank where they will reimburse you those fees, you’ll never get that money back. [Read more →]
So, is the price of membership at Sam’s Club or BJ’s or Costco worth it? Do you really save enough to warrant spending that $40-50? The truth is, it depends on you.
The mantra of the “green” folk (those who are focused on a sustainable world) is “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. I’ve seen and heard these three words for more than 20 years. And in various ways, I’ve made them a part of my life. The concept here is to first reduce, then reuse, then recycle. This helps to break the cycle whereby we produce lots of disposable goods that are ultimately destined for the landfill. So let’s look at this three-word philosophy word by word. [Read more →]
Back in 2006, the mega-retailer Wal-Mart abolished their layaway program, prompting many to claim the death knell had rung for that type of buy-on-time purchase. Two years later, layaway is looking pretty good, especially to K-Mart which has a new ad campaign promoting their program. Don’t look to Wal-Mart to jump back on this bandwagon; they won’t.
Why would retailers kill layaway? [Read more →]
It may be Halloween, but if you haven’t been saving money for your holiday season purchases, you’re really going to be in for a scare. The current economy has made planning and preparing before the “big day” oh so much more crucial.
I’m always amazed when I meet people who somehow manage to forget for the first ten months of the year that there’s this big expensive event coming in December. [Read more →]
I wish I could think of myself as a “homeowner”. That’s the label that supposedly fits, but the truth is that the bank that loaned us the money is who owns our house. One day, we will have paid off the loan and will truly own our home. And with some good money management, that day is drawing closer every month.
This is a quick tip to add to all the other advice being passed about on how to reduce your gasoline usage, like consolidating your trips and planning your route to reduce and eliminate the number of stops.
When driving on highways or interstates, stick to a maximum speed of 60 to 65 MPH.