Tips to Keep Your Holidays Debt and Stress Free

November 30, 2012

As I write this, it’s only a month before Christmas and all I’ve seen and heard today are ads about Black Friday & Cyber Monday.  I have to admit that it makes me not want to shop at all this year!  (If you’re on my Christmas list, you might want to read another planner’s blog this week!)  Continue reading “Tips to Keep Your Holidays Debt and Stress Free”

6 Ways to Save on Your Thanksgiving Celebrations

November 14, 2012

Now that Halloween is behind us, it’s time to gear up financially for the holidays right around the corner, the first of which is Thanksgiving. It can be very easy to let costs spiral out of control when planning your Turkey Day feast – but remember, holiday shopping will be here before you know it. Continue reading “6 Ways to Save on Your Thanksgiving Celebrations”

Work More, Stress Less?

November 09, 2012

In several of my recent conversations with employees of companies that have access to our financial helpline, I have talked to people about their monthly budget.  Often, the line between success and failure for their monthly budget has been a matter of a few hundred dollars per month.  In a good month, they have $100-$200 in excess cash flow.  But…it seems like there is NEVER a good month and there are ALWAYS extra expenses.  A car breaks down, kids get sick and need to see the doctor and get a prescription or there is some other expense that blows up the monthly budget. For people who are in this situation, there are a few things you can do to make it more manageable and reduce the stress level of the situation.  The cumulative level of stress was very evident in their voices, and the reason they called the financial helpline was to find a solution to their budget issues but also to drastically reduce the daily level of stress. Continue reading “Work More, Stress Less?”

Is Your Budget Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?

October 12, 2012

I talk to a lot of people about their cash flow, budgeting, and debt and when we dive into the details of their monthly cash flow, we tend to look for relatively easy ways to trim spending.  We will look at things like keeping vs. ditching a land line, cutting back on the premium movie channels, and cooking more and going out to eat less.  These are all worthy pursuits and can all lower your monthly cash outflow for years to come.  But I’ll put them in the “micro” budgeting category.  Micro budgeting can save money, for sure.  But is it possible to make an even bigger impact on your budget?  Continue reading “Is Your Budget Penny Wise and Pound Foolish?”

How Buying a Video Game System Could Save Me Money

September 28, 2012

My kids always laugh at me when talking about video games.  Apparently, I’m the only dad that they know who does not own a video game system.  All of their friends have dads who play video games with their kids and when they are talking about “leveling up” or some new “zone” or “world,” I have absolutely no idea what they mean.  I’m a big fan of doing things with them that don’t involve video game consoles.   In fact, I haven’t played video games since Atari was “the” game system.  But, unbeknownst to my kids, that may be changing in the near future.  Continue reading “How Buying a Video Game System Could Save Me Money”

Don’t Hate Your Customer Loyalty Program – Tips to Make Them Work For You Without Having to Endure a Million Annoying Emails

September 24, 2012

I am not sure why my friend Diane went off on a rant against loyalty discount programs and I am also not quite sure why she ranted to me.  She knows I am a blogger so I think her comments are fair game to quote, especially since she emailed them to me – like at the police station how they take your fingerprints from the soda can to incriminate you because you drank it in public.  I am using the same logic by publishing her comments. Here is what Diane had to say about customer loyalty programs: Continue reading “Don’t Hate Your Customer Loyalty Program – Tips to Make Them Work For You Without Having to Endure a Million Annoying Emails”

How I Saved Money on Some Normally Big Ticket Items

September 14, 2012

I was looking at Facebook a few days ago because I got a notification that my daughter had posted a few hundred pictures and I wanted to see what they were.  She’s a pretty talented photographer already at age 16 and some of her photos make me see something I’ve seen a million times in a completely different light.  As a guy with absolutely ZERO artistic talent, I am amazed by those who do have talent in that area.  It makes me wonder if I’m really her father, because I can’t even draw a recognizable stick figure, but I guess that’s a topic better suited for Jerry Springer than for a financial blog, huh? Continue reading “How I Saved Money on Some Normally Big Ticket Items”

5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste in Your Household

September 12, 2012

If you’re like the average American, nearly $500 of your hard-earned money goes down the drain annually because of wasted food. $500 a year would go a long way toward shoring up your retirement savings or even paying down your credit card debt. Continue reading “5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste in Your Household”

Get Them In Before They Age Them Out

September 12, 2012

Last week we took our daughter, Rachel, to the dentist for her bi-annual cleaning. Originally, she was scheduled to go in last April, but Rachel had a conflict with a soccer game so her mom decided to cancel it. Rachel’s name was added to the cancellation list, and for the last five months, the dentist’s office has been calling whenever there has been a cancellation to try and get her in. Normally, we would try to get Rachel in as soon as possible, but each time they called to schedule the appointment they would give us a time during school hours, and Susan and I saw no reason to remove her from class just to have her teeth cleaned. Continue reading “Get Them In Before They Age Them Out”

Why I Avoid Car Dealerships

September 05, 2012

Every once in a while, Susan and I will receive something in the mail telling us that there has been an automotive recall and that we need to take our vehicle to the nearest dealership so that they can correct a problem. We received just such a notice recently telling us of a defect in the airbag system that was causing some airbags to deploy when they were otherwise not supposed to. Naturally, this caused great concern, so we immediately called the local car dealership to schedule a time to drop off our vehicle in order to have the problem corrected. Continue reading “Why I Avoid Car Dealerships”

Why My Employer Should Pay For My iPad

August 29, 2012

Yes, it’s true. I’ve finally come over to the dark side and purchased an iPad. One of the reasons it has taken me so long is because of how expensive they are.  That said, I think I have discovered a way to justify the expense. One of the biggest hang ups I have about blogging is the amount of time I spend writing them. I’m a little slow at typing, so it usually takes me several hours a week to push one out, but with the help of my new iPad, I’ve figured out a way to do the same amount of work in about half the time. Here’s how it works. Continue reading “Why My Employer Should Pay For My iPad”

When It Comes To Your Money, Be Assertive.

August 22, 2012

I was proud of my wife the other day for the way she handled an issue that arose with the children’s school bus.  You see, our high schooler, Rachel, and our middle schooler, David, ride the bus to school together.  They have to walk several blocks down the street to get to their stop. Granted, it’s not the two mile walk I had to make when I was their age, but my wife took issue with them walking so far when there is a stop right on our corner for the elementary school children, who are picked up earlier in the morning.  Rachel and David walk right past it on the way to their stop. There are four other middle school children who ride with them and do the same thing.  There used to be children who lived further down the street and got the bus at the corner further down the road, but those children have grown up and moved away so it is just the six kids from our street who are picked up there now. Well, after watching this for a week and a half and griping about how ridiculous it was for them to walk so far, Susan decided to call the school and ask if they could get the stop changed to our corner. Continue reading “When It Comes To Your Money, Be Assertive.”

What To Know If You’re Considering Bankruptcy

August 16, 2012

In his blog post last week, Michael Smith wrote about a woman who was able to overcome tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt by giving up a variety of comforts, working a second job, and even having her friends host a local fund raiser on her behalf. When Michael last spoke to her, she was only 3 months away from paying off all the debt. This is a truly inspiring story about what can be achieved through sheer willpower and determination. Continue reading “What To Know If You’re Considering Bankruptcy”

Usain Bolt Won Olympic Gold Because Someone Was Chasing Him – Who is Chasing You to Meet Your Goals?

August 13, 2012

If you saw the Olympic 100 meter sprint final in men’s track, the “world’s fastest man” race, you saw two Jamaican runners cross the finish line one right after the other.  When I watched from my TV at home, I saw their bodies holding steady and their feet in a blur like the roadrunner cartoon.  They were running so fast, my eyes couldn’t keep up with the pace and those neon yellow green tennis shoes just looked like big glowing circles to me.  Usain Bolt defended his title in the race with 9.63 seconds and won gold but he was followed closely by his team mate Yohan Blake at 9.75 seconds said, “When you are sleeping, I’m working. I’m toiling through the night.” Continue reading “Usain Bolt Won Olympic Gold Because Someone Was Chasing Him – Who is Chasing You to Meet Your Goals?”

A “Financial Meterorite” Doesn’t Necessarily Mean the End of the World

August 10, 2012

My friends have told me for a long time that I just might be one of the nerdiest, geekiest people they know.  I’m starting to believe that they might just have a point.  I was absolutely fascinated earlier this week (who says fascinated anymore?) when I read a story about a massive meteorite crater that was found in the Canadian Arctic.  Somewhere between 130 million and 350 million years ago (when I was a young man according to my children) a meteorite crashed into Earth and left a crater that is 15 miles wide.  15 MILES!!!!  That thing came falling out of the sky at a ridiculous rate of speed and created a huge dent in the Earth’s surface.  There was also one found earlier this summer that was 62 miles wide and 3 billion years old.  The photos of these craters are absolutely amazing.  When you think about how something falling out of the sky, completely unexpected, can have significant disruption to the Earth’s surface, it reminds me of some of the stories I’ve heard from people about how they’ve rebounded from severe “financial meteorites”. Continue reading “A “Financial Meterorite” Doesn’t Necessarily Mean the End of the World”

How to Eat Fresher, Healthier, and Cheaper

August 08, 2012

It’s common knowledge how good fresh farm produce is compared to what you get in the grocery store, but growing up in New York City, I apparently never had learned it.  For years, I used to pass by a crowded local farmers’ market, usually wondering why people would stop there to buy produce when the grocery store carried more variety and offered one-stop shopping, sometimes at cheaper prices.  Continue reading “How to Eat Fresher, Healthier, and Cheaper”

Financial Lessons from Olympic Volleyball Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings

August 06, 2012

“We can do better” was the phrase I heard in an athlete’s interview. Surprisingly, the words came out of the mouth of three time Olympic volleyball player and two time gold medalist, Kerri Walsh Jennings.   Kerri and her partner, Misty May-Treanor, have never even lost one set in two Olympics games – Athens in 2004 and Bejing in 2008 – and they are working toward their third in London.  So when I heard the phrase from Kerri, I wondered, how can you do better than never losing a match?  How can you do better than gold? How can you do better than being the best in the world? Continue reading “Financial Lessons from Olympic Volleyball Gold Medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings”

Ladies: A Fun Way To Save Money on Clothes —a High Tech Wardrobe Capsule

July 23, 2012

Engaging your emotional self (or inner child) when it comes to managing your cash flow will make the difference between making or breaking your budget. We all know rationally what is good for us – like eating an apple instead of a cookie.  We know we “should” reach for the apple but our emotional self wants the cookie and a battle ensues. Continue reading “Ladies: A Fun Way To Save Money on Clothes —a High Tech Wardrobe Capsule”