I have a friend who is in the middle of a huge DIY project. It involves an entire house that's being gutted, rooms being rebuilt, things installed everywhere. She ran into a bit of a snag with a floor: a certain brand of floor (we won't mention) ended up not being great (due to poor quality control) and she's sending it back. She asked for ideas on what to do next. I … [Read more...]
Back of the Envelope Obamacare Math
How's Obamacare working for you? Here's Darnell's experience... If you remember our friend Darnell, you know he's had his financial ups and downs. His credit score has gone up recently - he pinged me and told me his number is a 610, which means at least a little celebration, since that's an uptick from earlier this year - and he also just filed his taxes. Darnell also shared … [Read more...]
Why You Should Track Everything
Here, we'll learn that "set it and forget it" isn't really for financial planning. What could have been a really pleasant surprise last week - an item arriving in the mail from Fidelity, asking me to get in touch with them - really got me thinking. Just how organized AM I? And, how organized are you? Here's the drill. A long time ago - twenty-plus years - I worked in higher … [Read more...]
Save on Your Winter Gas Bill Now
If you live in a Polar Vortex Climate, such as ours in the Midwest, you may want to take a look at your gas bills. Actually, we did a nice little seasonal look-see on the gas bills. We went back almost a year and wanted to figure out where there were ways to really save. We found one - and, as we often will tell you, your experience may vary. Without further ado, here's one … [Read more...]
Avoid Starbucks, Save Money
OMG OMG! There's a Starbucks open in town! It has a drive-through! OMG! Still, as much as I love Starbucks...the thrill of the aroma, the cup of joe on the go to start the day, or the afternoon treat...that stuff adds up. Way up. How much? Well, let's just say that our premise - Avoid Starbucks, Save Money - isn't something we arrived at overnight. Now, the advice on this … [Read more...]