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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Carpool (39/365)

Published Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Yesterday, I wrote about how taking public transportation can save you money even if you just let a car sit in the driveway while taking the bus. For quite a lot of us, though, public transportation isn’t an option. […]

Reader Mailbag: Time Conflict

Published Thursday, February 9, 2012 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Using wedding money wisely 2. Percentage of savings for retirement 3. Asking for wedding money tactfully 4. What to do with savings? 5. Self-employment advice 6. Retirement Roth versus 529 7. Repayment troubles 8. […]

Use Public Transportation (38/365)

Published Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

When I was in college – and for the first several months of my post-college career – I was an avid user of public transportation. I would ride the bus to work every day like clockwork. For many semesters, I would catch a bus at about 7:48 AM or so. […]

The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Marriage Advice Edition

Published Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

If I had to give someone advice on how to keep a marriage in good shape, here’s what it would be. Every day, do two things. One, tell your spouse that you love them and tell them something specific about them that you love. Two, spend half an hour doing something that helps them in some way and expect no compliments or comment from it – do it just because you care about that person. […]

Practice Good Gas Conservation Habits (37/365)

Published Tuesday, February 7, 2012 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

One of the fun things about my wife’s car is that it has a constant readout of the miles per gallon on the dashboard. It lets you know what your miles per gallon over the last five minutes is, the mpg of your entire trip, as well as your estimated miles per gallon right at that moment. The data it produces is really accurate. […]

Following the Time Trail and Downgrading Subscriptions

Published Tuesday, February 7, 2012 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

In the past few months, we’ve ended our subscription to GameFly, reduced our subscription to Netflix to streaming-only, stopped receiving four magazines, and given away or sold a bunch of items around our household. At first glance, one might think we were going through some sort of economic crisis. […]

Minimize Your Load (36/365)

Published Monday, February 6, 2012 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Depending on the specific model, your car loses 1-2% fuel efficiency for every 100 pounds of extra weight in the car. That’s a surprising amount that can really add up. For example, let’s say you’re matching the extra weight that a friend of mine (who we’ll call Cathy) carries in her car. […]

Reader Mailbag: Saint Bernards

Published Monday, February 6, 2012 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Vacuum sealed bags 2. Boardgame with new couple friends 3. Investing for house down payment 4. Roth IRA versus Roth 401(k) 5. Hedging bets for retirement 6. Multiple savings “funds” 7. Extra mortgage payment impact 8. […]

Use the Manufacturer’s Maintenance Schedule (35/365)

Published Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Of all the useful specific pieces of information in your car’s manual, the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule is perhaps the most useful. […]

Ten Personal Finance and Career Books You Should Read

Published Sunday, February 5, 2012 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

I’ve decided to discontinue the weekly book reviews for the time being. I have reviewed hundreds of personal finance books over the years and, frankly, there aren’t enough new and compelling personal finance books coming out to justify weekly reviews. I’ve read too many books recently that just duplicated stuff said in other books. […]