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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 273)

Are Poor People Lazy?

Published Thursday, August 27, 2009 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

About a week ago, J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly posted an article about the difference between high income earners and low income earners. Most of the differences between the two that he listed come largely down to personal effort and personal choices. In the comments, many people jumped to the conclusion that “poor people are lazy,” which is an extremely broad brush, but a fairly reasonable one. […]

That’s Just the Way It Is?

Published Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Two weeks ago, I was hanging out with a large group of people when one of them made the comment, “Well, you know how it goes… the money comes in, the money goes out … and maybe a little bit more!” This comment was met with laughs by several people. I just kind of half-smiled, looked down at my drink, and said, “Well, that’s one way to live, I guess.” The other person turned to me and said, “What […]

The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Agricola Edition

Published Wednesday, August 26, 2009 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

For my birthday a few weeks ago, my wife gave me the board game Agricola. I opened up the box, looked at the abundance of pieces, read through the instruction book, and was immediately worried that the game would be too complicated for us to enjoy. The first game we tried was pretty miserable. Sarah felt lost and the game was slower than molasses. […]

The Simple Dollar Podcast #13: Good Debt, Bad Debt, No Debt

Published Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

The thirteenth episode looks at the concepts of good debt, bad debt, and no debt. […]

The Valuable Art of Media Swapping

Published Tuesday, August 25, 2009 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Recently, I’ve been enjoying the first season of Mad Men on DVD. Literally dozens of readers had recommended to me and I picked up the DVD set with a gift certificate a month or so ago. I’d never seen it before and it’s been a real pleasure to dig into it - it’s as subtle, funny, and beautiful as I thought it would be. The only problem is … what do I do with it when I’m finished? […]

Eleven Things You Can Do Today to Fall Behind Financially

Published Monday, August 24, 2009 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Financial success is something that’s built up slowly over time. It’s not something that happens in one giant rush (unless you’re very lucky) - instead, it’s the culmination of a lot of little choices made over many years. Every day, we’re faced with lots of choices. Good choices lead us down that path towards financial success, safety, and happiness. […]

Reader Mailbag #77

Published Monday, August 24, 2009 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags. The only credit card I’ve ever had is one my father signed me up for when I went away to college. […]

Review: Escape from Cubicle Nation

Published Sunday, August 23, 2009 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Every other Sunday, The Simple Dollar reviews a personal development, personal productivity, or career book. Several months ago, I wandered upon Pamela Slim’s excellent blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation. In a nutshell, the blog covers the transition from working in a cubicle (i.e., a traditional job) to self-employment - and all of the issues in between. […]

Eating What You Have On Hand

Published Sunday, August 23, 2009 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

As I’ve discussed many times before, eating at home is a huge money saver. Even if you use expensive ingredients all the time (like saffron or morel mushrooms), it’s still cheaper to cook at home than it is to consistently eat out (assuming you’re eating better than the McDonalds Dollar Menu). […]

The Simple Dollar Time Machine: August 22, 2009

Published Saturday, August 22, 2009 - 16:00 by The Simple Dollar

Many newer readers of The Simple Dollar haven’t been exposed to the hundreds of great articles in the archives of the site, so this is a weekly series that highlights the five best posts from one year ago this week, as well as the five best posts from two years ago this week. […]