Nora Dunn's blog
About Nora Dunn
As a Professional Hobo and Writer, with a background as a former Certified Financial Planner and Entrepreneur, I've got lots of bases covered - not the least of which are practical money matters.
Nora Dunn's profile
Posted November 6, 2009 - 06:00 by Nora Dunn
Budgeting
Why do so many budgets fail? Because the first step to budgeting is omitted. When implemented correctly, it can make a huge difference. When the first step is neglected, intangible and unrealistic budgets are often created –- a recipe for disaster. Here’s the good news: the first step to budgeting is an easy one. Check it out!
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Posted November 3, 2009 - 07:00 by Nora Dunn
Shopping
Cheapism.com is a free service that helps consumers find the best of the cheapest items, weeding out cheap junk in favor of quality inexpensive items. Just because it is cheap, doesn’t mean it has to be crap.
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Posted October 26, 2009 - 06:00 by Nora Dunn
Green Living, General Tips, Food and Drink
The giant kitchen-beast that is your oven is not the most energy-efficient way to prepare your food. But sometimes only the oven will do the trick. Here are 19 ways to improve your oven’s efficiency, all the while cutting your costs and saving your money.
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Posted October 14, 2009 - 06:00 by Nora Dunn
Making Extra Cash
It’s no secret that many of us are looking for something different in life. And one of the biggest things we can change about our lives is how we work. If we are not tied to a desk all the time, the options for how – and where – we choose to live open up dramatically.
Following are profiles of three e-books that feature a different aspect of making money, traveling, and changing your life.
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Posted October 6, 2009 - 06:30 by Nora Dunn
Career and Income, Lifestyle
Studies show that Americans are not using all their vacation time, are not given as much vacation time as other developed countries to begin with, and are even prepared to cancel their vacations because of work. Further studies show that America as a country isn’t even all that productive. What gives?
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Posted October 1, 2009 - 14:17 by Nora Dunn
Art and Leisure
Are you a female traveler looking for some answers about a place you are going to visit, as well as a possible companion or local tour guide? Or are you a female who likes to meet travelers, and help other women to embrace your home town with passion and delight? If you fit either of these categories, then HERmail.net may be for you. (Psst – it’s free too.)
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Posted September 24, 2009 - 08:23 by Nora Dunn
Frugal Living
A year and a half ago, I wrote a post about how to fashion your own passport photos for under a dollar. It seemed that I wrote it at the dawn of the popularization of online passport picture organizations. Now, the process for making your own passport pictures on the cheap is much easier.
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Posted September 21, 2009 - 05:00 by Nora Dunn
Personal Finance, Frugal Living
Check out your thesaurus, and you may discover that “frugal” and “miserly” share many of the same words as their cousins. Let this be our warning; take frugal too far, and we can become miserly before we even know what hit us. This article explores my own personal struggle between spending and saving – while living on the road. And I need your help!
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Posted September 17, 2009 - 05:00 by Nora Dunn
Health and Beauty
It’s not an expense we may fret over regularly, but shaving can be a costly proposition over the long-haul (not to mention wasteful, with the inherent disposal of either full razors or individual blades). So make your razor go the extra mile – and last up to a year – with these money-saving (and razor-saving) tricks.
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Posted September 10, 2009 - 09:00 by Nora Dunn
Small Business Resource Center, Entrepreneurship
As an entrepreneur, you would think that precluding certain types of customers in favor of a smaller – but specialized – market would be akin to shooting yourself in the foot. But it’s not, and this article gives you a three-step process to specialize within your own business and reap the rewards.
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Posted September 7, 2009 - 06:00 by Nora Dunn
Lifestyle
The curse of momentum keeps us in our chairs, living lives we aren’t passionate about. Once stuck in a routine, it is easier to perpetually roll along in the same direction than it is to halt your momentum and reevaluate your path. Here's how to recognize when your momentum has turned sour, then work on how to break the pattern.
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Posted September 3, 2009 - 09:00 by Nora Dunn
Personal Finance
Friendships are regularly damaged or lost from loans going sour. These are loans that were given and received with the best of intentions, yet few friendships can bear this pressure. Here are a few reasons why this happens, and some questions you can ask to avoid making lending mistakes with your own friends.
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Posted August 14, 2009 - 08:00 by Nora Dunn
General Tips, DIY
Here is an assortment of ways to get more bang for your cleaning buck and efforts. From making your own cleaning solutions, to ensuring your appliances are working optimally, most of these techniques below can be used with what you already have on hand. Why not give them a try?
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Posted August 11, 2009 - 06:00 by Nora Dunn
Entrepreneurship, Investment
A variable income coupled with fixed expenses is tricky to manage. In this article you will find a five-step strategy that allows you to save effectively for retirement, take advantage of automatic savings and dollar cost averaging, all the while not over-taxing your bank account on lower-income months.
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Posted August 3, 2009 - 08:00 by Nora Dunn
Real Estate and Housing
Let’s say the real estate markets are down. You want or need to sell your home, but buyers won’t pay what it is worth (or even enough to leave you with a zero balance). And if you have already purchased your new home, you may have to insist on a sale price that the market won’t bear, or settle for a sale price that leaves you further in the red. There is an alternative: a Permanent Home Swap.
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Posted July 29, 2009 - 09:00 by Nora Dunn
Personal Finance, Budgeting
What happens if an opportunity comes your way that you just can’t pass on, but just can’t find the money for either? If you have an opportunity account, you won’t have this problem. And don’t fool yourself: going into debt is no justification for seizing opportunity.
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Posted July 27, 2009 - 04:00 by Nora Dunn
Life Hacks, Green Living, Credit Cards
My blood boils when I have a full mailbox, but not one item is personal in nature. And just because I reuse and recycle the reams of useless paper, applications, and coupons that I am sent is no justification for the waste my mailbox produces. Here is how to remove yourself from most mailing lists, eliminating unnecessary junk mail.
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Posted July 21, 2009 - 05:00 by Nora Dunn
Frugal Living, General Tips
Who knew that vinegar could do so much? It serves a purpose in just about every room of the house, and there are dozens of household (and personal) products that vinegar can replace, as you will see below. It’s cheaper, better for the environment, and better for your health and home (in eliminating unnecessary chemicals).
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Posted July 17, 2009 - 09:00 by Nora Dunn
Career and Income, Small Business Resource Center
Would you like to work from anywhere you wish? The backyard? The café down the street? Your bedroom? Or even on the road…a tropical island somewhere, perhaps?
A location independent career is your ticket to workplace freedom. More and more people are striving for this freedom themselves. We’ll look at the basic qualities (good and bad) of a location independent career, and in so doing, you may come up with a few ways to make your own career location independent.
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Posted July 13, 2009 - 04:00 by Nora Dunn
Frugal Living, General Tips
With the summer heat come the summer critters and pests too. Keep those insects, ants, wasps, rodents, and other creepy crawlies at bay with these easy homemade recipes. You probably already have what you need, so give it a try!
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