savings

Plan for your wants

Budgets tend to focus on needs--food, shelter, heat, light, transportation, and (of course) taxes. They also provide for wants, but generally the smaller, shorter-term wants--cabl

Will A Dental Discount Plan Save You Money?

Those of us without traditional dental insurance may have been tempted to buy a dental “discount” plan. On paper, it looks good. In practicality, it could save you some, or more

New rate set for series I savings bonds

Every six months, the Treasury sets a new fixed rate for series I savings bonds. After tracking close to the rate on the Treasury's other inflation-indexed bonds during the Clinto

6 Ways to Get your Toiletries for Cheap or Even Free!

With my budget straining at the increase in the cost of milk, I can’t always justify buying my favorite shampoo, the best razor, or that luxurious body wash I crave. I have found

Why save during an inflation?

You can always tell when inflation has become ingrained in an economy--you start hearing people say, "Buy now before the price goes up!" I remember hearing that a lot in the late

So Your Bank Failed, Now What?

Last week I wrote that ailing banks usually give the highest interest rates and mentioned the troubles of IndyMac. Last Friday, the FDIC has officially named IndyMac a failed bank

Why "Buy One Get One Free" Is Usually A Bad Deal

Recently, I read about a promotion from a home builder in San Diego where consumers could buy a 4000 square foot house for $1.6 million and get a smaller home by the developer valu

Are You an Ant or a Grasshopper?

This classic fable illustrates the fundamental difference in savers and spenders. Spenders live for the moment, frittering away their earnings on things like technology gadgets, e

Shaw's Market Saves You Money On Gas

Save ten cents per gallon of gas or more at all participating Irving Gas Stations when you buy your groceries at Shaw's.

Use Less Cash for Your JCPenney Purchase

A favorite retailer of households across the country since 1902, JCPenney can have some stellar deals for those in the know. Like most stores, JCPenney has a met

A Simple Guide to Series I Savings Bonds (I-Bonds)

After the recent interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve many of my bank and money market interest rates plummeted.  Now the best yield I have is on my Series I Savings Bonds iss

Sittin' on Dubs: The Andrew Jackson Proposal

Twenty dollars isn't what it used to be and for that matter, given recent events, neither is $100, $1,000 or $10,000. With consumer confidence waning, why not get your swagger

Savers suffering as rates fall--what to do

Interest rates for ordinary savers held up pretty well after the first Fed rate cut in July last year.  There was a simple reason--banks needed the money.  With the cr

Big Savings and Free Shipping Through Monday at Ann Taylor Loft!

Ann Taylor Loft is one of those stores I can spend hours in, but I almost always walk away without a purchase. Why? The products

Debt Discovery: The Ties That Binder

It's amazing how many of us are business people -- dealing with budgets, liabilities, profit, revenue and loss -- who make questionable decisions with our own finances. What

5 Sleek Marketing Ploys Aimed at Getting More of Your Grocery Money

The cost of food isn’t going down, and for some, it is making the task of feeding a family more painful than ever. It doesn’t help that ad agencies and PR compani

Home Education Curriculum on the Cheap: 10 Ways to Learn for Less

In a recent cost-study I completed, I found that it is possible for American families to spend between $300 and $4325 per year to homeschool a single child.

Killin 'em Out There: The School Clothes Conundrum

How do you break the cycle when social engineering and personal spending habits that are as unique as your genetic coding, are emptying your pockets?

9 ways Star Wars can inspire you to save money.

Ok, so I admit it; I’m a Star Wars geek (although I’m certainly not alone). I was watching my favorite of the original trilogy last night, The Empire Strikes Back, when I had an ep

GYM Class: THE DIY, DIFNF Thesis

If you know that you aren't going to be able to work out more than three times a week, if you have a fitness center in your apartment complex or if you're self-motivated an