Articles on Life Hacks

How to get your car stolen

Every 26.4 seconds, a vehicle is stolen in the U.S.* If you want yours to be one of those vehicles, just follow these simple guidelines and the thief will be driving away in your n

90% off is not a deal if you don’t need it.

I found myself in a strange battle of wills last week. My favorite store, Target, was having another one of those spectacular sales. Red tags featuring the 75% off, and the rare 90

Why is Gasoline So Cheap? A Cost Comparison of 40 Common Household Liquids

Do you know which is more expensive: one gallon of gasoline or one gallon of orange juice? How about one gallon of glue? Read on for a comparison of the price gasoline and other f

Job-Search Romance

How is a job search like a romantic adventure or misadventure? Let me count the ways: nine. If you’ve ever wondered how to tell if a company is truly interested or just isn’t into

Do you trust ads from radio DJs?

The US radio airwaves are filled with endorsements from radio DJs, and the list of things they hawk is mind-blowing.  Coming from a country that doesn’t have these pai

Is daylight-saving time a complete waste of energy?

This weekend the clocks “spring forward.” I’m not a huge fan of DST . In fact, I’m not a fan of anything that steals

Chinese Money Habits - How My Culture Influences My Attitudes Toward Money

I moved to the United States when I was a child from Yangzhou, China. After sixteen years, I could easily pass as an American because I speak English without an accent, and I am w

The stuff I try never to buy new

I don't like buying new. It's not that I consider myself to be some kind of Scrooge. I just have a hard time paying more for something than I need to, and often we take tha

419 baiting – keeping online scammers running in circles

How many of you have received an email telling you that you’ve one a lottery that you never even entered? Or, that a rich widow wants help distributing millions of dollars to the p

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

Tips for Increasing Your Financial Literacy

A recent CNN article titled "Americans are 'financially illiterate'"

Designing your life

Key decisions that you make—especially when you're young, but also later—have implications that ripple through the whole rest of your life. People treat these early

Passport Pictures for Under a Dollar

Use this technique to produce passport pictures, visa pictures, and any other required id photos, all for under a dollar.

Sound advice for winning on a game show

I've been a closet fan of game shows for years; most likely because I love the idea of getting something for nothing (hey, this is a frugal writer after all). I recently stumbl

When Should You Say No to Those Who Want to Borrow Money from You?

I think most of us have been asked to lend money to someone we know. No matter how close you are with the potential borrower, there are certain situations when you just have to sa

More Free Television Online - Hulu.com - UPDATE: Invites Available for Wise Bread Readers!

Introducing Hulu.com, a joint effort of Fox and NBC that aims to be the one stop hub of all free and legal online television. Today I took it for a spin. Read on for my experienc

I'll take a slice of lemon with fecal bacteria please.

I’ve never thought twice about the humble lemon slice. I’m sure most of you haven’t either. And as I’m partial to a slice of lemon in my water or iced tea, for added flavor, I usua

Spiritual Insights From A Rich Idiot

The last person I thought would impart valuable spiritual wisdom is self-proclaimed rich idiot and wealth guru Robert Shemin, author of “How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not?&quo

Ten Tenets for "Arranging Your Rich" - Part 1: Rich is Relative

There are some guiding principles to arranging your own wealth. Ten, in fact. Ten important "tenets" to keep you grounded and on track as you begin the "arranging your rich" proces

Do not buy something just because you can afford it

Since I got married people have been constantly asking me two questions. One is, "are you pregnant yet?", and the other is "are you going to buy a house?" One