Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Yes, especially if the person would like or need the item. After all sharing and giving is an acceptable act.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I do it but the item needs to be new. People re-gift because they just don't want any more stuff in their house.

  • 10 Worst Ways to Pay Off Your Credit Card Debt   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Most of these are bad ways to pay off credit card debt. There are a few issues with your comments about using a debt settlement company though. It's not as horrible an option as indicated.

    Debt settlement is an alternative to bankruptcy. It is mainly for consumers who have fallen behind on their bills. It's for consumers who are going through a financial hardship and don't want to file bankruptcy.

    Since you will have fallen behind on your bills, your credit score will already be damaged and the effects of settling will not be as severe. Plus, you can quickly rebuild your score when you have settled your debt.

    Also, about the high fee - consumers can choose to do debt settlement on their own and not use a debt settlement company and avoid the high fee. Many consumers don't want to hassle with their creditors and just choose to have a reputable company do it for them. Also, compare the fee to the interest charges you'll be paying for all the years you try to pay down your debt and you can see it may cost you half as much as if you did it on your own.

    Lastly, consumers may not owe any taxes if they are insolvent at the time of settlement. If you owe more than you're worth at the time of settlement you will not owe any taxes on the forgiven debt. I'm not a tax professional so consult one to verify this but when I settled over $43,000 in credit card debt for only $13,000 I didn't pay a penny in taxes because I was insolvent at the time of settlement.

    Good luck to you!

  • 13 Holiday Gifts That Aren't Worth the Money   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I'm SO guilty of the moisturize/body wash set and the chocolate offense. I shouldn't have read this. Now I feel bad.

  • 10 Habits of Financially Happy People   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Good article. Having an emergency fund and health insurance are the only things I consider the reasons for my modest success. It only takes a sprained ankle, a car accident, or unpaid absence from work for fall into the payday lending trap.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I find it totally acceptable if the gift is useful and unopened.

  • 13 Holiday Gifts That Aren't Worth the Money   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Yes....to high-end chocolate! It really is much, much better than the "average supermarket aisle chocolate"!! Also...Do we need a desk-top calendar? Probably not...but they are a bit amusing....I'd say yes to those as well! But I do agree with the rest of the other stuff..nope!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Absolutely! I did it last Christmas. The person who received the gift from me LOVED it and I really did not want it at all. (It was a TV show set that I don't like at all, but a friend LOVES!) Worked out well for both of us!

    I try to be sensitive to the person who gives the gift in the first place and keep it a secret. There have been times that I've needed to honestly let them know that I've passed it on to someone who needed or wanted something more than I did, but thanked them sincerely for the thought.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    As long as it's in good condition and something the recipient would like, I think it's fine.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    As long as the gift is brand new and would truly be appreciated by the person you're giving it to, I think it is fine. It's also important that you don't regift within a social circle! For instance, I am giving my Dad something that a co-worker gave me. I know he will use and like it but I also know my co-worker and my father will never cross paths.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I think it's fine as long as you really think the person you are giving the gift to will really like it. If you're just trying to get rid of something, then donate it.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I think it's okay, if done right. I have regifted items, but they were new with the tags still on them. And they were given to someone who had no association with the person who originally gifted the items to me.

  • 13 Ways to Make a Good First Impression at Your Next Job Interview   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Awesome article. I would like to say that you have covered all of the points in this article to succeed in an interview. Proper dress code and positive body language are basic requirement to impress recruiter within first meeting. But this article explains so much about other important factors as well. Thanks for the post.

  • 5 Ways to Score Cheap Rent — Without Annoying Roommates   11 years 19 weeks ago

    One other thing may come out if you are trying to reduce your costs of living. Instead of searching for a roommate or seek for properties under renovation, you can take fast personal loans. It is convenient for everybody, because you can apply online. Information is easy to understand and you can always click here to see what is available for you at this website.

  • What Does Frugal Living Mean to You?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I agree that frugality is totally relative. Also, buying a house is an expensive investment and money can come out as a problem. But, fast personal loans are now available at this website, which you can reach by clicking on the link provided in the title.

  • Best Money Tips: Morning Routines of Successful People   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I love reading these sorts of articles showing the habits of the more successful vs. those that have less. It really is interesting to see how drastically some of the habits tend to differentiate from one side of the tracks to the other, especially when it comes to food intake habits. I've googled around and seen the occasional informational picture post here and there but now I'm definitely going to have to click through these articles to check them out and actually see that I've seen some of these before. Thanks for putting these together!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Oh I think its fine to regift if its something the other person really wants and its new and never opened or used!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I do it on the downlow, especially if I'm obligated to get someone I don't care about a gift.

  • 13 Holiday Gifts That Aren't Worth the Money   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Uh, no. The high end Swiss, German, and Italian chocolate definitely tastes better than your checkout isle candy bar. Having said that, I can agree the prices can get out of hand.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    It depends. If the item is new and/or gently used as well as something the person would like, then it's probably ok. That being said, I generally only re-gift to people who do the same with me. We are honest about it and that works for us.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I think re-gifting is fine as long as you know it's something the next person would really like to have and not just junk. That's a tough question though because sometimes when I find out that I was re-gifted, I almost feel like I got cheated or that person didn't think too much about me.

  • 4 Pet Expenses That Aren't Worth It   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I agree about not paying for pet insurance. We had it for about a year and a half about eight years ago for our first dog. The premium went up twice during that time. We found out (probably we should have read the fine print on the policy first) that regular annual visits and shots weren't covered and medications like ear drops weren't either. Also, there were a lot of exclusions. They seemed to know what certain breeds of dogs were prone to (like knee problems) and they were excluded depending upon your dog breed.

    In hindsight I can now say that it definitely wouldn't have been worth it for us and the $33 monthly premium would have added up to almost $3500 by now. With our healthy, well cared for dogs, we haven't spent anywhere near that and we now have two of the same breed. (Boston Terriers)

  • 9 Ways to Seal Leaks and Reduce Your Winter Heating Bill   11 years 19 weeks ago

    If you can’t insulate your room or block draughts, it will be hard to heat the whole room, especially with a small electric heater. In this case you are better off sitting near the heater, so it at least keeps you warm. If you can’t heat the room, heat yourself .... i think

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    I think it's completely okay, provided you are giving it to someone who actually will like it AND they know that it's not re-gifted.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Find Re-gifting Socially Acceptable?   11 years 19 weeks ago

    Re gifting is totally OK in my book. Whether its new or used if the person who is getting it will put it to more use why the heck not.

    I have gotten a mans jacket from a coworker. I wasn't sure I would use it but I have and I've gotten compliments on it.
    So I don't just re-gift I've been re-gifted too and I'm OK with both