Recent comments

  • 53 Fun Nights Out for $10 or Less   13 years 4 days ago

    Nowadays, it is very hard to find something to do at night for 10 dollars or less. Some of the activities on your list are great ideas and can be 10 dollars or less, but I feel as though it depends on where you are. In Tampa, there are many things to do on the 10 dollar budget but back in Washington D.C., it is hard to do anything at night for 10 dollars or less. There are some concerts in the area that are featured in a nightclub that are found for 10 dollars. There are also some outdoor festivals that are free and can be fun if you go with a group! Thanks for the post!

  • Paying for Pregnancy and Birth Without Health Insurance   13 years 4 days ago

    I'm very young and not getting pregnant anytime soon, but these sound like interesting ways to pay for pregnancy without health insurance. It looks like it can be done, but I feel like having health insurance would be smarter and safer than selective-diagnostics etc.

  • 53 Fun Nights Out for $10 or Less   13 years 4 days ago

    I'm 21 and this list pretty much describes my lifestyle. Finding cheap fun activities is really useful for being a broke college student and always ends up being a good time! My favorite place to look for cheap events and traveling festivals in the area is eventful.com you can type in your area and voila instant inspiration!

  • What's Your Credit Card Spending Style?   13 years 4 days ago

    Great article! I'm definitely a savvy spender, I only use my credit card to pay little things like my water and electric bill and Netflix account so I know I can pay the amount back in full every month. That and the consistent small payments show companies about your responsibility as a shopper and spender.

  • Make Your Own: Homemade Cleaning Wipes and Canister   13 years 4 days ago

    Great idea! Cleansing wipes can be expensive and are something I use constantly, I'm just wondering if the manual labor and time is worth it. By the time you buy the materials to make the wipes you can just buy them discounted in bulk from a warehouse.

  • The 5 Best Juicers   13 years 4 days ago

    This is a horrible list. The Breville's are efficient at juicing hard fruits and vegetables but the auger type juicers are much better. You can even get a hand crank auger juicer for 100 bucks if you google "Z-Star Manual Juicer "

  • 53 Fun Nights Out for $10 or Less   13 years 4 days ago

    My almost 20-something son definitely has an advantage in finding cheap stuff to do in the evening! He lives in a college town where free and cheap abounds. Last weekend, he attended an event with free food and entertainment (to raise money and awareness for the homeless in his community). On the other hand, my husband and I will need to bring food as a contribution for a meal with children and their families in the inner city -- but still, it looks like our cost will be under $10. These are not traditional night outs, but still fun if you enjoy service type activities, getting together with friends, and meeting people who may not be in your typical social circle.

    I definitely researched costs in other areas -- just to make sure that such opportunities existed not just in my area. I did find that though costs varied among towns, free museum nights, free concerts, free park ranger talks, or some type of free or cheap activities were commonly available throughout the country -- though certainly offerings vary depending on whether you are in a rural, suburban, or urban area.

    So, hopefully, if you can't find a great cheap nightclub or restaurant, you may be able to get together with friends in your neighborhood, see a play at the local school, or go star gazing near home.

  • What's Your Credit Card Spending Style?   13 years 4 days ago

    I guess I'm a cautious, possibly savvy, spender. I messed up during the recession but I was in college and didn't really have an income. I had some lates.

    Now, I keep to a budget. I put about 90% of my daily spending on my credit cards (I have 3 but only regularly use 2, the one I use the most is a charge card that has to be paid off at the end of the billing cycle) and pay in full at the end of the month.

    I have an emergency savings, a "fun savings," and a "just in case you have to pay taxes next year" savings, in addition to some very modest investments.

  • What's Your Credit Card Spending Style?   13 years 4 days ago

    I consider myself to be a cautious spender but also take advantage of credit card opportunities. I recently signed up for the Macy's credit card to take 20% off my bill the first time I bought a product. This was a suit and I ended up buying a $400 for $99. Second, I signed up for the Southwest credit card which guaranteed me 3 free flights!

  • 53 Fun Nights Out for $10 or Less   13 years 4 days ago

    Ahh to be 20-something again.

    Sadly, NONE of your suggested options can be done from where I live for under $10. Transit and/or car, parking, and babysitting make any evening out a $75+ night just to get out the door.

    Also, I suspect your pricing may have something to do with where you live... As many of the options that you list in my home town cost $20-50.

    fav burger joint (not a gourmet shop!) $35-40 for dinner.
    flights of samples at the local brew-pubs = $2.95 per 2oz glass. Served in groups of 6.
    band at a bar = $10-20 cover + drink minimums @ $8.95 each.
    Local culinary schools do not have "visitor" plates. The students eat it all as they pay for the ingredients.

  • 3 Ways to Enjoy Business Class for Less Than the Cost of Economy   13 years 4 days ago

    Wasteful, even whilst using miles. If you value your miles at 2 cents each (60K for $1200) gets you a seat in Coach to Asia which is about market price, paying another $1200 to make it Business so you can lie down flat is a little exuberant. As is mileage running (which averages 5 cents per mile or less) so you are talking 3-5K for that ticket).

    People are spending beyond their means, even with credit card points.

    The only exception I would make is if you are generating miles for free that you couldn't be using to generate Cash Back.

  • Paying for Pregnancy and Birth Without Health Insurance   13 years 4 days ago

    We had insurance for both our boys. But between the deductable and copay on emergency C sections, and prematurity, both came to a hefty amount. For the first one we arranged a payment plan and when we had a sudden drop in income we contacted the hospital to make new arrangements. We got a very kind letter back informing us they had a fund to cover such things and suggested when our situation improved sufficiently to put into it for others. The second child. We had been saving for years for a trip to see my grandparent's homeland. And had purchased the tickets (with travel insurance) when we found we were pregnant. The pregnancy was going smoothly and we were assured the trip would be fine. However the placenta started separating, and he was born early. We had just enough to cover our expenses from the cashed in trip.

  • Laid Off? You May Have to Fight for Unemployment Benefits   13 years 4 days ago

    Hi ,
    I just found out I'm being laid off tomorrow, but the company I worked for today offered me a job only guaranteeing two hours a pay week and another job I don't qualify for. My company has a union and everything is done by seniority They want me to sign a paper declining the positions, so I can't file a grievance. I'm afraid to sign the paper because they might use it against me for collecting? So my question is 2 hours a pay week even considered offering me a job and if I don't qualify for the other job can I collect?

  • The 5 Best Juicers   13 years 4 days ago

    Breville Juice Fountain Elite is a great centrifugal juicer. It's fast and durable for daily home use for the whole family. However, if you're really serious about juicing I would suggest you take a masticating juicer like the Omega 8006.

  • Baby Carrots: The Frugal Idea That Isn't   13 years 4 days ago

    I figured out a long time ago that baby carrots weren't and had the nutrutional parts scraped away, ugh! I also don't peel carrots, just give them a perfunctory brushing or scraping. After all, vitamins are the reason for fresh food. When I make a stew I use carrots and pearl onions with the meat of my choice, in a slow cooker. The flavor is wonderful! Also, the small farm market of my choice picks their produce and sells it. No refrigeration to ruin the sweetnessof their tomatoes, and their cukes are not waxed and are perfect for pickling as is. Their corn comes right from the field as well. And their unrefrigerated peaches are out of this world!

  • Fast, Single-Serving "Fake" Desserts   13 years 4 days ago

    I got such a kick out of reading this article -- I felt like I was reading about myself...haha.. I am ALWAYS saying, "I NEED (fill in the blank) NOW!" :) Almost apple pie sounds definitely doable. :) Thanks!!!

  • Ask the Readers: What Are Your Green Goals?   13 years 4 days ago

    My long-term goal is to have a garden, now that we have a little bit of yard here. We've heard from our landlords, though, that they always had trouble trying to grow anything -- soil problems, I think. My short-term goal is to continue recycling. Now that I'm the only driver in the household, it's even harder to fit it into my schedule, and the bottle are piling up! :)

  • Retirement Planning If You’re Under 30   13 years 4 days ago

    I have a Roth IRA and have been contributing since I was 24 years old (I'll also be 30 in a few months). I'm currently unemployed, but still contribute monthly, albeit right now I can't max out-perhaps I'll catch up at the end of year if all goes well. My husband has not started a retirement fund, however will receive a pension (he's a teacher) and argues that because he has student loans at an awful interest rate, we should pay those off first (45k at close to 8%, plus 18k to his parents interest free, thank the lord). Thoughts on this??? We do have an emergency fund as well as other savings, and pay extra $$ to principle monthly.

  • Ask the Readers: What Are Your Green Goals?   13 years 4 days ago

    My green goal is to remember to take reusable bags with me when I go shopping (I often forget)

  • Ask the Readers: What Are Your Green Goals?   13 years 5 days ago

    My green goals are to recycle more, and I would love to start a garden if this snow ever goes away!

  • 3 Ways to Enjoy Business Class for Less Than the Cost of Economy   13 years 5 days ago

    Jenny,
    I agree. Credit card miles is the easiest method on this post.

  • Should There Be a "Fat Tax" on Junk Food?   13 years 5 days ago

    i think there should be a tax on fatty foods so that way kids don't become obese

  • Save Money on Shaving With These Razor Tricks   13 years 5 days ago

    You could also save while shaving with a monthly subscription from Razor Blade Club. You'll get great razors mailed to you each month. That's easy because you go to your mailbox anyways. And the cost is cheap enough that you can change out a razor blade cartridge each week. Which means you always are using a sharp clean blade for a good close shave. You also save on toilet paper costs because you no longer have to tear off pieces in the morning to stop the bleeding from those nicks created from that dull razor blade you were using because it was too expensive to throw away and you just don't want to go to the store to get more and spend big cash.

    Just a thought.
    Razor Blade Club

  • The 5 Best Juicers   13 years 5 days ago

    I use the Breville Juice Fountain Elite and am very happy with it! The orange and other fruit juices are just amazing. I wrote a blog review on it at http://www.brevillejuicefountainelite.net

  • Best Money Tips: Make Your Groceries Last Longer   13 years 5 days ago

    There's so much food waste in our society its crazy. Try never throwing away food from the fridge, even if a day or two out!