Recent comments

  • Best Money Tips: Money Mistakes Married Couples Make   14 years 17 weeks ago

    You are welcome!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Also Tweeted it. :) https://twitter.com/#!/srwoodruff/status/177080517345284098

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I "liked" the Facebook page :)

  • 5 Reasons Not to Apply for a Loan Modification in the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP)   14 years 17 weeks ago

    This doesn't surprise me. Bank of America it is so backwards in everything they say. I've had to repeat conversations back to my account representative in detail, because I wrote everything down, and then she'd say "that's right, I have it right here", or that items were never received, just to have her then, yes, I've got them, next day, I'll get a letter in the mail that the same items that she said she had they now needed again...Just insane. I am thinking more and more that this is just a gimmick to see how far they can get you and then foreclose on you anyway.
    I guess complaining to a higher authority is just the thing to do, because what they're supposed to do is help people, but they've decided not to.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I also have you liked on facebook.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I buy apps every once in a while. Usually out of the ones that I've tried and which I feel are nicer to have ad-free. :)

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Sure do, but not before I read reviews.....I like Evernote a lot!

  • What I Wish I Had Known When I Started Living Frugally   14 years 17 weeks ago

    How susceptible are you to peer pressure? Some peer pressure isn't as strong as you might think (some of things your friends do are things they really don't care whether you do or not). And it's much more fun to be around peers who pressure you to be a better person. So join groups likely to have those kinds of people. And of course you can pressure your peers yourself by being a good example.

    The main thing I didn't know when I was starting out is that you can buy a very used car so cheaply that you might not need a loan, and if you pick a very reliable model, it will still be a good car. Also, it's okay to take loans you don't need in college if no interest accrues until you leave school--just take that money and put it in a CD or I-bond or something, then pay the loan off before interest accrues on the loan.

    Also, financial things keep changing--the best ideas today may not be the best ideas tomorrow, even if you have the same goals. And unlike high-tech, being an early adopter in financial stuff can make you money--the first I-bonds had the highest interest rates, for example. Online checking accounts paid a lot more interest at the beginning when people were afraid to trust them. And I bet the Target debit card won't always return 5%--just for now while it seems scary to give a store access to your checking account.

  • 5 Kitchen Luxuries That Are Worth It (and 5 That Aren't)   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Not having a microwave is a lifestyle choice, just like most possessions. I know you indicated you live alone, and out of the indirect impact its absence might have on your perception of healthy living I can sorta see that if your life revolved around cooking.

    But for most who work outside of one's home, and whom have multiple people living in the dwelling, it's faintly ridiculous. The amount of time a microwave saves is incalculable. I don't revolve my life around 'saving time', but eschewing a microwave is like hearing you prefer to always wash clothes by hand.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    No! I only "purchase" free apps!

  • 5 Kitchen Luxuries That Are Worth It (and 5 That Aren't)   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I agree with the good cookware & knife, and I don't own/have given away most specific appliances such as sandwich maker, bread maker, espresso maker. I make my own bread & if I want espresso I go out for it. I do own a waffle maker--it's an awesome thing we use at least twice a month--I love it. I also really like my single serve coffee maker (use it every morning) and I keep a regular large drip coffee maker in the cupboard for parties.

    I also agree that special re-usable storage containers are totally not needed--If I want to freeze leftovers I use a disposable tupperware that I later toss (you can never get them clean after using them anyway-they always smell of whatever was in them previously), if I want to save leftovers in the fridge for a few days I just put the food in the bowl we would later eat it in, cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. To eat, just take out the bowl and microwave it and put it on the table. I do store flour, rice, sugar in sealed plastic bins but I keep them in a cupboard so they don't have to be cute, just functional. If you store them on the counter they just get dusty/dirty.

    But I love my dishwasher! And my microwave! I have children & I work full time--they are huge time savers.

    The microwave is awesome for quickly making mac n cheese or chicken nuggets from frozen single-serves for the kids when they get randomly hungry. It's also awesome for making baked potatoes in 6 min, warming pastries, re-heating anything, thawing frozen meat so I can cook dinner etc.

    I lived without a dishwasher for years but that was before I had kids. Washing dishes all the time is a huge pain.

  • Best Money Tips: Money Mistakes Married Couples Make   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Thanks so much for sharing our article!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I've spent about $3 in total on all of my app purchases (they all came from the $0.10 sale the Android Market place had recently). There are enough apps out there that pique my ADD-esque interest in phone-apps that i haven't felt the need to buy much.
    My favorite app (aside from the default music player app) is Yelp. It feeds my food addiction.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I don't have (nor want) a smartphone, so no.

  • Kick that Cell Phone Contract: Save with a Prepaid Plan   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I've been using straight talk for two years and love it, Simple monthly $35 comes with 1000 minutes and 1000 texts, but now ST has Android phones with unlimited data for $45 a month. That beats a contract any day, since unlimited contracts have gone the way of the dinosaur.

  • Green Switch for Green Savings   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Green switch is a great idea; unfortunately the devices are too over-priced for what they do ... which is simply turning-off outlets in your home.

    So, forget the green switch completely, unless you want to be super lazy, because green switch has a computer built-in so you can program the unique time you want different systems in your home to come out of hibernation.

    If you are like me and simply want to save money by turning AC outlets off at night, simply get a Wireless Remote Control Outlet Switch http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Appliances-Conditioners-Electrical-Equipm...). These AC remote switching kits are under $50 and simple to use. Simply turn-off the remotely controlled outlets when you lockup your house to go to bed.

    For under $50 this simple device will pay for it's self in no time; as opposed to the green switch which does essentially the same thing but is 10x the cost...

    So, with this said, just think how long it will take the green switch to pay for it's self? A long, long time.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    no, I have never once bought an app for my $500 phone!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I don't have a smart phone - the monthly fees are outrageous. My prepaid cell gets me all the talk time I need at about $10/month. And my laptop is a free phone anywhere there's wifi.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I do purchase Apps if I believe I'll get a sufficient dollar per hour usage ratio. If I'm using an app for 15 hours, it's worth $2. If I'm using it for an hour, probably not.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    Nope. I don't have a smartphone, and I probably wouldn't spend the money on them if I did. The only ones I might buy are maps or guides while I'm traveling if they seemed like they would be worth the money. But as I don't have a smartphone, it's a moot point. :)

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    So far I haven't purchased any apps, but I will if I find something I really want. I've downloaded free ones that have met my needs and been happy with them. My favorite is Aces Solitaire that I downloaded on both my android phone & Kindle Fire.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I like you on facebook.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I don't download apps cause I don't have a smart phone but wish I did.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Buy Apps?   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I do. I try to stick to free ones but if both the product and price are good, I will pay for the app.

  • 5 Kitchen Luxuries That Are Worth It (and 5 That Aren't)   14 years 17 weeks ago

    I'm surprised that no foodies have excorciated you for conflating pressed garlic vs. minced garlic! Personally, I'm sure I couldn't tell the difference in a finished dish, and I'd be skeptical that anyone else could either, but some people draw a very definite distinction... something about oils and juices escaping, I think.