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This article is by staff writer William Cowie.

A while ago, my wife and I did what we do from time to time — ask if there’s another cost-saving opportunity we’ve overlooked. I don’t know about you, but the quest for fiscal prudence is generally at its highest in our household after some indulgent purchase. “Hey, look! We can compensate for this luxo-foobie by slashing costs here!” (Are we the only people who do this?)

The indulgence in question was an iPhone. My trooper wife had been braving modern civilization with a dumb phone. (Someone from the ’80s would have called a slim, foldable phone which sends text messages anything but dumb, but that’s a different subject.) It worked fine and was cheap, but, well, even it began to show signs of age. Cell phones not being fine wine, I decided to surprise her with an iPhone, to heck with the cost. She did not resist.

This reader story comes from Tina Sullivan. Some reader stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. These stories feature folks with all levels of financial maturity and income. Want to submit your own reader story? Here’s how.

Growing up with “financially conservative” parents, I was taught to follow a budget, to save for emergencies, and to live within my means. As a teenager, I was required to get a job which mostly went to my savings account for future expenses like paying for a car and tuition.  Although I was frustrated many times because I couldn’t even afford needs, the tradeoff was worth it since I was able to pay for college without taking out any student loans and paid cash for a used car (thanks to rent-free living with my parents).

This article is by staff writer Sam. Sam spent 13 years working in Equities on Wall Street and discusses financial independence strategies on Financial Samurai. Sam is also the founder of the Yakezie Network, the largest personal finance blog network on the web.

Working on Wall Street was tough. I felt like I was constantly being hazed by anybody senior to me.

“Sam, go get me some coffee.”

“Sam, I ordered a double macchiato with almond milk, not a single macchiato with soy milk! Take it back!”

“Where the hell are my photocopies of the morning notes?!”

“Even a dog can do that!”

And so forth…

This article is by staff writer April Dykman.

When someone has to make funeral arrangements, they often look to the funeral home for help. They select one of the three coffins suggested by the funeral home. Often it’s part of a mid-priced package deal, one that includes pretty much everything you need, and then some. And in a lot of ways, it makes sense that we turn to the experts, especially if we’ve never had to make funeral arrangements before.

But there’s a big problem with relying on a funeral home to help you make decisions: The people advising you have a vested interest in getting you to spend more.

A sales pitch at a funeral home