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The Simple Dollar

Simple, applicable personal finance advice for the modern world.

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Latest Posts from The Simple Dollar (page 42)

How Aristotle Can Help You Transform Your Financial and Personal Life

Published Saturday, November 24, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

Over the last year or two, one of the sub-themes on The Simple Dollar has been to look at different schools of philosophy and see what they can tell us about living a successful modern life, financially, personally, and otherwise. […]

My Menu of “Solo” Meals

Published Friday, November 23, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

One of my core principles of personal finance is “if you’re doing something by yourself, do it as cheap as possible.” When I’m alone and not worried about anyone else’s needs or concerns, I go super cheap on almost everything. There’s no real reason to “treat” myself because I’ll probably do some form of that the next time I’m spending time with others. […]

Holiday Shopping? Watch Out for This Costly Credit Card Trap

Published Friday, November 23, 2018 - 07:00 by The Simple Dollar

As the holiday season gets into full swing, so too do the credit card promotions from retail stores far and wide. This is prime season for enticing shoppers to sign onto the dotted line for cards that offer a discount on your first purchase or a special 0% introductory APR — which to many cash-strapped consumers can sound like an ideal way to finance a holiday extravaganza. The reality of these de […]

Giving Thanks

Published Thursday, November 22, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

The açt of giving thanks isn’t something that comes natural for most of us. […]

Intentionality

Published Wednesday, November 21, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

I absolutely love hot sauce. I put hot sauce on everything. If it’s savory and I have some hot sauce around, I’ll put hot sauce on it. Pizza. Burritos. Scrambled eggs. Grilled vegetables. Beans and rice. All of it gets hot sauce. Even dishes where you wouldn’t expect hot sauce are dishes where you’ll often find me doling out the hot sauce. […]

Some Thoughts on Aging Parents

Published Tuesday, November 20, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

I’ve had a draft of this post in various forms floating around for years and I felt that right now, on the cusp of Thanksgiving, when many families are getting together to celebrate a meal and a day together, it might be a good moment to write about the ins and outs of aging parents. […]

Questions About Insurance, Marriage, Coffee, Thanksgiving, and More!

Published Monday, November 19, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Insurance billing issues 2. Cheapest city-to-city travel 3. Buying new for baby? 4. Husband too frugal 5. Other people’s situation as inspiration 6. Emptying out 401(k) 7. Concern about national debt 8. […]

Seven Ways Black Friday Can Save You Money All Year Long

Published Monday, November 19, 2018 - 09:00 by The Simple Dollar

The National Retail Federation expects us to spend as much as $720.89 billion this holiday season. That’s a lot of dough. But the annual shopping kickoff isn’t necessarily just about buying holiday gifts. A savvy consumer can boost the bottom line year-round, rather than just the holiday budget, by taking advantage of great deals on Black Friday. (That is, if they are great deals. […]

The Best Career Advice I’ve Ever Received

Published Saturday, November 17, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

When I was first starting to get a good idea of the bad financial situation Sarah and I were in, I wrote an email to my professional mentor at the time. This person was a pretty well known person in our narrow field, with a high paying job and a lot of respect within the field and lots of professional options on the table before him. […]

Financial Success Is a Lifestyle Outcome, Not a Skill or a Fad

Published Friday, November 16, 2018 - 10:00 by The Simple Dollar

When I first started making financial changes in my life, I believed at first (and for a surprisingly long time after that) that the changes I was making to my life were largely short term changes. Sarah and I would “get ourselves on a good financial track” and we’d basically go back to the lifestyle we had before. […]