Money Tips Network

My wife did a Costco run after an appointment this morning. After she was done she lamented that it was going to be a big bill because meat (chicken in particular) wasn't cheap.

I said, “Nothing is anymore,” and she agreed.

How to keep on budget, then, if prices keep going up?

A recent jump in the Consumer Price Index

Prices have risen sharply recently due to inflation. The Consumer Price Index has increased by 18% over the past three years (September 2020 to September 2023). In contrast, it increased only 11% during the previous seven years.

On the ground, this means that the increase in the prices of things has been a bit more noticeable recently than it was in the mid-2010s.

Big and little price surprises

The price of things catches you by surprise here and there.

Soft drinks. Candy bars. Eggs. Toilet paper.

Have some old gold jewelry and need some cash? Here's how to find out what it's worth before you sell it …

Many stores and websites will pay you for your jewelry based (mainly) on its precious metal content. For those that advertise online, they offer you a postage-paid envelope, you mail in your valuables, and a few days later you get a check and ride off into the sunset.

That's how it's supposed to work, anyway. Some people will be, shall we say, a bit disappointed with the size of that check.

Gold jewelry is usually valued as scrap

This stands to reason. Cash for gold places will value your jewelry at scrap content. Regardless of the sentimental value to you, they don't place any value on that. (Nothing against your great aunt Gertrude; I'm sure she was a fine lady and that necklace is indeed beautiful!)

Once our needs are met (food, clothing, shelter), then a great use for money is to make life easier.

This article discusses five inexpensive ways I've found that make our lives easier in an outsized way.

Buying back your time or buying down your aggravation

Such things can either buy back your time or buy down aggravation.

Buying back your time lets you repurpose your time to something more pleasurable or fulfilling. Paying someone to mow your lawn or clean your house is an example of this.

Buying down your aggravation lets you enjoy your time more by making regular activities less stressful. Reliable appliances just plain work better, for example.

Bus tubs for collecting cups and dishes upstairs

I like my coffee. A lot.

Link for teaser title: 

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Here’s a card that offers 3% cash back on gas and EV charging station purchases, plus a $200 online cash rewards bonus offer.

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Enhanced options to earn 3% cash back based on Bank of America customer feedback. Maximize your rewards with 3% cash back in the category of your choice — including online shopping.

Filing my Form 1065 U.S. Return of Partnership Income is getting to be a bit of a drag each year.

Photo by Thom Holmes on Unsplash

If I do this right, I'll have to file one more set of 1065s, in March 2024, and that's it.

Late 1065 filing that isn't actually late 1065 filing

We have two limited liability companies (LLCs) and my wife and I are equal owners of each. “We're in this together” and all that.

We're required to file IRS Form 1065 and two Schedule K-1s for each LLC by March 15th.

Hello, friends. It has been a l-o-n-g time since I’ve written online. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’ve been writing a ton at Facebook. In fact, it’s as if Facebook has become my personal blog. But that’s about to change. Everything is about to change. Let’s talk about it.

As you’re well aware, 2022 was one hell of a year for me. It was a year of death and destruction. That sounds like hyperbole, I know, but it’s not. It felt as if my world were crumbling around me.

After my mom died in October, I made a vow. I was going to do whatever it took to get myself back to the same mental and physical spaces I inhabited a decade ago. That span of time between 2012 and 2016 was Peak J.D., and I wanted more of it. Maybe I couldn’t achieve exactly the same state of mind, but surely I could get closer than I’ve been the past few years.

Selling things on eBay can be a nice side income. The premise is simple: buy low, sell high.

EBay began as an auction-only site. Potential buyers bid against one another for an item, just like in a live auction.

Five years later, in November 2000, eBay introduced its Buy It Now option. This allowed sellers to set a price for their item, and sell it to the first buyer to accept that price.

Each kind of listing format has its advantages and disadvantages.

There are advantages to the auction listing format:

• Auction listings tend to get more eyeballs on them, especially if the starting bid is very low.
• Auction listings are good if you aren't really sure what an item is worth. The market decides for you.

Some disadvantages to the auction listing format:

Howdy, friends! This summer, there will be another chautauqua on financial independence in Ecuador. You should consider attending. These Ecuador chautauquas — which are unrelated to the European chautauquas — are always a fun, educational, and bonding experience.

Clarification: At some point, chautauqua founders Cheryl Reed and JL Collins parted ways. Now JL runs the European chautauquas — which are on hiatus — with Katie and Alan Donegan. Cheryl continues to run the unrelated Ecuador gatherings. Both events are excellent.

I often speak about the intersection of money and meaning when I attend.