Money Tips Network

"The sky is falling… the sky is falling!" exclaimed Chicken Little when an acorn fell from a tree and hit her on the head.

Sound familiar? Do you assume the worst when your boss calls you in for a meeting, or when your partner says, "We need to talk?"

Negativity is a habit. It's a half-glass-empty thinking style that results from a subconscious focus on the doom and gloom. Like most habits, negativity can be a hard one to break. But guess what, doomsters? The good news is that counter-productive habits — including negative thought patterns — can be broken. (See also: The Surprisingly Easy Way to Change Your Habits)

You've just had a nice dinner, great conversation, and many laughs. The server has dropped off the check, and the last bites of dessert have been consumed. The age-old dilemma arises — who picks up the check? Here is a quick infographic guide that helps you figure it out. And keep reading below for more details!

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One of the biggest frustrations I have as a money-conscious person is when I toss something out that could have been used if I had just planned better. It’s painful whether I’m tossing out something that’s rusty, something that’s water damaged, or something that’s spoiled.

This “tossing out ‘could have been used’ stuff” phenomenon happens most often when I’m dealing with food. I’ll find something in the fridge that was left over from too many days ago or I’ll discover a piece of fruit that’s gone bad and I’ll feel awful as I’m tossing it out.

I don’t like to toss food. It’s a waste of money. It’s not exactly helpful to the environment, either.

This article is by staff writer April Dykman.

You know all those great tactics to save huge chunks of cash — the tactics that don’t require you to scrimp and save? I’m talking about things like lowering the APR on your credit card or getting a better deal on your car insurance — paying less for the stuff that’s kind of a drag to pay for in the first place.

Well, as a new homeowner, I’ve been working on lowering one of those no-fun expenses: property taxes.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about how I was surprised that my assessed house value was 31 percent higher for 2014 than it was in 2013 — and that I had filed the paperwork to protest that assessment.

Money. Sadly, it does make the world go around. There are around 180 different types of currency in the world, including the Albanian lek, the Haitian gourde, the Moroccan dirham, and the Zambian kwacha. But you are more likely to know the slang terms for the US dollar and the British pound than any of those. Do you know where those terms actually came from? Let's take a look.

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some great articles on good morning habits for a great day, what to buy and not buy at Home Depot, and money management lessons for young adults.

Top 5 Articles

Up and at 'Em! 25 Good Morning Habits for a Great Day — If you want to have a great day, don't press the snooze button on your alarm clock. [POPSUGAR Smart Living]

What to Buy (and Not Buy) at Home Depot — It is ok to buy Behr Paint at Home Depot, but not Glidden Paint. [Money Talks News]

Whether you've got a big home improvement project planned or you're just looking to get your A/C unit repaired, you'll need to know how and where to find a service provider that fits the bill and is worth the price.

But how do you know that a deal really is a good deal? And how can you be sure that the repairman you're letting in to your house is legit? Enter Angie's List.

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Working during downtime
2. Choosing among retirement options
3. Charge card or credit card?
4. Baseball cards
5. Money left over in budget
6. Is being vegetarian expensive?
7. Alcoholism and money
8. Fuel efficiency not worth it?
9. 401(k) issue

This article is by staff writer Lisa Aberle.

I am writing this article in silence, thanks to my kids’ 7 pm bedtime. And tonight is the last early bedtime night because – sob! – tomorrow is the final day of school.

While I love my children, I admit to some qualms about summer vacation. How do I keep them entertained (that means out of trouble)? How do I keep the lid on my grocery budget? (Last summer, I felt like the refrigerator door was open every time I walked into the kitchen.) Which inexpensive (free, preferably) activities can we find? And how am I going to work from home with these two little distractions?

So picture me planning every minute of my last free day and periodically wiping my sweaty palms and taking deep breaths.

Entertained, but still learning