Happy 2017, readers! It might sound crazy, but I’m looking forward to 2017. I’m entering a new decade of my life, which is always interesting, and there are a lot of necessary changes coming up professionally. Whether it’s good or bad remains to be seen, but whether you like it or not: 2017 is here! […]
How to Handle Multiple Emergency Expenses
Life has a funny way of kicking you when you’re down sometimes. As you’ll know from my previous posts, my husband and I recently bought a house, and it’s been expensive. We knew that going in, but several more emergencies have popped up since we bought the home and began some light remodeling. On that […]
5 Financial Tune Ups To Do in January
I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions but I do believe in taking some solid steps to secure your financial life at the beginning of each year. Today, PF Pro contributor, Melissa Hoffman, takes a look at 5 financial tune-ups that you should complete ASAP. It’s the start of the new year, which […]
Does Cost of Living Affect Where You Live?
I am fortunate to live in one of the most temperate climates in the world, but that comfort comes at a huge cost. It’s hard to leave your family, friends and loved ones behind though in order to save a few bucks (actually a lot of bucks). Today, PF Pro contributor, Kali Hawlk takes a […]
4 Ways to Prepare for Emergencies (Without Becoming a Hoarder)
We don’t have to worry about snow storms out here in CA but there are definitely things like earthquakes to consider. Today, PF Pro contributor Kali Hawlk takes a look at emergency preparedness. This is probably something that a lot of us put off or don’t like to think about but just like with finances, […]
Are You Saving Too Much for Retirement?
Over the weekend, I skimmed past a headline that read: You Might Be Saving Too Much for Retirement. Cue screeching tires coming to a halt. Scratching of abruptly stopped records. I did a digital double-take and quickly scrolled back up on the Twitter feed I was reading on my phone. What kind of nonsense is […]
4 Unexpected Ways Self-Employment Changed My Perspective on Money
I spent 99% of my working career as an employee. I’ve worked summers at restaurants and summer camps, I was a bookseller at Barnes & Noble in college and then an administrative assistant, and I worked in operations for a small company after graduation. Only in May of this year did I finally achieve a […]
Review: Is Personal Capital Better Than Mint?
Editor’s Note: Ok not to make you guys jealous or anything but I’m now relaxing on the beautiful beaches of Naxos in the Greek Isles. Stay tuned for my honeymoon trip report where I’ll detail how I paid for about 2/3 of our hotel stays and flights using all the miles and points I’ve racked […]
Millennials Know They Should Save, So Why Aren’t They Saving?
A recent survey conducted by Wells Fargo showed that 80% of Millennials say they understand the importance of saving. They believe in living below their means and they claim coming of age in the Great Recession has taught them how to survive tough financial times. This is great news, right? Seems like those media outlets […]
Loophole of the Day: Free Costco Membership For Everyone
For regular readers of my blog, you probably know how cheap I am by now. Any time I have to make a purchase of significant value I make sure to weigh all my options and figure out if I really need that product. Sometimes I’ll ask myself, will this product improve the quality of my […]
Burn Your Idols: You Don’t Need Financial Gurus
You can’t walk into a bookstore at the beginning of the year without seeing self-improvement, health and fitness, and “new year, new you!” books on displays plunked down right in front of the door. At our local Barnes & Noble, a table full of these kinds of books is literally about four feet from the […]
When Should You Hire a Cleaning Lady?
Now that I’m back working my day job, I have a lot less free time in my life. I generally work online for 2-3 hours a night after work and that severely cuts into my TV watching and forces me to be a lot more efficient when it comes to managing my time. So the last thing […]
How Cheap is Too Cheap?
Ok I’ll be the first one to admit it: I am cheap, there I said it. I think that’s the first of the 12 steps right? Even though I readily admit I’m cheap, I do still spend a ton of money every month. In the average month, my expenses are around $3,000 a month. The […]
How Much Should I Contribute to My 401(k)?
Four years ago, I knew very little about saving for retirement. But I didn’t need to know anything yet, since I had just graduated and I was more worried about getting a job than saving for retirement. Once I landed that great-paying job though and got my first paycheck, I had to decide how much […]
How Age and Personal Finance Affects Home Preference
The following article is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me. Buying your own property is probably as big a decision as getting married is for most people. Well, not as important, but it’s definitely up there. Anyways, what I’m simply trying to say is […]
The Best Ways to Avoid Paying Taxes
Most articles around this time of year talk about what to do or not do with your tax refund. I’ve already talked about that, so instead I’m going to help you come up with ways to avoid paying taxes next year. I don’t mean stashing all your money in offshore savings account but we can […]
March CPI down 0.2%: May I Bond Rates Announced
On Tuesday, the labor department announced the latest CPI-U numbers. With these numbers, you can calculate the upcoming inflation portion of I bonds and determine whether it’s better to buy your bonds now or wait until May. As you may know, I bonds are composed of an inflation rate and a fixed rate. The fixed rate […]
5 Ways to Make Buying in Bulk Work For Regular People
The following article is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me. Buying items in bulk is almost always less expensive per unit than buying a single item. But a great deal in bulk is only a great deal if you eventually save money and spend […]
How to Cash in Your Change For Free with a CoinStar Machine
I’m sure you’ve seen CoinStar machines at your local grocery store and some of you may already use their services, but the hefty fee has always kept me away. I typically pay for all my purchases with my Barclaycard, but for some reason I still seem to accumulate quite a bit of change. When I […]
Save Time and Money When Traveling Through Airports
Maybe I haven’t traveled in a while but when did airports become such a rip-off? Just this month, I’ve traveled over 7,000 miles on 3 round trips with another trip to Philadelphia scheduled for next week and everywhere I go I can’t believe how expensive things are. I probably sound like a grumpy old man […]