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Posted
Jul 14 2008, 11:26 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Jesse at You Need a Budget has a 4-month-old daughter, Lydia, and is concerned about how to raise her properly. He's deeply worried about what he sees as an American trend. In a post that pulls no punches on a subject many others might dance around, he writes: "I'm sure it's partly my own biases, seeing things through my own lens, but it seems society is bent on making our kids the softest, weakest, most selfish, spoiled brats the world has ever known. Are we raising a Generation Y-Me?" His answer: Yes.
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Posted
Jun 06 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Emily, a personal-finance blogger at Remodeling This Life, was recently asked something all you frugalists have probably heard before: Don't you ever get tired of living this way? Don't you ever want to stop being deprived?
(Haven't heard these questions? Don't worry. You will.)
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Posted
Feb 01 2008, 04:46 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
News reports of people abandoning their pets in their repossessed homes or dropping  them off at already overburdened animal shelters have prompted outrage across the blogosphere. "What is wrong with these people that they just leave them in the home after they have moved out? What is the reasoning behind their thinking?" wrote Texas real estate professional Stephanie Hansson at the Active Rain blog. "I am heartsick and just can't understand." Some bloggers are urging readers to take action as the foreclosure rate climbs. Deanna Raeke at For the Love of the Dog asked her readers to check the yards and look in the windows of vacant houses to see if pets were left behind. You also can adopt a "foreclosure cat" or dog from your local shelter.
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Posted
Dec 21 2007, 01:11 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Those facing seemingly insurmountable mortgage difficulties may find inspiration from Boomer at The Wastrel Show. Divorced with two children in 1985, Boomer got the type of mortgage available to women in her situation back in the day -- a subprime adjustable-rate loan. We'll tell you up front that this story has a happy ending. But that took years of smart financial moves and plain-old determination, and her detailed account makes this post shine.
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Posted
Nov 16 2007, 12:26 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A new meme has spread through the personal-finance world, asking bloggers to complete this sentence: " I commit publicly to .... " You fill in the blank with a private goal you're now willing to declare to the world, creating more than a bit of pressure to make good on the commitment. Blogger AskDong said he understands the importance of public declarations : "I remember back in middle school I would tell my friends who I planned on asking to dance, so I couldn't just chicken out and not ask that person." Some bloggers pledged to spend less or save more, but several had other goals. SF Money Musings shared a secret that only her sister had known: She has struggled most of her life with binge eating and publicly promised to stop it . Million Dollar Journey committed to becoming more handy around the house . Canadian Dream: Free at 45 plans to develop a good filing system and "discuss all of this with my wife so the entire project doesn't fail." Quest for Four Pillars promised to lose weight
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Posted
Nov 15 2007, 07:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Linsey Knerl at partner blog Wise Bread . My family has lived in the same house for two years, but we neither rent it nor own it. It is part of a family farming corporation with an uncertain future. We don’t know if we will be here another 10 years, or if we will need to move next spring. It seems silly to invest too much in it without it being a permanent home, but, at the same time, we really want to make it our own. It seems easy to hold your breath and wait for situations in life to become clear, determined and permanent. But what will you be missing in the meantime? Here are five steps that can help you live life while waiting to see just where it may go. Know that you are not alone. How many other honorable professions and lifestyles are temporary, nomadic , or without careful material plans? Plenty. Just ask any missionary family, military spouse, or theater troupe how it feels never to know what the next move may hold for them. Time spent at a single location
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Posted
Oct 29 2007, 01:44 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Can you really afford a bigger mortgage? There's a good way to find out. Melissa's very thoughtful post at A Penny Closer describes how to live with the cost of a higher mortgage for six months before actually taking the plunge . She had $600 a month automatically deposited in a high-interest savings account. That amount represents the difference between her current house payment (mortgage, taxes and insurance) and the monthly payment on a new home. "At first, not having that money in the budget was difficult, but we have worked through the aches and pains and are comfortable now," she wrote. The family also finessed its budget to accommodate other expenses it anticipated with a new home -- more spending for things like electricity, water and furniture -- without putting less into debt payment and savings. Now Melissa knows her family can afford a new house , and has a bunch of savings in the bank to make the transition easier.
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Posted
Oct 17 2007, 10:47 AM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Being Frugal quit her job when her first child was born, and the small family lived on her husband's $19,000 income. So began her trip down the thrifty-living highway. She has learned to budget, accept help, and donate time for those less fortunate than her family. You'll find no pity-me tone in this no-nonsense account . She admits that their apartment, with its ugly kitchen cabinets and "rental-cream-colored" walls, "gets on my last nerve from time to time." But, she writes, "I have learned that money isn’t the most important thing in life. Relationships are ...."
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