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Posted
Jun 19 2008, 11:14 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Mike at Clever Dude has come up with a creative solution to a problem we've all probably encountered. His father-in-law made two trips from Pennsylvania to Mike's D.C.-area home to work on Mike and Stacie's floors and refuses any compensation. We have the same problem with a wonderful neighbor/friend who takes care of our dogs when we're gone, so we read Mike's post -- "Why we're donating our tax stimulus check" -- with great interest. Mike calls his method "guerilla gift-giving." We'll call it "stealth compensation."
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Posted
Jun 10 2008, 03:50 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
The worst commotion we've ever heard in a retail setting (other than the toddler who got his foot caught in a shopping cart) was a kid who started screaming "apple" in the produce section, and then continued for 10 minutes and was readily audible from every area of the store. (It was so bad, we almost bought the little man an apple.) Parental units, don't give in, says Ashley of Wide Open Wallet in a post called "Saying no to your kids." She has overindulged her little boy, and now she's trying to correct the problem.
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Posted
Jun 09 2008, 12:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Cash is great, but consider other gifts to start the new graduate on a path to financial health that aren't so easy come, easy go. So says Money Smart Life. "The problem, as I remember it, is that cash is a hard thing to hold on to once you're out of school and thrust into the job hunt or working world," he writes in a post called "Gift ideas for college grads for a financial head start." We particularly liked his suggestion to set up an investment matching program.
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Posted
Jun 05 2008, 10:41 AM
by
Karen Datko
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"That One Caveman" has been driven to an extreme approach to deal with his mother-in-law's chronic overspending, particularly when it comes to the caveman's child. Given, her behavior is distressing. She's a shopaholic who is threatening her own financial future. For instance, her daughter's old bedroom is packed with stuff she's purchased but never even taken out of the shopping bags. Now, despite being asked not to, she is showering trinkets, clothes and potentially unsafe toys on her granddaughter, and even tried to foist a $20 bill into the 17-month-old cavegirl's hand.
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Posted
May 30 2008, 04:07 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Shannon Christman isn't poor, but she is frugal, and sometimes other people confuse the two. On occasion, salespeople have snubbed her -- and missed out on making a sale. Sometimes generous people offer help when it's not needed. Her thought-provoking post at Saving Advice should raise questions in any thinking person's mind about how quickly we make judgments about others. She also says, "The assumptions others make about my frugality -- usually that I have much less money than I actually do -- can be a benefit to me."
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Posted
May 21 2008, 06:24 AM
by
Karen Datko
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Want proof that stay-at-home moms would be earning a pretty good income if they were getting paid for their work? A report by Salary.com says the time SAHMs spend on 10 "mom job functions" -- including housekeeper and psychologist -- would bring $116,805 in the work world. Full-time moms work an incredible amount of overtime at their jobs -- 54.4 hours a week above and beyond the normal 40, the Web site says.
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Posted
Apr 29 2008, 02:34 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
We think cash is a great gift, particularly for newly married couples and for babies. But how much is too much or too little? "FrugalTrader" at Million Dollar Journey asked his readers this very question. "This is a tricky question and probably something that not a lot of people talk about," he wrote. Like many good posts, a lot of value can be found in the comments (although some readers were sidetracked by a heated debate over how much to spend on one's own wedding).
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Posted
Apr 22 2008, 11:32 AM
by
Karen Datko
Britt Bravo of Have Fun Do Good began the 29-Day Giving Challenge by donating to a health clinic at a refugee camp in Darfur. Stuck in a motorhome in a southern Alberta campground during a weekend blizzard, Ian Wilson gave his camping buddy big breakfasts and beer. "And I also gave myself a pretty good gift ... the gift of spare time," he said. As one participant noted, studies have indeed confirmed what we already knew: Money can buy happiness if you spend it on somebody else. So Cami Walker's 29-Day Giving Challenge should raise the joy level in the world more than a little.
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Posted
Apr 08 2008, 05:02 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
If you're tired of taking the heat from your spendthrift (and obnoxious) friends who say you're cheap, Jennifer Derrick at Saving Advice has some ammunition for you -- "32 reasons to be frugal besides saving money." This post beautifully expresses what frugal people know in their hearts: Frugality is freedom from the many shackles of a consumer-based culture. Jennifer says she initially adopted a frugal lifestyle to save money, but now calls that "a nice side effect." Among the benefits of frugality: gratitude and contentment. "Frugal living makes you appreciate what you have and helps you to realize that you are blessed to have it, even if it's not the newest luxury what-not," she writes.
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Posted
Apr 07 2008, 05:03 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
A newspaper story about Ford Motor Co. warehouse worker David Sneath walking off the job after winning the Mega Millions jackpot prompted "JLP" of All Financial Matters to wonder what he'd do if he won the lottery. He asked his readers the same question. Sneath, 60, is taking a lump sum of $59.6 million after taxes. Fishing for walleye plays a large role in his plans. JLP said that if he won, he'd give a lot away to charity and family members, fix up the house, put in a pool, buy a vacation home in Colorado, and invest the rest of the money. Many of JLP's readers presented common-sense or even modest plans for the imaginary windfall. In fact, Ernesto wrote, "I would for sure buy myself a new toothbrush." On the other hand, Michael DeBusk wrote: "Start a rumor about my having a weak heart. Hang out with young and pretty women." Reader Joey had a thoughtful approach with a twist: Hire a financial adviser, pay off debt, help family members, set up trusts to fund charities, find work and hobbies he enjoys, and also this: "Get a trophy wife (I'm currently single)."
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