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Posted
May 09 2008, 10:07 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Tomorrow is the National Association of Letter Carriers Annual Food Drive, billed as "the world's largest single-day" food-gathering effort. In the past 15 years, the drive has collected more than 750 million pounds of food, according to the U.S. Postal Service.
With the rising price of food, lower-income folks are finding it harder to put food on the table. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some 26 million Americans are fed with help from food stamps. If you're lucky, you're not among them -- and if you're that lucky, could you spare even a little something to help others? Say, a 33-cent can of tuna?
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Posted
Apr 30 2008, 05:37 AM
by
Karen Datko
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This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller. If you haven't figured it out by now, The Dough Roller isn't really about money; it's about life. More specifically, it's about how money affects our lives, and how we can leverage money to live and achieve our life's goals. Crunching numbers on a spreadsheet, while important, won't help us seek out and find our life's purpose, but there are three questions that might.
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Posted
Apr 29 2008, 02:34 PM
by
Karen Datko
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 09 2008, 09:03 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Here's a scary thought: only 233 shopping days until Christmas.
Don't blame me for bringing it up. Some readers of the Smart Spending message board are already buying -- frugally, of course. A reader who posts as "SS18612" started a thread called "Never too early to think Christmas," and shared a couple of fun, practical and cheap ideas.
The "winter car kit" was inspired by a clearance sale at CVS: gloves, hat, folding trunk snow shovel, retractable snow broom and ice scraper for just $3.45. "I will add a fleece blanket, some kitty litter and a gallon of de-icer," writes SS, whose grown kids will each get a kit.
Each year they also get "grocery-store boxes," computer-paper boxes filled with favorite foods and toiletries that SS gets free or almost free thanks to sales and coupons. "It's amazing what you can get together for a little money," SS says.
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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
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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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Posted
Apr 04 2008, 03:24 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
"Fox" at Squawkfox is intimately familiar with a problem many of us have. Here's how she puts it: "I am a terribly shy introvert who cannot stomach the slightest notion of public speaking. Just writing it out strikes terror into my heart, dampens my armpits, and erupts hives all over my body. Sexy," she writes. She had to face her fear when her grandmother asked her to give the eulogy at the funeral of Fox's grandfather. "I knew I had to speak to hundreds of people. I knew I had to speak well. I knew I had to do my grandfather proud," she writes. "I joined Toastmasters for help." With her newfound skills -- her description of how Toastmasters helps is a very interesting read -- she's realizing that she was missing out on a powerful financial tool.
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Posted
Mar 25 2008, 08:16 PM
by
Karen Datko
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"Fox" at Squawkfox isn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this time she can't help it. Her brother-in-law and his wife gave her a Sirius satellite radio receiver and four months of free service for the holidays. Now she's got to pay $12 a month if she wants that gift to keep on giving. "I'm just wondering, should we give gifts that keep costing the recipient?" she asks. "Here are reasons to Sirius(ly) reconsider giving gifts like satellite radio, and to start looking certain gift horses in the mouth."
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Posted
Mar 25 2008, 02:00 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Are you one of those folks who aren't interested in getting more stuff when they get married or have a baby? Would you be happy to get a "gently used" book or baby crib rather than a brand-new version? Penny Nickel at Money and Values tells readers about the Alternative Gift Registry run by the Center for a New American Dream, whose motto is "More fun, less stuff." You can create a gift registry that emphasizes nontraditional gifts, whether your concern is the environment or you want to ease the financial burden on those who will be giving you gifts. If you'd rather have someone give you a casserole or mow your lawn after the baby is born, you can say so. To see a sample registry, click here.
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