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Posted
Jul 18 2008, 01:09 PM
by
Karen Datko
Mike at Clever Dude recently faced one of those "does this make me look cheap?" moments. He and Stacie were part of a group of 11 honoring a departing colleague with dinner. Mike and Stacie split a veggie main course after everyone shared appetizers, and they drank water. Others had meat dishes and drinks. When it was time to pay, the others decided the bill should be split evenly, which would cost Mike and Stacie a lot more than the price of their actual meals. What do you do when you're faced with that situation?
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Posted
Jul 17 2008, 06:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
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When Amanda of Value For Your Life was 12 year old, she begged and begged until her parents finally got her a dog. Enter Jasper. Eventually Shadow joined the clan. What Amanda didn't know was that when each dog moved in, her mother began automatically depositing $25 a month per dog into a do-it-yourself pet insurance fund. That money -- growing in a high-interest savings account -- came in handy over the years, and without the limitations often attached to pet insurance policies. It was there to help Shadow as he developed back problems and, eventually, terminal cancer. (Read her remarkable account of Shadow's passing. Amanda, a veterinarian, euthanized her beloved dog at home. Warning: You may shed tears. We did.)
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Posted
Jul 17 2008, 03:17 PM
by
Karen Datko
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"Fox" at Squawkfox has taken up a cause we can strongly embrace: "It's time to sack plastic bags."
Shouldn't we all, with the price of oil -- yes, they're made with oil -- and environmental worries, be moving to reusable shopping bags and bins? Plastic shopping bags are a blight, and they never -- for all practical purposes -- go away. "With few exceptions, plastic bags will take thousands of years to break down," Fox says. "The bag my first pair of shoes came in a couple decades ago is out there, somewhere."
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Posted
Jul 17 2008, 11:10 AM
by
Karen Datko
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Marc and Angel have a knack for assembling handy lists about how to improve the quality of your life and your finances. They've come up with yet another good one: "How to save your health and wealth at the same time." For instance, did you know that the federal government has not approved the dietary supplements that populate shelves in discount and health-food stores? Don't spend lots of money if you're not sure what the product contains.
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Posted
Jul 16 2008, 06:47 PM
by
Karen Datko
"Vh" at Funny about Money adopted a new policy when gas prices started their hideous climb: She would shop for necessities only at stores along her commute to and from work. She was surprised to see that she is now spending a lot less money on food and other items. In fact, she's actually spending less overall even though gas is eating up a lot more of her budget. Why? For one thing, Home Depot -- her favorite self-indulgence store -- is not along that route.
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Posted
Jul 16 2008, 02:27 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Would you rather eliminate your debt with a snowball, or smack it down with an avalanche? "Flexo" at Consumerism Commentary says, "By choosing the debt avalanche method, you will pay off your total debt faster, you will pay less interest, and you are mathematically efficient." We're all for being mathematically efficient.
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Posted
Jul 16 2008, 12:44 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Catherine at Frugal Homemaker Plus and Crystal at Money Saving Mom have heard this comment from others: "You and your husband make good money. Why don't you spend more on a nicer home/car/vacation/TV?" Why? Because they have different -- and impressive -- priorities for their money, if you really must know. As Crystal said -- in response to a rude comment apparently questioning her sanity for repairing her old van rather than buying a new one -- "We're living like no one else so that someday we can live and give like no one else." (Yes, she is a fan of Dave Ramsey.)
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Posted
Jul 15 2008, 04:57 PM
by
Karen Datko
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You know what happens when you ask Grandma and Grandpa what they want for their birthday or Christmas. They say, "I have everything I need." "Chances are that's exactly what you heard, probably followed by 'so don't buy me anything.' And they mean it," Blunt Money reminds us in a wise and lovely post called "Everything you need (and want)." She adds that we can learn from their example: "The thing is, many of us probably do have everything we need, right now, without even realizing it."
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Posted
Jul 15 2008, 02:37 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Chief Family Officer Cathy is well on her way to becoming a coupon superstar, and in the process has encountered two annoying things that come with the territory -- counterfeit coupons, and cashiers who don't honor legitimate coupons and dis those who use them. Store managers, take note: Employees had better become coupon savvy as more and more shoppers turn to coupons to offset the higher cost of food.
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Posted
Jul 15 2008, 11:02 AM
by
Karen Datko
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We like the new blogger who posts at Sallie's Niece. She "went to school thanks to my Aunt Sallie Mae," her site says. "Now watch me struggle to pay and pay." She owes $72,735 to Sallie Mae, and that's not including a nearly equal amount in private loans. Sometimes it is a struggle. She has done battle with the "Evil Overdraft Monster" and payday loans. Her latest nemesis -- now vanquished after two years -- was the gyros truck outside her workplace. "At five days a week for three months each year, I am just now realizing that I spent $900, a whole emergency fund's worth of George Washingtons, on very thinly cut lamb rolled in pita bread with some tomatoes and onions!" Our foodie heart goes out to you, Sallie's Niece.
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