Search Smart Spending:

Browse by Tags

  • The little things do matter

    Posted Feb 29 2008, 08:02 AM by Karen Datko
    Rating:
    Filed under: , , ,
    Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

    This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.

    Look at these 12 little hacks and think about how simple they are.

    Switch your savings account from your local bank to ING Direct. That's the bank I switched to about a year and a half ago in order to get a higher interest rate (then more than 4%). They made the whole thing easy as pie -- it took about five minutes -- and I've never had anything but stellar customer service.

    Drink one less coffee a week. Let's say you stop at Starbucks -- or your preferred coffeehouse -- three times a week. Just trim it back to two. That's it.

    Call one credit card company and ask for a rate reduction. Just flip over your card and call that number on the back. Ask to speak to a supervisor if the first human you get won't reduce your rate.   Read More...

    Discuss ( 1 comments) 3,790 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

  • The taste of freedom

    Posted Jan 25 2008, 05:54 AM by Karen Datko
    Rating:
    Filed under: , , ,
    Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

    This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.

    This morning, I sat in the restaurant at my hotel, eating breakfast. I've stayed at this same hotel many times, and I couldn't help but remember things I'd done on past visits. 

    I remember spending money several times like it was water, going out to eat at ridiculously expensive places. In fact, they were often so expensive that my organization would refuse to reimburse me for the meals.

    I remember more than once having a credit card rejected on the hotel grounds. Three years ago or so, I stood in the lobby, fishing around in my wallet for a credit card that would work and enable me to pay my bill. I finally had to call a secretary at my place of employment and have that person read off a credit card number so I could pay.   Read More...

    Discuss (no comments) 777 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

  • Emptying the wallet: Which credit cards should you keep?

    Posted Dec 28 2007, 05:55 AM by Karen Datko
    Rating:
    Filed under: , , ,
    Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

    This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.

    I often get notes from people who have a small mountain of credit cards. They're trying to figure out which ones they should keep and which ones they should cancel, and they're rightfully concerned about their credit score if they do that.

    A wallet full of credit cards can be a problem: You have more opportunities for identity theft and, with so many credit cards, your total line of credit may be high enough to hurt your credit score. There are other issues, including extra paper management and an unreasonably fat wallet.

    If you have a mountain of cards, what should you do to trim them down? Here are my recommendations:   Read More...

    Discuss (no comments) 716 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this