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Posted
Aug 29 2008, 11:40 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Congratulations are due to blogger Lynnae, who recently realized her personal version of the American dream: She and her husband have bought their first house. "I'm now the proud owner of my own home, and in more debt than I've ever been in my life! It feels good!" she wrote. How can she be happy about debt, when so many others are ruing their home-purchasing decisions? Lynnae and Jim bucked the trend: They waited for prices to fall and made an offer on a house they can actually afford -- even if they were ever forced to swing it on one income.
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Posted
Aug 19 2008, 01:43 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
Rating:
If you heat your home with an oil furnace, you're likely
dreading the approaching cooler weather. With the cost of a gallon close to $2
more than last year's, many families will be feeling the pinch this winter.
Some people are filling up their tanks now and locking in
prices in anticipation of further spikes this winter. In some parts of the
country, though, getting a summer delivery may be hard to do.
Evelyn Black at the Amateur Economists has encountered
difficulties
getting her home's oil tank filled this summer ahead of the fall rush. According to news reports, many small oil delivery companies are unable to purchase
heating oil to fill their trucks due to credit problems.
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Posted
Aug 18 2008, 02:54 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
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Ah, the much-maligned condominium -- not quite a house, not
quite an apartment. Traditionally seen as a low-cost alternative to
homeownership, condos are often great ways to grow equity -- plus you never
have to mow your lawn.
But to Flexo at Consumerism Commentary condo
living leaves much to be desired. In his post titled "Why
I will (probably) never buy a condo," Flexo lists four reasons why he'll never
embark on "Apartment Living Part 2":
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Posted
Aug 14 2008, 04:40 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from Philip Brewer at partner blog Wise Bread. People might look at how I spend money and say I'm cheap or a tightwad. If they do, they're missing the point. The fact is, I'm much more interested in simplicity than I am in saving money. In many cases, it works out about the same: The simple choice is often frugal. The cheapest choice, though, is often not the simple one.
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Posted
Aug 13 2008, 06:13 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Financially stressed homeowners hoping to benefit from the federal housing bailout should be glad that Kyle at Rather Be Shopping is not in charge. While people who seek help through the plan will have to show they can afford to make (newly reduced) mortgage payments, Kyle has a different set of questions they'd have to answer before getting help. Among them would be: How much do you spend on vacations? What kind of car do you drive, and what kind of clothes do you buy? In other words, are you responsible with your money?
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Posted
Jul 21 2008, 05:02 PM
by
Karen Datko
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An article in The New Yorker by the always excellent Elizabeth Kolbert about the invention and evolution of the American lawn got us thinking. Isn't there a better way to maintain our outdoor space without spending so much money for water and chemicals? We're not suggesting you cover your front yard in asphalt. It turns out there is a lot of help online if you want to reduce spending, save resources and enhance beauty.
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Posted
Jul 16 2008, 04:20 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller. If you are in the market to buy your first or next home, a HUD home could potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars on the purchase price. But there are some things to watch out for. In this article, we'll cover the basics of buying a HUD foreclosure home and some tips on getting the lowest possible price.
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Posted
Jul 14 2008, 11:26 AM
by
Karen Datko
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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 24 2008, 12:17 PM
by
Karen Datko
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Here's news from Slate: Fewer American women are having *** augmentations and tummy tucks because of the worsening economy. Vanity hasn't totally taken a back seat to reality/gravity. Women are turning to cheaper, nonsurgical alternatives like Botox. What's next? A bailout plan for plastic surgeons?
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Posted
Jun 03 2008, 05:48 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
The grocery shopper's beloved BOGO -- buy one, get one (free) -- has moved into the realm of home sales. Yes, home sales. In yet another sign of how anxious sellers have become in today's housing market, a San Diego real estate developer has offered a free $400,000 row home to anyone who buys one of his estate homes starting at $1.6 million. "We want to reduce our inventory," Mark Connal, a vice president at Michael Crews Development, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "We're prepared to bite the bullet. ... Right now, every builder I know is selling houses at less than it costs to build them."
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