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Posted
Sep 11 2008, 12:06 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Now that the youngest of their four kids is 3 (and the oldest is 10), Nickel at Five Cent Nickel and his wife are rediscovering their social life. They're paying a teenager they know $10 an hour to baby-sit. He thinks that's a bit higher than the going rate where he lives, and he asked his readers for their thoughts. This post is particularly valuable because so many people chimed in.
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Posted
Sep 04 2008, 12:35 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
A lot has been written lately about kids' extracurricular or so-called enrichment activities, but the story that takes the cake is this one told by "Mighty Bargain Hunter": Parents bought a Steinway grand piano for their child "and built an addition on to their house to display it properly." You guessed it. The kid quit piano lessons in two years. How do you provide your child with fulfilling structured time without going overboard on commitments and cost?
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Posted
Sep 01 2008, 03:05 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly. I used to have two responses when faced with stress: spend more or eat more. I still sometimes struggle with stress-eating, but stress-spending hasn't been an issue since I started writing about personal finance. My mother has had health problems recently, however, bringing a whole new meaning to the word "stress." "I can't believe this makes me so tense," I told Kris. "I know Mom's in good hands. She's going to be fine." "It's understandable," Kris said. So I was surprised the other night to find that, for the first time in ages, stress drove me to shopping.
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Posted
Aug 17 2008, 03:02 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The list of back-to-school "essentials" has grown
in recent years, making the end of summer a time dreaded by cash-strapped
parents.
I
priced my local elementary's list of required supplies for a first-grade
student at Staples yesterday. The total: $55 for a backpack and a small pile of
crayons, markers and glue. Ouch. Fortunately
for the frugal minded, plenty of helpful advice is available online on how to
ease the sting of back-to-school shopping.
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Posted
Aug 07 2008, 02:39 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Someone asked Jennifer Derrick the other day why she doesn't make more money so she can have the "finer things in life" -- jewelry, fancy cars, big house, expensive vacations. She's talented enough. Doesn't she want these things? Nope. But that person said: "Everyone wants those things and if you think you don't, you're living in denial. You only say that to make yourself feel better because you can't afford them."
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Posted
Jul 21 2008, 05:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Ron Haynes at The Wisdom Journal. I think few people would disagree that children learn many of their life skills from their  parents. From parenting to work ethic, to spousal relationships, to personal finance, the most important things in life that children learn are those taught by the example of their parents. That isn't just a broad opening statement, it's truth borne out of years of investigation by researchers -- and from parents and grandparents who witness it every day. I've been thinking lately about what my children are learning from me because, as a parent, I am a model for my kids. But it's my choice whether to model good behavior or bad, and my example, much more than my words, will leave a lasting inheritance with my children.
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Posted
Jun 11 2008, 05:20 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller. Recently, I took my son, Gavin, to the Coinstar machine to turn the random coins he's been getting into paper money. Added to the last two years of birthday money, his total was right around $150. As he stared at that money (and lamented the fact that now all he had was paper instead of a huge jar of coins), I realized that it was time to start teaching Gavin about money.
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Posted
Jun 05 2008, 09:29 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar. Prior to our financial meltdown, my wife and I never sat down and talked about our finances. Right after the meltdown, we talked about things almost every day. Through our recovery, the number of meetings slowly declined to a monthly family financial meeting. The meetings have become a big part of the financial glue of our marriage.
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Posted
May 03 2008, 11:33 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We're not sure we're willing to totally give up TV, as our partner blogger Donna Freedman has. We have gone without before, but we want our CNN, our "Real Time with Bill Maher" and "The Sopranos" reruns, and our Steelers football in the fall. (We have DirecTV.) But if we needed to cut back to a basic package or do without, "Frugal Dad" assures us that there is life with minimal TV service. He's been without expanded cable service for four months, and he and the family are very happy with the decision. Here's why.
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Posted
Apr 29 2008, 05:42 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Spring marks the return of that favorite American pastime -- the yard sale. If you're thinking about de-cluttering, the always practical and thorough Lynnae at Being Frugal offers 10 tips for having a "wildly successful" sale. You want to make money, folks, so you have to advertise, she says. Word of mouth goes only so far. Craigslist is an option. Also, we know that many newspapers offer handy kits if you buy a garage sale ad.
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