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• Think like Mr. Spock but act like Captain Kirk

  Posted Jan 09 2008, 06:00 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: debt, credit, savings, The Dough Roller, homes, rent, financial planning, 401k, IRA
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller.

  

  Sound personal-finance and investing decisions flow from two things -- knowing the numbers and knowing ourselves.

  If we know the numbers but not ourselves, our decisions will look good on a spreadsheet, until our real-world decisions deviate from the plan. If we know ourselves but not the numbers, our decisions may feel right, but will lead us down the wrong path.

  What's the answer? We need to think like Mr. Spock, but act like Captain Kirk. Allow me to explain.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 2 comments) 3,976 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• The flood upstairs: Why you need renters insurance

  Posted Apr 25 2008, 10:27 AM by Donna Freedman
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, insurance, Donna Freedman, rent, renters
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Last weekend I heard the kind of frantic knocking that signals trouble for the resident manager. A tenant was banging on the door to tell me that a second-floor apartment -- not his -- was flooding.
  

  As I ran toward the stairs, I could see moisture dripping from the first-floor hall ceiling. Upstairs, I found that a toilet had blocked and overflowed. Later, a water-damage restoration specialist would estimate it had overflowed for at least three hours.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 9 comments) 4,465 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Out on your own: Tips for renting an apartment

  Posted Jan 30 2008, 06:11 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: insurance, Karen Datko, rent, credit score, getting started
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  Renting your first apartment is one of those rites of passage to adulthood. So, when you're meeting with a landlord, try to act like an adult. That's No. 1 in David's "10 tips for first-time apartment renters" at My Two Dollars. "You might not want to wear your baseball hat backwards or continue smoking that cigarette," David advises. "It could reflect badly on you."

  The tips are excellent, covering essentials like having a good credit score because the landlord likely will run a credit check on you. Read the lease and understand it. Find out if parking is included or extra.

  Here's another good one: Talk to neighbors before you sign a lease. "Between finding out about the guy that sings love songs to his old girlfriend at 3 a.m. to the chain smoker in the apartment next door, you can learn a lot just by being friendly with one of the neighbors," David writes.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 2 comments) 6,347 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Moving? Research rentals at cool Web site

  Posted Jan 29 2008, 12:00 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, spending, savings, Karen Datko, rent
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  We thank My Two Dollars for pointing out another cool tool on the Internet. Zilpy is an easy-to-use site for researching rentals and rent prices in entire cities or individual neighborhoods. (David looked up his own neighborhood in Southern California and wrote, "Makes me feel better that my rent is $1,949 when the average is $2,713!") It also gives handy information like crime rates, and age and educational level of the people who live there.

  If you're looking for a new place to rent, you can refine your search by the type of rental you want -- apartment, house or townhouse -- as well as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms and overall square footage. The site also provides maps that pinpoint available rentals.

  Just to be nosy, we decided to check out the neighborhoods of some of our friends.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 1 comments) 2,298 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Turn your empty driveway into a cash cow

  Posted Mar 10 2008, 11:03 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: Karen Datko, homes, tips, rent, real estate, income, cars
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  We're all for you making some extra income, so we're directing you to an innovative tool on the Internet. ParkatmyHouse.com could help you earn some cash from that underused part of your real estate known as the driveway.

  This British-based Web site has recently expanded its service to the good old USA.  ParkatmyHouse.com connects people who need a place to park with those whose driveways or garages sit empty.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 6 comments) 4,497 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Know your lease, or lose your dollars

  Posted Apr 18 2008, 10:13 AM by Donna Freedman
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, savings, Donna Freedman, rent, renters
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  A woman I know recently decided to move closer to work. Somehow she figured all she'd need to do is turn in her keys and say, "'Bye."
  

  Wrong. Since she didn't give sufficient notice, she was saddled with the next month's rent even though she was long gone by then.
  

  This is an intelligent woman who'd had this explained to her when she moved in. She just, well, forgot.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 34 comments) 11,457 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• A year later, still surviving and thriving

  Posted Dec 07 2007, 09:30 AM by Donna Freedman
  Rating:
  Filed under: debt, retirement, family, Donna Freedman, online banking, rent, IRA
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  When I wrote "Surviving (and thriving) on $12,000 a year" in January, I promised to check in at the end of 2007 to let readers know how I was doing.
  

  I could never have imagined how that article would change my life. It led to additional assignments for MSN Money, and eventually to hosting this blog, for which I earn a part-time salary.
  

  My life changed. My lifestyle didn't.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 175 comments) 91,156 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Extreme-saving choice: Live in your van

  Posted Jul 10 2008, 02:04 PM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, savings, Karen Datko, rent, save money, cars
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  To those readers who have cut spending every which way they can, but find it's not enough, "Tight Fisted Miser" offers an extreme idea -- live in a van.

  The 40-year-old law student is seriously considering a van-dwelling experience when his apartment lease runs out in the fall.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 31 comments) 13,147 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Could you handle a roomie?

  Posted Mar 03 2009, 08:52 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: Karen Datko, homes, home buying, rent, save money
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  More and more people are placing ads looking for roommates to help share housing costs. Would you be willing to sacrifice privacy if someone helped pay the bills?

  "Nickel" at FiveCentNickel asked his readers about the pros and cons. Their experiences varied greatly. Some welcomed the extra company and money, and others suffered through roommates from hell and beyond. Here's what they said:   Read More...

  Discuss ( 12 comments) 5,720 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• The simple, frugal life offers freedom

  Posted Aug 14 2008, 04:40 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: housing, spending, family, Wise Bread, rent, love and money
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  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.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 7 comments) 5,041 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this