Search results for giving
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Posted
Sep 30 2009, 10:03 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Has a charity ever pushed and annoyed you to the point that you've cut them off?
When do you draw the line at giving? When they've hired a telemarketing company that pesters you, or if they send you too much mail?
"FMF" of Free Money Finance raised the question in a recent post called "Off my giving list." He stopped giving to a group he had generously supported because a telemarketer who called his house wouldn't take no for an answer.
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Posted
Sep 21 2009, 07:47 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This guest post comes from Wojciech Kulicki at Fiscal Fizzle.
A critical skill for a fulfilling financial life is understanding your own money priorities. Without taking this first step, it's like driving without a destination -- you will simply end up wherever the road takes you.
I've touched on the topic of setting priorities in a number of past posts:
Now I'd like to take a more detailed approach and propose a list of seven independent activities that will drive you to find what's at the heart of your financial desires.
I guarantee that doing even one of these will bring you much closer to understanding what you value and aligning your daily actions with where you'd like to finish. It's worth the effort.
Consider these seven individually, or as a group:
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Posted
Sep 18 2009, 09:14 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
I know I'm late to the dance here, but I finally understand why people love The Freecycle Network so much. You can give or get, de-cluttering your life or filling some basic needs at no cost.
No matter how odd the item, you can probably unload it. Earlier this week I gave away a half-pint of keys.
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Posted
Sep 04 2009, 08:55 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
You never know how much stuff you have until you need to move it 1,500 miles. Just ask my daughter and son-in-law, who are heading to Phoenix, Arizona. Although they sold some items online, staged a yard sale, donated many other belongings to charity thrift shops and gave lots of things to friends, they still couldn't fit everything into a 6x7x8-foot moving cube.
I don't suppose anyone out there could use seven dozen plastic hangers and some ice cube trays?
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Posted
Aug 05 2009, 03:58 PM
by
Karen Datko
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
"Miss M" got a last-minute wedding invitation and doesn't have time to shop for a gift.
So, she asked loyal readers of M is for Money, should she do something she has never done before in her life: Put cash in a gift envelope and call it good? Is that tacky -- or not?
She's obviously worried about breaking a rule. "I was raised to think that cash makes a tacky gift, though looking back on some of the crystal monstrosities my mother gave, perhaps money would have been kinder," she wrote.
What do you think? Is cash -- like that late wedding invitation -- an indication that you don't care very much for the recipients? Or is it the best gift you could possibly give?
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Posted
Jul 21 2009, 01:50 PM
by
Teresa Mears
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
As anyone who has ever worn glasses knows, prescription eyewear can be expensive. In recent years, chain discount eyewear stores have been joined by online companies offering prescription eyeglasses for as little as $7.95. (Eyeglass Retailer Reviews outlines the pros and cons of some of those companies.)
This week, Eye Buy Direct is offering its glasses at two pairs for the price of one. The two-for-one deal applies only to the frame and basic lenses. If you opt for additional features such as progressive lenses ($39), thin lenses ($25), reflective coating ($6.95), UV protection ($4.95) or sunglass tint ($4.95), those charges are added to the cost of both pairs of glasses. Shipping is free on orders more than $99 and is $4.95 for two pairs of basic glasses. The two-for-one deal is good through July 26.
If you want to "try on" the glasses, you can upload a photo of yourself and view your face with the frames you are considering. You can even post your proposed look on Facebook and see what your friends think.
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Posted
Jun 18 2009, 06:05 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
I recently received an interesting e-mail from a person I vaguely knew from college. This person "rediscovered" me via The Simple Dollar, befriended me on Facebook, and sent me one or two e-mails.
Out of nowhere, the person, who is engaged, e-mailed me a link to the couple's wedding registry. It had been e-mailed to a lot of people -- apparently everyone in their e-mail address book. The e-mail included a generic invitation to pick out one of the hundreds of items they had selected.
I deleted the e-mail. This was greed, pure and simple.
After I received it, the issue of gift registries stuck in my mind. What exactly is tasteful behavior for a gift registry? Also, what kind of items should one put on such a registry?
Here are some of my thoughts on the matter.
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Posted
Jun 17 2009, 08:53 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This devil's advocate post comes from Jim Wang at partner blog Bargaineering.
This devil's advocate post will cover something that's bound to elicit a lot of discussion: Here are four reasons why you shouldn't donate money to charity.
That's right. You read that correctly. I have four reasons why donating your hard-earned money to a charity is a bad idea, and chances are there is at least one reason here that you haven't even considered. If there was ever a devil's advocate post to end all devil's advocate posts (don't worry, it's not the last one), this would probably be it.
Americans are among the most charitable people in the world, donating $314 billion in 2007, according to the Philanthropy Journal. And despite a brutal economy, that dropped only 2% (or 5.7% after adjusting for inflation) to $307 billion in 2008.
In the face of that, I present to you four reasons why you shouldn't donate money to charity.
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Posted
May 01 2009, 05:46 AM
by
Joan Melcher
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Mother’s Day is clearly among the most celebrated of American holidays. It’s estimated that 96% of the population participate in the observance, which stretches back more than a century in this country and can be traced to Greek myth. So, the question is: What are you going to do? Given the pervasive nature of a holiday celebrated by nearly everyone, your options are varied and potentially unique. And frugal.
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Posted
Apr 30 2009, 06:16 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from Trent Hamm at partner blog The Simple Dollar.
Whenever Mother's Day rolls around (and it's just about here), people seem to congregate in one of two camps on the issue.
First, there's the celebrate your mother camp -- the people who feel that Mother's Day is a perfect opportunity to show your mother that you care for her, either through action or through a gift.
On the other side of that coin is the Mother's Day is a day invented by the greeting card industry group, those who feel that the entire concept of a "mother's day" is just an excuse for consumerism.
I agree with both sides. Mother's Day may be a contrived invention, but the reason behind it is one I wholeheartedly agree with. It's always worthwhile to celebrate our mothers.
The solution is simple: The best way to honor your mother isn't by celebrating her with consumerism. Instead, find ways to show your mother that you truly care -- and those ways rarely involve heading to the store and buying greeting cards and other things.
Here are eight things to try, whether you're waiting until May 10 to celebrate or you want to treat every day as Mother's Day.
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