The majority of flowers are at their peak during the summer, but some are available year-round. If you like to decorate your home with flowers, have a flower-giving occasion coming up, or are planning a wedding, there are a lot of ways you can get flowers on a budget. Here are a few tips for …
Yesterday morning NPR reported that the consumer price index had risen 4.1% since December 2006. They also reported that although wages have risen, they’re actually lower than they were in 2000 when adjusted for inflation. I exhaled a stunned breath when I heard the first part. That’s a hefty jump for one year. According to NPR, it’s …
When and How to tell if makeup is expired or not? A few years ago I was watching Clean Sweep when I made a horrifying discovery: makeup lasts a maximum of three years. Most products don’t last nearly as long as that. Shortly after that, I started to clean out my makeup case. Some of my …
Buttermilk is a wondrous food. It used to be the remnants of the butter churning process, but now it’s the result of an unrelated process. Contrary to what you’d expect from the name, it’s actually quite low in fat and good for you. So, if you’ve got some leftover from a recipe, here are some …
Every few months my employer’s financial advisor, Michelle Bless of the Retirement Strategies Group, comes by the office to update us on changes to our benefits package or give advice. Last time she was here, I asked for her top five financial tips for 2010. She provided a great list of things to consider for 2010: …
Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life is a new book by Robert Reich, former Labor Secretary under Clinton. If you listen to NPR’s Morning Edition or American Public Media’s Marketplace, you’ve probably heard one of his commentaries. The book delves into the development of US economy during the last century, mostly since the …
Festival of Frugality #123: The Supercapitalism Edition Read More »
Here at Sound Money Matters we celebrate all manner of holidays. This week it’s Blog Carnival Day. This holiday honors two blog carnivals: The Carnival of Personal Finance #140 at The Financial Blogger. In addition to my post on whether you should pay off debt or save for a house, you’ll also enjoy a real estate agent’s perspective on the …
This post will probably sound like I’m bragging, but I’m not. Instead, I’m realizing how wonderful it is to have breathing room in the budget. To be able to pay for things and not worry about it. Two examples from last week: My husband was driving home from the hardware store the other day and …
Last week, Chase sent me a notice about their “new and improved” checking accounts. The enhancement? My free checking account is no longer free. That may be improved for them, but not for me. I will be closing that account shortly because it was primarily a pass-through account for freelancing income, which I have little …
That Makes Me Stabby: Customers “Want” Fees for Checking Accounts Read More »
If you’ve watched TV, listened to the radio, or driven past a billboard in the last six months, you hopefully know that analog broadcast signals were turned off today, and you now need a digital converter or digital TV to receive television signals over the air. You were probably assured that you didn’t need to …
Forget the Analog Conversion: How the Digital Cable Conversion Affects You Read More »
