Most first-time brides look forward to the bridal shower, but the person charged with hosting it probably isn’t looking forward to the costs it entails. I’ve been to big showers, and small showers, and come up with a few ideas for hosting a bridal shower on a budget. Rest assured, these bridal shower tips won’t …
This is coming a little late in the season for some, but it may help those attending upcoming college and high school graduations. I still remember some of my favorite or most useful graduation gifts. If you’re trying to figure out what to get someone, here are my top five for high school and top …
First the bad news: if you’re just starting to plan your summer vacation, distant locales may be out of the question, but you can still find some good deals if you start now. Here are my summer vacation ideas that are both affordable and fun. Camping This summer, many people are discovering camping is one …
As the summer winds down, it’s time to report in on my garden. To be honest, it was a lot more failure than success. Tomatoes My tomato harvest was 2 Red Reif Oxhearts and about 15 Isis Candy cherry tomatoes. The third plant grew tall and green but did not produce a single piece of …
The Bills.com Financial IQ test reminded me that I’m not adequately prepared for death or a disaster. I used to be, but my financial affairs have changed over the last few years. I’m also completely lacking some important documents. For the next two weeks, I will be detailing all the documents you need to be prepared for …
It’s a short week, so we have a short list of personal finance carnivals this week: just 2. And this will be a short post. Here we go. Carnival of Personal Finance #180 hosted by Living Almost Large. My post: Year-End Tax Prep. Recommended post: More tax prep tips at Harvesting Dollars. Money Hacks Carnival #40 hosted by Steadfast Finances. …
This question comes to me from a reader: “I’ve lived in a furnished home for 5 years. I’ve paid over $150,000.00 in rent. The home owner want me to pay for the Living Rm, Dining Rm and 2 Bedroom Set. Should I have to replace these furnishings?” My first response was: heck, no. Then I thought …
Yesterday, LearnVest (a cool financial blog for women) offered a post about the true cost of a child to age 18, and offered some tips for preparing for a baby. The post includes a cool info-graphic that outlines the USDA’s tally. Learnvest says: “Take a deep breath: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a baby born …
For some people, choosing a tax software package comes down to trust. They want to go with the name they’ve heard of. And that’s fine. Trusting your software is important. For me, it comes down to price. That’s why I prefer a lesser-known software called TaxAct. It’s just as good, just as accurate, and much …
I saw an interesting story on CNNMoney about the recent trend toward taxing the rich to pay for government programs, both major and minor. I was already a bit stabby about the “tax them if they make more than $250,000″ mantra, and now I’m even stabbier. If you want to see me “defend the rich,” keep reading. If not, …
