Environment

Is the Recession Good for the Environment?

Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles times reported that landfills are filling much more slowly now. The owners say it’s because fewer people are buying stuff, eating out, and throwing stuff out. That started me thinking: how could this recession benefit the environment? Could it even set a trend that’s good for the economy in the long-term? Less Shopping = Less Trash We have become a disposable culture. If something…
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Blog Carnivals

The Carnival Round-Up

This week I once again bring you three carnivals. We’ll kick this round-up off with the Festival of Frugality #118, which wisely made my post on 13 ways to celebrate spring fever and editor’s pick. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Money and Values’ discussion of delicious homemade ice cream (which I also love.) Next up, Money Hacks Carnival #5, which featured my review of Yodlee. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Moolanomy’s…
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Money Management

The 10-10-10 Rule for Spending

The April issue of Glamour Magazine features a short piece by Suzy Welch explaining the theory behind the 10-10-10 rule. The rule is simple: before you make a decision, ask yourself: “What will the consequences of my options be in 10 minutes, 10 months, and 10 years?” Then act accordingly. In her example, she describes a time she took her 2 young kids on a business trip to Hawaii, and…
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Saving Money

How to Use CVS Coupons and Extra Care Bucks

If you read many stay-at-home mom blogs, you’ve heard about the CVS Extra Care Bucks craze. It works like this: CVS was over-priced, so they started offering Extra Care Bucks on various products. When you buy that product, you earn back these bucks, which you can use to pay for other products. In addition, you can scan your Extra Care card at the store to print out CVS…
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Travel

Taking Advantage of Travel Deal Websites

In addition to traveling off-season whenever possible and using miles, you can use travel deal websites to score cheap travel deals without sacrificing comfort. Not all sites are equal, but there are a few gems that can really save you a lot of cash, but won’t have you flying as cargo or sleeping on the floor of a youth hostel. Travel Packages For travel packages, I love LuxuryLink. This…
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Groceries and Food

The Costco Haul: Saving Money at Costco

Welcome to my 101st post! I’ve already mentioned the great deal Costco has on tires. I also hit Costco 4-5 times a year to stock up on essentials, in a shopping trip I refer to as the “Costco Haul.” Unfortunately, there are a few preferred brands of personal care products that they don’t carry, but I usually find their prices to be much better on the items they do…
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Budgeting

Semi-Annual Household Budget Update

Last February, I showed you our monthly household budget and our cash-flow budget. Our cash flow budget is updated monthly, and sometimes more than once a month, but we haven’t updated our spending breakdown since February. Given the drastic changes in our debt load, and rising costs for gas and food, I decided to see how we’re doing seven months later. A Tale of Two Household Budgets This was…
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Budgeting

It’s Time for Preliminary Holiday Planning

So, this weekend I called my sister to tell her that I’d found my mom’s Christmas present. I haven’t bought it yet, but I know what it is unless Mom drops some hints that she’d like something else. To be fair, it was something I almost got her last year and then opted for something else, so it wasn’t a new idea. Nevertheless, my sister was a bit…
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Home Maintenance

Five Ways Improve Your Home Value

We’re already refinancing our mortgage due to the recent rate drops (it’s a free refi that doesn’t increase our loan balance). So, we had to get reappraised. I didn’t think we’d see a value increase because it’s only been 4 months. Well, I was wrong. Our appraised value went up 2% in four months, and I think I’ve figured out why. If you’re planning to sell your house in a…
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Money Management

The Dos and Don’ts of Combining Finances after the Wedding

Adam commented on my post about how we save 25% of our income. “I am just in the process of getting married, and learning about the whole process of combining our finances.” To help Adam, and any other couple, here’s a quick outline of the process. My husband and I agreed that we would set up a joint checking account after we got married. We could have set it…
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