Archive for August, 2008
Labor Day Weekend Savings
Labor Day is known to be the unofficial (or official to some, I guess) end of summer. We get a long weekend and the roads are insanely crowded by travelers trying to squeeze in one last trip. School is starting and its our last hurrah before the fall. I am taking part: Wedding in Colonial [...]
Stop Paying the Pet Groomer
When my wife and I first got our Maltese puppy 2 years ago, we were shocked at the expenses that followed. We knew of the basic costs that come with pets like food, vet bills, and toys, but the cost for dog grooming surprised us. For a basic cut, washing, and nail trim cost approximately [...]
Can I Live Without Cable?
The short answer to this is Yes, the long answer is probably No. I will tell you what I am talking about…
We currently have a cable package bundled with our internet that comes with an insane amount of channels. Movies, sports, celebrity, you name it, we got it. In college one my room mates worked [...]
Pay Attention When Checking Out……Your Groceries
With so many different deals and items at the major grocery/discount stores, it’s amazing anything rings up correctly during checkout. Do you pay attention to each item the clerk scans? It’s probably a good habit to get into, considering the great possibilities for errors. Although the savings may seem minimal, they can really add up.
Just [...]
When Is Too Much, Too Much?
We are in the process of looking into buying a house. We found one and have been going over the numbers over and over and determining that our budget would stretch really tight. It would be doable, but our safety net would have to be used for a down payment and we would need to [...]
Investing Like a Millionaire
This is a guest post by Al Jacobs who is a writer for OnTheMoneyTrail.com. He will be featured here about once a month and has a wide breadth of experience. We are happy to work with him and highly recommend that you check him out!
Investing Like a Millionaire
by Al Jacobs
www.onthemoneytrail.com
This title of a recent USA [...]
U.S. Treasury Department Contracts Out Its Own Job
The U.S. Treasury Department has recently hired Morgan Stanley, an investment bank, to assess how vulnerable the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSE) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are to future economic problems, in part by evaluating how much capital the GSEs should have in the future to weather any such similar housing problems. GSEs are [...]
How Much Are Your State Taxes?
Lately, as we get closer and closer to becoming homeowners, I have become obsessed with all the little taxes, fees and surcharges that go along with it. While I could probably sit down and start writing about all the little details I have found out so far, I would no longer have time to do [...]
Do Variable Annuities Pose a Systemic Risk?
Variable annuities have grown in popularity over the past couple of years and the downturn in our economy has only intensified retiree’s interest in such products. Variable annuities are essentially an insurance product against down markets by guaranteeing minimum payments (income) to the policy holder regardless if a bear market exists. Usually, a variable annuity [...]
Maximize More of Your Stuff
I might be biased, but I was pleased with Frank’s article “Wear Things Out.” Had I known he was going to write that, I would have pitched in but I’ll just put in my two cents here, and try not to readdress what he has said already…
Cell Phones
I am currently with Verizon at the moment [...]
USAA to Expand Eligibilty Requirements
USAA has announced that they are expanding their eligibility requirements. If you meet the following criteria, this might be a great opportunity to get some nice insurance benefits.
While a bit of an exclusive club, it is with good reason. The customer service is top notch and the rates are extremely competitive. They currently allow only [...]
Wear Things Out
Part of being frugal is being resourceful, however, if you’re too resourceful you may be perceived as being cheap. Cheap of course is not a tag you want pinned on you. So, where do we draw this line? When is it OK to keep reusing something that is nearing its end and when should you [...]
Pic.TV’s Preview of An Inconvenient Debt
While our attention is currently abroad in Beijing, watching our fellow citizens win medals left and right (take that France!) we are also keeping an eye on that state of affairs here at home. There is another race coming up soon but won’t commence until long after the Olympics are over: the Presidential Race. This [...]
Milk Your Money Has Joined RSSHugger.com
We are pleased to announce that we have joined RSSHugger.com. For any of you who have blogs or websites with a valid RSS feed, feel free to register with them and get your feed out there! Submission is free with an announcement or a one time $20 fee. Check us out!
UPDATE: Hank made a good [...]
Negotiate Real Estate Commissions
Selling your home can result in realizing extreme amounts of real estate equity, however, commissions paid to your realtor can really eat into your profits. A recent Consumer Reports Magazine reported that 46% of sellers, during a specified time, attempted to negotiate a lower commission and an amazing 71% of these sellers succeed in reducing [...]
