Combining Finances
Having ‘the financial talk’ with your future spouse or live-in boyfriend/girlfriend can be a bit overwhelming depending upon how much you do or do not know about each other’s finances (see photo below—actually taken during our conversation! I thought it was too funny and dramatic not to include). But with rather large upcoming expenses (buying [...]
Botched Electricity Experiment
Something I have always erred on the side of caution with—without ever truly knowing the impact on our budget—has been residual electricity use on electronics that are plugged in, but not turned on. My nearly tyrant policies with unplugging any and all electronic devices when not in use began several years ago when I heard [...]
Deflate Your Living Expenses Without Compromising
Many things creep up over the month to thwart even the most sound of budgets: car breaks down, child gets sick, hurricanes, parties, etc. These issues may seem like the true culprits to our drained bank accounts, or why we cannot seem to save beyond $X amount of dollars. Perhaps we should take a step [...]
How Being Uneducated Cost me $1,000
Disclaimer: I am not a financial expert by any means, so if you choose to invest in this single stock, I wish you luck. Invest at your own risk! If this had been three months ago today, and I went with my gut instinct to buy US Steel Stock (X) while the stock market was [...]
Layering Your Deals
Lately, a favorite indulgence of mine has been tiramisu. As my fork slides effortlessly through the moist, succulent layers, slicing through the cream and cake, my taste buds heighten their awareness in anticipation of the flavors to come. Each bite offers a continuum of various flavors, with a different essence from each layer. Then, the [...]
Free Living
Sometimes using free tickets, eating leftovers, and taking advantage of giveaways seem to not really amount to anything. Maybe once a month you go to a free museum opening, and one night a week you have leftovers. This does save you money, but it doesn’t seem to add up quickly enough because it is spread [...]
Bank It!
My most effective savings strategy is the monthly automatic withdrawals of a consistent percentage of my paychecks into my savings account. As the year goes on, I know that my account will continue to accumulate, barring any unforeseen natural disaster, lay-off or the like. Another great savings strategy that complements this principle is stockpiling products [...]
Amish Finances
This article is featured at Free Money Finance as a winner of the “Best of Money Blog Carnival”. Please Note: I would like to thank my father, Tom Grossman, for allowing me to pick his brain, and all of the Amish in Lancaster County who have answered our questions. While this information is very accurate, [...]
Salivating on Saturday Nights
Summer 2008 Note: This was written in the summer of 2008 during my unemployment “vacation”. Look at the end of the article for up to date information on deals you can score at CVS this week to start your own Drugstore Game! The first article in the series is here. It is not [...]
Money and Energy Savings: April and May
Throughout the month of April and May, Paul and I have made several changes that have saved both of us time, energy and money hopefully for years to come. I’d like to share these with you to help jump-start your own thinking on how to live and earn more efficiently so that you can enjoy [...]
I have Joined the Yakezie Challenge!
