It’s Wedding Season! Tips to Keep the Costs Down

Posted by Madison on May 26, 2008

Happy Memorial Day! I usually consider Memorial Day weekend the start of summer, even though it doesn’t officially begin until later in June. Of course, the summer season can also be referred to as wedding season! Here we are, almost to June, which is the busiest month for weddings. If you are newly engaged, it’s […]

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Analyzing Our Energy Use

Posted by Madison on March 27, 2008

We’ve been focusing on reducing our energy bill lately. For example, my husband has been looking into switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs. In addition, our energy company is very proactive in sending us monthly mailers with tips and tricks to reducing energy consumption. See previous articles Ten Easy Energy Savings Tips and Energy Savings […]

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Money Matters for All Ages: The Complete Guide

Posted by Madison on January 26, 2008

Sixteen personal finance writers put together an outstanding guide of finance material that spans a lifetime in the Money Matters for All Ages series. The entire series is also available to download in a free e-book. Here’s the highlights:





Guide to Couponing

Posted by Madison on January 18, 2008

My New Years Resolution was to stop super couponing. Why? Because I got so into it, I ended up spending way too much time on it. I also got some sort of mental block when I went to the store. If it wasn’t on sale, super cheap, or free I couldn’t bring myself to buy […]

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Ten Easy Energy Savings Tips

Posted by Madison on January 14, 2008

I recently got a mailer from Power Tomorrow, a program that encourages a “greater energy-efficient commitment in our lives.” It broke down energy use by category: The mailer also included some great energy savings tips. I’ve highlighted the easy ones here and added some additional ones:





Why I Won’t Spend the Same Amount on the Kids

Posted by Madison on December 21, 2007

Save the guilt and the cash. Give the kids presents based on wants, needs, and the ability to give. Do not give based on meeting a price that was spent on their sibling. I realize this is probably an unpopular stance, as I’ve witnessed many families make sure that all the kids get equal amounts […]

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Savings on Tree Trimmings and Holiday Decorations

Posted by Madison on December 4, 2007

Use a theme! Each person in our family has a designated holiday theme. Angels, snowmen, etc. This keeps the shopper in me in line, even when there are discounted decorations after the holidays. It used to be easy to get carried away, but now I have a rule that we can purchase one item in […]

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Inexpensive Sports Equipment

Posted by Madison on December 2, 2007

This weekend our local university hosted their annual ski and snowboard sale. It’s a great way to pick up new and used equipment at discounted prices. We will need to purchase skis for our kids soon and I want to make sure that we aren’t spending unnecessary money. As with all things kids, the equipment is quickly outgrown […]

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Energy Savings Tips

Posted by Madison on November 30, 2007

I often end up on subscription lists for various newsletters. One I noticed in my mailbox today was from Little Grad. It’s the Little Insights Newsletter. It had some great tips on energy savings: College Saving Tip: Heating Water Energy Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE (Dept Of Energy) […]

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Discount Postage Stamps

Posted by Madison on November 16, 2007

Right, I know, people don’t snail mail stuff anymore. If you are like my house though, we do send a bunch of holiday cards to friends and family. Postage on those can add up quickly.