It seems that everywhere I go these days – the supermarket, the post office, even McDonald’s – there is a redbox vending machine. Although I already have a subscription to Netflix, every now and then I find myself stuck in limbo, waiting for my next movie to be sent but not wanting to spend $5 […]
Archive for 2009
How Does Zecco Stack Up?
Posted byZecco was on my short list in my search for a new brokerage, since they have dirt cheap, and sometimes free, trades. I finally got around to checking them out last week after I heard about their April Fools’ Day joke. Apparently, when customers logged in last Wednesday, they were greeted with million dollar account […]
The Final Decision on Downsizing
Posted byI tossed out the idea of buying a less expensive house in Should We Downsize?. Readers came to the rescue with lots of great points to consider in Should We Downsize? More Considerations. After a lot of thought, we made our decision. We will not be downsizing. Financial Impacts of Downsizing Ironically, I envisioned dollars […]
Happy April Fools’ Day!
Posted byDon’t say I didn’t warn you! Last year, I told you April Fools’ Day was one of my favorite “holidays” in The Best (and Worst) April Fools’ Day Joke. Of course it was only fitting to follow it up this year with For Sale: My Dollar Plan. For my dearly gullible readers, thanks for all […]
For Sale: My Dollar Plan
Posted byThe time has finally come! It’s time to move on. With the new baby’s planned arrival this summer, we’re accepting that our household is going to go from crazy to complete chaos. Three kids ages 3 and under will do that to any family…. but we love it! Parenting has no doubt been the hardest […]
The $15,000 home buyer tax credit that was scaled back in favor of an $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit in the economic stimulus plan is showing signs of life again! Last week, Republicans proposed the Responsible Homeowners Act, which revives the $15,000 home buyer tax credit. $15000 Home Buyer Tax Credit The proposal […]
12 Ways to Generate Extra Income
Posted byWant to add some extra income to your pockets? If you’ve already analyzed one side of your cash flow with 15 Budget Trimming Tips, it’s time to focus on the income side and find more ways to bring in some extra cash. Here are some ideas to bring in extra income. Some are quick, some […]
I was flipping through our Costco coupon book this month and noticed a sign up bonus for ShareBuilder. They are offering a $90 sign up bonus for executive members and a $70 sign up bonus for gold star and business members. Happy Free Money Friday! How to Get Your Sign Up Bonus Sign up for […]
Our favorite credit card has a new number. Ugh! We’ve had this card for years, since it deposits 2% into our kids’ 529 plans. In fact, we even have the card number memorized! We were notified that millions of MasterCard holders account numbers were compromised last week and issued a new card. Sure, no big […]
Would You Take a Loan Modification?
Posted byEver since the Making Home Affordable Program was rolled out I’ve been very intrigued with the plan. Do we need a loan modification? No. Would it be nice? Sure. In a weird twist of events, it looks like we qualify (on paper) for the loan modification program. Home Affordable Modifications To find out of you […]