Archive for 2009


Happy Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and More!

Posted by Madison on November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are having a wonderful day surrounded by family and friends. We’re hosting dinner this year, but not all of our family can be here… so we’ll only have 18! The stuffing, green bean casserole, and the sweet potatoes are cooking right now; my dad didn’t trust me to cook the […]

Continue reading…





Plan and Budget for Holiday Spending

Posted by Jill on November 25, 2009

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Whether you’ve already started shopping, plan on hitting Black Friday sales, or are still procrastinating just a bit, one thing is certain: holiday spending can quickly become a budget buster. But with a bit of careful planning, you can get through this holiday season without spending more than […]

Continue reading…





How to Score Big on Cyber Monday

Posted by Amanda on November 24, 2009

I had one of the most fun and memorable holiday experiences several years ago. After a great Thanksgiving feast at my grandmother’s, my mother and I decided that we would bite the bullet and go together the next morning to shop on Black Friday. Neither of us had done so before, and we felt that […]

Continue reading…





Frugal Ways to Celebrate the Holidays

Posted by Amanda on November 18, 2009

What a fantastic time of year coming up; the weather has chilled from crisp to cold, the night comes upon us earlier so we feel more snuggly and more like hibernating at home, and generally we all have extra time off from work which means we can spend more time with the people whom we […]

Continue reading…





Cash for Appliances

Posted by Kate on November 17, 2009

Cash for Appliances Program Back in August, Cash for Clunkers was the big news in government relief for taxpayers. The program encouraged consumers to buy nearly 7,000 more fuel efficient vehicles in less than 30 days. A similar program from the Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is now […]

Continue reading…





What to Expect When Working With a Financial Planner

Posted by Jill on November 16, 2009

Even the most financially-savvy people sometimes need a little help – and the more money you have, the more you might want to make sure you are handling it as well as possible. If you find yourself with questions you can’t quite find the answer to online, want to make sure you are handling a […]

Continue reading…





Our New ooma Phone, Investing, and More

Posted by Madison on November 12, 2009

Our new ooma phone system arrived this week. Now we can say goodbye to our monthly phone bill. With the ooma phone, after you buy it, you don’t need to pay a monthly fee for the service. We got an ooma on sale for $204 (which came with an iPod shuffle). After switching from Vonage […]

Continue reading…





Taxes—An Untapped Resource

Posted by Amanda on November 11, 2009

You know the drill: once or twice a month you get paid for the time that you have worked, minus a series of taxes that have been conveniently deducted out of your paycheck before you even receive it. Because you never get to deposit that money into your bank account, paying taxes may seem like […]

Continue reading…





Understanding Health Savings Accounts

Posted by Jill on November 10, 2009

We’re continuing to detail specific benefit options with a look at Health Savings Accounts, or HSAs. Yesterday we looked at High Deductible Health Plans. Because of its lower premiums, an HDHP makes financial sense for many people. If you have an HDHP, you are also eligible to contribute to an HSA and save even more […]

Continue reading…





How to Save Money with High Deductible Health Plans

Posted by Jill on November 9, 2009

While many of you go through open enrollment and others search for private health insurance, we thought it would be a great time to delve deeper into specific benefit options that can help you save money on health care. Today we’ll look into High Deductible Health Plans, or HDHPs. What is a High Deductible Health […]

Continue reading…