There are basically two schools of thought in the financial community when it comes to saving money on purchases. One is to focus your efforts on saving money on the big purchases in your life, such as a home, a car, insurance, furniture, etc., and to not focus your attention on the everyday purchases. The […]
Archive for 2011
State Taxes, Debt Ceiling, and More
Posted byThere was a lot of discussion around our property taxes in Should We Move to a Smaller House? Our $11,000 annual property tax bill seemed high to many readers. We’ve always known we live in a high tax state (especially for being in the Midwest), but some recent state tax comparisons are helpful to put […]
I know that by now you’re all familiar with my move to Texas. But I’m not 100% sure that I mentioned that I’ve actually moved back in with my parents. Since my parents moved houses while I was in college, it’s not exactly the room that I grew up in – but it’s pretty close! Making […]
I am an environmental investigator, and environmental studies was one of my majors in college. Needless to say, environmental issues and living a more sustainable life are important to me. Regardless of whether or not you feel the same, there are many manufacturer and retail environmental programs out there that will save you money—something I’m […]
Third quarter just got a little bit better with some help from FIA credit cards! FIA is now joining the quarterly rotating rewards game. To find out your 3rd quarter FIA rewards: Go to FIA Easy Rewards. Select that you forgot your code, and you’ll be prompted to enter your card information. FIA will present […]
My husband and I enjoy the occasional spoiling of our niece and nephew, especially since we do not yet have kids of our own. We give them Christmas and Birthday presents, take them out on little adventures when we visit my family each year, and always allow them to pick out a new book at […]
Have you watched TLC’s new Extreme Couponing show? It’s quite the circus ride through coupons, sales ads, excel sheets, grocery shopping, and the cash register. Even more so than that, there are allegations of coupon fraud by show participants. That’s right—people have been taped committing coupon fraud and this has been aired on television. At […]
Ask Madison: Reader Mail Volume 5
Posted byTime for another round of reader mail. Let’s jump right in: Have you heard any update on the mfs class action lawsuit you wrote about some time ago? no word in years…wondering what the disposition is. – Dan I’ve been wondering too… but I haven’t heard a word on it yet! The FAQs don’t list […]
How Do You Combat Spending Anxiety?
Posted bySo many of you wrote helpful comments when I talked about needing to buy a new car… but I still haven’t done it! My very generous grandparents have a pretty new car that mostly sits in their driveway. When they heard I was moving home and would be temporarily carless, they offered to let me […]
Every time we take advantage of a new bonus and sign up for a new offer or program, it makes keeping track of frequent flyer miles, credit cards rewards programs, and loyalty rewards programs a mess. Add in the quarterly switching of credit cards and maximizing various online shopping cash back programs and remembering to […]