Selling the Vacation Home, TurboTax Giveaway, and More

Posted by Madison on February 23, 2012

Maybe you were right. I’m one of those people, that no matter what someone tells me, I just have to try it myself before I can believe it. I’m just plain stubborn I guess. When I asked Should We Buy a Vacation Home? there were many great comments and it made us think. But ultimately, […]

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How Much Do You Pay For Health Insurance?

Posted by Madison on January 26, 2012

As I piece together our budget spreadsheets projecting our expenses for the next 60 years, there’s one line item that I keep coming back to over and over, the cost of health care. I predict our future expenses with all sorts of inflation rates for our expenses… but what about health care? How much will […]

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Since I took on the no gift card challenge, my holiday shopping got just a bit more complicated! Of course, a lot of the holiday stress we face is self inflicted… Amid the flurry of holiday parties, shopping, and all of our holiday traditions, we took some time out for a stress free adventure: making […]

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Can Once a Month Cooking Save You Money?

Posted by Madison on October 20, 2011

I’ll admit, my personality is a tad bit compulsive. It wasn’t enough just to buy in bulk to save money on groceries. And even converting to once a month grocery shopping and considering buying a cow didn’t end the frugal grocery shopping roller coaster I’m currently riding. Once a Month Cooking But now, it’s gone […]

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Have You Ever Bought a Cow?

Posted by Madison on October 13, 2011

While we were working on cutting our grocery bill in half, I ran across an interesting concept: buying a cow. You can buy a cow directly from a local farmer and get a huge quantity of high quality meat, skipping the grocery store altogether. I brought up the discussion at a recent ladies night out […]

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Do You Use a Rewards Checking Account?

Posted by Madison on September 15, 2011

I’m on the hunt for a new checking account. Our primary checking account is currently at Schwab. But over time, the interest rate has dropped, and now that they abandoned the 2% credit card, the overall package is no longer competitive. Time to go shopping for a new bank. I’m considering Consumers Credit Union which […]

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Time to Replace the Schwab 2% Card?

Posted by Madison on August 25, 2011

Are the rumors true? Is the Schwab 2% Cash Back Credit Card ending it’s run in my wallet? Earlier this week, rumors surfaced that service reps began leaking the details of the end of the Schwab 2% card. If it’s true, the Schwab card will convert to a 1% cash back card with a $75 […]

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Playing the Car Accident Math Guessing Game

Posted by Madison on August 18, 2011

Fresh off a new parking lot fender bender (thank goodness no one was hurt!), it’s time to drill down on the money aspect of the damage. Even though I carry insurance, it’s always better to step back and look at the math to determine the best way to proceed financially. For small fender benders, it’s […]

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Does the Market Volatility Make You Anxious?

Posted by Madison on August 11, 2011

Obviously, it’s already a long week with the market swinging wildly each day: back to back stock market slides, a rally, another slide, another rally, and another slide. And based on the way investors are reacting to every piece of news lately, it seems likely that the volatility will continue for awhile. Some people have […]

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A Confession: I Have a Status Symbol

Posted by Amanda on August 4, 2011

I have been called out by one of my readers before (in a very polite way), who inquired as to why I am still on a monthly contract cell phone plan. He/she sent me a great email detailing their own pay-as-you-go plan, the perks of it, as well as the financial benefits and savings that […]

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