The Money Writers

When I first started this blog, I announced that I’d write about technology 5% of the time. Since I have written more than 700 articles at this point, I’m allow some 35 articles on technology. I think I used up a few of them with articles on my Asus EEE. As usual, with any technology article, I’ll attempt to tie it back to personal finance.
You may have already read about the Amazon Kindle. It’s yet another attempt by the technology industry to replace books. Companies have been at it for a few years, but it’s [...]

Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
and home buyers could save hundreds or thousands of dollars on commissions as online real estate brokers can compete with their local counterparts more effectively.
The Justice Department yesterday announced that it has reached a tentative settlement with the National Association of Realtors on an antitrust lawsuit that accused NAR [...]

We just got back from our long weekend trip. It always seems to take awhile to get back in the swing of things, get caught up on grocery shopping, email and everyday routines.
It was the first long car trip with both little ones in tow. While we planned on hooking up our DVD player, [...]

When you get engaged, you’re not just promising to marry a person; you’re also marrying their money habits, their debt, and credit history.  If you’re not careful, unknown money issues can not only ruin a marriage but sink you deep into debt.
Hiding Credit Card DebtHere’s a sad story of a former co-worker whose life was turned [...]

I confess that a lot of the advice I give on this blog is often something I don’t do myself.  I’ll give a good example:  on Memorial Day we had a bunch of relatives over and did a big “shashlik” - a Middle Eastern/Far East/former Soviet Union form of lamb shish-ka-bobs - had a few [...]

Time again for the monthly Smith Manoeuvre Portfolio update, May 2008 edition. I asked during the last update whether or not I should keep these monthly portfolio posts going, or if I should space them out a bit. I think that most of you enjoy these posts, but some may find them boring. [...]

My transition to true self-employment.

As a self-employed individual, I’m finding that I’ve got new things to tackle and look into as part of this new “designation.” I’ve actually never been truly self-employed before, although I had been a software contractor in the past during the dot com era when hourly wages were through the [...]

Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
I have two gas station receipts in my hands: one from last Monday and one yesterday. THey are both from the same gas station where I always fill up my car on my way to work every week. On these two receipts, in addition to the ever-increasing gas [...]

JLP over at All Financial Matters pointed out an MSN article that says family cookout costs are soaring. Given the higher price of gas and groceries are a hot topic as of late, I just had to check it out. Just as JLP had mentioned, I found the sources for this study to be a [...]

Memorial Day weekend is over… *Sigh*… back to work. The local news last night interviewed a number of people about how they spent their Memorial Day weekend. I was surprised by the number that were really cutting down their driving to save money on gas. One family decided to cut down their vacations from 3 to 1.
My wife and I don’t drive very much for vacations. We might go 45 miles north to Napa for some wine tasting this summer. When/If we do, we’ll hopefully find a cheap motel or perhaps even camp out. [...]

I love money-saving tips as much as the next frugal person. However, there’s a point where convenience and other factors actually outweigh the savings. Here’s some of the frugal tips I’m not into:
Cloth Diapers. We have two in diapers right now and we plan to have more children in the future. When I saw the [...]

Do you ever sit down and think about how your life is progressing and where you’re headed?  Laying out a roadmap for yourself can be a valuable experience.
As the post title alludes to, if you haven’t defined your goals, how will you measure your progress towards them?  Having a plan not only makes your efforts [...]

I really get a kick out of the MSN Money personal finance articles.  The other day, they wrote about money personalities and how most people struggle with their relationship with money. They then went on to categorize 8 money personalities that people fall into. I’m not sure how much value it provides, but [...]

Original post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
Last week, I started a donation drive for the Sichuan earthquake relief. During the seven days from May 15 to May 22, a total of $215 donation was made to the effort by readers from countries/regions as far as Greece and Hong Kong. I’d like to take this opportunity [...]

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was as fun as it was mine. Just got back from the traditional barbecue get-togethers that my family throws each long holiday weekend when the weather is great.
Personal Finance Reads

All Financial Matters: Do you ever look back and compare your current finances to the way they were [...]

As a subscriber of pop music band’s Weezer’s newsletter, I occasionally get an e-mail about news that is going on in Weezerland. They don’t send too many e-mails out, probably only one every six months or so. When they come, they are genuinely a good read. So when I got one this Friday, I had to check it out. They put their new upcoming song and video on YouTube. Imagine giving away your product for free… people who do that must be crazy…
The video was one of the best I’ve seen in some time. [...]

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 time [...]

This post originally appeared on American Consumer News as a guest post. I wrote it at the end of summer, so I’ve updated it to be relevant for the beginning of summer, for those of us who live in temperate enough climates to consider camping in the summertime.
Camping is a frugal activity in the [...]

As a frugalist, I always try to get the best deal possible in whatever I buy or pay for. If you’re going to buy something, why not try to get the best possible price? Who says that the marked price is the price that you must pay?
What’s the secret to getting a [...]

You don’t have a will nor an estate plan? Well now there’s NO excuse — not after you read this tidbit on what some people are doing for their ever beloved companions.
And those companions are not bipeds either. They’re of the four-legged kind that would prefer their meals on the floor [...]

This edition of the findings comes a few days late as I was out of town most of Friday. I was also tagged for the six word memoir meme by Credit Addict, and it took me a while to come up with something. So, I finally ended up with:
“Seeking to achieve excellence through education.”
And with [...]

Live Search Cash Back is a new Microsoft initiative that is supposed to provide a rebate to consumers for items found via the Microsoft Live search functionality and purchased online.
The word on the street says this is Microsoft’s attempt to compete with Google in the online search market.  The concept is that in return for [...]

Ready for a few money saving hacks?

Saving money doesn’t necessarily mean you need to drastically alter your lifestyle and personal tastes. Many times it is the little things you do that can help you save cash throughout the year. Here are some examples of ways you can still live the life you want [...]

“Freedom is something that dies unless it’s used” -Hunter S. Thompson
You always have to wonder about the way the world works when it has one of those random burps of synchronicity. My problogging days are numbered now. A Fortune-single-digits company hurled out a six month consulting contract; a neighbor put [...]

As part of the $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway, we had almost 100 entries with amazing tips for new graduates. Stay tuned and I’ll highlight some of the tips in the next few weeks!
Free Money
The giveaway was part of the Free Money Friday series. Here’s a recap of the free money offers so far in [...]