I remember the first day I set foot at college, it was a mixture of excitement and fear at the prospect of being on my own. I arrived in Evanston, IL a few days early and had the opportunity to wander around an empty campus. Northwestern University wasn’t that large of a campus. You could …
Looking for ways to save money on your electric bill this summer? Short of cutting all power to your home, there is no one single way to drastically cut your bill so you’re going to need to combine a series of small actions to see some big savings. We asked readers and savings experts looking …
100 Ways to Save Money on Your Electric Bill Continue Reading »
On the first day of my first “real” job, the HR administrator of my company handed me a folder labeled Pension & Retirement Plan. Inside the folder was a description of the company’s pension and 401(k) package, two things that meant almost nothing to me. I knew what a pension was but had no clue …
Retirement Investing 101: Beginner’s Guide Continue Reading »
I was fortunate that my first real experience with banking was with a local credit union. Credit unions are really great about welcoming new members and educating them about everything. Commercials banks, while still cordial, simply don’t offer the same types of services that credit unions do. My mom and I opened a joint banking …
This guide tackles a topic that so many of us are introduced to with little preparation — debit and credit cards. Part of the reason why we don’t get a gentle introduction is that it’s not in the interest of credit card companies to educate their customers. They introduce cards when you’re most impressionable, like …
How Debit and Credit Cards Work: The Definitive Guide Continue Reading »
The Economist is known for its deep analysis and heavy topics, but I found this article about supermarkets and the science of shopping. The first time I heard about supermarket psychology was when someone explained to me that the most appealing products were always shown at eye level. When the product is placed at eye …
Supermarket Psychology: Insider Tips & Tricks Continue Reading »
Need a few ideas on how to save some extra cash? These tips can help you save money at any time in the year. Cut back on the things that aren’t important so we can spend it on the things that are. Here are a hundred tips on how to save some quick money: Eat, …
Every Thursday outside the local library, there’s a farmer’s market. About a dozen farms come to participate and sell all manner of fruit, spices, vegetables, cookies, pies, bread, and almost anything else you can think of. It’s really a delight to walk over, chat with the proprietors, and pick up some produce (and some pies) …
When you’ve grown accustomed to hearing and trusting that free lunches don’t exist, you look at any reward system with a suspicious eye. The Internet, and most specifically online shopping has changed that for the better. Websites offer a multitude of ways to earn money, like taking surveys, linking to a site as an affiliate …
Cash Back Shopping: 5 Apps for Discounted Deals Continue Reading »
For years, my budget consisted of an Excel spreadsheet that documented every purchase I made every single day of the year. As a numbers gal, this wealth of data was amazing and helped me tweak my spending, find my financial leaks, and reach financial goals much sooner than I would have without budgeting. Since then, …
