Thirty-one hours on a westbound train with three kids, ages thirteen to four, might never have originally entered my mind as a recipe for the perfect family vacation until I did it (and survived!) My husband and I were on a mission to find a way to take the family to Arizona to see Grandma …
10 Train Travel Tips to Save Money on a Vacation Continue Reading »
Budgeting isn’t fun. Very few people look forward to tracking all of their purchases, cutting back when they’ve overspent, and adjusting their budget from month to month to meet changing conditions. However, it’s a necessary chore, like cleaning your house or apartment, that you should do because it’s good for your financial health. But so …
Between the various bailouts, rescues, and spending packages, the United States Treasury has been working overtime issuing debt. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering how this is even possible and how the government goes about doing it. During the First World War and World War Two, we went through a similar period where the …
How Treasury Bonds & Securities Work: Beginner’s Guide Continue Reading »
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, …
