As I uttered the line above to my friend, her eyes widen in disbelief. “What do you mean you don’t need money?” “Well, uh, you know,” I stammered, suddenly realized how stupid I sounded. “I make an okay amount of money on the side, I don’t think I really need a full time job right now.” She shook her head in utter annoyance. It’s been about an hour since we started the discussion about how I... 

If you have a Chase Freedom credit card (whether it’s a VISA or MasterCard), you’ve probably got a similar mailing in your mail box.  As you can tell above, I have too man y Chase Freedom cards (although some of them are duplicate ones, I have a strange habit of keeping credit cards that are long-since expired). Before you start thinking I went crazy with the credit card sign…  Read More →

A trip from San Diego to Indianapolis. As you’re about to book your flight, you stare at the computer screen, wondering what’s the best choice. You quickly searched Southwest, but the time table and seats available just didn’t match up to the meeting’s schedule. You could fly American, as you actually managed to store up some mileage through the years.  Despite the fact that you prefer other airlines, you’ve stuck... 

Share Everybody loves getting stuff for free, but we’re often times left not knowing where to look, or when we can get it. Each and every year there are days on the calendar that businesses set aside as freebie days to attract customers (or just to have some fun). When it comes down to it, holidays and pseudo-holidays make for great times to troll for free stuff, and you can get all sorts of things gratis these days. Whether it’s... 

It’s been awhile since I’ve written a fun post (or any post for that matter). So let’s take a look at some of the weird stuff you can buy on Amazon.com. Quick note: if you click through, many of these have fairly funny corresponding “customer images,” and ridiculously funny “reviews” by users. Uranium Ore – $29.95 Always handy to have around, just in case you’re all out of juice in your Delorean-based... 

Anyone that has been denied credit will remember the added-on fine print at the end of the denial letter telling you that you can receive a free credit report from a specific credit reporting agency.  Sometimes this will require you to mail in a written response to request the free credit report, sometimes it will be as simple as…  Read More →

Despite the fact that FIA (formerly MBNA, now owned by Bank of America), told me to bend over as they slashed my credit limit on my Schwab credit card , I still prefer to use the Schwab credit card as my primary card.  It’s just too hard to ignore the 2% cash back on any purchase, and especially the absolutely zilch foreign transaction fee when you use the card while traveling abroad. While in Italy last month, I extensively used this... 

This is a post from Jeff Bogle, one of our first contributing blogger here at StopBuyingCrap. Back in 2008, Jeff left his steady corporate job at Vanguard to be a stay-at-home dad. Jeff writes regularly at Out With The Kids , a daddy blog, and you may also find his work on iVillage, Time Out New York Kids, and Curious Parents Magazine. Surprise! Learning is Easier When You’re Having Fun Many of the best …  Read More →

Wondering if there are options to free eFile for your state taxes ? If you qualify and your state is in the program, you may be eligible for free state tax filing online from various tax preparation software and companies. Since April 15 is pretty much one day away , your best bet and fastest option would be to use TurboTax’s Freedom Edition . With TurboTax’s Freedom Edition, you can receive free federal eFile along with state free... 

For people with low and moderate income level, the earned income tax credit (EITC/EIC) is one of the most overlooked tax credit. In 2008, 25% of taxpayers that qualify for this tax credit but miss out on it because the rules can be complicated (no surprises there), or simply because they did not know the credit exist or that they qualify for it. This is a refundable tax credit ranging from $457 to a whooping $5,657 (!!). There’s 3 days until…  Read More →

About a month or two ago as the tax income forms started flying in via snail mail, I began the annual 3-month long process of filing my taxes.  As I sat by my desk and dug through mounds of ancient unopened envelopes, I suddenly noticed something incredibly odd about the Excel sheet on my computer screen. One.. two… three… four… and five. Odd. That’s five digits. I blinked and counted again. No mistake.  For the month... 

Every week, StopBuyingCrap.com will show you nifty financial tricks you can do online that will hopefully make your life a little bit easier.  From reviewing the latest personal finance apps and websites, to tools that can help you save money and shop savvier, we’ll cover as many of them as possible. If you have or know about a tool/website that you feel should be highlighted, please feel free drop us a note ! Useful Answer Engine That... 

Regardless of how you feel about the recently passed Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in the United States, there are some important changes in this health care bill that directly impacts you, especially if you are of certain demographic.  Here’s a brief run-down and summary on the changes: Changes That Will Happen Right Away Help for the uninsured with pre-existing condition.   Amongst the many provision in the bill, $5 billion... 

This is a post from Jeff Bogle, one of our first contributing blogger here at StopBuyingCrap. Back in 2008, Jeff left his steady corporate job at Vanguard to be a stay-at-home dad. Jeff writes regularly at Out With The Kids , a daddy blog, and you may also find his work on iVillage, Time Out New York Kids, and Curious Parents Magazine. A One-Salary Household Hemorrhaging debt isn’t…  Read More →

Or in this case, a butcher knife. I swear to Xenu , lord and dictator of the Galactic Confederacy, that if I ever encounter another packaging that requires stabbing motion to open, I’m going to send Tom Cruise and his Scientology pals after the person responsible. In all seriousness, from today forward, I’m genuinely going to make a conscious effort to avoid purchasing poorly-designed packaging that’s hard to open. And don’t...