Photo Credit: flickrFelix. While the back to school sales are still going on, it’s the perfect time to head down to your local office supply store and stock up on those all-important essential office supplies that you will require throughout the year. This may not be the most exciting shopping trip for you, but it is necessary, so before you head straight for the store, make sure you make a list of what items you will need to see you through the following academic year. If you don’t sit down and make a list of the office supplies that you need, you could find yourself browsing the aisles for hours. Ten minutes making …

It’s been said that you get what you pay for. While there may be exceptions to that rule, it does often prove to be the case. Where quality matters, paying more for an item of higher quality can offer a better value than paying less for lesser quality. For example, I’ve learned through comments that many

Hardly a hot financial topic, but always an important one –- saving for retirement is often relegated to the back burner. The following five reminders are here to help you keep things simple and steady as you save for retirement. That way, you’ll never have to be concerned about what to do after you retire, except enjoy yourself during your golden age. 5 Golden Rules To Save For Retirement Golden Rule #1: Start Saving If You Haven’t Done So Yet I remember when I first heard about IRAs, 401Ks and thought…”boring! I’m too young to save now”. Then when the NASDAQ crashed in 2000, I remember how my boss at the current PR firm I was working at came screaming down the stairs saying “save as much as you can when…

Thirty-year mortgages rates haven’t been this cheap in my lifetime.  Considering this was the year of my 20th high school reunion, that’s a fairly long time. A fixed-rate mortgage costs more to obtain than an adjustable-rate mortgage of the same term because the lender bears the interest-rate risk.  The means that the lender agrees to charge you a constant interest rate for up to the entire term of the mortgage, regardless of how interest rates fluctuate during those times.  If interest rates are going at 15% or more in the 2020′s, too bad! But there’s another trend…

My favorite online bank has a new promotion that you may be interested in if you’re looking for a new savings or checking account with relatively higher returns. I think it’s a pretty good deal if you consider their 3 month bonus rate for new accounts plus the guarantee that the yield that you receive will always remain in the top 5% offered by leading banks. EverBank is offering up to $75 as a sign up bonus for those who decide to open a Yield Pledge Money Market Account or a FreeNet Checking Account with them. Here are the details: EverBank Sign Up Bonus: $75 To Open Savings Accounts #1 Get $50 for Opening An EverBank Yield Pledge …

It's been awhile since I blogged about my effort to cut down on my energy costs by joining the EcoEnergy grant program. I have done quite a few things around the house, mostly air sealing and caulking but I recently just finished the biggest part of the project. I had my basement walls and headers Spray Foam Insulated. I don't really have any ideas on the energy saved, that will come this winter. Already I notice a huge reduction in the musty smell down here. It's pretty much non-existant. Here are a few photos of the project. I used steel framing but I think wood would have been cheaper and more efficient. We had to brace the steel with wood anyways as the foam without the bracing would have ripped the steel

When you go shopping does everything have to the newest model? If you are like me and trying to save some money then you have to get your mindset off of the urge to want to have newest models of items you are buying. Buy an older model of a gadget or electronic toy

The house sitting gig is coming to an end in a few days. Even though I have a pretty big cushion with my spending and would like to do another major grocery shopping run, I have been resisting. Moving the food from place to place is a real pain and I would like to avoid as much of that hassle as possible. It will also give me a chance to use up some of the stuff that I do have so that I have to transport even less. Constantly moving from place to place really is not conductive for this type of challenge. Plum Smoothie I did need to get some more plums since I had run out, so I picked up a few on my morning walk…

Looks like a very slow week at Albertsons. If you need baby wipes you will want to hurry because the $2.00 off coupon expires 7/31! For the Prego Pasta Sauce you will want to wait until Sunday because Albertsons will have “twice the value” coupons coming in this Sundays paper and that makes them free! For anything else on your shopping list this week, be sure to use the coupon data base to match up any available coupons: Pampers Wipes 64-80 ct – $1.99 **$2.00 off 1 Pampers Wipes coupon from 6/6 Proctor & Gamble Sunday newspaper coupon insert (Expires 7/31!) Final price: FREE! Prego Pasta

Learn what collectors are being coached on to better their efforts against consumers with accounts in collections. Use the information collectors are using against you to prepare and protect yourself when combating collection calls.

Welcome to Wise Bread’s Best Money Tips roundup. Today, we’re telling you how to donate soap to charity, the best way to make quick pickles, and how to make the most of a resturant menu. Recycle Used Soaps for the Less Fortunate — Did you know that you can find a use for your used soap (if you find that you switch brands or just don’t want it anymore)? This amazing charity sanitizes it and…

photo: Carlos Madrigal When the mercury rises above 90, the desire to use the stove tends to plummet in equal measure. In Frugal Foodie’s kitchen, the most-used gadget during New York City’s record-high temperatures this summer has been the ice cream machine, seconded by the blender. (Her current obsession: using homemade cookies and homemade ice cream to make ice box desserts . …

To keep your credit report from showing inaccurate information, you should examine it from time to time, especially if you are planning to apply for a loan. You can use credit report monitoring services for peace of mind. You can also get information on how to fix your credit report.

ShareThis Deconstruction ain’t just for English majors no more. With home sales on the downswing and recycling on the upswing, deconstructing is rapidly becoming a hot trend in the building industry. In essence, deconstruction is construction in reverse — turning lemons into lemonade. The increasingly popular process focuses on giving the materials within a building a new life, once the building as a whole can no longer continue. In addition to clearing land for new buildings, the practice also clears away energy-inefficient fabrications for greener technology. Structural deconstruction, usually performed by professionals, involves dismantling an entire building; but small-time deconstructionists may find it easier to attempt soft-stripping, or reclaiming such non-structural components as appliances, doors, carpet, doors, kitchen cabinets and wood trim. Before you begin tearing things apart, set aside a secure, dry …

We’ve all been there: you enter your hotel room after a long, gruesome trip, drop your bags, kick off your shoes and have an irresistible craving for a cold soda or maybe even something stronger. The temptation to open that mini bar is high, even though you know too well that anything you find there has been seriously marked up. Convenience comes at a price, and no place proves this better than the snacks and drinks you’ll find in your hotel room. In our latest infographic, we take a look at just how much of a mark-up