I was thinking about what do you need and what are luxuries in your life? I was speaking with my 80 year old mother who lives out of state and realized that she has a lawn guy, shrubery guy. the sprinkler guy, the bug company and on and on and on. Now I realize that she is unable to cut bushes and the...

When you work with people and their finances you begin to see some common threads. Especially if you have the perspective of time on your side. One thing I've noticed is that very few people, even people who are pretty sharp, have taken the time to determine where they are most financially vulnerable...

The other day I saw an interesting t-shirt at the Y. A simple message. "Professional Role Model." A young mother was wearing it. And, I believe that she was exactly right. She is a role model for the two youngsters that were following her. That's also true in financial affairs. Even if...

Hi, My name is Jen, and this is my first post. I am so glad I found this site, I hope to learn very valuable information here. I have a big problem and I am hoping some of you can help me find a solution. I will just be brief in my story here, but keep in mind that there is alot of history behind this...

Hey there everyone. This is just an update about our housing situation. We are going through an organization that hopefully can help us. The counselor said that since we are not in defaul/forclosure yet that we can probably save the house. Since we are being proactive about it and seeking help now. She...

The IRS reported this morning that they're actually going to start sending out rebate checks a week earlier than scheduled. (I'm pretty sure the government doing something early instead of months late is a sign of the Apocolypse). According to this article, http://www.savvysugar.com/1576586 ...

Hi, two questions: 1. We have a 10 year old home in pretty good shape, but I still feel like I am always fixing a little something here or there, or a big something (dish washer, hot water heater, toilets). I was wondering how much people spend in terms of time and money for routine home repairs? What...

In November and December there were challenges and discussions to help people to cut expenses down. How much can you cut out of your budgeted expenses to put towards funds for pantry/freezer stocking? Not following our pantry stocking scavenger hunt, then what can you put the freed up funds towards to...

" Stupid Tax total for me in 2007 so far is $2,553.45 because of mismanagement of my bank account." " I never balanced the checkbook" I think that kind of waste is well worth taking the time to balance the checkbook. If he spent an hour a week, it would have been like paying himself...

It is my opinion, that when Wal-Mart ended its layaway policy in 2006, it was a devastating blow to the personal finances of many lower-mid income Americans. I am open to your opinions and comments whether pro or con. I feel very strongly about this. I fondly remember my mother using Wal-Mart’s layaway...