Phantom Power Loads: “Sneaky” Electricity Consumption

Our upstairs room is now ready for a spackler/taper to finish it. Aas my father says, I hope he has a sense of humor, because boy, are there a lot of seams! We also have 7 outlet receptacles throughout the room, which I find strange. In comparison, the room I use as my office only […]

Marriage and Managing Finances

Getting married is a big step. There are the emotional issues of joining with another person and pledging to love, cherish and support one another for the rest of your life, through good times and bad.

While you’re sharing your life with someone, you’re also likely sharing finances, too. It can be stressful if you […]

ING Direct, Ally, SmartyPig: Which Online Bank to Use?

I’m still dragging my heels on moving a good portion of our savings to an online bank, where I can get better interest rates while not tying it up in a CD. So far, I’ve been all talk and no action. But I’m ready to change that in the next few days.

Our brick-and-mortar bank […]

Trying to Save $1 Million? Outside Influences May Slow You Down

Since I’ve been a bit MIA lately when it comes to visiting some of my favorite personal finance blogs, I took some time on Sunday evening to catch up. A comment on one blog post that discussed how living below your means allows you to save more money (sound, sound advice) struck me — the […]

Obsessive Personalities: Building Debt & Debt Repayment

Obsession can really take a hold of your life in terrible ways — you could worry whether the stove is turned off every time you leave the house and be diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, be afraid of germs and wash your hands 100s of times a day, fear that your spouse is cheating on you, […]

Your Financial Metamorphosis: Change Is Possible

Photo by Mooncat

Some folks have an epiphany when they hear Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman pontificating for the first time:

“Hey, I need to get out from under all this debt!”

This realization is the first step to your financial metamorphosis. Like a catapillar that becomes a beautiful butterfly, you first have to […]

Ask Rainy-Day Saver: Saving for a Down Payment

Occasionally, readers ask me for advice. The first thing I mention is that I am not a professional and that they should really consult a financial adviser before doing anything rash. But when a reader asked me a question about saving for a house, I knew I could help.

Dear RDS: My girlfriend and I […]