My Money Blog

Easy Money: Get Paid $115 To Try These Financial Services

Posted on March 15, 2008 // 10 Comments

I can't stop the stock market from tumbling any further, but here's a quick roundup of promotions by companies willing to pay you to try out their services. None of these listed require even a credit check. Additional information can be found … [Read the rest]

A Rough Start For New Investors In 2008

Posted on March 14, 2008 // 49 Comments

I received another reader e-mail whose question was very similar to this worried young investor's question from back in November. Essentially they still wanted to know my opinion in this bleak market and if there is something they should do. I … [Read the rest]

Test Driving The Financial Life You Want

Posted on March 13, 2008 // 40 Comments

Now that we have a fixed monthly mortgage payment for the foreseeable future, we are looking ahead to our true mid-term goal of living on one income. Specifically, we'd like to live on two half-incomes when we have children. We live in one of the … [Read the rest]

Two Free $400 Airline Tickets with $25,000 Deposit into Citibank Savings Account

Posted on March 13, 2008 // 38 Comments

I just found a pretty good offer in one of my Citibank credit card statements. (I still get paper bills for everything, it's my longtime system for paying them on time.) If I open up a new Citibank Ultimate Savings account + Checking account with … [Read the rest]

Should I Buy Flood Insurance?

Posted on March 12, 2008 // 26 Comments

When we bought our house, the lender said we weren't in a flood zone so we didn't need to buy flood insurance on top of our homeowner's insurance. I figured if the bank isn't worried about it, then I shouldn't be either. Apparently this might not … [Read the rest]

Trying To Eat Out Less: Ideas On Reducing My Grocery Bill

Posted on March 11, 2008 // 66 Comments

Last month one of our credit card statements spanned two pages because we had eaten out so often. Not only is it more expensive, I'm pretty sure it's less healthy. So now we're trying to limit ourselves to 2-3 times a week (minus the cafeteria at … [Read the rest]

Links: Rental Nightmares, Housing Cares, Buffett Shares, and More

Posted on March 10, 2008 // 14 Comments

Here are some posts I found useful while reading my fellow financial bloggers and more: SingleGuyMoney shares some of his rental property issues. Apparently even buying a home warranty from American Home Shield won't ease all repair headaches, … [Read the rest]

Reasons All Homeowners Should Get A HELOC? (Home Equity Line of Credit)

Posted on March 10, 2008 // 46 Comments

With my new fat mortgage, I'm considering whether to also take out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELoC). This is not a home equity loan where you take out a lump sum at a fixed rate, but is a line of credit usually at a variable rate. I think of … [Read the rest]

America’s Test Kitchen: Frugal Ideas On Cookware And More

Posted on March 9, 2008 // 15 Comments

I'm sure the foodies already know about this site, but I just learned about it recently so I figured I'd throw it out there for discussion... America's Test Kitchen is a very popular PBS show that shares carefully tested recipes, review cooking gear, … [Read the rest]

Up to $100 For New Accounts at Bank of America and Chase Bank

Posted on March 7, 2008 // 12 Comments

Bank of America is offering a $75 bonus for new customers opening a personal checking account with them by April 30th. If you open online, you will probably get a hard credit check. If you open in a branch, you should be able to avoid this. Use … [Read the rest]

Housing Search Trade-Off: Price vs. Commute Time

Posted on March 6, 2008 // 61 Comments

From Washington, D.C. to New York City, from Atlanta to Portland, a huge part of finding a house is balancing the desire to have a shorter commute to work and the higher price tag that inevitably comes with it. Some people live farther away to spend … [Read the rest]

Maxed Out: Movie About Credit Cards – My Cynical Review

Posted on March 5, 2008 // 50 Comments

The big McMansion picture in my last post reminded me that I had to finish watching Maxed Out, a film about the credit card industry. You can watch it for free (albeit in low quality) on Google Video [90 minutes long]. The very first scene … [Read the rest]