Random Thoughts: Gyms, Costco and Can Ethics

Since starting the new job I've been trying to find out every little way I can save money by using discounts through the company I work with. I usually work within the telecommunication industry and with that I receive whatever item they sell for free or at a greatly reduced price. Additionally, they have connections with other companies that provide discounts for computers, car rentals, hotels

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Online Learning: The Neverending Study

Monday I put together a very basic understanding of bonds and what I had learned from them. While I was reading I found that there was so much more that I didn't understand and could have added to my learning.

Having written about frugal living for the past 6 years, I have found that the personal finance side of frugality is the part that is harder to learn. To me, it is easier to find ways to

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Frugal Web: Forehead Tattoos and Library Songs

Previously I've daydreamed about winning the lottery. But recently a British survey (pdf) gathered people's opinion on what they would do for a million pounds (~$1.6 mill. USD). The options were not typical.
Be Photographed naked for a national newspaper (31%)
Have no human contact for a year (18%)
Have sex with someone you find physically "repulsive"(17%)
Give up a kidney (15%)
Not see sunlight

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Codename: Bond Basics

SchoolhouseRock - Tyrannosaurus Debt
TOUR GUIDE: And this is the U.S. Treasury. It sells Treasury Bonds, bills, and notes, and savings bonds to finance the debt. The U.S. government promises to pay the owner interest plus the value of each bond at a future date.Up to a few days ago, if you asked me what a bond was, I would tell you it was a way to make some interest on your money through the

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5 Obstacles to Financial Fitness

You want to be financially fit. You know all about buying generic and what needs to be done to start a budget. You know what is involved in starting your retirement fund and how much to sock away. You can even picture a future with fewer stresses and possibly an early retirement.

So why aren't you on the road to that frugal success you read about?
Simply put, there are life issues that block

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6 Ways to Prepare for Medical Bills

A 2007 survey of low- and middle-income consumers with credit card debt found the following: Nearly one-third (29 percent) reported that medical expenses contributed to their current level of credit card debt.

I would think that with the economy in the dumps since then, that percentage hasn't gone down very much. As a matter of fact, in a 2008 study: More than one-half (52%)of indebted low- and

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I HAVE FANTASTIC CREDIT SCORES -- BUT

Just an FYI out there for those who may not know that, even though your credit score can be in the high �700s� and/or even in the low �800s�, it often times does not help you in acquiring a credit card, loan, or anything else you may wish to get on credit if you have very limited credit. My friend, unfortunately, found out that the hard way. DO NOT CLOSE DOWN your credit card accounts even if you

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Dreaming Of A Lottery Win

Just because I like to think and live frugally, doesn't mean I don't like to dream a little.

Every once and a while when I stumble across the amount of the lottery in my state, my mind drifts off to planning how I would spend the money if I got won it. Given I would have to be a VERY lucky person as I don't buy lottery tickets. I've always said to people that if I'm lucky enough to win the

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Pros and Cons of ReUsable Bags

I recently saw a UPI article about Lead Found in Some Reusable Bags that were offered from grocery and retail stores.

"The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) released new lab results showing that a number of major retailers� reusable shopping bags contained excessive levels of lead. Of the 44 organizations whose bags were tested, 16 are selling or distributing reusable bags containing

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