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]
About Our Home-Buying Process: Index of Posts
Posted on March 4, 2008 // 17 Comments
I'm trying to build a coherent series on the home-buying process, so to help me organize here is an index of posts that I've already written so far. Those with no links are outlines for future posts. If you think something is missing or want me to … [Read the rest]
March 2008 Financial Status / Net Worth Update
Posted on March 3, 2008 // 60 Comments
"Good" Credit Card Debt If you're a new reader, you may have some concerns about my high levels of credit card debt. I'm actually taking money from 0% APR balance transfer offers and instead of spending it, I am placing it in high-yield savings … [Read the rest]
GrandCentral Phone Service: No Invitation Code Needed
Posted on March 1, 2008 // 212 Comments
The virtual phone service GrandCentral has been invite-only beta for several months. But now the blog service Blogger (also owned by Google) is offering users free memberships. But hey, the special sign-up link works for everyone! :) Not really … [Read the rest]
FISN Bank CDs Paying Over 8% Interest: Being FDIC-Insured Isn’t Enough
Posted on March 1, 2008 // 21 Comments
I've already written about Millennium Bank - the offshore bank offering 8% certificates of deposit that are not FDIC-Insured, let alone highly regulated. More recently, a group called the Federally Insured Savings Network (FISN) has been advertising … [Read the rest]
Nine Traits Of The Middle-Class Millionaire
Posted on February 29, 2008 // 61 Comments
Russ Alan Prince, author of The Middle-Class Millionaire, has been trying to understand a new sub-class of Americans called the "working rich". Prince defines them as those with net worths between $1 million and $10 million, but who still work for … [Read the rest]
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