Watering my Lawn had MULTIPLIED my Total Water Usage! + MORE

This is truly a quickie today as I have to get ready for work in 44 minutes.  I have been up for hours but my allergies are making me crazy and it took 2 hours of news watching and tea guzzling to clear the fog from my brain.
Puffs facial tissues with lotion are 1 of the best inventions in the history of the world (the self cleaning oven is the best invention)…

The city of Omaha sure has it’s name on a lot of products doesn’t it?  Never having been to Nebraska myself, I would imagine the whole state is made up of banks, corn, burgers and steaks but there’s a lot of history in this city, and one of the most prominent American companies around happens to be Mutual of Omaha…

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve taken quite a few personality tests over the years. I fall under the “type A” personality, which Wikipedia describes as:
The theory describes a Type A individual as ambitious, rigidly organized, highly status conscious, can be sensitive, care for other people, are truthful, impatient, always try to help others, take on more than they can handle, want other people to get to the point, proactive, and obsessed with time management…

Buying gifts for others can be rewarding, or it can be stressful. If you haven’t prepared for a holiday or other gift-giving occasion, you’ll most likely be stressed out and at a loss for ideas. There are a few ways you can prepare so that you’ll be ready to buy the perfect gift — at the perfect price:
Pay Attention
My dad would always use this simple, yet underused, method for buying gifts…

If you’re a landlord, it’s important to understand how to file your rental income come tax time. Whether you’re renting out a basement apartment or an investment property, you’ll need to report your rental income. This is done by completing Form T776, Statement of Real Estate Rentals.
If you’re filing your own income tax, you’ll need to fully understand the form to properly file your taxes; the last thing you want to do is get audited by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)…

This is a long lost post from the 20somethingfinance archives. I wrote it a few years ago, and for whatever reason, it was lost and never published. The dates are old, but the lesson learned is extremely relevant, as we enter the spring and summer seasons.
Because of this lesson learned, we have since dramatically cut our lawn watering, as we have gradually replaced more and more of our lawn with mulched gardens…

The following is an excerpt from Monopoly, Money, and You: How to Profit from the Game’s Secrets of Success. I recently posted about this book (see Investing Lessons from Monopoly) and since I love the game, I requested a review copy. The publisher sent me one and agreed to run this excerpt to give you all a feel for the book…

When we think of bad credit, many of us think about the ways that bad credit can harm our chances at getting a loan. Bad credit can lead to higher interest rates, which can cost more money in the long run. Part of borrowing smart is making sure that you have good credit so that you pay the lowest possible interest charges…

I haven’t checked my credit score in a while because I have been so pretty busy being a stay at home dad/blogger. We don’t have any plan to get a loan so checking my credit score hasn’t been a priority lately. However, it’s important to check up on your credit score and credit at least once a year so you won’t have any unpleasant surprise…

It’s a decision that people make over and over again in their lives. Are we playing this scenario to win? Or are we playing this scenario not to lose?
Let’s be clear what I’m talking about here.
Playing to win means taking some calculated risk in order to achieve greater rewards. It often means doing things outside of your comfort zone and really challenging yourself…

If you have tremendous money strength, you will never have to draw down on your retirement principal. Your goal, if you choose to accept, is to create an estate that will provide for your loved ones long after you are gone. This is what endowments do. Why not consider doing the same if you are a magnanimous and financially savvy individual? You’re reading Financial Samurai after all!
I always scratch my head when I hear advisors talk about the “4% withdrawal rule” or any withdrawal rate that’s greater than a risk free rate of return for that matter…

SJR Primecorp Parkway Homes | Pre launch offer for limited period!!!

As per the income tax act, if resident owns more than one house then maximum one one house is considered as the self occupied. It means that if you own two flats in your name, for the income tax purpose you can show only one flat as the self occupied…

The Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation provides mortgage loan insurance to lenders for home buyers with a down payment of less than 20%, to as low as 5%. It offers a way for borrowers to get away with putting down a lower down payment than a lender might like.
However, it is important to note that this insurance is not meant to protect the buyer; it is used to protect the lender…

No one ever really knows what the future might bring. But when the future is so opaque that the fear of the unknowns overcomes the optimism of positive possibilities, little good can be expected to follow.
This applies to any endeavor, including running a business or investing for retirement.
When companies are making plans or investors are deciding where to place retirement assets, risk is what keeps everything in check…

This post is by staff writer Honey Smith. There are many personal finance books out there, useful to people in all stages of personal finance. I have a lot to learn before reaching financial independence, and the editorial elves thought it would be useful if I shared some of what I learn with you. So for the foreseeable future, I will be reviewing one PF-related book per month…

Credit card scam is a pretty broad ranging term which encompasses theft as well as fraud which are committed through the use of a credit or any other payment mechanism that is similar to it. The definition is pretty straightforward.

If a card is used to obtain goods without the intent to pay for it or to obtain illegal funds from another account, then that constitutes a credit card related scam…

I guess the title of this post is not completely accurate as we all work in our underwear, unless of course going commando is your thing But I am literally hanging out in my office with nothing but my boxer briefs on. Working from home is pretty sweet, and like anything has its pros and cons:

1) Working at home is great…

A new study examining the relationship between government policies that boost homeownership and the overall labor market offers an interesting look at how more new homeowners can mean fewer available workers.
Professor Andrew Oswald from the University of Warwick and Professor David Blanchflower from Dartmouth College took a look at unemployment data and homeownership rates in the United States from the year 1900 up to 2010…

You just completed the paperwork on a new loan. Because of your excellent credit score, you got an outstanding rate on the loan. But 30 days later you pull your credit report and find out that your credit score dropped by 40 points. Everything else on your report is consistent with what has been there before, the only difference is the new loan…

Three years ago, I broke free from being broke. I was 26 at the time and was worth as much then as the day I was born back in 1984. I decided that 26 years was enough time to learn that I didn’t want to be broke anymore. I knew what I needed to know. I knew:

Our culture wants me to be broke.
No one else will look after my money but me…

Join our Tweetchat this Thursday at 12:00 pm Pacific for lively conversation and a chance to win prizes! Use #WBChat to participate.
This week’s topic: Surviving Graduation Season! Learn about practical gifts to give grads, saving on travel expenses if you need to travel to a graduation, and throwing a frugal graduation party! Tell us about the best graduation gift you ever received and share your best tip for keeping graduation season frugal!
For an easy way to keep track of the conversation, try using our special Tweetchat Chatroom…

If repetition breeds retention, it’s time for an annual warning — especially since it’s the beginning of May.
At this time of year, countless media outlets can’t help but regurgitate the investing adage “sell in May and go away.”
Recent history promises to make this year’s warnings all the more urgent, too…

There are two instances in my life where saving REALLY started making sense. The first when I wanted a Nintendo Game Boy more than my own parents! (Haha….) and the second when I hit my first $50,000 in my 401(k ) 🙂 Both drastically different stories and decades of my life, but both with the same underlying takeaway: Saving feels better when it starts adding up!

Now obviously this is a no brainer, but it took me quite a while to figure it out – as dumb as that may or may not make me…

True confession time! I smoked cigarettes for over 20 years. Here’s my story and some tips for you if you are a smoker wanting to quit.
How I Started
Dad claimed that the only thing my college days did were to make me into a smoker! I come from a family that never smoked – generations that never smoked…

No free bags. No free food. And now, no free phone calls.Spirit Airlines has quietly dropped its toll-free number in favor of a batch of numbers with an 801 area code, the South Florida Business Journal says.The airline was the first to adopt a carry-on bag fee, which is a minimum of $25 but could be as much as $100 if you wait until you get to the airport…