Are dogs the new Dinks kid? + MORE

I’m a little bit behind in getting these updates up, but I’ve made some progress so, I figured I’d share what the past couple of months have looked like:
Personal Goals

Cook 1 new meal per week- Still using Fresh Direct to have our groceries delivered and still loving it. A while back I wrote post called the Fresh Direct Dinner Challenge describing how I’m trying to save money, eat healthier and make more meals from scratch…

Borrowing can come in a variety of forms but the basics are usually the same. By borrowing money, you are taking credit and the associated risks involved. Done well, borrowing money can prove very useful and frugal but of course this is a decision that should always be well informed.
In this regard, here is some useful financial advice and tips that may prove helpful…

Happy Wednesday everyone! I originally had a different post planned for today but had to change course when I read this article on Yahoo Finance last week. The article was discussing findings from The Financial Capability Study that surveyed 25,000 Americans last year in relation to their personal financial situation and how “smart” they might be financially…

 
Okay, so the title may be a bit misleading.  Dave Ramsey isn’t really wrong, I just disagree with him on a few on the things he teaches and says.  As you probably have realized by now, I’m a big proponent of Dave Ramsey and his teachings.  I wrote about his entire 7 step plan and listen to his show (you can find it on I Heart Radio or on his website) quite often…

I’ve been involved in investing in some form or fashion for well over a decade.  Over that time I’ve tried a number of different strategies including index funds, dividend growth (current favorite), and speculating.  Each different type of investment requires a different level of knowledge to achieve entry level proficiency and carried with it a different level of risk…

Who doesn’t love a good yard sale? DC from Young Adult Money does, and his article containing garage sale tips, combined with the fact that I just built a new house, led me to hold a yard sale of my own this past weekend. Have you ever moved and discovered that you have way too much crap? Well that is what happened to us; it was definitely time for us to get rid of a bunch of stuff!We used one of DC’s tips (in fact we used all of the tips except the first one) and started preparing for the sale early…

The most important and probably the only criterion for getting mortgage loan at the most favorable and lowest rate is to improve and raise your credit score to as high as you possibly can. The higher the score, the lower the interest rate. Of course, at both ends of the spectrum, as with anything else, …

English: The solar array at Natural Bridges National Monument (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Solar power can save you a great deal of money on your electricity bills every month. However, an array to attribute 100-percent of your current usage could cost quite a bit of money. This is especially true if you have a large family who is integrated with technology in various forms…

# 1  GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS
The News – What is everyone talking about?

Apple just announced that HBO GO and WatchESPN will be available on your Apple TV.

You need to be a subscriber to HBO through your cable or satellite provider.

You need to own an Apple TV, ($99).

MakinSense of The News – What it means to you

I know what you’re thinking: If you have a TV and you pay for HBO and ESPN through you cable provider, why do you care that Apple will now allow you to stream HBO GO and WatchESPN on an Apple TV?

Because you will get access to “more” HBO shows and movies than you do on HBO “on demand…

If you interact with the public on a daily basis, you’ve probably heard a ton of different reasons for why people do or don’t do certain things. Sometimes the reasons are worthwhile, well thought out, and very smart. Sometimes the reasons are comical and don’t make any sense. Many times reasons turn into excuses, and excuses are often the things that hold us back and keep us from becoming the people we want to be…

With the current economic conditions and some of the highest levels of unemployment in recent history, it is no wonder that many people are unable to find work in their chosen profession. Sometimes no matter how hard you try there just isn’t any work available in a particular field, and if there is there are plenty of people that have more qualifications and experience than you do who will ultimately get the job ahead of you…

Photo: Tax Credits

All tax-advantaged retirement accounts have rules for something known as the Required Minimum Distribution. Basically, these rules are in place to ensure that you take at least a minimal amount of money in withdrawals from your retirement accounts once you reach a certain age.
For many people, the Required Minimum Distribution will never be an issue because they will be withdrawing more than their RMD from their retirement accounts…

Why would someone continue to work if they didn’t have to?
It’s a mindset that is pretty pervasive in our culture.  People think that if you are still working that life is not “working out” as well as you would like.
I would be bored to death without a job.  I need to be working (doing something) constantly, and I would rather the work be incredibly meaningful to me…

Good morning Dinks. Lately I have been seeing posts around the web and watching commercials on TV about people who choose to get a dog instead of having kids.  I don’t have plans to have kids any time soon, but I would personally love to have a dog. I grew up with a family dog and so did my boyfriend Nick…

It’s that time again. Chase Freedom, one of my favorite cash back credit cards that I use on a regular basis, is changing their quarterly 5% cash back categories. I almost always use my Chase Freedom card whenever I make a transaction in one of these categories because 5% cash back is very hard to beat…

You may have noticed that things have been just a bit quiet here recently. Life has been keeping us busy and after the Celica broke down this past Wednesday, we have been in car hunt mode.  While the timing on the car’s demise wasn’t great, the good news is that we have enough in our savings system to cover purchasing a new car…