Weekly Roundup: Spas, Average Marriages and Technology + MORE

Happy Friday everyone! I often like to read the news online and sometimes I just find articles that I have to believe are too stupid to be true. This week was one of those times when I read an article on Yahoo Finance about the Savoir Bed company in London. They are in the process of developing a bed that will cost $175,000! This, of course, was just a bit asinine and had to make sure this company was for real…

I noticed an error in my bank statement last month. It wasn’t  gigantic, and it certainly wasn’t in my favor. It was actually pretty piddly, $2.50, for an ATM fee. I kind of hemmed and hawed about it, but ultimately I called to have it fixed. I felt sort of like a complainer, but it was an error that did cost me money, even though that amount isn’t going to make or break anything…

Photo: Steven M_61

Buying your first home is exciting, but it can also be a little overwhelming. Credit checks. Mortgage applications. Home listing after listing after listing. Where do you begin?
With these seven steps, of course.
1. Research Prices in Your Area
This is something many first-time home buyers don’t do…

Good morning Dinks and Happy Friday! It’s that time of the week again, the time when we share our favourite posts from around the web and the time of the week when we all get ready to enjoy our weekend.
Last weekend I went to a day spa and spent Sunday afternoon relaxing with a massage, a body exfoliation, a cucumber mint body wrap and a moisturizing treatment…

Have you ever been teased by your friends or family because you choose to be frugal?
You know, gentle ribbing by friends when you tell them that you aren’t going to go out to dinner with the crew because you’re saving to pay off your mortgage? Taunting by your crazy uncle that you’re not going to participate in the fantasy football league? Whispers by noisy co-workers that you’re too, “cheap” to, “go in” on the lottery ticket pool?
Here’s a quick explanation of why I don’t care about what those people say, They’re broke!
Mom always told me to avoid peer pressure and she was so right…

Vera Bradley has a new addition in its fashion family, having just launched a new baby line March 14th. I love Vera Bradley’s vibrant, artsy prints, and while they don’t necessarily work with my personal style, I think the prints are perfectly suited for babies! So cheerful, happy, whimsical and classy…

It’s March Madness time!  Yeah, I’m not much of a college basketball fan.  I know the Minnesota Gophers made the tournament, so I might briefly be interested in seeing how they do.  If you’re not interested in basketball, you could always checkout my favorite posts from the week,  or just read them during halftime…

Come a way of life for some people – especially as the economy has floundered over the last half a decade at least. The sad fact is credit cards may seem like a good idea at the time, but in the long run can potentially damage a person’s financial history for years and years afterwards. … Continue Reading »

Anyone that shops online knows that there is a chance that you can find a coupon from the many coupon sites.  I a an avid fan of finding a coupon before I even checkout.  I will exhaust most coupons sites before I actually click the submit order button.  Using so many coupons per  year, I never really thought if there could be more than just saving money every time I used a coupon…

Actual picture of CPU sold online If you think you can’t pay off your debt, think again.  There are many ways to help with debt repayment.  One of those ways is selling things you may not use.  Not everyone has … Continue reading →The post Things I Sold Online that Helped with Debt appeared first on Financial Black Sheep…

Paying down debt is a challenging task for many people. It isn’t likely that someone magically ended up with massive amounts of debt overnight. Normally it takes time to accumulate a large debt load and over that time people develop some habits that just don’t work well with practical money management…

A while ago I wrote on this site how having a family game night can be a great way to have some fun with the whole family, without spending a ton of money.  But playing games doesn’t have to just be a way to have a little fun, if you play the right games it can be educational as well.
Over the years I’ve played a lot of board games, and a few of them stick out for the things that you can learn while playing them…

This week saw the release of our book The A-Z of Saving Money and a $250 giveaway as well 🙂 If you are more interested in reading the book on your Kindle then we also have released the book onto Amazon here. I am currently looking for people to help me out by doing a review of the book on Amazon, so if you are feeling generous I would love for you to help us out 🙂 I have submitted the book to Google Play and the Apple iBookstore, so if that is your preferred format then you shouldn’t have to wait too long…

It’s officially Spring now, with all the fun that the change of seasons brings.  Spring cleaning is a high priority, trying to air out all those closets that have stayed shut and all those basements that haven’t been opened since the first snow fell.  It’s time to start getting out those spring decorations and start putting away all the heavy bedding and thick winter clothing…

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carmichaellibrary/3344072303/
Recently, a reader said that while my blog is helpful, that she would rather me have more tips and posts on those who have had a long period of unemployment. Then all of a sudden I received an e-mail from One Smart Dollar who said that they wanted to guest post and had some general ideas for a topic…