My least favorite part of shopping is going to the cash register. I hate the sinking feeling in my gut that I get when my items are totaled and tax is applied.
Did I really spend that much? Yes, the numbers don’t lie.
As I’m shopping, I have a rough idea of what I’m spending, but somehow it always becomes much more when it’s accurately totaled. This is partially the fault of my falling for retail pricing tactics. [ continue reading… ]
Underemployment remains a common problem today. Even though the most recent recession has technically been over for years, many people still feel the pinch, and the labor market hasn’t really recovered — or maybe it’s changed.
Many people are working as temps or freelancers, part-time instead of full-time, and/or in jobs they would’ve scorned a few years ago.
At the same time, though, there are those who still won’t take jobs they think are “beneath” them. They’re reluctant to take pay cuts, or they won’t work for minimum wage. Additionally, some are concerned that taking a “lesser” job might mean employers won’t hire them for better jobs later. It’s a tough position to be in. [ continue reading… ]
It’s commonly said that there are two things you can count on: death and taxes.
For me, you can add signing up for health insurance every October. I log into my employer’s benefits website and open the document that compares my medical plan options. This part usually requires a little thought, as the plans change from year to year, and I want to make sure I pick the one that fits my family’s needs the best.
My vision insurance is a little less complicated: either I enroll in the one plan offered, or I don’t. I usually click the enroll button immediately, concluding that having insurance certainly must be better than not. But is it?
I’ve never done the homework to determine if my employer’s vision coverage saves me money.
With a stack of “Explanation of Benefits” statements that I received from my family’s recent trip to the optometrist, I decided to dig in and figure out if my vision coverage was saving me money, or if I was turning a blind eye (pun intended) to throwing my money away. [ continue reading… ]
I’m satisfied with my family size. I only have one child, and, to tell the truth, I’ve never really been that interested in having a big family. I think I could handle maybe one or two more, but having several children has never been my ideal. That being said, my satisfaction with one child puts me in the minority — at least according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center.
The organization compiled research on ideal family size versus actual family size, and they found that many Americans wish they had slightly larger families. According to the study, 52 percent of women in the United States said two children is ideal, while 44 percent thought the magic number was three.
To put this in perspective, 40 percent of American women reaching the end of their childbearing years said they don’t have as many children as they would like.
What’s causing us to limit our family sizes? [ continue reading… ]
If you’re one of the more than 70 million Americans who work as hourly employees, chances are good that you may soon be offered a payroll debit card instead of a traditional paper check on payday.
While these debit cards are much less expensive for employers, they can come at a cost for the employees who are depending on them. What’s worse, some employers are (illegally) telling their employees they have no other choice than to accept their pay in the form of a fee-laden debit card.
Before you find yourself in a confusing and potentially contentious conversation with your boss, here’s what you need to know about payroll debit cards: [ continue reading… ]
I never would’ve imagined that a simple trip to Target could have evolved into such a great financial learning opportunity for my eleven-year-old daughter.
The automatic doors opened before us, my daughter’s purse slung over her shoulder. We headed to the video section, as she was looking to purchase her very own copy of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which had recently been released. She mentioned she also wanted to get a slushy from the deli on our way out.
“You sure you have your money with you?” I asked. She opened her purse, carefully counted out twenty five dollars, and nodded her head.
She removed a copy of the movie from the display, priced at $19.99, and we headed to the register. While we waited in line, she placed a package of mints and a pack of gum next to her movie.
“Daddy, do I have enough?” [ continue reading… ]
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