Whether you drive a hybrid or a regular car, you have probably tried to think of ways to reduce your gas consumption. One group of drivers has decided to go to extreme lengths to make sure their vehicles sip fuel rather than guzzle it. They are called hypermilers, and they have been known to get upwards of 180 miles per gallon. (And no, that is not a typo.)
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There is nothing pleasant about filing taxes. Whether you are a believer in the current system of government assistance or not, sending in your tax forms each year is a requirement for those who have earned enough. That means that you want to save as much money in the preparation process as possible, without bending the law.
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Once again, Henry David Thoreau’s desire to live simply has caught American popular consciousness. What’s surprising about the modern-day Walden is that it is not in some remote area, far from the world. It’s in cities and suburbs, and possibly in your own back yard. This new movement is called Urban Homesteading, and it offers many possibilities for the frugal environmentalist.
The backbone of Urban Homesteading is the attempt to live as much off the grid as possible. This includes growing your own fruits and vegetables, using rainwater and gray water, raising farm animals for food, using alternative energy, learning to do things for yourself, and reducing waste and consumption. While some of these activities are regulars in any frugal saver’s playbook, others seem really off the beaten path, and a little…well, weird.
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I’m always amazed when I look at my credit card statements and see the huge gap between the “New Balance” and the “Minimum Payment Due.”
On a recent statement: New balance $5,749. Minimum due $115. APR 13.24%. Penalty APR 27.24% (!)
With credit card interest inching higher every year, how can it possibly be a good idea to even allow that kind of debt in the first place?
And as if those rates that I saw on my statement are not high enough, I recently came across this article that says credit card rates are now even higher. In fact, at nearly 15%, they are at record highs. How can that be? We now have legislation in place to protect consumers from credit card fees, don’t we? Well, it turns out that the CARD Act cracks down on certain fees and requires more disclosures, but it does NOT cap interest rates.
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What would you do with an extra four hours a day? We all wish for a 28-hour day at some point or another — but what if we could really find an extra four hours to work or to play or to just do something outside of our normal routine?
For most of the American public, there are four hours a day to spare — according to the A.C. Nielsen Company’s research, the average American watches more than four hours of television every day. These are the same guys that study just about everything about how people watch television and they say that, assuming you live 65 years, you’ll probably spend nine of those years staring at the television.
David’s Note: WOW. 9 Years!?!?
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Roses wilt and chocolate is soon eaten and forgotten, but giving your loved ones the gift of making sure that they’ll be taken care of no matter what happens to you lasts forever.
If it’s been awhile, now is a great time to review your insurance policies and make sure that you have adequate coverage levels. Life insurance is the most obvious one, but also look over your auto insurance and homeowners policies. It’s great to save money on coverage but not at the cost of you and your family being vulnerable to lawsuits.
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