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5 Things You Should Never Put in a Dishwasher
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2010 Comment (11)I finally got to use a dishwasher eight years ago, when I moved in with my then-boyfriend (now husband). I was ecstatic and dumped everything in it. Over the years, though, I have discovered that you can save money – and time – by being pickier about what you put into the dishwasher. Along the way, a few things were ruined before their full value was enjoyed because I didn't know they shouldn't be washed by a machine. (See also: Household cleaning hacks that can save you money.)
Here are five things I learned never to put into the dishwasher.
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A Poor Man’s Identity Theft Protection
Tweet Share on Facebook July 19, 2010 Comment (6)Identity theft is big business these days. Javelin Strategies, an independent research firm in the financial services and payment industry, reported that 11.1 million Americans were affected by identity theft in 2009. As more and more of our transactions take place online and we become more lax with our own privacy, it's almost expected that the number of identity theft victims will increase. Ten years ago, your bank would never E-mail you. Today you can get text messages from your bank, which lowers your guard and makes you more susceptible to attacks like E-mail phishing.
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How to Prevent Lifestyle Inflation
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2010 Comment (2)The idea of lifestyle inflation is that as your earnings increase, your spending increases as well. What you considered to be an adequate car or house at a lower salary is no longer acceptable when you start earning a higher salary. Lifestyle inflation is not necessarily a problem, but it can be if it occurs to the extent that it keeps you from meeting your financial goals. There are several ways you can prevent or at least reduce lifestyle inflation.
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9 Surprising Facts About Your Credit Score
Tweet Share on Facebook July 15, 2010 Comment (5)A solid credit history and excellent FICO credit score – typically 750 or above -- are extremely valuable. A high credit score can save you tens of thousands of dollars in mortgage interest, lower your auto insurance premiums, and even help you land your next job. For all their importance, however, a lot of confusion surrounds credit reports and scores. To take some of the mystery out of these important financial tools, here are 9 facts about credit reports and scores that might surprise you.
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5 Home Ownership Myths to Avoid
Tweet Share on Facebook July 14, 2010 Comment (6)Popular financial advice changes direction fast when a market experiences historic declines over a short period. Several years ago, financial gurus focused their attention on real estate. The advice that sold the most books suggested buying as much real estate as possible, using as much of other people's money as possible.
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Use Financial Roadblocks to Trick Your Brain
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2010 CommentHave you ever wanted to buy something online but didn't because your wallet was in the other room? How about when you saw something on sale in the store but didn't buy it because the line looked too long? Those roadblocks prevented you from spending and, for the most part, you weren't any worse off without having made the purchase, right?
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How to Make the Most Out of a Pay Raise
Tweet Share on Facebook July 12, 2010 Comment (2)Getting a pay raise is one of the most anticipated events you'll face as an employee, and while we all feel we deserve one each year, it's not something that most of us are awarded on a regular basis, especially in recent years when pay freezes have been more common.
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Avoid These 7 Cash Back Credit Card Traps
Tweet Share on Facebook July 8, 2010 Comment (2)The allure of “free” money attracts many consumers to cash back credit cards. If used wisely, cash rewards can be a nice bonus every month to help pay bills or save some extra money. But understanding the terms and conditions that come with these types of cards can be daunting. To help you navigate through all of the details, we’ve put together the following list of 7 cash back traps to avoid.
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How to Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate
Tweet Share on Facebook July 7, 2010 Comment (2)The average American family with credit card debt has around $7,000 of it. That figure comes from the Federal Reserve's 2007 Survey of Consumer Finances, back when the economy was going fairly strong, and unemployment had yet to reach the depths it did last year. When the Federal Reserve releases the 2010 Survey of Consumer Finances, we'll probably see the average credit card debt figure increase.
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12 Obscure Websites That Can Save You Money
Tweet Share on Facebook July 6, 2010 Comment (24)Searching for legitimate money-saving websites can be daunting. That's why editors of Wise Bread compiled a list of over 190 best online resources for saving money. These websites have been hand-picked for their innovation and effectiveness. Here are 12 of the most unique and relatively unknown websites from the list. Take a look – chances are you'll be able to put several of them to good use right away!
