Should You Buy a Bigger House?

by Melissa

Because home prices and mortgage interest rates currently are so low, if you are in a stable financial position, now might be a good time to enter the home buyers’ market or sell your current house and buy a bigger one. Remember all of the McMansions people built and bought before the housing bubble burst?  [...]

5 comments Read the full article →

Save on College Costs by Attending a College with Free Tuition

by Melissa

Attending a college without paying any tuition sounds too good to be true, but it is not.  There are a handful of colleges that are tuition-free, but as you can guess, they are extremely competitive to get into.  If you would like to send your child to a tuition-free school, the early high school years [...]

4 comments Read the full article →

How to Save Money on Auto Insurance – Easy Ways to Save Money

by Melissa

Auto insurance is a necessary expense, but one that we often spend too much for. Many people seem to be much more likely to look for ways to save on groceries by clipping coupons or to save on gas by driving around town trying to find the lowest per gallon price rather than looking at [...]

7 comments Read the full article →

Don’t Underestimate the Cost of Living When Deciding Where to Live

by Melissa

I live in the suburbs of Chicago, and recently, after 11 years in the same apartment building, my husband and I re-entered the renter’s market. When we first began renting at our last apartment, the two bedroom apartment was a bit too big for us.  Three kids later, we were bursting at the seams. However, [...]

12 comments Read the full article →

How to Negotiate Lower Rent in Your Current Apartment

by Melissa

In this market, many new renters are freely negotiating with prospective landlords on the price of rent and having success. However, what if you are currently locked into a lease and don’t really want to move? If you have been in your apartment for several years, before the downturn of the housing market, you may [...]

8 comments Read the full article →

How to Get a Bargain When Apartment Hunting

by Melissa

The uncertainty in the housing market along with more stringent lending standards is driving more people to rent rather than buy. Even though there may be more people in the renting market in addition to the usual renting population, there are also more people turning the homes they own into rental units rather than having [...]

15 comments Read the full article →

Do You or Your Spouse Handle the Finances Solely? Why This Might Not be a Good Idea

by Melissa

When a couple gets married, one of the first things that have to decide is who will pay the bills and make financial decisions. Ideally, both people in the relationship would make joint decisions and have open discussions about their finances, but unfortunately, this seems to rarely happen.  Instead, they may talk out large purchases, [...]

12 comments Read the full article →

Alternatives to Joining the Gym

by Melissa

Every new year, people resolve to lose weight and get in shape. One of the ways they often try to do this is to join the gym. If you go to any gym around the country in January, you will notice that it is packed with well-intentioned people; however, come March, what does that same [...]

27 comments Read the full article →

The Art of Getting Rid of Unwanted Gifts

by Melissa

Unfortunately, it happens almost every year — well meaning friends and relatives give you Holiday gifts that you have no need or desire for.  Of course, when you open the presents, you pretend to be delighted with the gift, but secretly you may be wondering what to do with the additional clutter.  Unless you have [...]

16 comments Read the full article →

What Is the True Cost of Leasing a Car

by Melissa

The car dealership makes leasing sound so appealing. You can drive a new car every three years, the majority of your car maintenance is covered under the lease, your monthly payments will be lower than if you were buying, and at the end of your lease term, turn the keys back in and start the [...]

1 comment Read the full article →
Page 1 of 512345