Monday Humor and the Early Bird Special

Every few months my mom and dad visit and we head to an old restaurant with a 4:30 pm early bird special. When we arrive the tables around us are usually filled with an older crowd, but honestly I’m not certain if that’s due to the style of the restaurant or the time of day … Read more

The Fair Pay Act… Are Women Underpaid?

There is a interesting article on CNNMoney.com called Obama flunks Econ 101 that discusses the new Fair Pay Act sponsored by a number of senators including Barack Obama. The premise of the Fair Pay Act is to rid Americans of the current pay gap between men and women. The act indicates that the pay gap … Read more

The Importance of Bank Consolidation

Yesterday’s comment by Lulu got me thinking about my family’s choice to consolidate bank accounts. When I first got married my husband and I kept separate bank accounts. I was proud of the little brokerage account I first started in college, and even prouder of the $30,000 I had accumulated from summer jobs and year … Read more

Hiding Money in PayPal: My Secret PayPal Account

Hiding money in PayPal is easy. It’s effortless to hide money without anyone finding out about it. Paper bank statements never arrive in the mail. I don’t need to go to a bank to retrieve cash, and I can quickly move money without anyone else noticing. If you are searching for a secret bank account, … Read more

Stacking Coupons and Discounts for Savings

Earlier this year I decided to try my hand at clipping coupons. Although I do clip coupons for food related items, like shredded cheese and ice cream, I primarily clip for household staples like paper goods, shampoo, soap, and cleaners. I find that I am saving more and more money with each shopping trip, and … Read more

For those of you with long commutes…

After a long and relaxing vacation away from the hustle and bustle to and from Northern VA, I am certainly not looking forward to a lengthy Monday commute around the beltway. I have already started thinking about my plan for tomorrow, what I can eat in the car on the way to work, do I … Read more

Utter Frustration at ACE Hardware

We all know that large chain stores often pretend to reward customers. If stores really wanted to reward customers they’d offer discounts off current purchases, but that almost never happens. Instead, most stores reward customers by providing coupons or gift cards valid towards future purchases. They know that the customer will be lured back into … Read more

My Identity is no Longer Entirely Anonymous

I have been anonymously writing about personal finance since March of 2006. If you’re a frequent reader you know I include a lot of personal information in this blog. I talk about where I live, what I do in my spare time, and how I spend my money. Because this blog includes so much personal … Read more

Our Liabilities Shrink as Net Worth Grows

This month our net worth has finally exceeded our liabilities. Now we all now net worth is the total value of property minus debts. Net worth itself is a tricky subject, a lot of people believe a household’s primary residence should not be included in the net worth calculation. It is certainly excluded when calculating … Read more