Spending Money

Forget Brown Bagging It

For a very long time I believed in collecting my pennies and stashing them away for a rainy day. As the years went by I often found more and more difficult to spend money. As I waited in the checkout line I wrestled with the decision to spend a few dollars on a sandwich at … Read more

How Having A Child Has Impacted My Finances

This is not a post about saving money for my son’s future college expenses, making sure my insurance policies are in place or how much I paid to furnish the nursery. This is not about how much money I spend buying him clothes or toys or whatever other things toddlers need or desire. This post … Read more

Spending Too Much Money at Costco

What is it about Costco, the enormous warehouse store, that makes me open my purse and hand over my debit card time and time again? On my last visit I watched the register numbers tick higher and higher until the final price of $245 glared in bright green numbers before me. I couldn’t for the … Read more

Is It Time To Buy a New Car?

Over the past fourteen years my husband and I have owned five vehicles, which included the following: 1994 Oldsmobile Regency Elite 1998 Jeep Wrangler 1999 Toyota Camry 1999 Ford Explorer Sport 2000 Honda Civic We purchased the Explorer Sport and Civic new off the lot. The Oldsmobile, Camry and Wrangler were all purchased used from … Read more

What Would You Do: Spend More to Save a Little?

Last night a friend of mine asked me a money related question and I thought I’d post it here to see what my wonderful readers have to say. Imagine you are shopping for clothes. The store is holding a sale where you can save $20 if you buy $80 worth of merchandise. You browse the … Read more

$400. Say Again? You Spent How Much on Flowers?

My husband is adorable. Every year he remembers to order flowers for my mom and grandmother. What a good son-in-law, right? The trouble is he spends a lot of money each year shipping them out on Valentine’s Day. Buying flowers online is expensive enough, but shipping and handling can often cost another $20 to $25, … Read more

A Little Bit of This a Little Bit of That

This is one of those random hodge-podge posts. You know the kind where you start writing about one thing and quickly find yourself thinking about another, so rather than breaking them up you toss them all into the same post and call it a day. — It seems 2013 has continued right where 2012 left … Read more

The High Price of Collectibles and Limited Time Offerings

A few days ago I found myself shopping for interactive story buddies, (otherwise known as talking stuffed animals), at Hallmark. My son absolutely loves books and I thought he might enjoy snuggling with a cuddly toy that sings, barks and makes other fun noises when you read out loud. Before heading out to the store … Read more

Buried in a Sea of Ribbons and Paper

I subscribe to a bunch of party related blogs. I have no idea why I do this. I rarely throw parties, I’m not particularly crafty and I can’t imagine sitting around creating handmade centerpieces, gift bags and favors. Despite these facts I am absolutely mesmerized by the colorful images. In fact, while I skip over … Read more