April is National Financial Literacy Month. “Great! What does that mean for me?” your inquiring mind wants to know. So glad you asked! “Financial Literacy Month is not only a celebration but is a challenge. This is your opportunity to review your finances and gradually improve them. The Financial Literacy Month was first recognized in the U.S.A in April 2004. This was done to highlight the importance of being financially literate and to make people learn about the ways and techniques that can help them in becoming financially smart” ( NationalToday.com ). I mean no disrespect to the 108th United States Congress or President George W. Bush (again, NationalToday.com ), but your finances deserve more attention than 30 days a year. I must say that I'm not sure it's accurate or fiscally responsible to use the words "Congress" and  "financially smart" in the same sentence. Did I say that out loud? In honor of National Financial Literacy Month, we also want to issu...

Ah, spring. The weather is warmer. Easter, the celebration that reminds us of new life, is right around the corner. And early spring flowers like crocuses and tulips are starting to poke their heads through the earth’s surface. Spring cleaning also happens this time of year. I don’t know about you, but something about this year makes me want to spend money reorganizing the house, sprucing up the yard, or on some cute new clothes for Easter Sunday. However, with inflation being what it is right now, it would be smart to be careful–see if there are some ways you can save. Reorganizing the house is fine, just resist the urge to spend money on the nice-to-have-but-not-totally-necessary organizing bags and bins. Now for the yard–see what seeds you have left from last year (many stay good for a while). Talk to neighbors about getting some starts from them. If you must buy some new plants, consider edible bushes and trees that grow well in your area. Then plan to eat what they produce a...

A while back, I wrote a post where I mentioned the different reasons my sister and I got good grades in high school. I said, and I quote, “ She got good grades so she could play volleyball (another subject for another blogpost) .” As my right as a blogger, I am choosing to revisit that subject today. I think you would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not have at least one regret in life. One of my few great regrets is the fact that I did not play volleyball in high school. I love to play volleyball. I have played a lot of rec ball since high school. I’m over 50, I still play regularly, and I am pretty good, if I do say so myself. Those with whom I play are very complimentary (they can’t believe I’m old enough to have two children over 30). I honestly think that if I had played, my life would have taken an entirely different path, but then I would not be here, right now, blogging for you wonderful people. I have another regret, and that is not taking full advantage of the s...

I cannot tell you how many times in the not-so-distant-past that I have had family members, friends, and even an ex reach out to me with a concern about a text or an email they have received. These messages are usually from a weird email address or unrecognizable phone number, but they are all the same–PHISHING. Phishing is defined as “ the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.” And my answer to each of them regarding this suspicious activity is usually the same…ignore it. Reporting it works, too. These annoying attempts at collecting my information don’t usually scare me. But, when I get something weird from my bank, I panic. And you should too. I’m going to suggest that you reach out to your bank BEFORE you get some kind of message that induces an anxiety attack and request that they set up suspicious alert notifications on your account...

I was told that a good time to buy a car is January or February. Why? I would guess it’s because many people are financially destitute right after Christmas (because they have not yet been introduced to my blog!) so car sales are down. I do think there is another reason. I think that most people have yet to file their taxes and receive their tax returns (a.k.a. overpayment that they loaned interest-free to the government ) with which they plan to make a down payment. Now it’s March, and many people have already filed their taxes and received said overpayment that we common-folk refer to as a return, and it’s burning a hole in their pockets. This can be good news for you if you have things you want to sell. Now is the time to capitalize on the extra influx of cash. What do you have around your house that you no longer use that you can sell? Speaking as someone who has done this very thing, I must warn you. Selling stuff you don’t need anymore and collecting the cash can be addicting...