Today is Thanksgiving. I don’t want to write a long post, and I’m sure you don’t want to read one, so let’s cut to the chase…tomorrow is Black Friday, historically the biggest shopping day of the year and, in recent years, the day people lose their ever-loving minds trying to get the best deal of limited quantities of the hottest items. Based on the events of the last 18 months, I’m sure this year’s Black Friday will top all records in the crazy department. Don’t get sucked into the trap. Rise above. Exercise patience and compassion. Smile at people. Be helpful. Remember that while a good deal is awesome, there is no one   material “thing” that is worth your self-respect and dignity.

Thanksgiving is a week away and instead of thinking about the upcoming culinary celebration, I’m missing part of my family (including 2 grandbabies) that is military and won’t be able to make it home this year (fear not, I’m planning a trip to see THEM after the New Year!). But just because they won’t be present at the Thanksgiving table doesn’t mean we cannot be together! ”What?!? You just said they weren’t coming. I’m lost. Are they coming or not?” you ask. Sadly, they are not. But do allow me to explain. Family Reunion Hunts can bring families together without the need to travel. Skip the high cost of holiday travel and support PREVENTION efforts in your community at the same time. Now, please recognize that I am not trying to come across as encouraging everyone to NOT go see family. But, if you are in debt-elimination mode and choosing not to spend money on travel to reduce your debt (Yay, you!) or are in the same boat as me, Family ReunionHunts can be a great, even LAST-MINU...

I heard Christmas music in the store today. I should not have been shocked, but I was. It seems that Christmas paraphernalia ends up in the stores earlier and earlier every year. Retailers are vying to get your attention so you’ll use your finite Christmas dollar to buy their product instead of someone else’s. This invokes multiple issues in my mind, but the one I’d like to address today is this–do we really need all this STUFF? When is enough enough? Because I was curious, I typed this phrase into Google: “things that will make you happy”. I was, again, a little surprised at what came up, this time pleasantly so. One of the top sites in the search result listed things that were not “things.” The “things” that make us truly happy are not tangible items (in fact, one of the “things” was actually getting rid of “things” by decluttering). They are experiences.    If you think back on Christmas or birthday celebrations from your youth, I am willing to bet that your favorite...

I have had five (yes, FIVE) washing machines in my adult life. Without telling you how old I am, I can say that in the first 25 years of my adult life I got a new washing machine about every four (yes, FOUR) years. (One washer moved around the room with someone sitting on it while it was running. I didn’t know they could do that. But, that’s another story for another time.) I think you would agree with me that a washing machine should last longer than that. I mean, if I was financing them, which I was not, the payments could have outlasted any one of those washers themselves. About 10 years ago I decided to take the advice of a friend whose husband was a mechanic and bought used cars–total Junkers. He paid next to nothing for them, fixed them up a bit, and drove them until they just wouldn’t run any more. I never knew what kind of car my friend would be driving when she showed up to work. I did some research on a specific washer brand, found one used, and bought it sight unseen. BEST...

 In November PBS always hosts their  Annual Reading Marathon . “Wow. That’s the  second  time this month that our financial blogger has gone off the rails regarding blog topics. What does reading have to do with finances?” My answer? Everything. Establishing good reading habits in children–reading 20 minutes a day–can literally change their financial future. Good readers do better in school. Good readers are more likely to graduate from high school. Good readers will probably make more money as adults. Reading changes EVERYTHING          . That being said, books  can  be expensive, but they don’t have to be. Libraries are some of the best resources for book access–they play SUCH an important role in our community. You can also share/trade books with your neighbors, friends, and family members (just make sure you have a good system for tracking book ownership). Second-hand stores or garage sales are awesome places to s...

When I started pulling together ideas for my blog post today, this is exactly how I felt–“It has been said that there is no such thing as coincidence in this world.” Who said that? Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian novelist. Right on, Paulo! Why do I say this? Well, today’s Financial Calendar topic is thus, and I quote. “Involve your family in holiday planning. It’s never too early to plan. Brainstorm fun and inexpensive activities. Make a list of service projects to do together. Simplify the season by trimming holiday expenses.” If this interests you (and who ISN’T interested in simplifying and trimming expenses?! You HAVE to get excited about trimming expenses because, after all, you ARE reading a financial blog), then I have quite the resource for you!   I KNOW you are looking for some unique, affordable, awesome ideas of things you can do for all the people on your holiday shopping list (neighbor gifts, anyone?). When you choose to share one of these exclusive concepts with those ...

I  missed Mental Health Awareness Day (it was last Sunday, October 10 th ). Now, I’ll bet you are saying to yourself, “That’s a weird thing for a financial blogger to say.” And, under normal circumstances, you would be right. But we are living in times that are anything but normal, wouldn’t you say? Yeah–me too. So today I’ve decided to deviate from regular scheduled programming to bring you something special. Don’t worry, I’ll do a two-for-one post next week to get us caught up on the financial calendar. Speaking of two-for-one, today we’re going to combine two seemingly-unrelated subjects: prevention, specifically on how it relates to mental health, and Christmas. Bear with me. Prevention is HUGE in the financial world. Let’s take the dentist, for example. (Did you know that if you ignore your teeth they WILL go away?) Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss are relatively inexpensive. And yearly dental x-rays and biannual cleanings aren’t horrifically expensive and are ...