what your trash says about you

I’ve noticed that I can make a few snap judgments about my family’s life based on our trash output. We are not a particularly “green” family, although I am passionate about environmental issues.  Trash output is one are where I definitely talk the talk but walking…not so much.   If you take a close look [...]

29 Tips to Prepare Your Home for Winter

Photo courtesy of geocam20000
As the dog days of summer begin to grow shorter it is a great time to think about winterizing your home to prepare for the colder months ahead.  Snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures can damage a home’s exterior, leading to costly repairs.  Inadequate seals and insulation can force home heating systems to [...]

Divorce - A Wealth Killer

I excitedly opened MoneySense magazine this month and came by an enlightening article about divorce.  As the wedding vows state, marriage is forever.  This is true in an ideal world, but sadly in the real world (North America), divorce happens in over 50% marriages.
As stated in the title, divorce is a wealth killer.  Here in [...]

Save Money on Heating and Cooling Costs with the Right Window Treatments

Programmable thermostats were the topic of the first energy saving question I had for the experts at the Home Depot.  The next question I asked has to do with a “dispute” I have with my wife.  We have curtains across a big sliding glass door in the back of the house and I’m always closing [...]

Chase Freedom Card vs Chase Cash Plus Rewards

The Chase Freedom card may be the best option for anyone that currently has a Chase Cash Plus Rewards card. Up until now you could earn 5% cash back on gas, groceries, and at drug stores with the Cash Plus Rewards program; which is a better reward rate than the 3% that Chase Freedom offers.  [...]

What’s The Best Financial Advice You’ve Received?

Photo by Digital Sextant

It’s been a while since I got tagged with a financial meme. This time, Aryn from Sound Money Matters tagged me to answer the question: What is some of the best financial advice you’ve received?
I grew up in a household that didn’t really talk about money that much — at least, [...]

Sunday Links - Oct 5, 2008

Frugal Dad lists Five Unique Strategies to Recession-Proof Your Household.
My Dollar Plan gives us another Frugal Recipe: Chicken Soup.
Lazy Man and Money has an entertaining post about Three Ridiculous and Stupid Ideas that Save You Money.
Brip Blap explains how the bailout failure affects us.
The Digerati Life has a timely post on 10 Frugal Steps To [...]

Marriage and Careers in a Bad Economy - September in Review

September started off kind of slow but ended up a crazy month!  Let’s hope we don’t see many more months like it in the future.  Here’s a recap of the roller coaster ride of September here at Money Smart Life.
Money and Marriage
As the summer came to end we included some of the lessons learned from summer [...]

$50 Sign Up Bonus When You Open A TradeKing Account

I caught wind of a sign up offer by TradeKing, a popular online brokerage among financial bloggers. If you’re considering signing up with an online brokerage, you can avail of a timely bonus by TradeKing during the month of October. Once you open and fund your brokerage account with a minimum of $2,500 [...]

linklings, bad window edition

It’s been a fun week in the US. The bailout which I so fiercely opposed is now a reality.  But more importantly, on a personal level, my car managed to break down in a half dozen different ways simultaneously, my client managed to mess up my time and the kids conspired to throw a [...]

Programmable Thermostats and Energy Saving Advice from The Home Depot

High energy prices are causing many people to look more closely at how much money they spend on heating and cooling their home.  The good news is that there are usually relatively minor things you can do to make your home or appartment more energy efficient, saving on your heating and cooling bill.  The bad [...]

Monthly Wrapup: September 2008 Edition

Photo courtesy of Lee Coursey
It is hard to believe we are already into October–where does the time go?  September was a good month here at Frugal Dad.  I changed up the format mid-month and began posting two articles a day.  I have not heard much feedback one way or the other from you, so that [...]

Alternative Income Streams - October 2008

Another month is done and it’s time to take a look at my alternative income for the previous month. In past months, I’ve given a number that was very specific, down to the cents. This month, I can’t be as specific - the power cord on my laptop is broken, so I have [...]

The Best Gas Credit Cards: Get Rewards For Spending on Gas

Ease the pain of gas price hikes by racking up rewards while you fill up your gas tank. Here are some of the best gas credit cards I’ve come to know about.
With less income, my family’s more determined about cutting our spending, but unfortunately, we can’t get our costs down all the way to [...]

Friday Finance Findings for October 3rd

It’s October, and do you know what that means? Yes, baseball is finally almost over. The World Series can’t come and go fast enough as far as I’m concerned. Even though I really dislike the sport and the amount of coverage it gets, I decided to join a friendly fantasy baseball league with a bunch [...]

Is Gold a Good Choice to Hedge against Inflation?

Original Post on The Sun’s Financial Diary
Is Gold a Good Choice to Hedge against Inflation?
Early last month, I had a post on gold when the bullion recorded its biggest one-day increase ever in price. If you follow this blog long enough, then you know I have talked a lot about good. My investment in gold [...]

$50 Sign Up Bonus from TradeKing

Say it with me! Free Money Friday! You know the routine, Friday is all about free money here at My Dollar Plan. Today TradeKing is offering a $50 sign up bonus for new accounts opened in October.
About TradeKing

Online broker; ranked #1 Discount Broker by SmartMoney Magazine in 2006 & 2007.
All trades are $4.95 (plus [...]

TradeKing $50 Bonus and Free Laptops

TradeKing is offering a $50 bonus if you open a new brokerage account in October. Find out more about the TradeKing promotion, I wrote about the online stock brokerage bonus earlier this week on the deals site.
Check out the other free money and free stuff deals I covered this week:
– Here are 15 chances to win [...]

You Need a New Job!

If you are as unahppy in your job as I was in mine, then you should think about finding a new one.  I started my new job on Monday and this has been the most stress free week I’ve had in Years!
It was a lot of work refreshing my resume, evaluating jobs, and finishing my projects at [...]

The 2008 Bailout Bill-Wool Wearers, Racing Fans and Forest Eco-Systems Can Finally Rest Easy

Photo courtesy of terren in Virginia
My fellow Americans, your government has been hard at work over the last couple weeks drafting a 451-page bill filled enough provisions to make your head spin. Billed as a bailout for the country’s financial system, the “emergency economic stabilization” plan contains quite a few important provisions. To [...]

Best of Million Dollar Journey: Sept 2008

September was a great month for discussion here on Million Dollar Journey.  I guess that there’s a lot to chat about as the latest financial landscape has been interesting to say the least.  Below is the summary of the top posts, commentators and referrals.  In addition, a shout out to our banner sponsors.
Top 5 Most [...]

10 Frugal Steps To Help You Survive A Tough Economy

This tough economy getting you down? Here are some frugal steps you can take to survive this rough financial period.

There is nothing that ordinary citizens like you and I can do to solve the mess on Wall Street. Calling your congressperson every day won’t change his/her vote, because they have to follow the party [...]

Evaluating the Best Gas Credit Cards for Rebates

I recently did something I haven’t done in years–I applied for a credit card.  Now that I am wise to the potential pitfalls of credit card use, I decided it was time to try to recoup some of that money I’ve been pouring down the gas tank.  A credit card that offers rebates for gasoline [...]

Top Traffic Sources and Commentators For September 2008

September ended with a bang for the financial industry, but not in a positive way. However, we here had a good month, that only got better as it drew to a close. I’m guessing that visitors are dropping by to commiserate over the issues going on in the economy and are looking to see [...]

Frugal Recipe: Chicken Soup

Apparently I struck a spot close to your heart (and your stomach) with the Ideas for Frugal and Easy Cooking. In a time where food prices are on the rise, it’s more important than ever to find frugal recipes that fulfill your need to eat healthy and satisfy your taste buds.
Sue Bette to the rescue! [...]

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