Financial Hack

My husband and I have spent the last two years of homeownership cleaning, fixing-up, and repairing the inside of our home.
OK… my HUSBAND has been working on the inside of the house for two years. I, um, shopped for drapes?
We are finally moving our focus to the exterior (since the neighbors ‘tease’ us relentlessly [...]

It seems as though the harder I work to unbury my finances, the more is heaped.
Our higher mortgage payment is depressing. I struggle to not scream in frustration every time I transfer the extra $150 a month to our mortgage account. Perhaps if I was paying more on my principle I’d be fine [...]

The California ‘sunshine’ tax has struck yet again.
Sales taxes in our area rose to 8.25 percent last year despite pleas for help. I struggled with the hike but now… I’m furious.
Arnold Schwarzenegger added another 1 percent to our sales tax. Some cities decided to add to this new number.
Our current sales tax rate?
9.75%
Added [...]

I lack a green thumb.
An example of this fact?
We have two bougainvilleas in our backyard. I tried to keep one alive and kill the other. The one I tried desperately to keep alive… I killed. And the one I tried my hardest to kill… is flourishing like a giant miracle grow plant. [...]

I was reading an article about ‘victimized’ homeowners. It said lenders ‘mostly targeted unsophisticated consumers with high-interest loans stuffed with high cost pitfalls’.
I hate that a lot of borrowers are willing to be called ‘unsophisticated’ – heck, let’s call a spade a spade -borrowers are willing to be called stupid so they can be [...]

When we started looking for a house, we were notified that our only option was a ‘stated income loan’ meaning, we would claim both our salaries, none of his credit history or the debt, and only borrow in my name. And yes, our lender was the one who instructed us how to do it. [...]

The fledging economy, fueled mostly by the housing market, has caused people to point fingers of fault. A good number of those fingers are pointed at mortgage lenders. But the question is… are our borrowing hands clean?
According to the results of a lawsuit in California, I was ‘victimized’ by my mortgage lender. [...]