Financial Hack

Every few weeks, I take cash out of the bank for our budget. We pay cash for as much as possible because it’s a great way to visualize our spending habits.
I pull out $300 for our food, gas, laundry, misc. budget and place it in envelopes at home. I try to go directly [...]

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 [...]

I’ve been told about the importance of good hair products for women. I’ve always been on the fence about them.
Does my long hair really need $40 shampoo?
I buy my hair products from the same place I buy my milk and my garden supplies… Target. I clip coupons from the paper for Infusium brand [...]

‘How are you at shaking hands and kissing babies?’ my manager asked.
‘Germaphobic and allergic to baby powder?’ I wanted to respond.
Instead, I enthusiastically replied, ‘Great! What can I do for you?’
‘We’d like you to represent us at a meet and great between government agencies and private agencies’ he said.
‘So what you’re saying is… I [...]

Friends are free right?
I have fabulous friends. Friends who understand phases like, ‘Sorry, no Christmas gift this year. Bank of America got it’ and ‘Can we please have our girl’s night out at Taco Bell? All I have in my ash tray is 76 cents.’
My friends are forgiving, understanding, loving, [...]

Over the last year, I heard the newspapers and magazines warning consumers about changes to credit card interest rates. Often times, the rates were hiked even on consumers with no late payments and relatively low balances.
As my friends and family complained of the letters they received in the mail six or more months ago, [...]

Not only am I $24 shorter in my grocery budget this week, the employees in the lighting department think I’m a pot head.

I’ve got an insider trading tip.
If you invest in this… you WILL gain benefits.
This isn’t a Murdoff Ponzi scheme and I’m pretty sure I won’t suffer Martha Stewartesque consequences (though I could use a lovely hand knit prison sweater).
I’m talking about investing in…
your marriage.
What does marriage investment have to do with your finances?
A [...]

My coworker was murdered yesterday.
Several of us were unfortunate enough to face his body for four hours until it was cleared by the police to be removed by the coroner.
It was random. There was no reason.
Seeing death in person is hard.
I went home. I made dinner. I couldn’t help but feel sadness [...]

The personality preference class was… interesting.
HR put me through an hour of testing and three hours of scenario testing. It wasn’t until halfway through that I realized… the results of this test may hurt me! Am I going to lose my job over this? But, like I said before, I’m big on [...]