What NOT to Do: Justify a Bad Purchase

April 9, 2012
Lessons in What Not to Do with your Finances

This is a guest post. While I did not write this post, I think this is a great point. I was planning to write something about using false justification when making a purchase. I’m guilty of doing it, are you? We all know the difficulty of forcing ourselves to not buy something we really want. Sometimes the temptation sat in your eye line, or you stumble across it while window shopping online, and you just can’t stop yourself from clicking on the “buy” button. The worst thing about this is, you justify the purchase to yourself afterwards. You take...

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The (Financial) Case for Atheism

April 6, 2012

So it’s a pretty big time for those who are Jewish and Christian. Passover and Easter are both big holidays during the spring time. In the Catholic religion it’s also a time for first communions and confirmations, all very big deals with the Catholic homies. I was Catholic once, I remember April being pretty busy. I’m not a Catholic anymore and while I’m not in the mood to debate the merits of being a person of faith, I did think of something that was a benefit to being atheist. I am saving killer money right now! I have seen...

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Is There Common Sense in Personal Finance?

April 4, 2012

I don’t like the phrase “common sense” when it is paired with anything related to personal finance. In my opinion, there is nothing common about finances when you are uneducated. By watching what I was being exposed to growing up, it was common to be in debt. If you needed a new car, then common sense said to get a car loan. If you were short one month and needed groceries, common sense said to use a credit card to purchase them. Those actions were common, every day occurrences and that made them common sense. The topic for this...

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Guest Post: Stay the Course

April 3, 2012

This is a guest post from Karen @ MoneySavingEnthusiast.com. Enjoy! When asked in a Forbes article about advice she would give to the next generation of influencers, NBC Anchor, Ann Curry replied “Know this: Everything you dream of that you care enough not to give up on, the deepest passion in you, the thing you really want will come true. . . .” Last summer, I fulfilled a long-held dream of mine: I met her. A friend of mine and I journeyed to New York and visited the outdoor set of NBC’s Today Show. As Ann and the other...

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Review: Money Rules by Jean Chatzky

April 2, 2012

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of a new book by Jean Chatzky. I was really excited to get this email. Jean is one of the first financial experts that resonated with me when I was seeking out information. Her down-to-earth, no nonsense approach to explaining things has always worked for me. Maybe it’s because she is a journalist and doesn’t have a background in finances. Maybe it’s that she talks like she could be my girlfriend. I don’t know what it is but it works! I received a copy of her new book Money Rules: The...

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Where’s the Debt – April 2012

April 1, 2012

Well it is April 1, 2012 and that means it is time for another installment of “Where’s the Debt?” My very first, Where’s the Debt? post was published on 3/22/2010. I have been writing about my debt situation for two years now. (Yep, my 2 year blog anniversary has come and gone with no big fan fare or cool giveaway, bummer dude.). In March of 2010, my debt was over $37,000. Sadly, it’s more now due to further fees being tacked on and my decision to return to school. However, I feel better about my situation now than I...

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Weekly Roundup – I’m a Loser Baby!

April 1, 2012

The theme for this week (and most of this month) is losing! This is a good thing but also a not so good as well. First up in the not so good category is my beloved Buckeyes. Sadly The Ohio State University (my alma mater current university) lost in the NCAA Final Four. What started out as a great first half, looking very much like we would prevail, became a nail biter ending and a disappointing finale. Like millions of Americans, I did not win the lottery this past week. I’m still missing my 10 bucks but I’ll get...

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If I had 600 Million Dollars…

March 30, 2012

Well if you’ve been living under a rock then you aren’t yet aware that the Mega Millions Lottery has a world record Jackpot. At the time of publishing this post, it was up to $640 Million!! On Tuesday, when it was around $400 Million, I got a phone call from my mom. She asked me to go buy a few tickets. She typically plays but couldn’t get out to buy tickets before the drawing. So I wasted bought $10 worth of tickets for her. And guess what…I LOST. And so today, when the second chance comes to win a...

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