For the second time in just a few months, one of our cards has been compromised. This time, it was my husband’s American Express card. Apparently, a thief had made a duplicate card and tried to charge hundreds of dollars in Columbia–the country not the school. When my husband used the card the next day to buy lunch in Pennsylvania, an automatic alert went out, and the card company contacted him to verify that there was fraud happening. Fortunately, we were not liable for the charges, the account was swiftly closed and a new card issued. One of the interesting … Continue reading →

Who doesn’t want to save money on their prescription drugs? Did you know that you can use coupons on most name-brand prescription medication? It is true! Here are the guidelines for how you can successfully use coupons on your prescriptions. There are so many new coupons out there for prescription drugs, but many people don’t know about them. Just google the name of your drug plus the word coupon or discount to see what you find. You can also go directly to the manufacturer’s website to see promotions and coupons. You can often save anywhere from $10 to $50 per … Continue reading →

There have been many different studies that show that consumers spend more money when they use credit card. There are a number different reasons for this. If you can’t avoid using credit cards, or even debit cards (which also seem to make people spend more) then it is best to understand why you are likely to spend more so you can make good choices and avoid being another statistic. Of course, if you can get away with only using cash, then you’ll be in great shape! Tax States Some states charge sales tax and some do not. It used to … Continue reading →

Do you need cash in a hurry? Getting extra money might be closer than you think. Here are four things that can be quickly and easily turned into cash. Baby Clothes Baby clothes are a hot commodity at outgrown sales or on the Internet. You can turn those outgrown clothes into cash. Don’t have any baby clothes at home? Shop cheaply at your local thrift store and then make a profit selling them online. What to look for: name brand and higher end items in excellent condition. Gift Cards Scour your drawers, car, purse, etc. for unused gift cards. There … Continue reading →

Every little bit helps, and if you want to get a bigger tax return than you anticipated, it is time to up your deductions. Charitable contributions, including those made as household donations to goodwill or another charity count against the income that you made this year. So, go through your home and get that car filled with stuff that you can claim. You’ll have to get it donated by the end of the year in order for it to count on your 2011 taxes. The first thing that you need to know about donating items to a charity and benefiting … Continue reading →

Wouldn’t it be great if you found out that the US Government owed you hundreds or even thousands of dollars? Wow, that would be a great way to start the holiday season, wouldn’t it? Imagine getting a check that could cover all of your holiday expenses and then some. Sound too good to be true? Well, for 100,000 people, it is reality, and you could be one of them. That is because Uncle Sam owes all of those Americans a refund, to the tune of more than $153 million. That is right. It is all because of problems with mailing … Continue reading →

You don’t usually get too much advice about attaching yourself to stuff, at least not good advice. Of course the media is full of messages about how you such love your stuff, at least until new stuff comes along. Then you can love that new stuff until….well, you get the point. Why would someone who teaches about frugal living be telling you to enjoy your stuff? It is because in loving the stuff you have you will actually be more satisfied and spend less. Here is a good example from my own childhood. Growing up, I had a few precious … Continue reading →