Awareness

Why we must work, even if we don’t have to

  So, maybe it’s starting to happen that not everyone “needs” to work in order for all of our basic needs to be accounted for. If you are given enough money to live, would you still work? A study in … Read MoreRead More

Guilt tipping, or another way that a card makes you spend more

  Last year, I spent an entire month spending only cash. My review at the time was that it was a giant pain in the neck, but it nevertheless (somehow) saved me hundreds of dollars. Since then, I’ve gone back … Read MoreRead More

Is there a loophole in the new Starbucks Rewards program?

  Starbucks is changing its rewards program to reward those who spend more, rather than those who just go often. But the catch (and the deal-breaker for me) is that you have to pay using their reloadable Starbucks Card. Under … Read MoreRead More

Starbucks just changed its reward program: is it finally worth joining?

  Just because a loyalty program is offered doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea to get involved. For example, I don’t recommend joining car rental loyalty programs. And one program I’ve looked at for a while but never liked … Read MoreRead More

Socrates, wall-to-wall carpet, and how to deal with unpopular beliefs

  I’m still getting settled into my home. I suspect that most people have a similar experience, where it takes upwards of six months for it to even slightly feel less like staying in someone else’s place. But for me, … Read MoreRead More

Why the home mortgage interest deduction is a disappointment

UPDATE: I originally made a math error below, and have corrected it. Apologies. UPDATE #2: I have another take on this. “Oh you’ve got a mortgage now!” goes Conventional Wisdom. “Now your taxes will be lower because you’ll be able to … Read MoreRead More

You’re surviving, but are you thriving?

  With the new year upon us, most people are detoxing from too many holiday parties, too much holiday travel, and and way too much holiday food/drink/board games (or whatever else you did to excess). I don’t begrudge anyone excess, … Read MoreRead More

How to deal with financial envy

  As readers of the site know, I bought a home this year. It was a trying process, but I feel like I was prepared for it, and navigated the process with tenacity, if not actual skill. I paid my … Read MoreRead More

Year in review 2015: Your top 10 favorite posts

  I wrote about my favorite posts for this year. But what about yours? I ran a report and came up with the ten most frequently visited posts fro this year, just like I did for 2014 and 2013. Very … Read MoreRead More

Year in review 2015: My top 10 favorite posts

  Well here we are at the end of the year. At a rate of two posts per week, there have been over a hundred posts on this site since this time last year. I’m sure you haven’t read them … Read MoreRead More