As consumers, most of us like to get really good customer service. While it might not matter as much in some purchases decisions that are driven by price, there are many other situations where getting good customer service can strongly influence us or simply make a lasting impression.

A while back, I shared what I consider to be my best customer service experience ever, when I had traveled to the Great Wall of China, and a person went to extraordinary lengths to deliver a purchase to me.   It was truly impressive how much effort that person put forth in the name of customer service.

While reminded of that experience recently, I thought it might be good to also share my worst customer service experience ever.  Now, I can recall several horrible examples of customer service that made my blood boil at the time, and rightfully so I might add.  I’ve gotten over them of course, and learned lessons along the way. This particular episode wasn’t as upsetting at the time, but I thought it was so blatantly tacky and lacking in customer service that it’s just the first one that immediately comes to mind now.

The Scene

Over a decade ago, I was on a work assignment away from home, stationed for a few months (during the work week) in Detroit of all places.  The place at which I was staying was in the suburbs, in a fairly decent area with some good shopping nearby.

One evening I decided that I would go get a haircut.  Now, I’ve posted before how I’ve learned that the cost of a haircut doesn’t need to be excessive, at least for the typical guy anyway.   Well, that particular evening I went to a place that charged $30 for a haircut. That’s more than I would pay today, and was certainly expensive back then.  However, I didn’t know the area and the place seemed nice (and was the first I saw).  My thought process as I recall was that it was worth it at that time, especially as I was in an unfamiliar city.  A better place equaled less risk as I saw it, and I spent more back then anyway – unlike my low cost haircuts these days

The Transgressions

So I walked in and ended up getting my haircut from an attractive woman with a seemingly friendly and outgoing personality.  She asked me questions about myself, and was friendly about giving me suggestions on things to do during the evenings while I was on my assignment there.  So far, not a bad experience.

However, things then went downhill.

First, she started telling me about the local bookstore which she enjoyed going to and checking out new books.  She proceeded to tell me how she would go in there every week, and walk out spending at least $60 on books because she just couldn’t help herself.  Huh?  Well, okay – that’s not indicative of bad customer service, I agree. But as a personal finance maven, it made me think “I feel sorry for her husband”.

Anyway, back to the transgressions. As she was blabbering away, I felt sharp pain in my ear. I remember audibly expressing “Ouch!” or something to that effect, apparently loud enough that others around could hear.  I instinctively felt my ear, and there was a bit of blood.  The woman cut my ear!

She tried to laugh it off, by saying something like “oh sorry”, followed by words to the effect of “it’s not so bad. You look like you’re tough enough to handle it.”

Well, obviously I lived:) But let’s be real here, it’s not normal to cut the ear of a customer and cause bleeding!

After the haircut was done, she was quick to direct me to the front register to pay. Nothing about a discount, nothing about it’s on us, let me see if the manager can do something about taking care of you, etc.  She was eager to get me to pay, and move on so the next customer could step up.

The best part: She eagerly told me (paraphrased) “you can either leave the tip with the cashier, include it when you charge, or you can just give it to me in cash”

Seriously?

My Reaction

I did not leave a tip. That being said, I didn’t complain or throw a fit either. I just quietly walked out in disbelief, without complaint, too stunned to say anything.

I’m sure there have been other cases where I’ve had much worse service by other people’s standards, but this one just jumps out at me because of how cheesy that lady was!  I now think that I should have at least said something about it, but if nothing else I can joke and laugh about it now

My Questions for You:

How would you have handled that situation?

Does that seem a bit crazy to you that they would charge full price after injuring a customer?

What is your worst customer experience ever? I’m curious to hear about a crazy situation that you’ve dealt with.

Anyone who regularly visits here can tell that I’m a fan of thinking ahead in terms of future financial needs.  My own driving financial motivation keeps me thinking about the future even as I simultaneously enjoy and live in the present.

Clearly, retirement planning is important.  Along those lines, I like to keep me eyes and mind open for different ideas on how to make good decisions in terms of saving for the future. Sometimes means taking in new or less frequently discussed ideas, but it also might mean reinforcing existing views with some repetition.

A recent article from US News provided a mix of both, as it shared ways to be more individually reliant in terms of retirement planning.  Good, solid tips that I think we should keep in mind as we think toward our future.  Below I’ll state the tips (paraphrased), along with my viewpoint on each.

1. Downsize before immediately necessary.  I agree totally. It’s not like it’s any mystery that we’ll need money in the future, so why spend without regard for future savings? We’ll need to save and invest now to make retirement feasible and decent in the future.  Why live with a big hat no cattle lifestyle? Differentiate wants and needs, and be true to those current and future needs.
2. Say No.  This could apply to many people who want your resources, but it’s often hard for many of us to say no to kids.  As a parent of younger kids, it’s a concept that I intellectually get but have a hard time with sometimes.  However, when you’re old and they’re young adults, you’ll have far less available years to work. They won’t.  At some point we need to avoid martyrdom, and take care of our basic needs for retirement first.
3. Delay Social Security.  Admittedly, I don’t think of this much since I’m far off from that time period. Additionally, I am conditioning myself not to count on social security in the future.  However, it’s worth thinking about anyway. For those closer to that age, it’s definitely worth considering, as it can be quite costly to retire too soon.
4. Invest in Wellness.  This is one I totally agree with.  Also, it’s one that I need to really force myself to continually focus on and would like to do a better job with.  Really, I do think that when one looks at the role of money in life, there is a connection with health (and relationships).  Without health, life can break down.  It’s imperative to think about the connection of health and money, and not be afraid to invest some time and money into staying healthy and fit.
5. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.  By working hard and making smart, disciplined decisions, we can achieve great things. That being said, not everything always follows our plans, despite our best intentions and actions. Things can and do happen.  If a big unexpected expense happens, we want to be ready to handle it. 

One more I’d like to add is the idea that we should avoid procrastination. Tomorrow comes quicker than we often realize, so rather than start taking steps “someday”, we might as well do it now.

What do You Think?

How many of these 5 do you actively focus on?

Can you think of any other tips for self-reliance in retirement planning?

Not all ATMs are the same!

Wouldn’t it be great to be just about perfect? Well, not that I ever had any wacky illusions of that, but if anyone ever thought I was totally sound when it came to all money moves, a recent mistake would clearly disprove that.

We’ve all been there. You know, the times when we feel like a fool for making a dumb financial move.

Here’s what I did.  Two weeks ago, I was in a major hurry to get someplace in the evening. I was leaving the city, and was headed out of town. Thus, while I often like public transpiration instead of driving, I did have to drive that day and parked my car in an out of the way lot. This place cost $15 for an “earlybird” rate, as long as you got out by 6pm. It was a deal, compared to the garages in this area of Downtown Chicago which typically charge between $30 to $40 to park during the working day. Yes, it’s not cheap here in the Windy City!

Anyway, I rushed to the lot and asked to pay. The guy immediately told me “Cash only”, which was corroborated by a sign at the booth. Okay, I suppose I missed that sign in the morning when I got there.  So I had to tell him that I needed cash, and that I’d be right back after I found an ATM. He said fine, but I realized that I needed to rush back so that I wasn’t charged the full price.

I went a few blocks to a location I knew would have ATMs, and went to the first one I saw. It wasn’t for my bank, but at this point I didn’t care. I just needed to get the cash, get to the car, and leave.  So I withdrew money, and agreed when I saw the prompt on the screen that notified me that the bank would charge me a $3 fee in addition to whatever fee my bank charged.  I can’t stand ATM fees, but figured that this was a rare exception and that I didn’t have a choice in this situation anyway.

So, I withdrew the money, and turned to my left and started to walk away. As I did, I froze.

Right in front of me – literally, right there before me – was an ATM from my bank.

It instantly hit me that in my rush to just find the first ATM and get money right away, I never bothered to even glance around to notice the other ATM that was there.  After paying the 2 fees, I just wasted $6 right there. For no reason whatsoever, other than carelessness.  I mean, the no-fee machine from my own bank was basically right next to the other machine.

Now can you see how I felt like I made a dumb financial move? There is no rationalizing this away.

Well, when we make mistakes we should try to learn from them. Two quick takeaways for me were:

• Pay attention.  If I would have seen the sign in the morning that noted “cash only” , I might have been able to get the money ahead of time. By not having my head in the game at that time, I cost myself a few bucks.
• Manage time well.  If I would have planned my time better, even by a few minutes, I wouldn’t have been rushed and prone to making a careless move.

Of course we all know that we should pay attention and manage time well, but sometimes we need a reminder to do the basic things.  This was a $6 reminder!

My Questions for You

Have you ever made any really silly, dumb financial moves like this one?

What were the circumstances, and why did it happen?

Did you learn any applicable lessons from the experience?

Have you ever come across a time capsule?

I recently found what amounted to one when I was going through a box at my parents’ house, which was also my childhood home. They’re selling it after 34 years, which brings about a range of emotions in them and me as well. It’s for the best at this point in time, but it doesn’t make it fun.  Wow, I wish they could keep it forever, but as we know, nothing lasts forever, including us.  Sometimes we need to embrace new beginnings.

If there’s a good side benefit of this, it’s uncovering things that were sitting around for years that you forgot about, but are nice to see again. I found so many of those things, it’s really surprising. Almost all things that really me or someone in my family could personally value, but those are often the best kind, right?

Well, I might share a few of these in future posts, as there were many. But one type of item I found was a group of ticket stubs to baseball games in the late 1980’s.  Yes, I’m not super young.  I was a teen back then who just got my license, and would occasionally drive from the suburbs into Chicago to see major league ball games with friends.  I even have some opening day memories, when we missed school to see a game once (Mom and Dad if you’re reading this – Surprise!).

Anyway, finding those ticket stubs in mint condition, while I never knew were still there, brought a smile to my face. I don’t know why they weren’t thrown away originally, it was probably an accident that they were kept way back when. But once I saw them, I recalled how a few times we took off on a few school nights to go into the city. I can still remember, back before cell phones, we would tell each other at school that we would meet up at someone’s house at 6:00pm, after we all ate dinner, and then drive into the city to catch a 7:30 game. If we hustled, we got there early to catch batting practice and maybe a ball.

It brought back memories of how carefree we were back then, and even how the worries that we had were really miniscule in the big picture. And also, conversely, how little we worried about what we should have.  The area around grand old Comiskey Park (1910-1990) was commonly perceived as high-crime and dangerous at night during that era, but we threw caution to the wind and just drove up from the vastly different suburbs without caring. What a great time of life!

It also brought a smile to my face when I saw the cost of the ticket. You know I would do that, right? Well, the one of the tickets I saw was for $2. Can you imagine going to a game today for $2?

I’m sure it was for some kind of discounted day, like a half price night or something like that. But still, if you take $2 and apply an inflation rate of 3.5% to it and let it compound for 24 years, it still comes out to just $4.57 in today’s purchasing power.  How easy is it to get admission to a major league game today for $4.57? Go check on the prices of tickets anywhere these days, and you might be surprised by how expensive it can be.

I think you tell I thought it was a fun find J

My Questions For You

Have you ever come across something from your youth that was fun to find? It doesn’t have to be money related, just something that was cool or surprising to find, and reminds you of good times.

Do you recall times in the past where you went out with friends and had lots of fun for little money?

We all have some moments in life that are particularly memorable, worthy of being classified as the best, most exciting thing we ever accomplished. When younger, that might mean getting accepted to college, graduating from college, or something along those lines. When older, this might mean getting married, or becoming a parent for the first time.

Clearly, as we get older, it’s not the money that can be classified as the best thing that happened to us, bigger picture.

That being said, let’s focus on money for the time being. With that in mind, let’s take that concept of “the best, most exciting thing we ever accomplished”, and apply it to the world of money!

For each of us, this might be something different. After all, no two people are exactly alike, and we have all had our own unique life experience. Examples that come to mind for some might be:

• Getting out of debt
• Paying off a student loan
• Getting a first paycheck
• Getting a big promotion
• Seeing one’s net worth reach a certain threshold

You get the idea.

For me, it was getting a job offer after graduate school (MBA) which was in the right city for me.

You see, before going to graduate school, I had worked for a few years after undergrad. Those years provided me with some excellent experience in terms of getting my feet wet as a professional and learning some skills. I worked hard, and put in some long hours at times, for very little pay.  I wanted more for myself – so I made the seemingly risky move to apply to graduate school with the hope of going full-time.

Getting away from the working world for two years, with a student loan and no guarantees, is not something that everyone wants to do. However, I took the plunge and ended up truly enjoying the experience. Of course, when the program is over, it’s time to go about getting a job and paying back that loan.

For me, getting that job offer in the right city, and at a salary that made my investment of time and money worth it – well, it probably ranks as my favorite financial accomplishment.

It was years ago, and it’s not like I was making big bucks by any stretch. However, it was so satisfying because I accomplished a goal and saw the results.

How About You?

What financial accomplishment of yours would you consider the “best, most exciting thing you’ve done?”

Why was it so impactful to you compared to other things you’ve done?

At least it wasn't a parking ticket!

Getting a ticket isn’t cool.

Have you ever received a traffic ticket, or a vehicle citation of some type? Well, if you’ve been driving long enough, you have probably had one come your way at least once for whatever reason. Even the very careful among us can get them.  I got one recently, and wasn’t exactly thrilled. But instead of getting upset about it, I set out to try to fight it and contest the ticket.

Background

Not long ago, I had gone to a local department of motor vehicles (or whatever the exact name is) branch to get a license plate renewal sticker.  Somehow, there ended up being some type of snafu when I mailed in the renewal, so I basically got a note recommending as an option that I could go to a local office to get this resolved.  So, I did.

The day I went there, it was snowy with a kind of cold, humid feel outside.  I walked in, and surprisingly – didn’t have to wait an hour! Rather, I got in and out of there within a matter of 10 minutes.  While I was walking out, the lady behind the counter suggested to me that I wait for another day to apply the sticker to the license plate.  Her comments were essentially that these stickers don’t tend to affix to license plates well in this type of snowy, wet weather.  Based on this suggestion, I put the sticker card in my car’s glove compartment, and thought I would just apply it sometime in the next few days when the weather was better.

The Citation

Six days went by, and I hadn’t applied the sticker yet. The weather cleared up, and I was going to get it affixed, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet. I was going to get it done soon though, it was just a matter of remembering some morning I got into the car.

Well, on that 6th day, I had to go to an appointment in a city nearby. In a difficult area to find street parking, I lucked out and found a spot.  I spent a few hours in the meeting, then came out to my car. To my surprise, I found a ticket on windshield, secured under the windshield wiper blade.

My initial thought was that I somehow parked in a no-parking zone, or during some time frame when parking wasn’t allowed. Or, perhaps it was zoned parking, where one needed a local permit?  So, I took a look at the ticket to see what it was. To my surprise, it was for not having a license plate sticker for this year.

I thought, “Come on! Why in the world is some municipality – one in which I don’t live and rarely visit – ticketed me for this?”.

So my reaction was this: the ticket itself is valid in the sense that no sticker was affixed. You’re supposed to have one, and I didn’t. Fair enough. However, since I already paid for the sticker, why not try to make the case that I shouldn’t have to pay it? Sure, I didn’t affix the sticker, but I wanted to get out of paying the ticket since I had legitimately bought the ticket. I just hadn’t yet affixed it.

Contesting It

I immediately looked at the ticket more closely, and saw that it was for $25. Not a big amount, but not what anyone wants to have happen. Since my instant mindset was that I wanted to find a way to legitimately avoid paying this, I looked to see where I could go to pay it or contest it.  Standing outside my car, I used my phone to get directions to the city clerk’s office. Then, I got in and drove right there.

Once I arrived, I made my way to the right office after asking a few questions, and then explained the situation. I was told that it was a valid ticket. Accordingly,  I could pay it – or, appear in person at a future date to contest it, or fill out a form to contest it.  Well, I didn’t have time to go back there, so filled out the form.

In doing so, I made sure to detail everything that happened, what I was told about waiting to affix it, and the fact that I had already bought the ticket. Additionally, I brought a copy of the ticket, proof that I had paid, and asked them if they would photocopy the information.  Finally, I wrote the request in a respectful way, but made it clear that I had a lot of facts and support to back up my position that I shouldn’t have to pay for this ticket.

I was told that I could expect a letter within a few weeks, with the decision.

The Outcome

I anticipated getting a letter indicating that I owed the $25. However, when the letter arrived, I opened it to find a pleasant surprise: I was deemed “not liable”.

Hooray!

They realized that I had a good case, and that even though I hadn’t affixed the license plate sticker, the fact that I bought the sticker was good enough. Which it should have been, based on common sense.

Lessons Learned

• Don’t put yourself in a position to have to contest any kind of ticket
• If you do contest, make sure that you have a genuine, legitimate reason as to why you shouldn’t have to pay
• Provide all relevant documentation and proof that could help your case
• State your case in a detailed, well thought out, convincing manner
• Be respectful in your approach, and nice to people involved

No guarantees of course, but by taking steps that you can control, it can only help put the odds a little bit in your favor.

My Questions for You

Have you ever received a traffic ticket or citation of some sort that you didn’t think you should have to pay?

Have you, or anyone you know, successfully contested a ticket or fine? If so, please share what happened and what led to the success?

Welcome to the Best of Money Carnival, edition #144!

It’s great to be hosting the carnival once again, with the opportunity to select the 10 best posts out of all submissions for the week.  This week, there were a whopping 84 submissions! A number of them were really compelling, which made for a few tough choices. For those of you who truly attempted to submit your best post – thank you. I could only choose 10 to include in the post, so please don’t be discouraged if yours wasn’t selected this time.

Here are top 10 posts that caught my eye from this week’s entries, including the description as provided from each submitter, counting down to #1:

#10 – Jeffrey presents I’ve Lived on Food Stamps – and Couldn’t Wait To Get Off posted at Money Spruce.

“Getting free money for food isn’t nearly as awesome as it sounds. In fact, you may just be even more driven to get off the food stamps program and earn more instead.”

#9 – Daniel presents What Makes More Sense – High Insurance Premiums or a High Deductible? posted at Sweating the Big Stuff.

“The decision about whether to take a risk with a high premium insurance plan or a high deductible insurance plan is a tough one. Here are some tips.”

#8 – Melissa presents 4 Signs that Gazelle Intensity is Hurting Your Relationships posted at Mom’s Plans.

“Embracing Dave Ramsey’s principle of gazelle intensity, beginning last fall I increased my work substantially while also caring for my children at home.  While I love what I am doing, it is becoming increasingly hard to balance my work commitments with my family commitments.”

#7 – Suba presents You don’t quit because you are a quitter posted at Wealth Informatics.

“According to a recent survey only 21% if the overall workforce are passionate about their jobs. Which means the rest of the 79% of us are toiling in a job that we no longer love for one reason or the other.  Why is that?  Why are we unable to break the shackles and go after what makes us happy? After some serious soul searching and research I’ve identified 7 reasons why we behave in this irrational manner.”

#6 – FMF presents Change The Way You Think posted at Free Money Finance.

“Most of my clients are just average people. Most of them were not corporate executives, doctors, or lawyers. Over the years of managing my clients’ wealth, I have found that they share common traits in how they think about money and, as a consequence, what they do with it. I call these the 6 Key Traits of Wealth Builders.”

#5 – MR presents Wealth Myth – Stay Married to Become Wealthy posted at Money Reasons.

“Staying married to become wealthy is a myth! It really depend on the couple and if one a unstoppable spender or not.”

#4 – Young presents I Graduated From College or University…Now What? posted at Young and Thrifty.

“ If you were lucky (or smart enough) to choose a career path that was in demand while you were going through post-secondary education, then congratulations, you’re transition into the working world will be made a whole lot easier.  For those of us who chose to become “well-rounded” students and take courses of study that had a less-defined labour market the journey can be a little more interesting.”

#3 – Roshawn Watson presents Do You Have The Courage To Be Wealthy? posted at Watson Inc.

“Many of the activities required to become a self-made multimillionaire involve forsaking conventional wisdom and overcoming adversity. One must have resolve and courage to do so. Let’s explore three ways courage can be instrumental in building wealth.”

#2 - Money Cone presents Unconventional Wisdom in Personal Finance posted at Money Cone.

“Let’s take a closer look at some widely accepted nuggets of personal finance wisdom, which may not be necessarily good for you.”

#1 – SB presents Does your blog affect your work, I think so posted at One Cent at a Time.

“Dear bloggers perhaps you don’t yourself realize how your blogging affects your day job performance. There are pitfalls of aspiring for best in both worlds. You may not agree but, go search your inner feeling and you’ll find an element of your blog that is constantly affecting your at-work performance. You may love blogging more but, your day job is what pays your bills and filling up retirement coffers in most cases.”

Thanks again to everyone for submitting, and to all of you for visiting and checking out this edition of the Carnival!

It's Warm Somewhere!

Welcome to the 320th edition of the Festival of Frugality!

As I’m putting together this week’s festival, I can look out the window and see snow on the ground, gray skies, and barren trees. Which is fine, because it’s the middle of winter!

That being said, this is the time of year when many of us here in cold weather climates might think about how nice it would be to enjoy some warm weather right now.  Of course, our frugality often takes over, and we don’t go anywhere.  So call this living vicariously, self-torture, or motivational – but this week’s edition of the Festival of Frugality will be the It’s Warm Somewhere in the World Edition!  We’ll take a look at some places around the northern hemisphere that enjoy great weather this time of year.

Of course, the main event here is the collection of excellent articles that were submitted. There’s a lot of good reading here, please check out the submissions. First, we’ll start with this week’s Editor’s Picks, and will then move on the rest of the recommended reading. I’ve included the comments as provided to me by the sender in each submission.

Editor’s Picks

KT presents Is Outsourcing Household Chores a Luxury or a Smart Money Move? posted at Personal Finance Journey. I don’t like cleaning; and I make no secret of that fact. Dust can multiply for months, and I might notice that it is there, but I probably won’t clean it. I do have the basics that I do every day – dishes, and general picking up. I clean the bathrooms and sweep and mop the kitchen floor, so I am not a complete slob, but I hate deep cleaning.

Jeffrey presents 101 Simple Pleasures That Don’t Cost a Dime posted at Saving Advice. There are a lot of simple pleasures out there and many of them cost nothing to very little. Embrace them. Actively seek to find them daily. Enjoy life on the cheap.

Annabelle presents Marilyn Monroe, frugal icon? posted at Shopping Detox. Despite being remembered as an icon of old Hollywood glamour, Marilyn Monroe lived a surprisingly thrifty lifestyle 

Aruba:  Located in the southern part of the Carribean Sea, this island features January average high temperatures of 85 degrees (29 celsius)! Interestingly, average highs range from 85 to 89 throughout the year, marking a steady climate.  I was fortunate enough to visit there once – it was a spectacular place.

Other Recommended Reading

Kevin presents 3 Frugal Ideas for a Romantic Valentine’s Day posted at Invest It Wisely. Remember, there’s no need to spend a fortune on Valentine’s Day. Sometimes, a bit of cheap fun is all you need. So, what are your ideas for Valentine’s Day this year?

Kyle presents 4 Reasons You Should Not Invest in Real Estate Right Now posted at The Penny Hoarder. A few weeks ago we shared with you some reasons why this might be a good time to invest in real estate and this week we wanted to present the other side of the argument. Here are four good reasons not to buy real estate right now…

Aloysa presents Live A Little: Have A Latte posted at My Broken Coin. This is a new series I am starting on this blog. It is called Live A Little, and it is not about how to save more by cutting expenses and living frugal. It is about spending, but in an intelligent way.

Wayne presents Retirement Planning for Young Families posted at Young Family Finance. Find out what the first step of retirement planning should be for young families.

Shaun presents Lottery Winner Loses Everything in Four Years: Smart Approaches for Families with Income Windfalls posted at Smart Family Finance. Lottery winners are famous for winning fortunes and then losing them. That is because it is easy to make financial mistakes when families run into income windfalls. However, there are a few approaches to help you to make smart decisions and minimize the risks of losing everything.

YFS presents 4 Tips to Improve Credit Even After A Bankruptcy posted at Your Finances Simplified. A bankruptcy can be a financial event which wrecks credit and hurts a consumers ability to qualify for loans. Its effects can be felt for years afterwards, as it appears on a credit report for 7-10 years depending on what type of BK you file for.

A Blinkin presents CD’s are for Hypocrites posted at Funancials. I would venture to say that there are two investment products people learn about before any others Stocks and CDs Certificates of Deposit. Assuming most people learn about these two options when theyre young, I would think the way they were explained was elementary. Something like stocks are risky CDs are risk-free. But are they remembering inflation?

LaTisha presents What is a Portfolio? posted at Financial Success for Young Adults. A portfolio is made up of assets. There are five major asset classes of intangible financial instruments; Stocks, Bonds, Options, Futures, and Foreign exchange.

Kevin presents Claim Your Unclaimed Property posted at Thousandaire. Check to see if you have unclaimed property free money waiting for you. Just search at your state’s website and you might have something

Darwin presents US Debt Now Equivalent to Entire US Economy – Investing in This New Era posted at Darwin’s Money. The United States has just reached the dreaded 100Dbt-to-GDP ratio with its $15.2 Trillion debt level surpassing the value of all goods and services produced in-country. This is important because it vaults us into a whole new echelon of debt-ridden societies with financial crises of their own: only Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan and Portugal have debt-to-GDP ratios exceeding 100 This is scary stuff folks!

Cape Verde: Situated off the western coast of Africa, these islands are off the beaten path and not widely discussed as a travel destination by many. However, average high temperatures in January reach 76 degrees (24 celsius).

Andy presents The Number One Retirement Fear posted at My Retirement Blog. According to an AARP study recently released, health care issues are the number one biggest fear retirees have. Is retirement affordable? The biggest challenge for most potential retirees is the cost of care and the ability to stay healthy through retirement. Experts claim one will need an extra $200-$300,000 to pay just for health care.

PITR presents Generate passive income – How to do it posted at Passive Income To Retire. If you want to generate passive income, you need to know the two ways that people establish a passive income.

Corey presents Why Financing a Car Can be a Bad Idea posted at 20s Finances. If you are looking to get a car and you don’t have enough money saved to purchase the car outright, you may be tempted to get a car loan so that you don’t have to wait. But is this really the best route to take?

Hank presents Four Great Benefits Of Buying A House posted at Money Q&A. There are many great benefits of buying a house such as wealth creation, tax savings, forced savings, and others. Renting should not be your default option when there are so many great benefits of buying a house.

Jester presents A Side Income posted at The Ultimate Juggle. Finding a side income can go a long ways to meet your financial needs. Find out how to manage your time and make it happen.

Mich presents NAL Energy to Underperform in 2012? posted at Beating The Index. I believe the stock will underperform in 2012 based on running 2 set of scenarios which indicate the company is not in its best shape.

Suba presents Five Ways to Save Money and Get Fit at Work posted at Broke Professionals. Now that the New Year is here, we are all looking for ways to trim down the expenses and the waistlines. Here are a few ideas on how to do that before or after work or at lunch time. Use Lunch Get some exercise on your lunch break. Read this article for more ideas!

Eddie presents Million Dollar Question: Should I Use My Savings To Pay Down Debt or Fund My Retirement Plan? posted at Finance Fox. Mortgage vs RRSP. TFSA vs Student Loan. Credit Card Debt vs RRSP. TFSA vs Mortgage. RRSP vs Car Payment. Lots of different situations, some of us are in one of these and others may have two or more different forms of debt to pay down.

Amanda L Grossman presents Health Insurance Companies Give Financial Incentives for Good Habits posted at Frugal Confessions. Since I discussed a ‘stick’ approach my health insurance company began on January 1, 2012 by charging a higher premium for smokers than for non-smokers, I’d like to take the time to discuss a ‘carrot’ incentive approach!

Don presents Radical Idea to Create Jobs posted at MoneySmartGuides. I have many crazy ideas. Most aren’t fit to become reality like my spray-painting lawnmower for when the summer heat turns your grass brown. But every so often, I come up with something that I feel holds merit.

Hawaii:  Personally, I’ve been to 47 of the 50 states, but this one has eluded me. Not that I have time to travel these days, but someday I’d like to visit Hawaii. Sounds good right now, as average high temperatures in Honolulu are 81 degrees (27 celsius).

Erika presents My Plan to Lose Ten Pounds in Three Months posted at Newlyweds on a Budget. Have you joined the 10-Pound Challenge yet? Lose ten pounds in three months, win money! Everyone needs a plan to lose ten pounds in three months. We all want to lose weight fast and find the easiest shortcut to get there.

101 Centavos presents How NOT to Invest in Water posted at 101 Centavos. I’ve been reading quite a bit about water lately. Set a Google alert for water scarcity India China, and your inbox is bound to fill up with stories of water scarcity.

Daniel presents Tax Evasion Costs Over $300 Billion Each Year posted at Sweating the Big Stuff. Think tax evasion is a small problem? Thing again: tax evasion in the U.S. amounts to $337.3 billion a year.

Don presents My Son Is A Young Entrepreneur posted at Money Reasons. This is about my son’s transformation in becoming a young entrepreneur. Not bad considering he is only eleven.

Jeffrey presents Five Reasons to Give Up Goal Setting posted at Money Spruce. Should we give up goal setting to achieve more success? Goals are something everyone uses, but is it the most effective for getting things done. Here’s a discussion why it might not be.

Money Spending Mommy presents Debt Free – Stress Free posted at Money Spending Mommy. When times are tough, it can be difficult to make payments on the things we need. And when we run up a lot of debt for unnecessary things, it can get out of control in a hurry.

D.J. presents Start Early – How to Encourage Kids to be Savers posted at The Family Wallet. So how do you encourage kids to be savers? The best way to teach kids how to save is to teach them that buying brand name items is not necessary when store brand names or cheap name brands are just as nice and “in” as they would say.

Beating Broke presents Frugality Will Change You posted at Beating Broke. Drug habits, smoking habits, and coffee habits are all habits that are easy to pick up because they cause a pleasure response in you body. A savings habit is a bit harder to pick up. But, as Ninja will attest, it can be done.

Peter presents Save money by Checking Auto Insurance Rates, Even If You Think You’ve Already Got a Good Deal posted at Bible Money Matters. One mistake that I see a lot of people make, myself included, is to assume that the price they’ve got on their product, service or insurance policy is the best rate that they can get, mainly because it was the best rate when they signed up for it.

Mr. Money presents American Express Bank Personal Savings Account Review posted at Smart on Money. American Express is one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Most people know about them because of their credit and charge cards (that’s where I first came upon them), but they’ve also quickly become a good solid option when it comes to online savings accounts.

Dubai: With explosive growth, this desert locale has become an international business destination, with skyscrapers galore. While temps in the summer months average over 100 degrees, January high temperatures average a comfortable 73 degrees (23 celsius).

Kay Lynn presents Want to Save Money? Slow Down posted at Bucksome Boomer. Slowing down may be counter-intuitive, but it is good for our wallet and for our sanity. By slowing down, we might even be able to check things off that list even faster.

Control Your Cash presents How to go broke in real estate posted at Control Your Cash. A list of recommendations for the would-be landlord who hates money and wants to fail.

Melissa presents Preparing for a Frugal Valentine’s Day posted at Mom’s Plans. Fight back against the consumer machine by making your Valentine’s Day more meaningful.

John presents Want Better Healthcare at a Lower Price? New Primary Care Models Are Gaining Traction posted at Wallet Blog.

Young and Thrifty presents Quicken Home and Business 2012 Review posted at YoungAndThrifty. I was very excited to try Quicken because I have heard so many great things about it and it almost seems that any Personal Finance Blogger isn’t really a personal finance blogger if they don’t use some sort of snazzy personal finance software like Quicken to track their spending, their budgets, and their investments all in one place.

Suzana presents Getting Free Clothing With Rewards Cards posted at Zlittle Saving With Style. Rewards cards are really neat way to build up points to get a name brand clothes for free. This year I used my points that have accumulated to get a department store gift card from Macy’s and Gap. What did it cost to use the credit card and pay it off each month versus paying cash or check? Nothing!

Ashley presents Dealing with Financial Setbacks posted at Money Talks Coaching. I hate financial setbacks. They stink. No matter how well you plan Murphy likes to stick his big fat nose into things. I’m facing my own financial setback at the moment and I’m struggling with it.

Justin presents 10 Ways to Raise $100 in Less than One Day posted at Money Is the Root. I am going to give you 10 ways to make, raise, find, or simply get $100 in less than one day

Robert presents Can You Actually Afford a Pet? posted at The College Investor. A look at the costs of owning a pet, where you can save, and if you can afford it.

Michael presents Save Money By Keeping Your Car Longer posted at So You Think You can Save. The average age of a car is 10.8 years. Are you keeping your car longer and saving big-time money along the way?

Key West: A part of Florida, this southernmost city in the Continental U.S. is part of an island chain offering a climate that’s practically tropical in nature. The January average high temperature is 75 degrees (24 celsius)

Jon the Saver presents Romantic Yet Frugal Tips for Valentine’s Day posted at Free Money Wisdom. Because I have insight into the female gender, I’m going to give you lads a few tips on how to be original this V-Day. Hopefully, this will score you some points with your lady. If not, don’t show her where your ideas came from.

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey presents Back to the Basics: Control Your Spending posted at My Personal Finance Journey. This post illustrates the importance of going “back to the basics” and having regular reminders of basic financial planning even as one’s lifestyle changes. By continually working under the “spending less than you earn” approach, this post describes how one can successfully manage their finances, regardless of how their financial situation changes over time.

Paul Vachon presents How Frugal Living Can Build Wealth for the New Year and Beyond posted at The Frugal Toad. Frugal living does not mean shopping in thrift stores and having soup every night for dinner. Being frugal simply means being deliberate in how you spend money, not impulsive. There are many ways to be frugal but the key to making frugal lifestyle changes permanent is to find ways to save money that will work for you

Echo presents How To Save $65,541 This New Year posted at Boomer & Echo. By following these three steps you could be saving $65,541 on average based on a $300,000 mortgage value amortized over 25 years.

Bob presents 20 Ways to save money by NOT being normal posted at ChristianPF. This is a look at some of the things my wife and I did that none of our “normal” friends would ever dream of…

Madison presents 2011 Tax Calculator to Project Your Tax Refund posted at My Dollar Plan. Who doesn’t want to project their tax refund a little early? Here’s how you can do it!

Linsey presents The World of High Stakes Sweepers – Is It Real? posted at 1099 Mom. Suddenly, just as “Extreme Couponing”caused a bunch of new people to start furiously clipping, there is a new interest in entering sweepstakes, and some people are left wondering if winning prizes will be their ticket out of debt, poverty, or working a regular job.

SavingMentor presents How to Eliminate Your Home Phone Bill and Long Distance Charges! posted at HowToSaveMoney.ca. The Internet is becoming the only infrastructure necessary to do many of the things that used to require special mediums before like making phone calls, watching TV, listening to music, and so on. Yes, the internet can even help you completely eliminate your monthly home phone bill as well as the long distance charges you may have become accustomed to!

Ray @ Financial Highway presents RRSP Deadline 2012-Limits posted at Financial Highway. The RRSP season has begun! Every bank, every branch and every teller will remind you to contribute to your RRSP before the deadline. With so many people vying for your RRSP contributions, who should you trust?

Forest Parks presents How To Haggle Buying A Car posted at Frugal Zeitgeist. Buying a car is an expense that no one likes to have to think about but it is also one you can save a lot on. Learning how to haggle with the sales people really is an art and has many tricks.

Goa: On the western coast of India, Goa is a popular international tourist destination. A former Portugese colony, this Indian state boasts warm temperatures, with the January average high being 89 degrees (32 celsius).

Kennedi presents Getting Fit on a Budget posted at Face and Fitness. Not everyone can go out and pick up an expensive gym membership. Here’s a list of free or low-cost resources to help you stay healthy on a budget.

Marissa presents How to pay online and save money posted at Thirty Six Months. Ways to save money by paying online.

Roshawn Watson presents Home Mortgage Leverage SUCKS! posted at Watson Inc. An article was circulated last week where the author lamented losing the leverage benefit of having a home mortgage. Here’s the counter-perspective: home mortgage leverage sucks!

FIRE Finance presents 12 Tips To Lower Your Heating Bill posted at FIRE Finance. The cost of energy is rising everyday. Whether it be electricity, gas, water or sewage, our utility bills are becoming higher with each passing month. Consequently most of us are looking for ways to trim our energy expenses and boost our savings. The cost of heating our houses in winter is always a major concern …

Teacher Man presents Using Your Student Card To Get Discounts posted at My University Money. I should admit that since my old university never asked for their student card back, I was definitely taking advantage of that even after I graduated, but before starting my graduate courses!

Dr Dean presents Projects: Getting Started! A Growing Mushrooms at Home Case Study posted at The Millionaire Nurse Blog. Whatever the project, getting things done happens the same way. At our house, we’re raising mushrooms. Read all about how to get a project up and going-and how to become a SSD (spore spawn diddy).

SB presents all you need to know about 2012 taxes posted at One Cent at a Time. All you need to know for filing income tax for the year 2011, which is needed to be filed on or before April 17, 2012. Contains links to relevant IRS notices and web pages for you quick reference.

vh presents Real Estate: Lookin’ ‘Up…WAY up posted at Funny about Money. In the Phoenix area’s badly thumped real estate market, at last we’re seeming some signs of life. Four factors are working in favor of a return to pre-Bubble values.

CF presents Cutting down your hydro or electricity bill posted at The Outlier Model. As you might guess, heating costs are a major consideration for the Canadian winter. Living in Vancouver, this doesn’t affect us as much, however the recent cold snap to hit the West Coast has really affected our hydro costs. Check out what we’re doing to keep costs down!

Glen Craig presents How to Get a Bargain When Apartment Hunting posted at Free From Broke . The demand for renting has increased as the housing market flounders. Don’t get caught paying too much for rent! See how to get a bargain when you are apartment hunting.

FruGal presents Keep your carpet clean on the cheap posted at TotallyMoney. Advice from a professional about preventing wear and keeping your carpet clean on the cheap

Philip Taylor presents How to Become an Online Tutor and Make an Extra $1,000 a Month posted at PT Money Personal Finance. Make more money: An interview with an online tutor reveals the pros/cons of online tutoring, qualifications needed, and how much money you could expect to make.

Steve Zussino presents How to save money eating a gluten-free diet posted at Grocery Alerts. I have tried a lot of gluten free breads, cookies, and pastas and have finally found some wonderful products. Now I have yummy gluten free substitutes for all of the foods that I was used to eating before going gluten free. Here are some tips for eating gluten free on a budget.

John presents Meal Plans Kick Grocery Lists’ A$$ posted at Married (with Debt). One of the best places to save real money is your food budget. By making meal plans instead of grocery lists, you can reduce impulse buying, plan healthier meals, and save big money to put towards your goals.

Hello everyone. Hope you’re having a nice day as you read this.

This post will be a little different than my typical personal finance posts. I’m reflecting on some things as I write this, getting philosophical as I think of someone who just passed.  Some money thoughts will likely ensue, just giving advance notice on the topic before I go further.

Anyway, I’m philosophical with a little bit of a heavy heart right now as I just found out about the passing of someone I knew a little bit. I say “knew a little bit” because I didn’t know her by more than her first name.  I knew her because she worked at a business that my family has been visiting for some years now. You see, when we visited this place, we would chitchat for a few minutes, talk about kids or whatever. We didn’t socialize with her or get to know her outside of there, but knew her in the capacity of her job, where we regularly encountered her, which might have been 50 or so times. But this is over a number of years, so time increases familiarity.

When we found out about the passing, it was a surprise to us. She wasn’t old - seemingly late middle-age and obviously taken from here well too early.  It was a jolt to find out that this person we regularly encountered and talked to is gone so suddenly with no warning.

Why am I talking about this here? Well, two reasons I suppose. First, this event served as another reminder to me that while money is really important, it still has limitations in terms of its importance in the grand scheme of things. I say this because when I heard the news, I just started to think about the reality (or my opinion, anyway) that when we’re gone from here, we can’t take money with us. Of course I knew this already, but sometimes we get reminded of things.

In the end, it’s not money or the pursuit of money that’s most important, it’s being kind and generous that endures.  Don’t get me wrong, if you read this blog you know that I really like money and think it has great value in making our lives good. It would be disingenuous for me to imply otherwise. That’s why I enjoy writing about it!  But this woman…you know, I have no idea what her financial situation was and never thought about it. She might have had a hard life for all I know.  However, I think that in the broader sense of the word, she was truly rich. She was always very friendly, genuinely nice to my kids, and very helpful. She remembered names and past conversations, and had really good, helpful advice on a few things. You could tell she cared about people.

There are many people who run big businesses, make a lot of money, or whatever. But it’s really the folks who care, and are helpful and generous that are the true difference makers in our daily lives when we think about it. Our memories of them and appreciation for them tend to endure.  It was an honor to know, even at that level, someone who exhibited these qualities. One can hope to learn from someone like her, aspiring to be wealthy not only financially but also where it’s most important too.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day.

Most coupons provide opportunities to save money, and many provide nice little opportunities to save on things you need. Sure, you might be also enticed to spend money on something you might not otherwise buy. That’s a downside, to be sure. But at least you’re getting something of value back when you purchase most merchandise.

Well, I came across a different kind of coupon some weeks back: lottery coupons. These friendly, fun little coupons found their way to my mailbox somehow, along with the opportunity to save some money on certain purchases.  Such as, buy one get one free on various purchaes.

Only thing is, these “purchases” are lottery tickets. You know, the type where you get a set of numbers, and if that highly unlikely combination of numbers is selected, you might win big bucks. And you know, the type that are also not likely to make you a positive return on your investment.

So with these coupons, you get an opportunity to save money on a miniscule chance to make money.  This doesn’t seem like my type of deal. Why not take that same money and save it? Even in a low interest bank account, it will still have a higher expected return than a lottery. How about putting the money in the market? That will also have a higher expected value, right? One can spend time looking for other ways to save money. Finding good credit card deals might be one example of a better use of time. Or, trying to find other ways to save or make money.

Now look, I’m all about having a little fun – so there’s no harm in spending a dollar on a ticket, right? I say that even though I personally don’t buy these things. Again, for the reasons above – throwing away money and getting little or nothing back. When one thinks of how to invest in 2012, lottery tickets don’t exactly come to mind. But even though a dollar or two here and there isn’t a huge deal, it’s the idea that something like this could get people excited is what gets me shaking my head. I mean, you know that there were people who saw these buy one get one free coupons and just got totally excited about them. For some reason, lottery tickets have a magical effect on some people. Like I’ve said before, caveat emptor on opportunities to get something for next to nothing!

So in case it’s not clear, I will not be using these coupons for lottery tickets:)

It’s fun to think about what we would do if we won the lottery, but I guess it only matters if you actually play, right? You don’t have a chance to win unless you play! Not that you have much of a chance even if you do play, though.

Alright, you get what I think of this. Maybe I’m too rigid about this, what do you think?

My Questions for You

Do you ever play the lottery?

What do you think about playing such games vs other ways to make money?

Do you see this my way, that these coupons are a bit ridiculous?