Vacation Deals – Finding the Value

June 2, 2010

Are you looking for the best vacation deals?  Sometimes, the best “deal” isn’t the cheapest. When looking to go on vacation, you have to look at the total package of the trip.  Some resort locations, such as The Whiteface Lodge and the Mountain View Grand (both which I’ve reviewed), offer complimentary activity amenities as part [...]

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Climate Control and Your Budget

May 28, 2010

Early June… It’s that time of year when you are faced with the daily decision – heat? A/C? Neither? Let’s think about this from a budget perspective. Late spring, just like late summer, is the time of year when your climates control bill should be the lowest. That makes it a great time to catch [...]

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Budget Buster: Do You Budget for Gifts?

May 25, 2010

When I work with families that are completing their budgets, one category that is frequently missed is gifts. From holiday gifts to family birthday gifts to presents for all of the parties your kids attend, a family’s gift budget can turn out to be quite large. The best way to put together a gift budget [...]

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What Are Your Kids Learning?

May 25, 2010

Kids learn from what you do, not what you say. Did you get that? Because it’s SO unbelievably important, especially when talking about family finances. Whether you are intentionally teaching your kids about personal finance, they are learning from you – from your actions everyday. This week, I encourage you to engage in a discussion [...]

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Budget Busters: Convenience Foods

May 24, 2010

As you continue to monitor and analyze your personal family budget, you’ll probably find some budget busters – things that somehow manage to cause you to be over budget. I’ll be focusing on some specific areas in special posts. The first budget buster is convenience foods – foods that you purchase on the go because [...]

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Family Finance Discussion

May 19, 2010

In this blog, I focus on family finances. The key difference between family finances and individual finances is that there are multiple people’s opinions and actions that need to be considered. For a family budget to work right, it’s essential that the family have a set “meeting” to discuss finances. I’m not suggesting that you [...]

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Two Spouses, Two Different Credit Reports?

May 18, 2010

If you are married, you probably already know that you and your spouse have different credit reports. Even when you are married, you will still have your very own credit report separate from your spouse’s. That means you should make sure that you have credit in your name. It should be a card IN YOUR [...]

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Should You Have a Credit Card?

May 17, 2010

Last week, someone asked me if it’s important to have a credit card to maintain a good credit rating. I thought this was a great question to tackle in a post. In order to maintain a good credit history, you actually have to HAVE a credit history. You need to show potential creditors that you [...]

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Improving Your Credit: Hiring an Expert?

May 14, 2010

The other day, I had a question posed to me about credit repair – is it necessary to hire a credit repair firm to repair credit? The answer? Absolutely not. There are loads of alternatives, and the most important thing is not to ignore your problems, but to face them. First, figure out what the [...]

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Part Three Q&A

May 12, 2010

How can a family best start saving for college? I suggest investigating any programs offered through your state or the 529 plan. Since it’s hard to know what your child will want to do at age 18, or even where you’ll be living, be sure to find out if the money is transferable to another [...]

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