Category: Home

Save money buying or renting a home, maintaining, improving or decorating a home, or even selling or renting one out

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Home Ownership: The American Dream Revisited

From the earliest days in our country, owning your own home has been a goal of almost every American or at least it seems that way. From the time that the first settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, setting up and having your very own place to live was something that each family did and they focused all their attention on it. Of course, they had to build that shelter back then, unlike today when we can just look around the part of the country we want to live in and pick a house from the neighborhoods we like and can afford.  Many of us have done just that, more than once, myself included. It’s the biggest most expensive thing you can ever buy. But, is it still what everyone wants today? Has the American dream of home ownership started to slip away?

Home Ownership: The American Dream RevisitedContinue reading“Home Ownership: The American Dream Revisited”

Entertainment, Food, Home

11 Ways to Save on Summer Barbecues

Despite the calendar, this morning as I write this post, we still haven’t seen the temperatures make us feel like summer is just around the corner. In fact, “Princess” (our beautiful hanging basket of purple petunias…yes, we name our plants) slept last night in the house to avoid us having to put a winter sweater on her to keep her warm!

11 Ways to Save on Summer Barbecues

But just as light follows darkness, summer is going to arrive soon and for us, Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer! And what says summer more than a good old fashioned barbecue?Continue reading“11 Ways to Save on Summer Barbecues”

Cars, Entertainment, Home, Shopping

Repair or Replace? Which Makes the Best Sense?

We have all been there, haven’t we? We have a new appliance or device at home and then suddenly out of nowhere, it just stops functioning. You recently spent $700 on that thing and now it doesn’t work. What should you do? It’s under a warranty, right? It should be fixed! Should you return it and get another one? Can you return it? What happens if it gets repaired? Deciding whether to repair or replace it is an expensive guessing game.

Repair or Replace? Which Makes the Best Sense?

One thing that’s important to know is that you don’t have to throw good money after bad. Repairing items isn’t always the best way to get an appliance or item to work properly again. Let’s take a look at some facts from a Consumer Reports study published in January 2014. They surveyed nearly 30,000 subscribers who own dozens of specific items of varying age to see what they did when an item needed a repair or replacement and they discovered several interesting things.Continue reading“Repair or Replace? Which Makes the Best Sense?”

Food, Home, Shopping

Is There An Abandoned Gold Mine Inside Your Home?

Back in the 1800’s, America had a gold rush out in California. You’ve read about it in all the history books and you know it was mass hysteria back in those days as people packed up their belongings and headed west. It was exciting but a real hardship to get out there, get settled, and have the determination and strength to stake your claim. But it was worth it when you hit the main line and cashed out!

Is There An Abandoned Gold Mine Inside Your Home?

Today in 2016 there’s no striking gold out in California, but have you considered the gold you might find right inside your own home? In America today, we’re wasting tons of money, so much so that you can compare stopping that with discovering gold inside the 4 walls where you reside. We all are guilty of wasting our money and so here’s a short list on how you can strike gold starting right now by decluttering your home.Continue reading“Is There An Abandoned Gold Mine Inside Your Home?”

Entertainment, Health, Home, Saving & Investing, Shopping

How to Cash in an Extra $5,000 in Savings This Year

Please welcome back fellow blogger Anum Yoon for today’s guest post.

We all want to save money. Unfortunately we live in a society that constantly encourages us to spend. Whether it’s the need to keep up with the Joneses or just maintain the lifestyle we’ve become used to, we all find it hard to give up the things we love.

How to Cash In an Extra $5,000 in Savings This Year

If you’re willing to make some minor concessions, you might just find ways to put back a bit of extra cash without compromising your lifestyle. Here are a few ideas to get you started.Continue reading“How to Cash in an Extra $5,000 in Savings This Year”

Food, Health, Home

Be Prepared for These Startling Price Increases in 2016

We’re all aware of the decreases in gasoline prices over the past year, so much so that the average American family saved about $700 last year compared with the previous year. There are some reasons to rejoice about the decline of the price of oil and gas but also some reasons to fear it and its reflection on the current state of the world’s economies. That, however, is a subject for another post.

Be Prepared for These Startling Price Increases in 2016

Today’s subject is a warning of sorts. It’s meant to tell you about price increases you can expect this year on several main fronts that can affect you and your money. Costs in these four categories will definitely spike in 2016 and being prepared for them may soften the blow.Continue reading“Be Prepared for These Startling Price Increases in 2016”

Entertainment, Food, Home

How to Save Money Hosting a Fantastic Holiday Party!

It’s getting close to the end of the year, and that usually means it’s party time again! Whether it’s a Christmas, Chanukah, Yule, or Kwanzaa celebration, or the big New Year’s bash, we’ll all probably be attending or planning some kind of special activity at work or at home with family, friends, and colleagues during the next few weeks. If hosting a party is in your plans, you may be concerned about your budget. But you can save money hosting a holiday party! Here are some really great ideas to use that will make your party a hit, without breaking the bank!

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Home

Winterizing Your Home: Prepare Now and Save

We all hear the news about climate change as well as the weird and sometimes disastrous weather patterns that seem to be news events almost every day in some part of the world. I guess it’s worse for me in the sense that I can actually remember when it was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I find that’s not always the case anymore and the temperatures here in New Jersey sometimes seem like they’re 60-something degrees almost all year round. I may be exaggerating, slightly, but the weather has changed. When I hear some weather guy reporting that the temperatures in September were the warmest ever recorded for the month, and that they’ve broken the record now 5 out of the last 7 years, we have to admit that global warming is having an effect, don’t we?

Winterizing Your Home: Prepare Now and Save

That’s one reason I finally opened my wallet and got the ball rolling on getting a new front door along with a storm door! I was finally ready after freezing my rear end off for several years to pull the cord and fix it. I’m sure it will pay off in keeping us warmer and saving on our heating bill, enough to make me feel really foolish that I didn’t do it before now.Continue reading“Winterizing Your Home: Prepare Now and Save”