July 2011

Learning to give up the rat race

I started this blog a little more than an year ago. For 2 reasons – share information I know and become a better writer. From the feedback I am getting, I have been reasonably successful in both of these goals.  Somewhere alone the line though, I lost focus on these two things…gradually, over time, things [...]

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25000 Bonus points (3-6 nights free) Starwood Preferred Card

Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express is offering a new bonus -  Earn up to 25,000 bonus points  from tomorrow July 26, 2011. I have Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express. It is one of the card I frequently use for my travel. American Express usually provides 10000 bonus points, so the 25,000 [...]

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Cost of living in California

When I first moved to California from the East coast, I felt like I have moved to the paradise… miles of beautiful coast line, mountains, national parks, scenic drives, excellent restaurants, a dream come true. Being a penny pincher, slowly the taxes and the cost of living begin to take a toll on me. Now [...]

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Mid Year Finance Review

Hopefully a lot of you have managed to take a vacation over the summer and are now getting back into the normal flow of events.  As you start to get back in gear, its also a good time to review goals and finances to make sure everything is still on track.  With that in mind, [...]

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How to save money on magazine subscriptions

One of my favorite Sunday afternoon activities is to curl up in my favorite recliner with a drink and a magazine. Magazine subscriptions are one of my guilty pleasures, a splurge that stayed in our budget. I subscribe to a number of magazines – Money, Kiplinger’s, Smart Money, Forbes, AAII (American Association of Independent Investors) [...]

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Extended warranty – Worth it or not? Why do people buy them?

“Would you like to add an extended warranty to your purchase today?” We get asked this a lot these days. We have to make a decision within 3 seconds to shell out the money and get an extended warranty or take the risk. These extended warranties or as they are called these days “protection plans” [...]

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Credit card hardship programs – What, how and more

Nothing beats having an emergency fund for a rainy day. But for a lot of people that realization comes only “after” getting into an emergency. At that time the priority should be getting out of the bad situation without accruing any major debt. With the recent economic down turn and a lot of jobs lost, [...]

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Feeling good about that debt? Apparently young adults do!

Stressed out about credit card debt? Losing sleep over how you are going to pay off those student loans before your kids enter college? Apparently young adults (18-27) don’t share your sentiments. They feel good about debt. In fact, debt boosts their morale and self esteem! Yep you read that right. That’s what a recent [...]

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FSAStore.com Review – A way to spend your FSA dollars

Flexible Spending Accounts or FSAs are a great way to save money but estimating exactly how much medical expenses you will have in a year is almost impossible. There isn’t much that can be done when you underestimate your medical costs and have to pay out of pocket for things but when you overestimate and [...]

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