smart life

Back in the 80s I walked to the YMCA with my weekly video game allowance of two quarters. That bought me one game of Asteroid and one game of Pac-man. Any idea what the difference is between Pac-man in the 80s and FooPets today? You had to pay cash up front in order to play [...]

When it comes to money saving ideas, some people go way out of their way to save a dime while others casually use products that cost hundreds of dollars. For example, is it worth drying a piece of Saran wrap?  Some folks (mostly from a previous generation) would put the wrap on the window to [...]

January!  Time to once again set lofty goals. While glancing through a fitness book (Fit and Well: Core Concepts and Labs in Physical Fitness and Wellness) I noticed a subtitle — Reaching Wellness through lifestyle management.  The section “introduces the general process of behavior change and highlights the decisions and challenges you’ll face at each [...]

We all hate the money talk. Whether you are working out the details of your financial lives before you commit, or whether you have been in a committed relationship for years, talking about money always seems to be fraught with the makings of relationship peril. Even if you don’t plan to marry, if you are [...]

Seven words you never want to hear at Christmas: “WHAT!!! YOU GOT ME A GIFT CARD?!?!?!?” On the other hand, if someone really wants a gift card, why fight the crowds and spend hours looking for the perfect gift? It’s easy and it will be easier to have a debt free Christmas if you know [...]

We are inevitably going to be divided into two groups — the people who can’t live without their gadgets, and those who believe that the saturation of gadgets in our everyday lives has simply made things more complicated. However, we can all agree that there is a place in our lives for the gadgets which [...]

There is a tug of war going on over your money right now.  When you sit down and think about it, you know that you should save your money, pay off your debt and provide for your future.  Unfortunately there are other forces coming after your money.  Not only do you have to deal with [...]

There are less than two months until Christmas — do you have a plan for holiday spending yet? Some people have already finished their holiday shopping. Others have been diligently saving all year long. Still others might be dreading the upcoming holiday season because of the cash outlay it usually involves. If you fall into [...]

Having a pet can bring great joy, laughter and comfort to all around. Unfortunately, they can also mean additional, even unexpected, expenses in today’s already tough economy. According to the ASPCA, approximately 500,000 to 1,000,000 cats and dogs are currently in danger of abandonment due to the economic downturn. While caring for a pet is [...]

In the past few weeks, I’ve been reading some articles, along with their comments, about people cutting up their credit cards. There are multiple rationales behind this decision. One such rationale is that the credit card companies act immorally by preying on the “weak” who fall into the trap of credit. Another rationale is that [...]