Mark writes in: I’ve been reading The Simple Dollar for a year or so and I’ve found it really inspirational. My problem is that I can’t get past the “inspirational” part. Several times, I’ve started to try to implement your tips. I’ll make grocery lists and try out lots…
Anxiety disorder. Depression. Panic attacks. Intense phobias. Our brains are incredibly complex pieces of meat. Just like other parts of their body, they can break down and not work quite right. Yet, society often treats ailments of the mind as something either not to be spoken of or something…
Henry writes in (I edited a few minor details to help with privacy issues, because I think without edits it might be possible for people to easily figure out who Henry is): Six months ago, I lost my six figure job as a database administrator. A month after that,…
An old friend of mine sent me some pictures of her refinished living room. In it, I noticed a few interesting items – an obviously expensive leather couch and a elegantly weathered old Victrola. Curiosity got the best of me and I wrote her back asking about those two…
Over Easter weekend, Sarah and the kids and I drove four hours to visit my parents. I always enjoy these visits because, well, I like my parents, not only because I respect and value how they raised me, but for the people that they are. One thing I couldn’t…
I talk to a newspaper, radio, or television reporter on the phone once a day on average. The topics vary all over the place, but they’re usually seeking a quote from the “author of 365 Ways to Live Cheap ” for their article or report. Usually, my response has…
Wendy writes in with an email I considered using in today’s mailbag, but my response kind of grew into a full post: When well-meaning relatives give gifts to your children, do you always allow your children to keep those gifts? My mother-in-law (who lives 20 hours away and only…
Easter weekend is one of my favorite times of the year with my children. The weather is finally getting nice after a long winter, so we’re starting to go outside regularly. We usually conduct some kind of Easter egg hunt for them as well, giving them a great chance…
As much as we’d like to believe it, our lives aren’t a smooth journey from point A to point B. Unexpected things happen all the time – we do our best to overcome them and move on, but sometimes “our best” results in some pretty challenging consequences. We revert…
Quite often, you’ll see personal finance writers talk about the big things – the single moves that will save you quite a lot per month. Downgrade your living quarters! Sell that car! Buy a used car! Change your insurance! Those things are flashy because they can save you a…