Most Sunday afternoons, when my children are taking a nap, I spend about an hour taking care of regular tasks, many of which are directly money related. Here’s what I do each Sunday afternoon. I process my entire inbox. I’m pretty adamant about practicing some aspects of Getting Things Done, so the first thing I

This weekend, I’m visiting my parents, and I’ve seen a small army of nieces and nephews and cousins floating through the house. One of the most popular items sitting around is a toy catalog, where my parents have encouraged the various young folks to put their initials very clearly next to items they want. The

Recently, my wife and I took account of all of our charitable spending. Over the last year, we’ve donated small amounts ($10-$50) to many different charities, a list that was almost shocking in length when we finally examined all of them together. Our total charitable spending was an amount we were comfortable with, but we

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. As my son approaches an age where he starts to really understand money (he already is understanding the

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Sexual harassment is a serious issue and can cause some serious workplace tensions and problems. I’ve witnessed two

One of the most frequent questions I see in emails and comments and in articles on other personal finance blogs is exactly how to invest a small sum of money. People often want to begin investing with only a small amount of money, and they’re really curious as to how to get started. How to

My truck was severely out of alignment, felt almost wobbly to drive it, had worn out tires, severely needed an oil change, and had almost unusable windshield wiper blades. I fixed it all yesterday. Total cost: $1,500 (even after some shopping around). Ouch. 15 Cleverly Cheap Ways to Watch Your Hygiene The picture alone is

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. It happens to most of us at some time or another. We spot someone at work doing something

First, a confession. I often lie to myself about my weight. I’m not obese, just a bit heavier than I’d like to be and heavier than I was in college. I eat somewhat healthy – and drink plenty of water – but I tend to not exercise as much as I’d like to. Often, when

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Most homeowners are in the process of paying off a large mortgage, one which requires a large payment

A few days ago, my son had his second birthday, and we celebrated it quietly at home. He got to choose what to have for supper – all he wanted was macaroni and cheese and peaches, so we called an audible and also had ultra-lean hamburgers, too – and he received three gifts, most notably

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Several times this year, the stock market has dipped more than 1% in a single day. If you

Last week, I wrote a controversial article about resume tips that got a lot of readers fired up. As a result, I thought it would be worthwhile to go through the entire process of creating a strong resume, step by step. Step 0: Do NOT fire up Microsoft Word and use a generic resume template.

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Yesterday, in response to a discussion about the financial costs of a two year old child, the following

I’ve written about my love of the crock pot for making great homemade meals that cook slowly while you’re at work, but it’s been a life saver since my wife has returned to work. Here are some tasty recipes, too. When to Pull the Plug on Bargain Hunting I don’t actively bargain hunt anymore –

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Every time I write a post about frugality, I usually get a comment or two complaining that it’s

Almost a year ago, I wrote a summary of the day-to-day costs of having a one year old child, and I concluded that it cost us about $40 a day to maintain our son. I thought it would be worthwhile to note how that spending changes over time, so here’s an overview of the costs

This week, The Simple Dollar attempts to address challenging questions in personal finance by looking at both sides of the story and figuring out some of the factors you need to look at to make a decision. Reading a lot of career advice gives a person some strongly mixed messages. In one book or article,

Some of you have noticed that my “52 Personal Finance Books in 52 Weeks” series is set to have its 52nd book reviewed this Friday. What happens then? First of all, next week will have a series of summary posts summing up the entire series, including a full ranking of all fifty two books and