One of the first things I do in the morning (even before I have a cup of coffee and say good morning to my wife!) is turn on NPR (National Public Radio).  Listening to the news wakes me up and gets my brain going in the morning and I’m grateful that NPR is available as a free (well, somewhat free; […]

Trent over at The Simply Dollar blog had an interesting post this morning on “A Long December”; that is, how, for many American’s December will be a tough month given job cuts, gift buying pressue, investment/401K performance, and the poor economy in general. Trent’s post got me thinking about my childhood and how my parents (pic: that’s my mother on […]

One of my father’s golden financial rules is to not buy what you think you need.  As I’ve said in earlier posts, my father is an incredibly crafty individual, though I didn’t realize the full extent of his ability to improvise and save money until we purchased our own home. As new homeowners most couples are eager to make home […]