An article by BudgetQueen When I got my puppy Billy at the Humane Society, they made me sign a waiver that I understood that he would cost me an average of $800 a year for food, shots and regular care. It seems like a lot at the time, but eleven years later all I can say is that was a serious UNDER estimate of what he actually cost me. No one loves animals more than I do, but also I know how much my pets have cost me over the years including an $800 fence, a $1600 large wire dog cage (when … [Read more...]
Transferring balances: Good idea or “Robbing Peter to pay Paul?”
An article by BudgetQueen You get that offer in the mail from either your credit card or a new credit card to transfer an existing balance with no APR for several months. You think to yourself: “Yes, I do pay a lot of interest every month on my credit card. What if I transferred the balance to the new card? What can it hurt?” Well I am here to discuss the ins and outs of balance transfers. Yes, I have done it as well. I have done it successfully, but I have also noticed the little traps that … [Read more...]
Dealing With Your Personal Finance Holiday Hangover
Ahhhh the New Year is up on us! 2012 here we come! Now that your Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Winter Solstice gifts are unwrapped, the fruit cake from Aunt June is put away to age for the rest of eternity, you finally have a moment of clarity! Holy crap! I have credit card bills on their way. I have to pay for all of these merry festivities now! Not to fret, we’re here to make some sense of it for you, and to give you some guidance so that you don’t go as crazy as “Cousin Eddie” standing in the … [Read more...]
Collection of Funny Bank Commercials
Since this is Friday and we haven’t posted anything light-hearted for a while, here is a set of videos related to banking that should put a smile on your face. Video 1: If Only You Could Say “Yes” to All Your Spouse’s Purchases Do you believe in this definition of success? “A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.” Is success strongly related to finance? Across the globe … [Read more...]
100 Free Trades at E*Trade a Good Deal?
Don't be fooled by this introductory offer. Unless you're a day-trader, or are looking to re-balance 100 stocks you might have a hard time capitalizing on the 100 free trades. They're only commission-free for the first 30 days after you open the account and you have to pay upfront for the trades and E*Trade will refund you the cost within 8 weeks. The no annual IRA fee and no account minimums is also offered by TradeKing. Below you can see how E*Trade and the other major online … [Read more...]
