Author Archive

• Seven Financial Resolutions for 2010
  barrieabalard, December 31st, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  Whee, it’s almost 2010! Have you thought about ways to improve your financial health in the new year? Here are some ideas to get you started.
  1. I will read my bank and brokerage account statements and develop and execute a plan, if one is needed.
  When things go south, a lot of people like to behave [...]

• Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays, Too
  barrieabalard, December 24th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  No pearls of wisdom today--it's Christmas Eve, and I am visiting family. Look for my return on December 31.
  I hope you enjoy a wonderful holiday, regardless of which one(s) you celebrate!

• Hot Stuff! Or, More About Replacing Your Home’s Heating System—Part Three of Three
  barrieabalard, December 17th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  Something else to consider when replacing a heating system is the future cost of the fuel used. If you plan to live in your home for a long time, changing to a different fuel can save you money down the line. However, you must include the additional costs of changing to a different heating system—your [...]

• Hot Stuff! Or, Your Home’s Oil Heating System and Its Replacement
  barrieabalard, December 10th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  Two points that I forgot to mention last week. First, both natural gas and propane heating systems carry the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, so be sure to have sufficient CO monitors in your home, especially if your heating system is not a relatively new one. (It is my understanding that you always need CO [...]

• Your Home’s Heating System: Part One, Calculating the Cost and ROI of Replacement
  barrieabalard, December 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  It’s likely that the most expensive—and essential—item to replace in your home is your heating system. Today, next week, and possibly one more week, I’ll explore the topic and provide you with links for further digging. This week we will learn about costs for replacing natural gas systems, and next week we’ll take up oil [...]

• Sweat the Small Stuff
  barrieabalard, November 26th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  I’ve had people tell me that saving money a nickel here, a dime there, is too much work that won’t amount to anything. They like to save, they say, on big ticket items—autos, appliances, items like that.
  Of course, it is important to save money on the big things. I would never advocate anything else. I’ve [...]

• Do You Have Great Credit? It Might Cost You Money
  barrieabalard, November 19th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  First, something I forgot to post last week, along with the holiday links: MarketNut's Retail Madness! blog post on the StockTwits Blog Network. She has ideas and tips for saving money at holiday gift-buying time. MarketNut blogs daily with links to some of the most interesting news to be found in the financial world, so [...]

• The Face of Unemployment/Frugal Holidays Links
  barrieabalard, November 12th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  I hope you’ll read this short “thinking piece” instead of skipping directly to the frugal holiday links.
  A lot of us are having to do more with less these days. While the vast majority have jobs, remember that a little over a sixth of the working population are either unemployed or underemployed. The hardest-hit age groups [...]

• The 12 Ideas of Christmas
  barrieabalard, November 5th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  Oh, no, it’s almost time to buy gifts again! Have you thought about what you want to spend this holiday season? The reason you want to spend less doesn’t matter—only the impulse to be more frugal does. And you do not have to imitate Scrooge to save money this year.
  Now, I’m sure that the idea [...]

• Budget is Not a Four-Letter Word, or, Cutting Back Creatively
  barrieabalard, October 29th, 2009 at 12:01 am, Comments: 0

  Budget. For a lot of us, it’s a difficult, joyless word that means deprivation and pain. It’s human nature to avoid things that bring us pain, so we often don’t take a hard look at our finances when the money is plentiful. But when a setback such as a job loss, a pay cut, or [...]