With all of the damage that has just happened here in Vermont as a result of the flooding that was caused by Hurricane Irene, flood insurance is a timely topic. I have heard stories and read reports that here in Vermont and elsewhere on the East Coast, a great deal of the damage that was caused by the hurricane is not covered by flood insurance. In an effort to understand why that is, and how flood insurance works, I decided to do some research on the topic. Here’s what I found out. According to the web site for the National … Continue reading →

The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief this evening when President Obama announced that a compromise had been reached so that America will avoid going into financial default. The agreement contains a plan to cut two trillion dollars in Federal spending over the next ten years. While lawmakers have not yet voted on the proposal and are not likely to vote until some time tomorrow at the earliest, there have been indications from both sides that it should be able to pass. There is not too much information out there just yet about exactly what the deal looks like, … Continue reading →

I’m a member of several survey sites. I don’t do all the surveys that I’m sent because I just don’t have enough time. I also feel like I put a lot of time into surveys to earn only points and drawing entries. I love survey sites that give cash, but I haven’t found many of them. Recently I took one survey that turned out pretty well for me. The survey was about shampoo. The survey was longer than I would have liked, but the end result was that I might receive shampoo and conditioner in the mail and take a … Continue reading →

Getting a mortgage is not as easy as you might think. There are many things that could come between you and the financing that you need for your new home. I have collected information about some common mistakes that can hurt your chances of getting a mortgage so that you can avoid them. One thing that can hurt your chances of getting a mortgage is applying for other credit around the same time as the mortgage, such as a car loan or a new credit card. Also, job hopping makes lenders hesitant to approve a mortgage because they can not … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, I went out shopping for the day with my mom and my son. While I enjoyed spending the time with both of them, throughout the day I kept thinking about all of the things that I would rather be doing with them other than shopping. Things like spending time out in the yard, going for a walk, or even playing indoors. Anything but shopping. How could this be? When did I come to dislike shopping so much? I am not sure that there was any one defining event; it was more like a gradual shift of … Continue reading →

Now that the weather is finally warm and sunny here in the North Country, many homeowners are getting geared up for summer home improvement projects. Things like decks, pools, patios, gazebos, and ponds can make spending time at home on nice summer days a lot of fun. From a financial standpoint, however, only some of these outdoor upgrades add to your home’s resale value. First, the good news. Decks are a great investment. I’m tickled to hear this because as soon as the snow melted, my husband went out in the yard to continue working on the large wrap-around deck … Continue reading →

Before I was married I didn’t cook much for myself. I fixed things. I fixed fast and easy things. I wanted to cook, but just didn’t. After I got married I was delighted to cook for my husband. I had subscriptions to a number of cooking magazines and cooked almost everything in them until the new editions arrived. We didn’t go out much because staying home was so much fun. When we started going out we loved to walk to nearby sit-down and takeout restaurants. I still loved and wanted to know more about cooking. I decided to take culinary … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I saw a news story about the rising cost of gasoline. The reporter mentioned that it is entirely possible that we will see gas prices rise as high as six dollars a gallon by the end of this year. I’ve already been feeling the pinch at the pump for a while now, because the amount of money that I have budgeted for gas does not go as far as it used to, even with my rather fuel-efficient Toyota Echo. As the price of gas continues to rise, my family and many others may have to make some big changes … Continue reading →

If it seems as though your dollar is not stretching as far as it used to no matter how hard you try, you are not alone. Many of the things that we need and use on a daily basis are getting more expensive. Two of the most obvious items that have been increasing (and increasing and increasing) in price are food and gasoline. While we can do our best to shop smart for our groceries and conserve on gas by carpooling and consolidating errands, we cannot eliminate these items from our budgets like we can do with other things like … Continue reading →

Whether you own or rent, chances are that you pay for at least some utilities like heat and electricity. The prices on things like oil, gas, wood, and electricity can fluctuate and make for an unpleasant surprise when your utility bills come in the mail. Regardless of the current price for your utilities, it is always good to reduce your utility costs as much as possible because you probably have plenty of other things that you could spend your money on. Today, I’ve rounded up three tips that can help you save money on your utility bills. For example, did … Continue reading →