Ruth’s Chris, dinner for two

Our anniversary is this week. Unfortunately, it falls in the middle of the week. So, we decided to celebrate this past Saturday by enjoying a nice dinner in Clayton, MO’s Ruth’s Chris Steak House. My husband loves steak (I haven’t met many men that don’t) and had been looking forward to that day for a couple of weeks. We planned on hitting some outlet malls on the way there and finish off the day with a nice dinner.

How’s it going?

My boss has his morning routine that cracks me up. He’ll go around to each person in our department and, as if following lines on a script, uses 2 phrases: how’t it going? and what are you working on? In that order. We joke about it now, but he says, why change it up each day?

6 creative money saving tips

Six simple tips to cut costs in your day-to-day life:

4 questions to get and keep you on track with retirement

If you can’t answer yes to these 4 questions, you’ve got some work cut out for you.

Times are tough for first-time home buyers

CNNmoney reported today that, although the real estate market is prime for buyers, hopeful first time home owners are struggling. With rising mortgage default statistics, qualifying for a mortgage is getting tougher and lenders are reducing the number of programs available to prospective home buyers. Lenders are now “demanding that customers produce larger down payments, more cash reserves in the bank, higher credit scores and less debt” which is making it difficult for first time home buyers to qualify. In all honesty, it’s about time.

College Edition: Top 10 part-time jobs for college students

Most college students aren’t getting a hefty allowance to get them through school. If you’re one of them and need some extra cash in your pocket, getting a part-time job might be a good idea. The great news is that part-time jobs aren’t hard to find. Of course, they don’t pay a lot, but they are a great option for keeping some green in the wallet and can be conveniently worked in to your busy schedule.

iTunes spat

I heard a song the other the day that I really liked and thought to myself, “hey, you’ve got some money left from that iTunes gift card, you should buy it.” So, I decided to get it when I got home.

Why home buyers should stay away from ARMs

Chances are, if you’ve been looking at buying a home, the adjustable rate mortgage has come into play. You’ve got to choose between a fixed or adjustable rate. The ARM sounds like a great idea because you can afford a much more expensive home and have a low interest rate. If you’re leaning that direction, I’d suggest you think twice.

College Edition: 10 ways to save

Over the course of the last few weeks, we’ve been covering tips and suggestions to help future college students and their parents prepare for school. This post is going to cover the top 10 ways to save money while school is in session.

Frugal by choice

There’s a huge distinction between people who are frugal out of necessity and by choice. Depending on your particular financial situation, you are probably one or the other, if at all. My husband and I happen to be frugal by choice. We have a good income and choose not to squander it by living above our means, quite the opposite of our peers. We’ve learned to deal with the reactions from others when they see that we’re not buying the newest cars, the latest gadgets, or name brands. But, to deal with other frugal folks who have an elitism mentality is something else.