Christmas is upon us

Christmas is only a day away and I’m enjoying a long awaited vacation. We are here at the west coast visiting the folks and family. I have been looking forward to this trip more than anything because I need a break. The last few months have been as hectic as can be, so the 9 days of being away will be a nice change.

We’ll be back on the 31st and I’ll be ready to post yet again. Until then, Merry Christmas to you all. And, for those that don’t celebrate Christmas, have a great holiday.

Gloom and doom in the U.S. economy is media hype

Everyone’s been hearing about the mortgage and credit meltdown in the U.S. and the media has been feeding on it like starving boas in a mice den. USA Today’s article yesterday, Bush: Economy is sound, despite credit woes is a prime example.

Setting boundaries, the old fashioned way

Since we’ve gotten our finances in order, we’ve had several people ask us for advice about a variety of issues dealing with personal finance. In some instances, friends are dealing with family who are asking for financial assistance on a routine basis. I think it’s important to draw the line between help and enabling. I heard about a letter on the Dave Ramsey Show that deals with this specific topic, and wanted to share it. It was written in 1848 but has strong ties even today.

Saving money on simple holiday gift bags

I created beautiful holiday gift bags for 20 people for only $50. That works out to about $2.50 per person. I was able to do that by putting the gift bags together myself with homemade goodies.

Why do we wait for the holidays or the end of the tax year to give?

You’ve seen them around as you shop for gifts this holiday season, the jolly bell ringers with their little red kettle. Most of the people I see either look away in shame or dig into their pockets for some change. As they drop the coins into the kettles they look up with a smile feeling like they’ve done something great. Of course, they have done something great. But, there’s another side to this story.

The 13 most overlooked tax deductions

According to the IRS, millions of taxpayers overpay in taxes every year. With the year coming to an end and the tax season in sight, find out which deductions can keep you from paying Uncle Sam more than he’s due.

The 5 most valuable teams in the NFL

Forbes.com has posted the values of the 32 teams in the National Football League. With the average NFL team worth $957 million, the league has convincingly topped revenues over all professional sports in the world. Which 5 teams topped the NFL’s list of most valuable teams?

One more reason why I dislike Best Buy

I stopped at Best Buy over the weekend to grab my husband’s Christmas gift. He’s been wanting an iHome for his iPod mini. From what I had seen at various stores, the one he wanted would only run me about $89.99. No problem, or so I thought.

The mortgage rate freeze for subprime borrowers is not a bail out

I’m getting continually irritated by the media presenting the Bush Administration’s decision to keep lenders from hiking rates on subprime mortgages above a certain percentage. What the media has failed to do is write an accurate representation of what the freeze is and how it has no affect, whatsoever, on borrowers with conventional mortgages.