Car repair update: prognosis not good

In a previous post, I mentioned that we were taking our car in for repair. It’s had an oil leak for quite a while, and it’s just getting worse. We dropped it off last night so the mechanic could have all day today to work on it. But, late this morning, we got a call that we weren’t expecting.

Another car repair, another dollar

We’ve had to replace the brakes on our car in the last few months, and now, we’re about to spend a bit more to fix an oil leak that’s been getting worse as the days go by. We’ve been told that it could be either a gasket, which would run about $60-$70, or the oil intake, which is substantially more.

10 tips to renting a car without a credit card

If you’re a MoneyTalk reader, you’re probably aware that, not only do I not endorse credit cards, I don’t have any. My husband and I have stuck to the basics by either paying with cash, check or debit card. It’s definitely helped get our finances in order and we’re in a much better position than we were when we relied on plastic. There are concerns that there’s too much work involved by not using credit cards for simple things like online purchases, hotel reservations and car rentals. Although we’ve never had problems with using our debit card, there are some things you need to consider when you rent a car. Here are 10 things to keep in mind when renting a car with a debit card:

Wire: Woman to Take 55,000 Pennies to the Bank

I saw this great article on My Way News this morning and wanted to share:

The great American paradox

American culture is a paradox. According to dictionary.com, a paradox is “any person, thing, or situation exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.” So, how is American culture a paradox?

Ron Paul makes economical sense

This isn’t a political blog, but this morning, Ron Paul made an appearance on Glenn Beck’s radio program which I listen to regularly. Beck brought Paul on his show to discuss the current issues in the U.S. economy and how Ben Bernanke and legislators are making the problem worse.

Recession? I say hogwash

You’d be hardpressed to find anything in the media where some financial ‘expert’ isn’t screaming ‘recession.’ I have to question their expertise. I watched Larry King Live last Thursday, in which he had a panel of these financial ‘experts’ (Gerri Willis, CNN Personal Finance Editor, Kim Kiyosaki, Author “Rich Women: A Book on Investing”, Jean Chatzky, Author “Make Money, Not Excuses” ) crying chicken little about the coming recession. Some even argued that we were already in a recession. Let’s take a look at what a recession actually is and why the U.S. isn’t in a recession?

We’ve made a decision to stop our debt snowball — temporarily

To be honest, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Currently, we have about $30,000 left in two student loans. We’ve been attacking mine aggressively, since mine is the smallest with $9,000 remaining. In fact, we planned on having it paid off by August. But, things have changed.

Mutual funds run by insurance companies aren’t very good

Don’t take my word for it, that’s a key line in an article on SmartMoney Magazine’s most recent issue titled When Insurers Don’t Protect You. It’s hard to argue with one of the nation’s leading financial magazine’s, and I’ve said the exact same thing about how poor the earnings are in mutual funds included within an insurance product. Let’s dig in.

It feels good to not have to use the emergency fund

As I left work the other day, I noticed the brakes were a little off. Off, as in I had to push the brake nearly to the floor board to get the car to stop. My first thought was that something needs to be fixed, but as soon as I say anything to my husband about things like this, he usually dismisses it as me overreacting.