SpendWize – Guide to Wiser Consumer Decisions

It’s the holiday season and many will be too busy to hit the malls, so on-line shopping has become a very viable alternative. As an on-line shopper for many years now, I have 3 favorite sites which I will recommend (and I am receiving no compensation of any sort for these listings.) (more…)

Banks are not done trying to find new sources of revenue and dusting off old ones is not out of the question either. It is the Summer of 2012 now and automatic enabling of “Draft Protection” services on bank accounts has been outlawed since August 2010. You may remember a flurry of letters from banks that summer two years ago trying to coax you into opting back into these so-called “services” . If you haven’t responded to those deceits back then, you were safe. Until now… (more…)

Paying for heating your home can get very expensive! With snow, sleet and ice during the colder months of winter, this cost of heating becomes a sizable chunk of the family budget . There are many different options when it comes to heating your home. One of these options includes heating oil. Heating oil is a fuel type that is most commonly used in the U.S. and Canada for the home and business.

Many people are finding gas furnaces and water heaters more efficient and easier to maintain than ones working on heating oil, but if changing your furnace to natural gas or propane (LPG) is not an option, we’d like to offer some tips on keeping the cost of heating with oil in check.

Unfortunately, you cannot control outside factors that contribute to the high price of heating oil. This is because the cost depends upon the natural supply and demand for crude oil in addition to any natural disasters that are going on at the time. For this reason, you may find that you are paying too much for heating oil, more than ever before! There are, however, things you can do when shopping for home heating oil in order to pay the lowest price. These things include the following: (more…)

Finding the best way to handle your finances, whether it be for personal records or managing a small business, can be stressful. More often than not people get sucked into spending much more money than necessary on routine bookkeeping and tax preparation services. Luckily there are a lot of low cost, or even free, resources available to persons who are willing to spend the time to look for services and programs that allow for managing financial records and preparing tax documents. The best way to find the lowest cost option for personal or small business bookkeeping and tax preparation solutions is to research several options and evaluate their unique costs in relation to pros and cons for each different option. (more…)

It’s very well-known that the benefits of earning an advanced degree include opportunities such as greater job prospects and higher lifetime earnings; however, the high cost of pursuing a continued education can be a huge deterrent to some individuals. Whether you are a recent high school graduate or someone slightly older interested in a continued education, finding learning options that fit within a limited budget is entirely possible. There are a lot of opportunities out there for individuals who are willing to take the time to research the different options available to them and select the ones that fit within their budget. (more…)

There are three general ways that an individual can go about managing their bookkeeping. In each category there are numerous ways to go about each method, some of which will be discussed here. Additionally, each method has its own pros and cons, which will also be discussed. (more…)

Books are a great way to entertain yourself, expand your education, and even add to a hobby or collection. Unfortunately, books can be expensive. Whether you need to purchase books for school or for pleasure, you will want to try to find ways to save money. Fortunately, today’s world of technology allows many great ways to purchase books even if you are on a budget. The following are some of the most budget-friendly ways to purchase any type of book: (more…)

So, where does good marketing end and deception begin? Or do we need yet another piece of regulation to prevent banks from harming their own customers, this time calling it “protection”?

There has been a constant barrage of letters from banks I use asking me to opt into this program since after Financial Reform Bill of 2010 they can no longer simply charge you a $35 overdraft fee when you accidentally spend $2 more than you have in your account on a cup of coffee. You now have to specifically allow your bank to rob you and the bank would prefer to call it “protection”. Well, “overdraft protection” sounds a whole lot better than “robbing authorization”, doesn’t it? Some of these ads (umm.. sorry, opt-in letters, that’s what they call them) are outright disgusting. Read further for examples (more…)

I really get frustrated at the number of people who are so easily misled by terminology when a group with a specific agenda puts a spin on it to rile up the populace. Case in point- “Public Option”. Look, it doesn’t mean that the government is taking over the health-care system! And if there IS such an option, you are not forced to use it! That’s what the word “option” means- its the opposite of mandatory!
Now, if you are under 50 years of age, I don’t even want to hear your opinion on health-care, because the way the system works now, once you hit the 50-year mark, and you try to obtain or to change insurance coverage, it’s a whole different ball game. You are seriously limited to the few companies who will accept you with preexisting conditions. Is there such a creature as a 50 year-old who has no prexisting conditions? I mean, this includes everything from high cholesterol to allergies to high blood pressure. And the cost – the monthly premium- should you be fortunate enough to find a company which will insure you – easily is over $500 for a single-insured. And that’s on an HMO plan which has co-pays for office visits and drugs! The only thing worse than trying to come up with the funds to pay your premiums is trying to come up with the funds to cover your costs should you NOT have insurance.
So bring on the reforms. I for one can’t wait! I just hope I still have the health to appreciate it when it is finally a done deal!

Watching the price of gasoline lately is like watching kids on a see-saw. It seems to me that the only factor which is fairly constant in determining which way the prices go is how much outcry there is from the public. So – c’mon people – let’s keep making some noise!