BrightNest is a free site that provides tools and tips to homeowners to help them save money, get organized and keep their homes in great shape. Sign up for a free BrightNest account today! Would you buy sushi from a gas station? Didn’t think so! Some edible items – like seafood – are definitely worth... Read more
When it comes to personal finance, saving, and investing, there are a lot of “it depends” or “your situation may be different.” I daresay that saving for retirement is not among those – unless you are one of the very fortunate few to be independently wealthy, setting aside money today to see that you have enough for the... Read more
“An epidemic:” That’s how U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has described the effects of distracted driving. And when you take a look at the numbers, distracted driving has taken thousands of lives and resulted in hundreds of thousands of injuries. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,331 people were killed in 2011 in automobile crashes involving... Read more
You may not have planned to head out of town this summer, but it’s not too late to change your mind. Whether you want to escape for just a few days or even an entire week, there are plenty of ways to plan a trip on a budget. The following infographic lays out our favorite... Read more
Which industries deliver the lowest customer satisfaction scores? If you guessed airlines or cable TV, I’m sorry to disappoint you. It’s newspapers, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. Yep, newspapers. Take a moment to let that sink in. The very medium that used to bring you me, is the most complained-about business in... Read more
Budgeting is a great tool to help you reach financial independence. But what if your budget is actually hurting you? It can happen when you budget for a specific purchase. In fact, consumers who start shopping with a price in mind spend up to 50 percent more than those who don’t, according to researchers from Brigham Young and Emory... Read more
Are you finally off the fence and doing a little home shopping? As the market heats up and sellers regain control, here are a couple of trends to consider. Low mortgage rates The rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are currently hovering near historic lows. And while rates did creep up late in May, they’re not going... Read more
When you’re in a recipe rut and crunched for time, it can be a relief not to have to shop – or find some use for the odds and ends of ingredients left over from last week’s spree. Enter the meal kit. A number of new services like Chefday, HelloFresh and Plated, among others, offer... Read more
A budget isn’t a set it and forget it type of thing. Every so often, you want to check back in with your monthly budget, to make sure you’re actually sticking to it and to be sure that you’re still on track when it comes to your financial goals. We’ve all gone wildly off course... Read more
Wendy Mogel, author of The Blessing of a Skinned Knee and The Blessing of a B Minus—and a parenting genius, in my opinion—says that kids need to have jobs in high school. I get that. When I was in high school in the ‘80s, I had three jobs: I worked the counter at a pharmacy,... Read more