This Is Common Cents

We live in a world of automation and outsourcing. Our culture tells us that we need to eat precooked food, buy pre assembled products, and let others work for us. How many people these days change their own motor oil or paint their own homes? Not as many as their once were, that’s for sure. [...]

“That candy bar is only a dollar! I can totally afford that! After all, I spend hundreds of dollars per month on groceries anyway, this will probably save me money!” Such is the thought process behind many a person’s decisions when it comes to buying food. This small item is inexpensive, so it has to [...]

Think about your dream car. It may be that sports car you’ve been drooling over since your sixteenth birthday. Or maybe a big truck that wouldn’t have gotten stuck in the mud like your tiny SUV did last summer. For me, it’s a 1965 Ford GT 40. Chances are, the car you are thinking of [...]

This post will likely be hated by my fellow personal finance bloggers. In fact, I have a feeling that most people will disagree with what I am about to say. But here it goes: I don’t use coupons, nor do I recommend anyone use them on a regular basis. That’s right. I’m a personal finance [...]

I’m sure you all have your own favorite places to shop, especially for groceries. Your store may by close to you, or have all the kinds of special foods you want. Hopefully, your favorite grocery store is the cheapest option overall that you’ve found. But how did you determine which store is the cheapest? Many [...]

Nobody likes taxes. In fact, I would say that most people despise them, especially in the US. However, they are a necessary part of our system that keeps our government running for our benefit. As much as I would like to think that the people here are good enough deep down to not kill each [...]

There are, of course, lots of different ways to save money. These ways are often debated as far as which one is the best, and there is definitely merit to those arguments. However, I am here to tell you that there is one way to save money that is very clearly the most effective. Not [...]

I love meat. I look at vegetarians around me (including half of my own family) and laugh about how they are missing out on one of the greatest things that will ever touch their tongues. And yet, I am a poor college student. Well not exactly poor I guess. In fact I’m way more financially [...]

The odds are that today you either already have, or are soon going to make a commute by car to work. For most people, that is just a normal thing. Driving to your job, school, or any other daily commitment is a normal thing that all Americans do. It’s just normal. BUT WHY? Do you [...]

It never ceases to amaze me just how much money people are willing to shell out to sustain their bodies. I watch my friends go to restaurants for just regular, everyday meals. I won’t deny that going out to eat with a group of friends can be a lot of fun. However, it’s the eating [...]

One of the most common phrases in the world of personal finance is one coined several years ago by David Bach – The Latte Factor. If you’ve read one of Bach’s books or seen one of his presentations (fairly likely, they’re very popular), then you’ve no doubt heard about it. If not, you can check [...]

Everyone knows the common money-saving tips. Turn off your lights, use coupons, put up window plastic and buy programmable thermostats to lower your utility bills and shopping costs. Sometimes those tips simply aren’t enough. Sometimes we’re already doing them, and want more unique ideas for saving money. Here are a few more unique money-saving tips [...]

Right before I wrote this article, I did something that saved me a small amount of money. Not a huge amount by any means, but a small amount. That small amount of money is saved every time I do a normal thing that every person (at least that I know) does at least occasionally: laundry. [...]

In the first part of this series, I discussed why you should always dress well in the hopes that it will help boost your professional life. You can find that article here. Now it’s time that we discuss the how of dressing well. Today I’m going to be talking about men, and how they can [...]

Like Computers? Me too. Like saving money even more? Yeah, me too. This is a huge dilemma for many. Computers are very expensive pieces of electronics that have to be replaced after just a few short years. And yet, they are absolutely essential to modern, 21st century life. For many people, including myself, they even [...]