With both gas and airline ticket prices skyrocketing, it may be hard to tell whether driving or flying is the better value (in terms of both money and time). This “Fly or Drive Calculator” can help you wisely plan your next trip. More »
Blog Archives
Compare the Cost and Time of Driving Versus Flying for Your Next Trip [Saving Money]
Posted on May 24, 2011
Tax Write-Off “Cheats” That You Won’t Feel Too Guilty About [Tax Time]
Posted on February 16, 2011
Write off “business pet” expenses, deduct the costs of volunteering your time, and expense home improvements: a former IRS officer lists at Get Rich Slowly quite a few clever ways to “cheat” on your taxes. [Get Rich Slowly] More »
Skip Incorporating as a Freelancer Unless Your Accountant Tells You To [Freelancing]
Posted on September 22, 2010
Freelancing itself is a bold venture, and to many, the idea of creating your own legal entity around it feels both proper and very cool. One experienced self-employed contractor suggests skipping the expensive process, however, unless you’ve got a specific business case. More »
Always Question Hospital Bills to Significantly Reduce Final Cost [Bills]
Posted on August 24, 2010
Medical billing, as the recent debate over healthcare has brought to light, is inconsistent at best. According to the New York Times, you should never unquestioningly pay a hospital bill; a simple inquiry can radically lower your your final cost. More »
Use Prepaid Travel Cards to Budget Travel Expenses [Travel]
Posted on August 23, 2010
Vacation is a time to let loose and have a little fun. It’s all too easy, however, to let having a little fun turn into spending way too much. Use prepaid travel cards to keep spending contained, secure, and in budget. More »
Five Best Personal Money Management Sites [Hive Five]
Posted on July 11, 2010
Try a Phantom Mortgage to Trial Run the Expense of Home Ownership [Personal Finance]
Posted on April 23, 2010
Home ownership is a completely different affair than renting and is more expensive than you initially imagine. Set up a phantom expense account to determine if you’re ready for the transition. More »
BudgetSketch Creates a Workable Budget Before You Spend Your Money [Budgeting]
Posted on October 16, 2009
Web application BudgetSketch is a free personal finance budgeting application focused on collaboratively planning out your spending for future months rather than simply tracking the money you’ve spent in the past.
We’ve seen a lot of impressive personal finance tools designed primarily to help you track where your money has gone (perhaps most notably Mint), but BudgetSketch focuses less on the past and more on budgeting for the future—or as they put it, on "tak[ing] command of where [your] money is going, not where it has gone." You can set goals (pay off credit card), lay out your monthly expenses, and compare it all against your income to quickly see what your cashflow for upcoming weeks looks like. You can also link your account up with your significant other or kids to collaborate on your budget.
BudgetSketch is free to use, requires an email address to sign up.
BudgetSketch [via MakeUseOf]
Eye-Opening Chart Breaks Down Reward Program Costs [Buying]
Posted on October 7, 2009
Ever wonder how much you’re really getting back from credit card and retail reward programs? Personal finance site Mint.com breaks down the fees, catches, and mentality behind some major retailers’ cards and shopper programs in a big ol’ chart.
Mint and WallStats.com do a pretty great job of making their chart flow sensibly and read well, taking you through what major credit card issuers, grocery chains, and big box stores want you to think when signing up for a reward/points program, then breaking down each program on a cents-back-per-dollar basis. There’s also a guide to being a “Reward Points Ninja,” and the read through the whole thing should make you reconsider whether retail allegiance is really worth the hassle.
Take a look at the whole infographic below. Click for the full view, or right-click to download:
Mint for iPhone Brings 3.0 Features to the Personal Finance App [Downloads]
Posted on September 21, 2009
iPhone/iPod touch only: Popular personal finance webapp Mint released their iPhone app last year, but today they’ve unveiled a new and improved version, introducing support for push notifications for important alerts and editable transactions.
While the push notifications are a nice touch (you can define push-worthy events via the web interface), the more substantial feature is probably the addition of editing capabilities. The new Mint for iPhone lets you examine and edit transactions to add notes or tags, change the spending category, date, or even description. Mint may now be the property of Intuit/Quicken, but it’s good to see they’re still charging ahead with innovative features.
Mint is freeware, iPhone and iPod touch only.
Mint.com Personal Finance [iTunes App Store via CNET]