Liquid Blog — Liquid

Yes, I am all about being frugal. "Waste not, want not." I'm full of quotes today. However, there is a time to be frugal, and a time not to be. Sometimes we just don't have the resources to do all the things we've obligated ourselves to do and buy the things we want.

PostedMay 10, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCareers, Frugality, Income

Last week we talked about being too frugal. Yes, it can happen. Most people, however, have the opposite problem: overspending. There's only two things you can do with your money after you pay your taxes: you either spend it or save it. In 2005 our savings rate was actually negative, which means we spent more than we took home after taxes. That means we went into debt.

PostedMay 3, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsDebt, Shopping, Spending

My father used to say, "Everything in moderation." Well spoken. Yes, me, Mr. Thrifty, believes you can be too frugal. As a matter of fact, financial therapists refer to this disorder as "underspending." That's so clever, I never would have thought of it.

PostedApril 30, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Literacy, Frugality

Here's an interesting way to look at gas prices: if you drive 1,000 miles a month and your car gets 25 miles to the gallon, you will spend almost $2,000 a year on gasoline, just for that vehicle. If your household has more than one car, then multiply $2,000 by the number of vehicles. Yikes!

PostedApril 26, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFrugality, Saving

While The Fed is concerned about rising prices, especially crude oil, one of the members of The Fed, William Dudley, drew sharp criticism when he spoke in Queens, New York last Friday when he excalimed that he thought underlying inflation was low despite rising food an energy prices.

PostedMarch 18, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

I don't play the lottery because I think of it as voluntary taxation. I read that you have a one in 16 million chance of winning the lottery and I believe it. Actually, since I sometimes don't even see the glass as half full, (sometimes I can't even find the glass,) I think my chances are much les

PostedMarch 12, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsHealth, Insurance, Medical Bills

I'm amazed that with all the unemployment you still have to wait in line at a restaurant. I would think with this many people out of work, there would be lots of space at the diner.

PostedMarch 8, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsDining Out, Spending

Well, unless you think reading a textbook is fun. Yep, besides checking your stocks, going online, getting directions, tweeting your friends and playing games, if you're in school you may be using your iPad to read your textbooks. Now you can get in touch with your textbooks as well as getting in touch with many other things.

PostedMarch 5, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCollege, Mobile, Technology, Textbooks

The next time your kid turns his nose up at the meal you prepared, take him to the grocery store so he can see how much you spent on the meal. The grocery store is another great place to take your kids so they can learn about money

PostedFebruary 17, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

You know the saying. Well, the same thing applies to a budget.

PostedFebruary 12, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFinancial Planning, Spending

Can I do that? Yes you may!

Many people with cash flow issues, meaning they have issues with the timing of their money coming in and their money going out, would like to move the due date on their credit cards.

PostedFebruary 9, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCredit, Spending

There's still time to honor your resolutions. Joining a gym comes to mind. Remember, once you've joined, you have to use the gym in order fot it to work.

PostedFebruary 6, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsSaving, Spending

Most people's fear of flying is not in the flying itself, but paying the airfare. There are certain days of the week where it's less expensive to purchase an airline ticket than other days.

PostedFebruary 4, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsFrugality, Saving, Spending, Travel

Suffice it to say, while your employer is providing medical insurance to you, it has come at an ever-increasing cost. It used to be a couple of decades ago, your employer paid the entire cost.

PostedFebruary 1, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsInsurance, Spending

Humans don't really care for uncertainty; it makes us uneasy and restless. The same is true for markets, any market. Whether the market is housing, stocks, bonds, and yes, oil.

PostedJanuary 30, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

Thomas Stanley, author of The Millionaire Next Door, interviewed over 1,000 millionaires across the country and compiled their common characteristics. Wanna know a secret?

PostedJanuary 27, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCredit, Financial Planning, Spending

While we're seeing pressure on the cost of food, which could be showing up soon in restaurants and grocery stores, we aren't seeing an increase in the cost of wages to pay for that increase in food prices.

PostedJanuary 25, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsSaving, Spending

With an ever-expanding world population there are more mouths to feed. Also, keep in mind that the population of both China and India is increasing their standard of living, so that means they're demanding more foods like the ones we consume, putting even more pressure on the demand side.

PostedJanuary 20, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsDining Out, Groceries, Spending

Having grown up with landlines, I really can't imagine life without them; I've always considered them my connection with the outside world. But, is that something I can do without?

PostedJanuary 19, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsSaving, Spending, Technology

On December 31st Jennie wrote about sticking with resolutions. Yes, we all make them and we all break them. The reason most resolutions are broken is that they start out way too ambitious.

PostedJanuary 4, 2011

AuthorMax

CategoriesSaving Money

TagsCredit, Spending