Did you know ants bury their dead?
Last night, the last ant standing in our $12 ant farm (courtesy of my mom, so free to us — thanks mom!) joined its companions in the designated burial ground — sand mounded like drifts of snow around the little plastic barns and silos. As you can see, one [...]
Entries from June 24th, 2009
Can’t Afford a Pet? Skip the Ant Farm: Try Fostering a Dog or Cat
June 24th, 2009 2 Comments
Tags: foster dog programs
Frugal Hack: Let Kids Invent Their Own Toys (Or, It’s Only Dental Floss)
June 22nd, 2009 8 Comments
When my kids make up their own toys and games, it is worth far more to them (and me) than the priciest, faddiest, shiniest, bestest toy ever.
Here are some recent tops:
Dental floss: Robot; alien ship.
Hand towels: Food to wear on your back if you’re an ant.
Wine stopper: Airplane; spaceship.
Q-tips: Boats, but only for sailing down [...]
Tags: household objects · toys
The Easiest Way to Check Your Credit Reports
June 19th, 2009 No Comments
In dealing with this Wells Fargo letter we received, I decided to get our credit reports from all three credit bureaus, to dispute any application for credit the bank may have made for us, and to otherwise check for any errors.
I went to AnnualCreditReport.com, which all three bureaus direct you to, and which makes it [...]
Tags: credit reports · requesting
Budget, Meet Exceptions: Irregular Expenses Are Gonna Get Ya
June 17th, 2009 3 Comments
Cash Husband writes:
There comes a point in any grand plan when circumstances conspire to deliver a seemingly karmic smackdown.
June is that point for our budget. So far in June, we’ve racked up the following irregular expenses:
$588 car repair (with a note about potential future repairs totaling $2,500)
$300 window unit air conditioner
$275 [...]
Tags: Budgeting · irregular expenses
Mafia Wars Money Warps Hubby’s Perspective of Chump Change
June 15th, 2009 2 Comments
Thanks to my wife’s insistence, I joined Facebook a few months ago. After the initial shock and awe, I stumbled into an online game called Mafia Wars. It’s essentially a role-playing game reconfigured for social networking. You create your character, then ask your friends to join your mafia. The bigger your [...]
Tags: Mafia Wars · money psychology
Kids: Allowance or Chores? Yes
June 3rd, 2009 10 Comments
My 5-year-old son has discovered desire’s connection to this medium called money, as well as the art of peppering discussions of commerce with persuasive key phrases:
“Mom, can I have Sir John?” (A GeoTrax character that costs around $25 at Target.)
“I think it’s in the toy insection. It’s not too expensive! I think it costs … [...]
