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Where To Find Discounts for Universal Studios
Dear Mary: We are hoping to take a short vacation in May. Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., would be great if I could find cheap or free tickets. Do you have any ideas? — Linda, e-mail
Dear Linda: Head over to MouseSavers.com, a wonderful …Read more.
Paying Yourself To Get Creative
Usually, it is cheaper to repair than to replace. Sure, there are exceptions, but they are few and far between. Repairing things, it seems, brings out the inner clever person in all of us. Don't believe it? Check out these clever readers:
UNDERWATER …Read more.
How To Live Below Your Means
I wouldn't call it a radical new idea, although a popular women's magazine declared recently that living below your means, or LBYM, is the hot new trend.
It is a simple concept: to spend less than you earn. Still, LBYM is seen by many as a life …Read more.
A Simple Trick To Stop Mindless Spending
Most of us think of spending money in the least painful terms. I suppose that's only natural. If we could see clearly how a simple purchase fits into the big financial picture, perhaps spending money on little stuff wouldn't be quite so easy.
…Read more.
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House Rules for a Boomerang Kid
Dear Mary: I am the parent of a 25-year-old man, who is moving home with few possessions and an unbelievable amount of debt. My husband and I don't know how to guide or support him through this period. We do not plan to assist him outright with money, but what steps should we take so we know he is heading in the right direction financially? -- Laura P., e-mail
Dear Laura: I suggest you create a list of house rules that, if he moves back, he must follow. Failure to do so means he must leave. Rule 1: He must go through credit counseling with a reputable organization (find the closest one to you at www.nfcc.org) that offers a debt-management program. Rule 2: He has to enroll in that debt-management program. Rule 3: No credit cards, no debit card. One ATM card only. Rule 4: All adult children must pay room and board. These four rules will force him to live a cash lifestyle and get him onto a debt-repayment path that is being monitored and managed by someone other than his parents. Finally, I would make it very clear that you are not going to bail him out with any loans, advances or other forms of aid. As a mom, I know this is going to be harder for you than for him to stick to the house rules. But that will be the key to success. Dear Mary: In your column "Important Papers To Grab in a Disaster," you mentioned readers should invest in fireproof and heatproof safes for their important documents. Also, make sure your safe is equipped to keep interior temperatures that will protect its contents. The unit I own will keep temperatures lower than 350 degrees, which will protect paper documents, but not home inventory videotapes. -- Chad L., e-mail Dear Chad: Thanks for the specific information on home safes. Readers can find safes at home improvement centers, as well as office supply stores. By the way, one reader wrote to say that her financial situation does not allow her to purchase a safe at this time, so she keeps her important papers in a zip-lock freezer bag and stores it in the freezer. She was told that the inside of a freezer nearly always survives a house fire. Do you have a question for Mary? E-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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