Dollars and Sense

The Bread Is God’s

You’ve heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, right? Since his biography came out, everyone is a Bonhoeffer fan. And why shouldn’t they be? He stood against Hitler (the only man everyone agrees deserves to go to Hell) and eventually died fighting the Nazis and spreading the Gospel of Christ. He’s a cool dude, and his biography is [...]

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How Should Christians Tip?

Here’s something the Christian community needs to think long and hard about: Tipping. We’re lousy tippers. Every server will confirm that Sunday lunch is one of the worst days of the week. The Christians get out of church, demand more than any other customer, hang around for an hour or more, and follow it up [...]

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Are Extended Warranties Worth It? It Depends.

Financial guru Dave Ramsey states unequivocally that extended warranties are rip-offs.  As a Ramsey follower, I agree.  I regularly smile and say “no thank you” when Best Buy or Wal-Mart asks, “would you like a warranty with that product?” Reasons to self insure Because these warranties are high profit items (many studies indicate over 50%), [...]

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Saving Thousands in College Costs

Last year, the average tuition costs for a private college increased by 4.3% according to College Board.  Think that’s bad?  The average public university saw increases in tuition equal to 8.3% in 2011.  It doesn’t take a math major to see that the cost of attending college is getting quite expensive these days.  At that [...]

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Making Money With Your Hobby: My Story

I love to talk with my friends about business ideas and goals they have to ‘make it big’ someday.  But one of my pet peeves is when I hear them say, “I wish there was a way that I could make money now.”  I almost have to keep myself from staring back at them with [...]

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When Money Was Real

When I was young, money was real. I couldn’t get a ham and cheese sandwich for a nickel or anything like that, but I could use the 2 dollars I’d been saving to buy a pack of cards from the game shop or my favorite candy for 50 cents. When my dad took us kids [...]

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“18 Months Same as Cash!” … Really?

Is zero interest for 18 months REALLY zero interest?  If you can walk a tightrope while juggling flaming torches, then maybe.  But beware — many of these offers are fraught with conditions that will make your head spin. Best Buy, for example, is currently offering 18 months zero interest on all purchases over $429.  However, [...]

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How to Get the Most Gasoline Savings From Your Kroger Points

When my home town Kroger store recently opened a gasoline station, I tried out their discounted fuel.  Not knowing exactly how the program worked, I simply asked for the biggest discount, which turned out to be $0.50 a gallon.  With my 18 gallon purchase, I saved $9!  Needless to say, I like this program! To [...]

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Why I Put a New Engine in My Old Cadillac

My post “My car needs a new engine.  Should I sell it, fix it, or junk it?” from October, 2010 received quite a few comments, with many recommendations to sell it, quite a few to fix it, but only a couple who thought I should replace the engine.  Since that time, I have continued to [...]

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