My Money Blog

May 2007 Financial Status / Net Worth Update

Posted on May 6, 2007 // 24 Comments

About My Credit Card Debt Newer readers may be alarmed by my high levels of credit card debt. In short, I'm borrowing money for free and keeping it in safe investments while earning me 5-6% interest. Along with other things, this helps me earn extra … [Read the rest]

Trying To Avoid Lifestyle Inflation

Posted on May 6, 2007 // 32 Comments

Most of this post was originally published last year when I was a guest writer at the Get Rich Slowly blog. I have since made some revisions and added some more material below. One common thread through my How much house should I buy? post is … [Read the rest]

FNBO Direct 6% APY Savings Account Review: Opening Process, Features, and Transfer Schedule

Posted on May 4, 2007 // 255 Comments

I opened up a savings account at FNBO Direct originally for their high interest rate and no monthly fees. They are currently offering 0.85% APY as of January 2013, still competitive in this current rate environment. Here are my experiences so far as … [Read the rest]

How Many Square Feet Should Our Home Have?

Posted on May 3, 2007 // 93 Comments

Housing bubble concerns aside, we're starting to look at some homes on the internet to get an idea of what prices are like right now. One thing we need to decide is what size of place to look at. I was going to title this post "How big a house do … [Read the rest]

FDIC Insurance Limits: What If My Bank Fails? Make Sure Your Money Is Covered

Posted on May 2, 2007 // 78 Comments

With all these new online banks which are pretty much just virtual branches of a lot of regional banks, I thought it would be a good idea to look more into this whole FDIC insurance thing we put so much trust into. First some quick basics, taken … [Read the rest]

FNBO Direct Offering 6% APY Until 9/28

Posted on May 1, 2007 // 89 Comments

Update: Please see my FNBO Direct Review for more info! Rate chasers rejoice! Look likes with the expiration of the HSBC Direct 6% APY promotion yesterday, the online bank FNBO Direct has decided to offer the rate of 0.85% APY as of January, 2013. … [Read the rest]

Our Mid-Term and Long-Term Goals Explained

Posted on May 1, 2007 // 15 Comments

If you look at the progress bars on the top right of this site, you'll see our current progress towards our mid-term and long-term goals. I just wanted to spend a minute and discuss these goals, as I haven't revisited them in a long time. First … [Read the rest]

Another $105 In Easy Discounts From Comcast Cable

Posted on May 1, 2007 // 71 Comments

Since I already wrung a few extra dollars from my cell phone bill with the Sprint SERO plan, I figured I'd try the same with another monthly expense - Cable TV and Broadband internet access with Comcast. Even though I know there are slightly … [Read the rest]

Weekly Carnivals

Posted on April 30, 2007 // Leave a Comment

I got off my virtual tush and participated in some Carnivals this week: The Carnival of Personal Finance was run by We're In Debt. It's organized nicely by topic, and my post on my current bank setup was an Editor's pick. Woohoo! The first … [Read the rest]

Sprint SERO Plan Review: Affordable Cell Phone Plan, Free Data, Currently Open To All

Posted on April 29, 2007 // 253 Comments

If you are currently out of or nearing the end of your cell phone contract, be sure to consider the Sprint Employee Referral Offer, or SERO, plan. Although it has been heavily discussed for a while on many cellular enthusiast forums, actually … [Read the rest]

The Average American’s Spending Breakdown

Posted on April 28, 2007 // 21 Comments

I've been trying to find a pie chart listing the spending breakdown of the average American to provide a frame of reference for our spending pie chart last year, and here is the closest I could find. It's in terms of pre-tax numbers, and I added the … [Read the rest]