File this under the category of "learn as you go."  One of the features of the new operating system for iPhones and iPod touch is a "shake to shuffle" option.  I didn't realize that it was optional.  I thought it was a cool feature, and then I forgot all about it. I was listening to Continue Reading

Look out, readers! Jim from Bargaineering.com is here to give us some quick advice on cleaning and simplifying our finances.  Jim writes about personal finance and other money issues at personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.  There are two things that make our nation great - we're resourceful and we're impatient.  You'd think that the second feature Continue Reading

Do you depend totally on your cell phone, or is it just for emergencies?  I haven't really join the connected generation.  I own a cell phone, but it's always in my handbag.  Note to my children:  when I'm in the house, my handbag is next to my desk.  I do not have my cell phone Continue Reading

My son and his friends are getting ready to take a trip to Mississippi this fall.  It's not a pleasure trip, but I'm sure he'll have plenty of fun anyway. Each year, his school sends a group of students to spend a week in coastal Mississippi.  They sleep on air mattresses in a church gym, Continue Reading

We have thermal drapes in the family room, hanging on the dreaded Tranverse Rods--the kind of curtain rods that have this little rope pull, and if you yank the rope in the right direction, the curtains open (or close.)  If you yank the rope too hard, the little plastic thingies that attach to the back Continue Reading

Can you believe we're already at the end of September?  Christina, one of the coupon experts here at Ultimate Coupons, mentioned the other day that this fall is passing by so quickly.  I can't help but agree with her.  Halloween will be here before we know it--which reminds me, we have a great Halloween Coupons Continue Reading

What's better than using one coupon to save money on a purchase?  Using MORE THAN ONE!  Yes, it's perfectly legal and absolutely OK to "stack" coupons--using more than one coupon to save money on a single purchase.  You can't do that all the time, so you need to know the rules. In brick-and-mortar stores, you're Continue Reading

In my continuing quest to make myself obsolete teach my children the skills necessary to live as independent adults, I took my teenager to the bank to change his passbook savings account to a statement-savings account.  Once he turns 18, he can get a MAC card or debit card linked to this account.  In the Continue Reading

No, I'm not moving--but I just finished reading a book about a woman who bought a tiny cottage on Cape Cod and moved it to a different site. The memoir follows her progress as she discovers the little house, secures permits, clears the site, and begins renovating the cottage. Her goal is to place the Continue Reading

I think I need to invest in a set of noise-canceling headphones. I enjoy the quiet time each day when all my kids are in school.   The only thing making noise around here between the hours of 7:45 AM and 3 PM is the washing machine, and I hardly notice that.  I do wind up Continue Reading