Lots of Americans own pets—more than half of us, in fact. When it comes to dogs and cats alone, 36.5% percent of Americans owned dogs in 2012 and 30.4% owned cats—and for good reason. Beyond being Facebook-worthy adorableness, pets bring indisputable health benefits to their owners, including stress reduction and heart disease prevention. We pay […]
Originally Published in the Quad-City Times on May 3, 2018 By the end of August, The Bon-Ton’s liquidation bankruptcy will mean the closing of 15 Younkers stores in Iowa, as well as one Herbergers location. Around the United States, these will be among 12,000 retail store closings expected in 2018 — up 33 percent from […]
If you’ve come across extra funds thanks to hard-earned savings, a tax refund, an end-of-year bonus, or a particularly generous gift, spending your money on experiences instead of objects is one of the best choices you can make—assuming, of course, you are out of debt and on schedule with your emergency savings and other financial […]
Not surprisingly, opinions about how, why and when to give kids an allowance vary widely. Many articles, particularly those on sites devoted to personal finance, tout the benefits to helping kids gain an early grasp of financial literacy. When done right, they argue, teaching kids to manage their own money, to earn, spend and save […]
There are lots of ways to save money. Most, if not all of them, require some degree of steadfastness and discipline. You can resolve, for example, to hold off buying yourself any new clothing or housewares for a set period of time. You could pledge to never buying coffee or water out or tossing all […]
At SafetyNet™, we’re big on saving money. Saving brings security, happiness and peace of mind. But spending money is a part of life and also something that brings joy. The key with spending wisely is focusing on the true value of your purchases and using your dollars in a way that will maximize your happiness—not […]
So much for the idea that an abundance of gifts is what contributes to that “most magical time of the year.” The fact is: materialism does not contribute to our happiness. In fact, it has just the opposite effect. In 2014, materialism expert Tim Kasser, PhD, shared research findings with the American Psychological Association that […]
If you’ve tasted ratatouille that was cooked and frozen during the harvest months, you know the surprise of those first delicious bites. There is nothing like the taste of freshly picked summer squash, zucchinis, tomatoes and herbs when there is snow on the ground. It’s like a warm bowl of summer in winter. How to […]
It wasn’t too long ago that consignment shops and garage sales were the only options for turning your like-new and gently-used possessions into profits. These days online selling platforms like Craigslist, eBay and even Amazon mean you’re no longer limited to the locals who pass your sidewalk or storefront. But that doesn’t mean your success […]
You may have already noticed that certain items see a price slash around the same time each year: Labor Day mattress sales, furniture “blow outs,” a proliferation of car ads or computer deals. Sometimes the reason is obvious. Fall’s new school year or major holidays mean that consumer interests dictate some sale trends. However, other […]
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