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Time To Run The Numbers On Car Buying, For Real

Posted by Sean | October 6, 2008 .

photo credit: footloosiety
DW’s fully-depreciated car finally racked up a four-figure repair estimate.
Time to look for a newer vehicle… and take inventory of our experiences.
My experience: bought a new Saturn sedan in 1997. Saturn = I did not negotiate. I also did not consider 3rd-party financing. Basically, I was a huge fish. The only things [...]

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Preview: The “Save Money on Heating Costs” Worksheet

Posted by Sean | September 27, 2008 .

Okay, enough with feeling frustrated about the state of the world today.
I want to change it. In a big way. Here’s one idea:
A spreadsheet worksheet to save real money on home heating costs.
(While we’re at it, we can conserve some energy.)

The idea here is to make the best heating tips as actionable as possible.
I organized [...]

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Comparison of 4 Home Energy Audits

Posted by Sean | September 17, 2008 .

FYI, the “Cranky Consumer” column at the WSJ has a writeup on four types of energy audits, 2 Pro vs. 2 DIY. (I wanted to do the Home Energy Yardstick yesterday, but I’m waiting for online account activation by the gas comany tomorrow. Meaning… I’ve been in limbo without paper -or- online for some time. [...]

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Gas Company Budget Billing Up 50% (It Is ON!)

Posted by Sean | September 12, 2008 .

Grrr…
The latest bill went from $95 to $142, an increase of 50%. Before this adjustment, we thought we were doing good. Budget billing for the prior six-month period was $121. Prior to that we had peak bills in the $200s, before budget billing. That spurred us to upgrade the water heater, wrap the pipes, and [...]

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Arrgh!!! First Day Of The Month Budget Busters

Posted by Sean | September 2, 2008 .

So much for thinking I’m frugal and disciplined. Yesterday, the symphony sent an ‘09 schedule, and opening weekend includes one of the most otherwordly, electrifying pieces… I did not physically spend money, but mentally, it is GONE. Mainly, I’m thinking babygirl will make less of a fuss in the womb than when she is out [...]

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How Much Do You Save With CFL or LED Light Bulbs (Two Tools)

Posted by Sean | August 12, 2008 .

Would you rather save 10-15 cents for every $5 you spend, or 20-30 cents for every $4?
CFO’s observation of gas-lines at CostCo suggests we might prefer the smaller savings, if it applies to a higher (read: more painful) unit price. Even though the discount is twice as big in absolute terms and more than twice [...]

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It Is Not Easy To Read As Many Books As I Used To Buy!

Posted by Sean | July 22, 2008 .

Okay, so I’m plugging away at my goal of "saving" $500 in book expense by using the public library in 2008. I’ve had a book out almost nonstop and keep adding to my financial library. I feel like I’ve learned a lot (hope I’m not kidding myself here :-)) and connected a lot of dots.
But [...]

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