You MUST Do a Test Char...

In my post titled My New Credit Card Strategy , I talked about the strategy of buying gift cards at a grocery store to get 6% cash back. A reader made the following comment: I’m a little surprised they let you buy gift cards and get the full rewards rate. But I guess they...

The Wide Array of Gift ...

Since I posted My New Credit Card Strategy , I’ve been asked if there really are that many gift cards available to get 6% cash back. After all, can I really charge thousands of dollars on gift cards over the course of the year? Judge for yourself. Here’s the list of the cards...

Second-Hand Shopping: H...

The strategies of extreme couponing, waiting for sales, and shopping at your local dollar store can save you money on products you need. Don’t overlook the humble second-hand store as a great way to also save a lot of money on brand name items. Effective thrift store shopping takes...

Reader Profile: LL...

The following is the latest post on my new “Reader Profiles” series. Each post in this series details the financial situation and challenges of an FMF reader. The purpose of this series is to help us all identify with people like us (in similar situations — not all will...

Using Religion to Steal...

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here’s why . Here’s an interesting post from US News on how some people use scams in the church to steal money from others . I find it almost unbelieveable that this would happen, but...

Save a Bundle by Keepin...

Here’s a shocking stat from MSN Money : Last year, the average cost of a dog bite [insurance] claim was $26,166, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Ouch! That’s a very nice new car! A bit more on how insurance companies handle dog bites: Some states give you an...

Five Bills Not to Autom...

Yahoo lists five bills not to automate as follows: Mobile Phone Bills Insurance Payments Utilities Gym Memberships Cable Bills Here’s what I do with these: Mobile Phone Bills – My phone is paid for by my company, so there’s no bill for me to handle. Insurance Payments...

More on How to Protect ...

My post on How to Protect Yourself if You Use a Debit Card generated this comment that I thought was worth sharing with all of you: I work in credit card fraud monitoring and I can share some tips for keeping your debit card safe. Fraud on a credit card is an inconvenience – we...

Credit Unions vs. Banks...

At a time when banks are making record profits and customers are paying higher fees, many people are seeking financial institutions that will help them save money. One such institution could be your local credit union. Credit unions offer numerous financial products that help people...

What Is Quantitative Ea...

When an economy is in danger of slipping into a recession or depression, governments can employ a strategy known as quantitative easing (QE). Quantitative easing is a monetary policy instituted by central banks in an effort to stimulate the local economy. By flooding the economy with a...