The Sun's Financial Diary

It’s the one I mentioned two weeks ago, a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath single family house with finished basement in a gated community, a place we both like a lot.
There was a $55K difference between the listed price and the price we first offered. Based on the past sale prices of similar houses in that [...]

The Platinum Zero Secured Visa Credit Card from Applied Bank is a secured card. This card is designed for those with limited or poor credit history.
The major benefit of this card is that there is a 0% APR on purchases. Also, unlike most secured credit cards, this card provides additional services and benefits, including online [...]

Like a lot of Americans across the country right now, my neighbors have put their house up for sale.  They want to downsize and lower their monthly mortgage payment.  The house has been on the market for a few months now.  It’s a good size house, is well maintained and is in a desirable neighborhood [...]

Are you looking for a business checking account?
If you are, then here’s a bonus offer from Chase.

From now till April 15, 2010, if you open a Chase Business Account and make a deposit of at least $1,000 within 30 days of opening the account, you can receive $100 bonus. It’s a pretty good deal since [...]

Last week, I wrote a post about the $70 night out I had with my husband. In the cheap night out post I knocked myself for spending a week’s worth of grocery money on one dinner and a movie. Luckily, Len Penzo of Len Penzo dot Com stopped by and slapped a little bit of [...]

The Recession has hit many Americans hard. As we get into tax season, many people may not realize that events such as a job loss or new unexpected burdens may have tax implications that need to be addressed on your return. The good news is that the Internal Revenue Service recently announced that it is [...]

It’s common knowledge that everyone should save for and prepare for retirement. Most parents would like to be able to save towards their children’s future college costs as well. Problem is, in today’s economy, the vast majority of household budgets are stretched so incredibly thin, that there’s usually not even two cents left to rub [...]

It’s still more than a month away from the 2010 tax deadline, April 15, 2010. If you haven’t finished your tax return yet, there’s still plenty of time to get it done before the deadline, so it may be a little early to talk about tax extension. However, if for any reason that you believe [...]

Apparently, I don’t get out much. This weekend, Hubby and I decided to go out with another couple for dinner and a movie. 4 hours and $70 later I was in the car on the way home with a stunned expression on my face trying to figure out where it all went wrong.
You know, I [...]

The parallel between habits when it comes to food and money are significant. Many people reach for a cookie when they’re depressed, others for their credit card. Some celebrate with cake and sweets, still others by purchasing themselves tangible treats. If you’re an emotional spender, best for you – and your budget – to fess [...]