The Sun's Financial Diary

To be honest, I hate going out during the holiday season. No, strike that. I hate having to go out during the holiday season. The occasional outing to checkout sparkling lights at night or look at holiday decorations is fine, but I dread having to deal with overcrowded stores and cram-packed parking lots. And try [...]

When we had less than we do now, financially speaking, my husband made the observation that – simply put – it’s expensive to not have money. And even now with both of us out of college for many years, he employed full-time out of the home and I self-employed, he still makes that comment from [...]

If you have children, you’ve likely heard the words, “But I’m bored…” more than a few times. I’d even venture to guess that you’ve also likely suffered from cabin fever a time or two yourself. But sometimes – either due to weather or budget or any other number of infinite reasons – getting out is [...]

What’s better than great savings while shopping online? Getting even more for the money you spend! And, believe it or not, there’s a number of ways to do just that. Use the quick tips below to help ensure you get more than your money’s worth. Pay with a card that pays you back. With the [...]

Great things come in small packages. The little things in life often mean the most. Never judge a book by its cover – or price tag. Need I go on? The same can be true of spending our money (or not) in correlation to our enjoyment of life. While admittedly having money can relieve a [...]

For many people the words “thrifty,” “cost-cutting,” and “frugal” all scream “boring,” “self-depriving,” and well, let’s face it, “cheap” (and not in a good way!) It needn’t be the case, though. “Fiscally sound” can be great for your budget and fun for you, too. In fact, often times all it takes is a more positive, [...]

“Oh, not again!” “I’m tired of that!” “Ah, I’m not hungry anyway…” If you’ve heard any of these – or one of the numerous variations thereof – than you’re likely the person not only trying to stretch the family dollar via the culinary route, but trying to minimize unnecessary waste as well. It’s not an [...]

No matter how hard you work to avoid it and much you loathe the idea of forking out hard earned money to pay for it, there are unavoidable times you must invest in something new. Soothe the shock of having to shell out the cash and take comfort in the fact that there is much [...]