By Will ChenHow to write an effective thank you note for any occasion: Say thank you (of course). Express a detailed appreciation of the opportunity or gift:  "Thank you for the gift of $20 on the occasion of my graduation." Build towards a future connection:  "I hope you’ll stop in over Thanksgiving break at my parents so we can touch base."  The Simple Dollar Paying a la carte can save you a bundle.  Study showed that gym members overestimate how often they'll use their membership by over 70%.  People who purchased single-use passes actually saved more money than those who paid for long term ... (more)

By Linsey KnerlI know of parents who don’t ever discuss money with their kids. “They should be carefree at this age,” they claim. Money isn’t an appropriate topic for family conversation at these homes. But is this a cop-out for preparing kids for real life? And are they missing an opportunity to keep one another accountable to a single goal? It took me many years for me to figure out that I was raised in a poorer home. I had everything I needed up to the age that I felt entitled to more. Junior ... (more)

By Myscha TheriaultIt’s official. Summer has started, and with it comes the onslaught of family picnics and pot luck gatherings. Seventh Generation wants to help. They are giving away a gift pack of picnic items from their eco friendly product line to one lucky Wise Bread reader.  Simply submit a comment telling us why you need picnic support this summer season and you’ll be entered to win. The deadline? Wednesday, June 25th at 9:00 a.m. EST. Read on for gift pack details and of course, enter to win! I’ve been reviewing portions of the Seventh Generation product line for a while ... (more)

By Xin LuYesterday Paul Michael wrote an article comparing the income tax policies of McCain and Obama and suggested that he would vote for Obama because Obama's tax policy would benefit everyone but the uber-rich. In the comments on the article there are many great comments about the candidates' tax policies and how it is not so simple to say that Obama's plan is better. One particular comment that stuck out to me is about Obama's stance on doubling capital gains taxes, and I think that is possibly the worst tax policy ever, and here is ... (more)

By Philip BrewerThere are a lot of ways to become rich.  Some people work hard and save their money.  Some people win the lottery.  Some people invent something wonderfully useful.  An awful lot of people who get rich, though, do it by being evil.  Here's a quick look at some evil tactics, and some thoughts on whether they can work for you. Most of the people who get rich by being evil run a business.  Running a business isn't evil, of course, and running a business is a lot of hard work, whether you're evil or not.  It suits some people, ... (more)

By Sarah WinfreyWe all think about money. On one hand, it's hard not to right now, with oil prices soaring, interest rates falling, and mortgages crumbling all over the place. In fact, even people who don't normally think about money are thinking about it now. Non-budgeters are budgeting, non-investors are investing, non-savers are saving. And these are all good things! Overall, people are reining in materialistic lifestyles and substituting wise, frugal ones instead. We're gaining patience and discipline with our finances that can only help us over the long run. The problem with anthing that requires a large dose of ... (more)

By Paul MichaelI want to keep this factual. This is not an article on who should be the next President, or as these campaigns usually go, who shouldn’t be President. This is a simple presentation of facts as they stand today. Bottom line - who’d be better for your bottom line next year...Obama or McCain? The Tax Policy Center has done some serious analysis of the current tax policies of our two candidates. You can read about it here , and download the 37-page report here . Of course, as these are preliminary figures they’re likely to change a little, but ... (more)

By Linsey KnerlRecently our own Xin Lu wrote a post on a motivating way to lose weight (a very interesting piece.) Imagine my surprise when a commenter spoke my mind by sharing the ultimate in “green” workouts! Not only does this daily routine give me tone and energy, but I’ll be enjoying the “fruits” of my labor in just a few short weeks! Commenter “Shelle” shared her tips for getting in shape while planting the seeds for a season of delicious natural meals – gardening! And while I was already well on my way to having one of ... (more)

By Xin LuA commenter on Wise Bread wrote a Chinese proverb about marketing that reminded me that there are many Chinese proverbs about money and personal finance. Here are a few of the ones I hear quite often. An inch of time is worth an inch of gold; but it is hard to buy one inch of time with one inch of gold - I was taught this proverb at a young age. It is can be interpreted as "time is more precious than money" and in many ways I find that to be true. I trade my ... (more)

By Julie RainsI brought a bag filled with quarters to pay for my meal at an Italian restaurant recently. I’ve been taking an informal survey of merchants to see who welcomes my coins. Having received a cool reception from the cashier at a gas/convenience store, I modified my coin-paying technique; now I carry quarters in a plastic bag separate from dimes, nickels, and pennies to accelerate sales transactions. When I showed my bag to the restaurant cashier (also the hostess, waitress, and owner’s wife), I was amused and surprised at her gesture. She reached down and produced a stash of her own, all quarters ... (more)

By Kate LutherHow would you like to get out and "see the world"? Visit the Carthage Ruins or spend a week just hiking across Europe. Paris, Italy or maybe the Bahamas... there's really just no end to the places you can go. Now, I know what you're saying - those places cost money and technically you'd be right. While traveling is certainly one of the more exciting ways to spend your time, airfare and hotel rooms can add up quickly and with the economy the way it is... well, it looks like Aunt Tessie's farm is about all the traveling you'll ... (more)

By Fred LeeAttention all drivers: the next time you’re out cruising the boulevard and the person in front of you has a bumper sticker that says, “Honk if you love…” you’d better think twice about hitting that horn. As reported in the Washington Post , a recent study has shown that the presence of bumper stickers is a good indication of how aggressive a driver can be and how likely their aggression will turn to road rage. It is believed that up to two-thirds of accidents on the road can somehow be attributed to aggressive driving The study , out of ... (more)

By Philip BrewerHappier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment by Tal Ben-Shahar. Here are two ideas you already know: You won't achieve maximum happiness by always doing the most pleasurable thing you can think of at each moment, but neither will you find it by always deferring present happiness in favor of greater future happiness. The key is balancing these two things. And the genius in this book is that it gives you tools for finding that balance. Ben-Shahar begins with these two (poor) strategies for finding happiness. He calls one the "rat-race" ... (more)

By Philip BrewerThe Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow. The human brain has a powerful capability to spot patterns. It's so good at spotting patterns, it can spot patterns that aren't even there. It's this fact that makes randomness--the topic of Mlodinow's new book--so interesting and so confusing. Let's say you're a subject in this experiment: A scientist has rigged up a light to flash red or green, and arranged things so that it flashes red twice as often as green. You guess whether it will be red or green--and you get a reward ... (more)

By Xin LuI graduated from college just three years ago, so the confusion and anxiety I felt after graduating college is still quite fresh in my mind. I moved out of my parents' house a week after graduation and started at my new job, and since then I have learned a lot of things about the "real world". Here are some of my best advice for new graduates who are transitioning from the safe structured environment of school to a seemingly infinitely larger world. Learn to manage your money - It does not matter how much ... (more)

By Philip BrewerAs long as prices are free to rise, I wouldn't expect much in the way of gasoline shortages--at least not widespread, long-lasting ones.  But it's actually pretty easy to produce a local, short-term one.  In fact, it doesn't take much more than people worrying that there might be one. Suppose one local filling station has a supply glitch and the local TV stations and local paper run with scary headlines over a picture of the "No gas" sign.  If that prompts any sizable fraction of drivers to stop in their local filling station for a precautionary extra fill-up, that ... (more)

By Linsey KnerlWater is a necessity. Soft water may not be. Depending on where you live and how you use water, the cost of processing your water may not be worth it. What is soft water? Depending on who you ask, it may mean different things. Simply put, “soft” water has been processed so that excess levels of dissolved minerals are removed. Specifically, it is “hard” water (containing calcium, magnesium, bicarbonates, and sulfates) that has been put through a water softener. According to Wikipedia, “A water softener, like a fabric softener, works on the ... (more)

By Julie RainsFormer kid entrepreneur, co-founder of iContact (a leading on-demand email marketing service) while an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and now Chief Executive Officer of iContact, Ryan Allis, has lots of ideas for getting money to grow a business. He’s got real-world experience, which he shares in his book Zero to One Million: How I Built A Company to $1 Million in Sales... And How You Can, Too. Using Ryan's expertise as a guide, here are ways, simple to sophisticated, to get money for your business: Use money from a regular job, part-time job, one-time ... (more)

By Myscha TheriaultIn these days of planetary consciousness and squeezing every nickel, any new idea helps. Here’s an “extreme green” list of ways to put previously discarded items to new use.  Empty Chianti Bottles. In addition to great long term candle holders, they are also great for olive oil dispensers, particularly if you buy your in a large bulk can. You can either add a pourable spout, or stick with the cork from the original bottle. It’s a much easier size to manage on your counter or back of the stove. Wine Bottles in General. They really are fabulous creative fodder for any ... (more)

By Fred LeeAttention drivers! Fasten your seat belts and prepare yourselves for a wild and crazy journey back to the madness of the seventies. But you’d better remember to hold onto your hats. Or in this case, your gas caps. In a situation redolent of oil embargoes and gas rationing, fuel prices in this country continue their dizzying ascent into the stratosphere. As a consequence, there has been an alarming increase not only the rising number of gasoline thefts, but in the extreme lengths that some of perps are willing to go to in order to steal the precious petrol. Most of ... (more)

By Paul MichaelI’ll be honest, I’m not a fitness nut. I don’t like exercising, it always seems like a chore. But what if it wasn’t? What if it were, dare I say it, almost a game? That’s what Wii Fit promises…but will it pass the test? For the benefit of Wisebread readers who own a Wii (or were thinking of buying one), I decided to put Wii Fit through its paces. Although to be fair, it was more like the Wii Fit put me through mine. Remember though, I’m not exactly a fitness freak. � The Wii Fit concept is great; ... (more)

By Philip BrewerIt might seem like creativity would flourish best in the absence of any constraining routine.  In fact, the opposite is true:  Having a routine is very useful for protecting your creativity. Most people have the outline of a routine provided for them--they get up, they go to work or school, they come home, they go to bed.  This sort of rhythm provides a useful constraint on your routine--perhaps you shower before work, run errands on the way home, mow the lawn on the weekend.  If you're going to do any sort of creative work, you need to carve out ... (more)

By Philip BrewerWith each move by the airlines to claw back a bit of the profit that has vanished into the twin maws of competition and higher fuel prices, and with each move by the government to increase "security," air travel has become a little more dreadful.  I'm glad we have a rail alternative. The town where I live has Amtrak service.  (This is not purely a matter of luck.  Although my wife and I each moved here for ordinary reasons--job opportunities and personal connections--Amtrak service is a non-trivial part of the reason that we've stayed here.) Since, for a lot of ... (more)

By Xin LuWhen I lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, I walked practically everywhere because my family did not have a car. The grocery store was a block away, and the beach was less than a mile south. Nearly everything we needed was within walking distance because Honolulu is a fairly densely populated city. Before my family moved to California, we heard from my aunt that not having a car in California is like not having legs because you have to drive almost everywhere. Unfortunately, this is certainly true in the exurbs of Southern California and many suburbs ... (more)

By Myscha TheriaultHow little luggage can you take and how low can you go on the budget end? This article will help spell it all out. With all the talk of airlines starting to charge for the very first bag you check, “one-bag” travel (or the pursuit of it) is going to become a larger priority for many.  This is easier to achieve on some trips rather than others. My personal indicators? The length, diversity and independence level of the trip. The longer my husband and I are traveling, the more climates, cultures and regions we’re trying to see, or ... (more)