In these times of economic turmoil, one of the biggest casualties has been personal credit. Many people are seeing a drop to their credit scores, and finding it difficult to get the best rates on a number of products and services. This includes car leases, for those who prefer to lease their cars. And, if a double-dip recession becomes a reality, this problem could continue. Those with credit that is good enough to lease may find that they are not getting the best payment plan for their money.
One way that you can improve your chances of getting better pricing is …read more

One of the more interesting places that you can use to create and manage savings goals is SmartyPig. The site allows you to set up separate accounts that you can label for different purposes. These accounts then earn interest, allowing you to have your money work for you while you minutely track progress toward your savings goals. Today, SmartyPig is announcing the introduction of a 12% cash boost program. Here is what a press release from SmartyPig announces about how the program works, and the possibilities:
Now, when customers meet their savings goal they can realize up to 12% in cash …read more

Once a month, my husband and I fast. We go without food for 24 hours. It’s part of our religious practice, but fasting has benefits that go beyond the spiritual. Indeed, there are actually financial benefits to fasting — although some of them are a little more indirect.
Benefits derived from fasting
Here are some of the financial benefits that you can derive from fasting:

Save money: When you aren’t spending the money on food, you can save it. My husband and I probably save about $10 a month for that one day we don’t fast. It’s not a whole lot, but $120 …read more

Who brings in the most money in college football? You actually might be a little surprised to find that Texas tops the list. USC, Ohio State, and Florida would have been my top guesses! Take a look at the top teams, though (I rounded the numbers):

Texas, $120 million
Ohio State, $118 million
Florida, $106 million
Michigan, $99 million
Wisconsin, $93 million
Penn State, $92 million
Auburn, $89 million
Alabama, $89 million
Tennessee, $89 million
Oklahoma State, $89 million

Most surprising on this list, I thought, was Wisconsin, and I was also surprised to see that USC didn’t hit the list until number 19. The first non-BCS school to hit the …read more