January 17th, 2013
Would You Go Back in Time to Fix Your Credit?
This week on our Facebook page, we posted the following:
Fill-in-the-blank: The first thing you should do to start fixing poor credit is _______.
My favorite response came from a guy named Eric:
1. Buy a DeLorean
2. Go 88 mph
3. Go back in time to smack yourself and tear up those credit cards.
Done.
Clever, right? (And hopefully you get the reference.)
But after my initial chuckle, I got to thinking, “Would I really go back in time?” Probably not, and here’s why.
Mistakes = Lessons
How many times on this blog have we written about our past mistakes turning into lessons? Let’s take a look. I wrote about how my past relationships actually led to great money lessons. Justine wrote about how a simple error of timing cost her big and what she learned from her first speeding ticket. Guest contributor Kristina talked about recognizing problems and then correcting them in “A Second Chance at Financial Freedom.” And Ezra even shared the things we can learn from the one big mistake that is Jersey Shore.
Just from this small sample you can see that we’re big about learning from mistakes around here. Your mistakes—however big or small—leave behind lessons and make you who you are. Which leads to the next point…
September 26th, 2012
3 Steps For Never Failing Your Financial Goals
September 14th, 2012
When Frugality Does More Harm Than Good
March 13th, 2012
Shopping Gimmicks That Make Us All Suckers
February 24th, 2012
12 Tools to Reverse the Effects of “Geno-Economics”
December 21st, 2011
Chicken-Fried Generosity: ‘Tis the Seasoning of Giving
December 15th, 2011
Lessons on Buying Clothes and Cheese
November 16th, 2011
Lessons from Novels and Mustaches: How to Tackle Any Financial Challenge this November
I made the admirably foolish goal to write a 50,000 word novel in November as part of NaNoWriMo. My Credit Karma cohorts Bethy and Justine decided to try and summit this literary Everest as well. As you might expect with anything stupidly difficult, we were met with some obstacles. But the lessons we learned apply just as well to any financial challenges you might be undertaking. Whether you’re saving money for the holidays or finally sticking to a budget, these tips can give you an extra boost while trying to meet your financial challenges. Keep reading and benefit from our folly.
November 8th, 2011
Everybody’s Trying to Sell You Something
I love the smell of a brand-new magazine straight from the newsstand. The pages are crisp. It’s like you can smell the printing ink. But what’s that other smell? Oh, right; it’s the perfume advertisements that assault your senses before you even crack the spine of your brand-new Glamour magazine.
I keep a number of magazines at my desk for content inspiration and general reading pleasure. I picked one up the other day and started flipping through, only to discover that it took 50 whole pages to get to the table of contents.
October 19th, 2011
The Free Monkey Problem: The High Cost of Free Things
Free Monkeys for All
Imagine someone was giving away free monkeys on the street. They’re adorable and the price is right (free). You’d have to be crazy not to take one, right? A handshake later, you’re the proud owner of a monkey named Timbo... for free! Online, a marmoset like Timbo would cost $2,600! What a steal! But was the monkey really free?
