My Two Dollars

Do You Still Write Paper Checks?

I write just one lonely paper check per month. My landlord is the lucky recipient of said paper check, and I write him this paper check because I usually hand it to him in person. I could have my bank, Charles Schwab, send out a check each month to him without me even having to do anything, but I like the act of paying the man directly for his house, as he worked really hard on fixing it up before I moved in. All of my other monthly bills, from Charter Cable to AT&T to my local utility companies, are charged directly and automatically to my Amtrak Rewards credit card each month, and I have four automatic payments sent to the card each week which pay off the total of my bills for the month. This method helps me out in several different ways:

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banking

By David

Be Your Own Boss – 10 Reasons Why I Love the Benefits of Being Self-Employed

As many long-time readers of any of my sites may know, I have been self-employed for about 5 years now. I left corporate America to strike out on my own, and I hope to never ever look back. Sure my income is a pittance compared to the money I was making working for “The Man”, and I definitely don’t live anywhere near as care-free as I used to, but I have many reasons why this is perfectly fine with me and is a trade I consider totally worth it.

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working

By David

Helping Good Neighbors – 10 Communal Items to Share and Save Money

We all know times are tight right now, with so many unemployed and tons more losing their houses to foreclosure. It’s a really sad situation and one that we all hope turns around relatively soon. In the meantime, however, we all still need to keep on living — and that means that we often need to spend money on things for our family or our homes in order to keep everything in order. But these expenses can add up quickly, especially for repairs if you are a homeowner and need to pay for everything yourself (those expensive repairs are when I am thankful I am a renter!), so careful planning and discussion amongst friends prior to making big purchases can really help out your bottom line.

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saving

By David

How to Prevent Bicycle Theft and Find Stolen Bikes

A good friend of mine had his bike stolen last week. His VERY EXPENSIVE bike at that. It was “locked” up right in front of a restaurant he was eating at, and he never thought for a second that he would come out after finishing his meal to find it simply not there anymore. It was one long pissed-off walk home that day, that’s for sure. Bike theft is pretty common because, well, it’s rather easy to steal a bike, ride away on it, and then sell it for a few bucks. Most people buy cheap locks (or none at all) and some have even had their two-wheeled transportation stolen from their own yard. Because of my buddy’s predicament last week, I figured there were others out there who could use some advice on how to prevent their own bike from being stolen, and this is what I found out. Hope it helps!

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saving

By David

State Sales Tax Holiday 2011 – AL, CT, LA, MD, NC, TX, VA

Have some larger than average expenses coming up this year? Plan on buying some new appliances, computers, or worse yet an entire new wardrobe for your rapidly growing teenager? Don’t fret, I might be able to save you some cash. Before you head out to the mall or your nearest big-box store you may want to take a look at when (if) your state holds its annual “Sales Tax Holiday” in 2011 to save yourself a few bucks. Statewide sales tax holidays were first enacted in 1996 as a way to as give consumers a good incentive to shop at their local businesses. While most states normally restrict exemptions only up to a certain amount (say, $300), shoppers can actually buy an unlimited amount of these items free of taxes for the days that the holiday is in place.

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shopping