Living with credit

Matt Kepnes, the blogger behind the popular travel blog NomadicMatt.com, has been jetting around the world for five straight years. I received the latest issue of his email newsletter this week, and had a little smile when I saw that airline credit cards were one of the topics. Matt recommend a site I'd never heard of before called MileWise.com, which helps you track your reward programs. I know this concept isn't new, but the site does something I've never heard of before. MileWise.com's homepage says, "Search flights in cash, miles and points. We recommend the best way to pay, so you save money and earn more rewards." Yes, please!

Please keep reading for my list of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week!

Earlier this week, I went to run an errand during lunchtime and stopped at a small neighborhood gas station. I swiped my credit card, entered my ZIP code and waited. Eventually, I was told there was a network error. I wasn't the only one. All of the customers had to go up to a kiosk and deal with a cashier and a malfunctioning network. The line was growing and people were getting irritable or leaving.

I've always wondered what would happen if a real crisis caused all network connections to go down or electricity to fail, which would prevent credit card processing from working. I love paying for gas with my credit or debit cards so that I don't have to try to predict how much I need to spend ahead of time. But maybe I should consider carrying enough cash for a tank of gas.

For plenty of great personal finance tips and advice, read on for my list of my 10 favorite blog posts from the past week.

Jan. 20 is Inauguration Day in the United States. One year from now, will President Barack Obama still be in office, or will we be watching a new Republican candidate sworn in? While incumbents are usually favored, who knows what will happen this time next year.

Read on for my list of 10 of my favorite personal finance blog posts I found in the past week.

Suze Orman came out with her own debit card this week, called the Approved Card. It's received a lot of attention -- not all of it positive. Some people are aghast that a personal finance expert would push her own product to her loyal following. I have no problem with that. I don't even mind her making lots of money on it. But it had better be a good deal at the same time.

It's a buyer's market in the world of real estate right now, and many of my late-20s peers are itching to snatch up a house with prices and interest rates so low. But most of us either don't have enough savings or enough credit history to qualify. According to data from the National Association of Realtors, that means that first-time homebuyers are becoming rarer in the market, and those who do buy are turning to their parents for help.

What makes me nervous about this is that if you can't afford a mortgage on your own, can you really afford a home? Owning a home means you pay for homeowner's insurance, maintenance, any homeowner's association fees and property taxes. Even if my parents did help me buy a house, I don't think I'm financially prepared to incur all of those other costs that go along with being a homeowner, and I'm worried that some of my peers who buy homes with parents' help may not realize how much more expensive overall it can be than renting.

Don't get me wrong -- I'd love to own a home someday. But I'm in no rush. I'm still celebrating the fact that I escaped the holidays without credit card debt! Keep reading for my list of my top 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week.

Each year feels like it passes faster than the next, and 2011 was no exception. So much changed for me when I got married in March. On that day, my husband's daunting law school debt became partly my responsibility (he is in his second year), and we then got on the same insurance plans. My emergency fund was also partly depleted in 2011 due to an unexpected laptop death.

On the bright side, I managed to go on an amazing trip to Costa Rica in October without incurring any debt due to diligent savings. I also escaped this past holiday season without any credit card debt--a first for me.

If one or more of your resolutions for 2012 is to improve your finances, read on for this list of 10 great personal finance blog posts from the past week.

Holy moly, the holidays are almost here. Hanukkah starts on Tuesday evening, and Christmas is in just over a week away. With a gift list that includes my husband, parents, step-parents, siblings, in-laws, and a few special colleagues, I'm definitely feeling the pinch.

If you are one of those many people who has been procrastinating holiday shopping, whether you're too busy or are avoiding spending the money, here are several easy ways to get affordable holiday presents. Plus, read my roundup of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from this past week.

It's interesting to me that women who are hard-working and financially responsible are some of the best potential mates, but some men seem to have trouble getting serious with women who make more or have better careers. Come on, guys -- let's celebrate the ladies instead of being scared of them! Who cares if you have credit card debt or are still in the early stages of your career. We can love you just as much anyway. I should know; my husband is in law school!

Read on for my list of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week.

I've written numerous times about chip-and-PIN credit cards, but mostly about how it's frustrating that the technology has been adopted in Europe and Asia, but not in the United States. It makes international travel frustrating.

Some U.S. issuers started making chip-and-PIN cards this year, but they were small and exclusive banks such as the United Nations Federal Credit Union. Today, I'm a happy girl because, according to The Washington Post, Chase rolled out a chip-and-PIN card in November!

Keep on reading for more details and my list of my very favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week.

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week, which means it's nearly Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Then we really won't be able to avoid the holiday commercials and music everywhere we go. Companies with existing gift cards are already pushing them hard.

Gift cards are extremely convenient, especially since so many can be sent by email. But the thing that kills me is that the recipient knows the exact value you spent on the gift. Plus, gift cards are also inherently risky since it's not guaranteed the stores will be there forever. Then again, it's very hard to beat the luxury of getting to buy whatever you want in a certain store or restaurant.

Read on for my list of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week, many of which offer great tips for holiday shopping!

Several weeks ago, I had jury duty for the first time. Even though my dad is a lawyer and my husband is in law school, but I never really stopped to think about how much the legal system financially impacts everyone involved, from jurors to the families of the defendant and victims. We can all do our best to obey the law, but nobody is perfect, and one wrong move can wreck us financially. Another reason why it's best to always be prepared. 

I hope you'll learn more about personal finance with my list of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week!

American consumers have really found their voice lately. In late September, Bank of America announced it would be implementing a $5 monthly fee for some debit card users, and their customers went into a rage. People complained hotly and loudly in every online outlet possible that this change was unacceptable and that they would take their business elsewhere. A little more than a month later on Nov. 11, Bank of America changed course and said it was scratching its plans to add a fee.

Just a few months ago, Netflix made headlines when they announced a major price increase in addition to a splitting of DVD and streaming services. They received massive amounts of backlash. Netflix eventually crawled back into the spotlight and admitted the flub, and decided to go back to just having one service with two products.

People have been using social media to broadcast bad experiences with companies, but I feel like in the past few months, consumers have really had a huge voice and lead major corporations to change their policies and prices. For all kinds of interesting financial tidbits and know-how, please read on for my roundup of my 10 favorite money-related blog posts from the past week!

I am back from my trip to Costa Rica, and I had a great time despite the fact that I returned to a week of intense jury duty. As I always do when I travel, I enjoyed observing how money is handled differently. From a lack of credit card acceptance to massive coins, things definitely operate differently abroad.

Learn about some of the many differences I observed between the way day-to-day finances are handled in the U.S. versus Costa Rica. Plus, read my roundup below of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week!

Even my toaster has to go. It's one of those fancy, stainless steel, four-slicer monstrosities. It won't fit on the limited counter space in my new kitchen.

I'm in the midst of downsizing, and it isn't pretty. I woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago and decided it was time to take the plunge and sell my house. What I was not prepared for was not only would I have to sell my house, but almost everything else I had accumulated over the past 20 years. Plus, I would have to buy a new home, which while less expensive, isn't a cheap process.

Four years ago today, the Taking Charge blog posted its first entry.

I blogged about my daughter, a middle-schooler at the time, who was discovering the convenience of plastic payment cards.

She was a newbie at the school and had not yet gotten her school ID card, which also doubles as the lunch payment card. So, she pulled out cash at the lunch counter and slowed the whole line down. Lesson learned: Plastic is faster and doesn't anger the folks in line behind you.

That was four years ago. The payment card world has changed dramatically since then.

This weekend, I'm traveling to Costa Rica for the first time. I'll be hanging out in Tamarindo for a few days, then doing a much-needed retreat at Peace Retreat in Playa Negra. It's a tiny little town on the Pacific Coast. It sounds like a very peaceful and relaxing place. I was reading the retreat's website for details of what to bring, and I read that there are no ATMs in the town. You have to go to Tamarindo (which is nearby) if you need to get cash.

I've done a lot of traveling, but I don't know if I've ever gone anywhere (perhaps other than a volunteer trip to the slums of Mexico) that doesn't have ATMs. I'm not sure if any of the local merchants accept credit cards. I'm going to have to hope that I bring the right amount of cash.

My first thought was that this was a major inconvenience. Internet may be spotty, too. But you know what? I'm realizing that it might actually be nice to unplug. Being in a small beach town is exactly what I need right now to unwind, and if that comes with no ATMs, minimal cell phone service, and spotty WiFi, I'll take it. I wouldn't want every day to be that way, but a simpler life will be nice for a week.

Keep reading for my roundup of my 10 favorite personal finance blog posts from the past week. Enjoy!

Earlier this week, a friend posted on Facebook that he went to a drive-through restaurant. As he pulled up to the window, the cashier smiled and said that the person before him left behind a dollar for his order -- a random act of kindness. My friend was taken aback by this small but kind gesture. He decided to pass it along to the next person, feeling the need to pay it forward.

It felt fitting when I read that today is World Smile Day. You know that famous yellow smiley face icon you see everywhere? It was created in 1963 by artist Harvey Ball. Times are tough, and we could all use a genuine smile here and there or a random act of kindness. On this day, let's all take a deep breath, remember that we are all in this together and share our beautiful smiles with the world.

If you're looking for great advice on budgeting, holiday shopping or warding off identity theft, these 10 of my favorite personal finance posts from the past week will put a smile on your face.

On Wednesday evening at sundown, the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashana began. It's considered the Jewish new year, and its name translates to "head of the year." I was raised Jewish, and while I no longer actively practice, I remember enjoying this annual celebration.

Rosh Hashana kicks off a series of 10 days that are intended for self-reflection.

A common custom on Rosh Hashana is to eat apples dipped in honey. It's a great way to look forward to a sweet new year. Here's my weekly roundup of favorite personal finance tips from around the blogosphere.

Boy, did that backfire.

I'm talking about Bank of America's new policy of charging its debit-card-using customers $5 a month for that privilege.

And I bet Citi, Wells Fargo and Chase are breathing a huge sigh of relief for just "testing" the debit-card-fee waters in a few states instead of doing what BofA did in one fell swoop.

The reaction from consumers is pretty hostile.