Mrs. Micah: Finance for a Freelance Life

Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel – Book Review and Giveaway

September 16th, 2009 · books & book reviews · 12 Comments

How far would you go to save money? Do you clip coupons? Avoid ATM fees by using cashback? Most of us have done both of those at least a few times. What about seeing multiple movies for the price of one ticket? Pretending it’s your birthday to get a free cake? Avoid bringing food to company potlucks? Spend your lunch hour cruising for free samples at Costco/Sam’s Club?

If you’ve done any of the latter, or if they made you laugh, then you might enjoying Phil Villarreal’s book Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets.

Don’t take the book seriously. Signing up for a credit card to get swag isn’t a good idea. And lying about any number of things (oh the lies he comes up with), would make me feel worse about saving the money than I would about spending it. This book is not a reliable life guide.

What it is, is hilarious.

Villarreal keeps you guessing–sometimes it’s hard to tell whether he’s recommending one of his tips or writing about it because it could work and he finds it hilarious to think of someone trying it.

Some of his tips are quite good and sane, though approached with his quirky style. For example, he has great tips for getting around ATM fees (commonsense stuff, but something to remember). Or he recounts calling the hospital after his second child’s birth and asking for 25% off the bill if he paid in cash. The hospital agreed. No hassle, simple call.

And after that sane advice, he’ll recommend you replace your scratched/damaged DVDs via a Netflix subscription. Get a clean copy from Netflix (hopefully!), mail back your damaged one. Could it work? Yes. Is it ethical? Not so much.

This is an easy book to pick up and put down. I read most of it during my morning metro commute. You can also pick it up on a day when all the PF blogs seem to be posting on the same topic. Whether you flip to a helpful hint or an outrageous suggestion, you’ll be entertained.

You can catch more Phil at his blog Because I Told You So, though a lot of it is coverage of his publicity (the protesters made me laugh).

That was the review, now for the giveaway. I’m giving away my review copy of the book. You too can learn the secrets of Americans stingiest scoundrel.

To enter: Leave a comment with the most outrageous money-saving tip you’ve heard or come up with. And let us know if you ever tried it!

Contest closes Wednesday, September 23rd at midnight, EDT. Winner will be notified by e-mail and must respond within a week or another winner will be chosen. One entry will be counted per person. You must have a valid e-mail address to enter. Void where prohibited. I will make the decision based on a drawing from random.org, I will make the final decision on valid entries.

What is the Difference Between a Credit Card and a Charge Card?

September 14th, 2009 · credit, credit cards, & credit card debt · 4 Comments

This is personal finance 101, so some of you may already know about it. But if you've wondered what the difference is, or if you're trying to find out more before you decide which kind to have, then read on. A charge card acts like a credit card in many ways. You can use it to pay for the same things as a credit card. You don't have to pay it off immediately, just like a credit card, and the money doesn't come right out of your bank account like it does when you use a debit card. You may hear advertising that charge cards don't have credit limits, but they still have de-facto limits (you can't just charge $16k).

[Read more →]

2nd Annual 22nd Birthday Celebration

September 13th, 2009 · life & miscellany · 8 Comments

Today's my 24th birthday. It's making me get all meta about my life and think about the big picture. I've been with Micah for a little over 7 years, over 1/4 of my life. I've been out of college for 2 years, married for 2 years. I've learned a lot about work, about commitment, about making ends meet.

[Read more →]

No More Paper Paychecks at Walmart

September 11th, 2009 · personal finance & money management · 17 Comments

Walmart, the nation's largest employer, has recently made a change that more employers will be making in the next few years. Instead of issuing paper checks and paystubs for employees who do not have direct deposit, they will be issuing payroll debit cards and electronic statements. Pay will be deposited automatically onto these debit cards each payday. Workers will have one free ATM transaction per pay period, if they want to withdraw all the money as cash. They may also withdraw their money free at Walmart and Sam's Club registers. The debit card will also function as a regular debit card. Additionally, employees will receive checkbooks, if desired, so that they can write checks on the account.

[Read more →]

The Woman With the Well – How Nellie Survived the Great Depression

September 9th, 2009 · personal finance & money management · 10 Comments

Nellie was left with three children when her husband died. It was 1931, 2 years into the Great Depression. She lived in rural Ohio and didn't have a highschool education. Nellie was in a real bad spot. Jobs were scarce and she didn't have the education, strength, or equal opportunity to complete with men for the few jobs that were available. Moreover, there was a drought in her region.

[Read more →]

Happy Labor Day – or Monday

September 7th, 2009 · blogging tips & blog updates · 1 Comment

Happy Labor Day, America! And rest of the world, happy Monday! This is the part where I can't resist saying "Workers of the world unite!" :) Taking a break from finances as I am from my day job, I wanted to let you know that I've updated my my about page. So if you're new or you've been here so long that the last 2 yeas jumble together, this update gives backstory and talks about where I am now.

[Read more →]