Personal Finance

Around the Web: From Complaint Tweets to Halloween Savings

September 29, 2011 by Beverly Blair Harzog 0 Comments

For your reading pleasure, I’ve put together a few of my favorite personal finance blog posts from this week. Hey, it’s Thursday and I think that’s reason enough to take a quick break from your routine and check out these posts.

The Consumerist: Tweet Gets Citi to Stop Junk Mail Deluge

Facebook may be primed for world domination, but never doubt the power of a tweet. A consumer, Dan, and his wife were getting tons of junk mail from Citi when Dan decided to take his frustration to Twitter. This post is a good example of the art of the complaint tweet.

Bargain Babe: Layaway Plans are Back!

Layaway used to be a time-honored method for paying for items you could only afford to pay for over time. I’m glad to see it making a comeback. If you know you’ll have to carry a balance if you use a credit card for a purchase, consider layaway instead. This is a well-researched post about layaway programs and you get the scoop on several popular stores that offer this option.

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Generation X Finance: Creating a Budget: Money Management 101

This post presents a sensible approach to the nuts and bolts of budgeting. It’s one thing to tell people to get a budget, but here, Jeremy Vohwinkle tells you how to put one together. Any consumer who needs to get a grip on their monthly spending will get a lot out of this post.

Money Crashers: Payoff.com Review – A Financial Tool to Help Fund Your Dreams

Doesn’t it seem like the financial tools on the Web are exploding in number? That’s a good thing, I think, but you have to choose a web site carefully. This post gives you the scoop on Payoff.com and has some visuals for those who need pictures to comprehend this stuff (raising my hand). There’s a list of features as well as advantages and disadvantages.

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PT Money Personal Finance: How I got a Credit Card Late Fee Waived

This post is an excellent blueprint for how to go about getting a fee waived. It won’t work every single time, but if you have a great credit history with your bank, your odds of success are pretty good if you use the approach in this post.

Wise Bread: 85 Easy, Frugal Halloween Ideas

I’ve always been a sucker for Halloween. My youngest is 15, but I still knock myself out decorating the house and the yard. Every year I create a giant spider web in the island in my front yard. I place a skeleton wearing an Atlanta Braves hat and holding a Diet Coke in the middle of it. I don’t have to worry about the costs of costumes any more, but if you do and you’re even just a tiny bit DIYish, take a look at this list on Wise Bread before you go shopping. You might save a lot of money.

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Image: Wusel007, via Wikimedia Commons