In my latest American Express OPEN Forum article, I discuss how the skills you develop on the basketball court — or football field or baseball diamond — can help you in your career. Click through to see the five reasons you should dust off your old tennis racquets.
Hi Jean,
I watch you all the time on channel 4 news. I like the way you answer everyday questions, rather than Suze Orman. I am thinking about your debt free diet. Right now I have a question regarding what else! Credit Cards. I just applied at my local credit union for a card at a lower finance rate to consolidate another card I have which I pay $100 a month and the interest takes up half the amount. I do have some cd’s that I can cash in to pay off. I do not use them but I did not close them. I do not have much left in life as far as savings goes. Help Please – MaryAnn
Hi MaryAnn,
Thanks so much for watching. You did exactly the right thing — when our interest rates are too high and our current creditors won’t lower them, we look for lower interest rates in the form of a balance transfer somewhere else. More…
This week, my New York Daily News column – which is syndicated, so it may have ended up in your local paper, as well – was about recouping some of the cash that’s spent on weddings. Everything from the dress to the decorations is finding a place on the used market these days.
Of course, saving money upfront is an even better option. The column caught the eye of my friend Josh from college, who shot me an email this morning outlining the money-saving strategies he and his wife used when they got married in 2000. More…
This morning on Today we talked about why a good credit score could still result in a denied credit card, and how to negotiate debt in a divorce. Check out the video below for all of the details:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Yesterday I was on Today to talk about what you need to watch out for when it comes to credit cards. Have a look at the video clip below to see what we discussed.
Hello Jean,
I just became a member. Per this article, you are saying it’s wise to erase or retreive your credit card numbers after you make a purchase online…is that correct? So, in other words, you should submit the information every time you purchase and erase it after your order is complete? I order at Amazon, and have an account at Paypal. Should I retrieve my credit card info that I have left there?
– Susanm
Thanks for your question. Sites like Amazon often store credit card information when you make a purchase – although in most cases, they’ll ask your permission first. In the future, if you want to be really safe, you should decline to have them store your credit card information, and simply type it in every time (you should always do this if you make a purchase from a public computer – and in fact, just to be on the safe side, try not to make purchases from public computers, like those in libraries or Internet cafes). It takes a bit more time, but gives you peace of mind. More…
If you were watching Today this morning, you know that today marks the end of my sixperiment (if you don’t know what I’m talking about, click that link for a briefer). I’ve officially made it through 30 days of wearing only six items of clothing, often updating Facebook, Twitter and this blog with my progress. It was fun, monotonous, frustrating, a little boring, and very often a bit of a relief. My morning routine was, to say the least, streamlined.
I also learned a lot about how to edit my closet – what I need, what I don’t need – and I have a few bags ready to be donated. To that end, I thought I’d share some tips with you. Even if you’re not ready or willing to limit yourself to six items of clothing – trust me, I understand – it can be really freeing to clean out your closet and live a little more simply, whatever that means to you. The extra money in your pocket is just icing on the cake. More…
Earlier this year, the CARD Act went into effect, changing the credit card market as we knew it. Many of the changes were in favor of the consumer: a grace period is now required on interest rate increases, there are new notification rules, and creditors have to consider payments made before 5pm on the due date as on time.
Another provision, though, was a huge game changer for college students: In order to get a credit card under age 21, you have to prove you have the income to make the payments, or get a co-signer. More…
This week, I invited Naomi Panzer, creator of mymommymanners.com, to help us deal with some of the awkward moments that pop up between moms every now and then. I hope you enjoy – and let us both know what you think in the comments.
Making friends with other moms can be downright daunting (and keeping them, just as exhausting). The constant, swirling mass of mom-on-mom judgment, criticism and competitiveness makes connecting with our parenting peers an endless cycle of frustration—from the mom at preschool who’s always one-upping you, to your old friend who thought it was fun to give your sugar-free daughter a frosted doughnut.
It’s no surprise that one of the touchiest topics among moms is money. Having too much, not having enough, where you spend it and how you handle it wiggles its way into motherhood and can sabotage even the closest of friendships. More…
This week, I asked Erin Chase, a fellow blogger and the author of The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, to join us with a guest post. She’s a master at putting inexpensive – and easy – meals on the table, and offered to share two of her favorite recipes.
When it comes to making dinner in my kitchen, I’m always on the lookout for the easy, convenient and of course the least expensive way to get dinner on the table. I love this White Chicken Chili recipe because it is made from scratch, it slow cooks all day, and it satisfies the hungry masses come dinner time!
Making your own sauce from scratch saves both time and money. I recommend making up a large batch of homemade white sauce and freezing it in plastic containers, in 2 or 3 cup portions. I substitute 1 can of “cream of” soup for 2-3 cups of homemade white sauce.
Also, cooking dried beans in large batches, then freezing in meal size portions, adds to your time and money savings. Rather than cooking 1 cup of dried beans at a time, prepare the entire bag, drain, cool, then freeze the cooked beans in 2 cups portions. I find that 2 cups of cooked beans is the equivalent of 1 15 ounce can of beans. Cooking dried beans costs 50-75% less than buying canned beans.
By making your own sauce and cooking dried beans, this White Chicken Chili meal comes in well under the $5 mark! More…
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