You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes....
Read more »

I’m an anxious man in an anxious world. Many things cause me anxiety.  Deadlines Gorgeous women Speaking in public Two more years of Mr. Obama My underfunded retirement account In early 2009 my anxiety reached the point of turning into an actual panic disorder. For those of you calm, cool, and collected souls out there,...
Read more »

“All hat and no cattle” Or to decipher this verbal riddle for those of you still scratching your head, this phrase is the somewhat more subtle equivalent of an individual that is not able to “walk the talk”. In The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Dankoit’s, “all hat and no...
Read more »

For many of us, a 401(k) is one of the most accessible and easily managed options when it comes to our retirement investment strategy. This accessibility is largely a function of the fact that the 401(k) remains one of the most popular retirement investment options offered by employers. But in addition its convenience, the...
Read more »

I’ve always been that guy when it comes to cell phones. And anybody reading this probably knows at least one guy like me – the guy that always goes with the free phone when signing up for a cell phone plan or extending a contract with a current provider.  You know this guy – he’s...
Read more »

If you have already visited The Dollar Stretch, hopefully you’ve had a chance to read my post “Track Your Spending – a 90 Day Challenge“, if not, or if you are new to this website, I suggest that you read that post prior to putting together a monthly budget. As I indicated in “Track...
Read more »

I would venture to guess that you won’t find a personal finance focused website out there that doesn’t include a post (or twenty) referencing Dave Ramsey – financial guru extraordinaire.   Mr. Ramsey’s personal finance empire includes a radio show, numerous books, a website, Financial Peace University, cds, DVDs, software, and countless other products and...
Read more »

So you’ve stumbled onto The Dollar Stretch and are now frantically hitting the back button on your browser hoping to get back to your task of avoiding doing actual work at work by searching out the latest Lady Gaga epiphany or attempting to confirm that you are all set for this weekend’s Fantasy Football...
Read more »

In an economy that has seen heavy job losses, pay freezes, high unemployment, and a host of other economic stressors, I found it particularly strange to listen to my friend at lunch today proudly announce to the office lunch group assembled  that she only eats organic food and does all of her grocery shopping at Whole...
Read more »

The Dollar Stretch. When you think “stretch” what comes to mind? Let’s look at a few possibilities: * to make limited supplies or resources go further than usual, planned, or expected * to strain or push something to the limit * to cause somebody to make full use of his or her abilities or...
Read more »