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> <channel><title>The Dollar Stretch</title> <atom:link href="http://www.thedollarstretch.com/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com</link> <description>Increase Your Financial Fitness</description> <lastBuildDate>Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:52:16 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency> <generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator> <xhtml:meta xmlns:xhtml="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" name="robots" content="noindex" /> <item><title>The Psychology of Stuff: Consumerism &amp; Debt</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/psychology-stuff-consumerism-debt/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/psychology-stuff-consumerism-debt/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:41:02 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Budgeting & Debt Elimination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Credit & Spending]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Household Spending]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=3</guid> <description><![CDATA[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&#8217;re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you&#8217;ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you&#8217;re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you. ~Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club What is it about &#8216;stuff&#8217; ?  How is it that some silly new object &#8211; a couch, an outfit, drapes, a power tool &#8211; can turn an adult woman into a giddy school girl and a grown man into &#8230; well lets be honest &#8230; the same child he always is?  Are we hard wired to feel a rush at the acquisition of some new possession?  Does our obsession with &#8216;stuff&#8217; represent some essentially human quality, perhaps even something that served us well from an evolutionary perspective, to constantly feel a need to accumulate newer and better things?  And while Tyler Durden and Mr Palahniuk  enthusiastically crucify our culture of consumerism and address an interesting existential question about our obsession with &#8216;stuff&#8217; (do [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/psychology-stuff-consumerism-debt/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Prescription Drugs: 4 Money Saving Ideas</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/prescription-drugs-dont-be-a-pill/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/prescription-drugs-dont-be-a-pill/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:50:23 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Credit & Spending]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Household Spending]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=249</guid> <description><![CDATA[I&#8217;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, a panic attack most closely resembles an overwhelmingly intense psychological feeling that you are going to die. And the best part -  a panic attack actually includes physical symptoms that appear nearly identical to a heart attack (sweating, tightness in your chest, tingling in your fingers, dizziness, difficulty breathing, palpitations, etc). There is nothing quite like being a grown man and lying curled up in the middle of your living room convinced that you are going to die and having no idea why. The best part is that some of us get to ride this roller-coaster multiple times a day for weeks, months, and years. Good times those panic attacks! But god bless the pharmaceutical companies. For all the flack they take as a popular scapegoat amongst the herd (you know, those individuals looking to point the finger outwardly at the thing, person, or entity most responsible for [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/prescription-drugs-dont-be-a-pill/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>The Millionaire Next Door: Are You all Hat and No Cattle?</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-millionaire-next-door-are-you-all-hat-and-no-cattle/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-millionaire-next-door-are-you-all-hat-and-no-cattle/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:12:23 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Credit & Spending]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Finance News & Book Reviews]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=225</guid> <description><![CDATA[&#8220;All hat and no cattle&#8221; 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 &#8220;walk the talk&#8221;. In The Millionaire Next Door, by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Dankoit&#8217;s, &#8220;all hat and no cattle&#8221; is a phrase that&#8217;s used to help illustrate the difference between two groups of people in this country that the book highlights: prodigious accumulators of wealth (PAWS) and under accumulators of wealth (UAWS).  And while The Millionaire Next Door is more a sociological profile of millionaires in this country (their purchasing habits, education, employment, investing preferences, etc) than a manual on the step by step process to achieving millionaire status, I think there are some worthwhile takeaways from the book that make it well worth the read. But before proceeding lets take a closer look at the two groups of people that the authors of this book choose to focus on: PAWS and UAWS. Which One are You? The authors of The Millionaire Next Door use a formula that looks at the relationship between an individual&#8217;s annual income and cumulative net worth.  Here&#8217;s how it works: A $500,000 per [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-millionaire-next-door-are-you-all-hat-and-no-cattle/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Retirement Investment Options: 401(k) Basics</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/retirement-investments-options-401k-basics/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/retirement-investments-options-401k-basics/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 19:06:18 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[401(k)]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saving & Investing]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=128</guid> <description><![CDATA[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 401(k) provides the average investor with two important advantages. The primary benefit of this investment option is that all contributions and earnings to your 401(k) are tax deferred. As opposed to increasingly popular options like the Roth IRA, you only pay taxes on contributions and earnings when the money is withdrawn. An equally important feature is that many employers provide matching (ie, FREE!) contributions to your 401(k) account which can range from 0% to 100% of your contributions. These tax deferred contributions/earnings and employer contribution make the 401(k) account a very attractive retirement savings option that most of us would do well to take advantage of. Lets take a quick look at some of the important features to consider when contributing to and managing a 401(k) retirement account. While beyond the scope of this particular post, individual circumstances (age, investment choices, retirement goals, and the diversity [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/retirement-investments-options-401k-basics/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Cell Phone Savings &#8211; What Would Zach Morris Do?</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/cell-phone-savings-what-would-zach-morris-do/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/cell-phone-savings-what-would-zach-morris-do/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:57:10 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Credit & Spending]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Saving & Investing]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=113</guid> <description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve always been that guy when it comes to cell phones. And anybody reading this probably knows at least one guy like me &#8211; 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 &#8211; he&#8217;s the one walking around with the phone you had two years ago, the phone that just makes phone calls.  The horror &#8230; the horror! But to make matters worse, I&#8217;ve also been the guy who insisted you knew what a financially evolved creature I was &#8211; not falling for the overpriced gadgets and advertising enduced brainwashing of those of you wading at the shallow end of the gene pool. And I&#8217;ve been fine with being that guy up until this point in my life. Sure, I was still walking around with an analog phone when everything went digital. And yes, I was still carrying around a Zack Morris/Saved By the Bell sized phone when flip phones first came out.  By god, you would have to pry my Nokia 5110HJTQWXQ5TM27 from my cold dead hands before I fell for the dufus hipster spell of the iPhone. Ladies [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/cell-phone-savings-what-would-zach-morris-do/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Five Steps to a Monthly Budget</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/five-steps-to-a-monthly-budget/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/five-steps-to-a-monthly-budget/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:07:36 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Budgeting & Debt Elimination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Monthly Budget]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=104</guid> <description><![CDATA[If you have already visited The Dollar Stretch, hopefully you&#8217;ve had a chance to read my post &#8220;Track Your Spending &#8211; a 90 Day Challenge&#8220;, 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 &#8220;Track Your Spending&#8220;, keeping track of where your current financial resources are being directed will give you insight into your spending habits and patterns; the process I suggest will provide you with a financial barometer that will allow you to put together a monthly household budget that is based on your actual spending. Personal finance is exactly that &#8230; personal. So you need to take a look at what is going on financially in your home and not the one size fits all box of &#8220;40% of spending should go towards housing, 15% towards debt repayment, blah blah blah&#8221; that some personal finance gurus may suggest. And to quickly review the top three reasons for tracking your expenses (I recommend at least 90 days): 1) You&#8217;ll know exactly where your money is going and they&#8217;ll be no more looking at your bank account online with a blank [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/five-steps-to-a-monthly-budget/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>The Total Money Makeover &#8211; The Fundamentals</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-total-money-makeover-the-fundamentals/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-total-money-makeover-the-fundamentals/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Fri, 13 Aug 2010 01:58:01 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Budgeting & Debt Elimination]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Personal Finance News & Book Reviews]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=100</guid> <description><![CDATA[I would venture to guess that you won&#8217;t find a personal finance focused website out there that doesn&#8217;t include a post (or twenty) referencing Dave Ramsey &#8211; financial guru extraordinaire.   Mr. Ramsey&#8217;s personal finance empire includes a radio show, numerous books, a website, Financial Peace University, cds, DVDs, software, and countless other products and resources designed to assist Joe Consumer improve his/her financial health. In my opinion, the reason for Dave&#8217;s tremendous success and popularity is the accessibility of his personal finance approach and the common sense approach he takes in addressing the steps necessary to achieve financial freedom.  Quite simply &#8211; Mr. Ramsey&#8217;s approach flat out works. My favorite Dave Ramsey product is his book The Total Money Makeover : in my mind a MUST have for anybody interested in taking the first steps towards improving his or her financial health.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to visit your local library tomorrow and check out The Total Money Makeover and spend the next week reading it from cover to cover.  Two suggestions before you begin: don&#8217;t dismiss the simplicity of Dave&#8217;s recommendations and if you&#8217;re not religiously inclined be willing to look pass the biblical [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/the-total-money-makeover-the-fundamentals/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Nickle &amp; Dime Your Debt: 8 Income Boosting Ideas</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/nickle-dime-10-income-boosting-ideas/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/nickle-dime-10-income-boosting-ideas/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Thu, 12 Aug 2010 03:59:42 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=83</guid> <description><![CDATA[So you&#8217;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&#8217;s Fantasy Football draft. But stay a while &#8211; you&#8217;re amongst friends. At the very least stick around for this article &#8211; we both know your bank account could use a few (and I&#8217;m offering 10!) income boosting ideas. Many of us are enthused by the notion of getting out of debt quicker (hence the ever growing legion of self appointed purveyors of personal finance advice such as myself), but for most that enthusiasm dwindles when we realize the effort required to get our respective financial houses in order. That said, the simple truism touted thousands of times over in financial blogs, TV programs, radio shows, and books holds true: to get out of debt and start building wealth requires but a single step: SPEND LESS MONEY THAN YOU MAKE Ahh &#8230; the groans begin as visions of budgets and financial discipline dance in your head. But there are [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/nickle-dime-10-income-boosting-ideas/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Organic Food &#8211; Pardon me Bill Gates?!</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/organic-food-pardon-me-bill-gates/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/organic-food-pardon-me-bill-gates/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:31:24 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[Credit & Spending]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=80</guid> <description><![CDATA[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 Foods.  Anything less she declared, was simply uncivilized!  Needless to say I slunk into my chair for fear of being exposed as the Piggly Wiggly shopping, discount brand purchasing, plastic bag using Philistine that I am. But then again, my coworker Tammi is 28, lives with her cat Snookie (yes, she hasn&#8217;t completed a project on time in three years but does manage to catch every episode of The Jersey Shore), dates a guy who still frosts his hair in an homage to his fallen boy band comrades, and in general seems to spend her time and money in an unending pursuit of fickle fashionability.  Organic groceries, Whole Foods, and The Jersey Shore &#8230; Pardon me Mrs Bill Gates with the 1993 Honda Accord and the free rental agreement in mom and dad&#8217;s luxury basement. But it made me think &#8211; why are we (the Tammi in all [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/organic-food-pardon-me-bill-gates/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item><title>Welcome to The Dollar Stretch!</title><link>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/welcome-to-the-dollar-stretch/</link> <comments>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/welcome-to-the-dollar-stretch/#comments</comments> <pubDate>Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:45:58 +0000</pubDate> <dc:creator>TDS</dc:creator> <category><![CDATA[About]]></category> <guid
isPermaLink="false">http://www.thedollarstretch.com/?p=75</guid> <description><![CDATA[The Dollar Stretch. When you think &#8220;stretch&#8221; what comes to mind? Let&#8217;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 intellect, e.g. with challenging or demanding work * to straighten or extend the body or part of it, especially the limbs, to full length * to lengthen, widen, or extend something, or become lengthened, widened, or extended, especially by force I think of the word &#8220;stretch&#8221; in each of these ways &#8211; especially when it comes to how I spend a dollar. Financially speaking, many of us are looking for information on how to increase our financial flexbility &#8211; how to spend, save, and invest smarter. We want our dollars to worker harder, smarter, longer, and to their full ability.  But doing so starts with a willingness to increase our financial literacy. There is truth to the worn out adage &#8211; learn to walk before you run.  This is especially true when it comes to personal finance.  Just as any of us would warm-up and stretch [...]]]></description> <wfw:commentRss>http://www.thedollarstretch.com/welcome-to-the-dollar-stretch/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>
