The Happy RockThe Happy RockChange Your Self, Change Your Wealth - A personal finance and development blog dedicated to personal and financial growth. Articles
How Much Does Adoption Cost? ? Less Than You Might Think
2008-01-23 06:05:00 The average infant adoption in the US can vary from $5,000 to $30,000 and one average costs $15,000 - $20,000. This article will not break down the different costs associated with adoptions, but it will list multiple ways that adoption expenses can be considerably lower than those numbers suggest. I am speaking from ... More About: Adoption , Cost
How Much Does Adoption Cost? ? Less Than You Might Think
2008-01-23 06:05:00 The average infant adoption in the US can vary from $5,000 to $30,000 and one average costs $15,000 - $20,000. This article will not break down the different costs associated with adoptions, but it will list multiple ways that adoption expenses can be considerably lower than those numbers suggest. I am speaking from ... More About: Adoption , Cost
Let?s Welcome The Happy Pebble Jr.
2008-01-21 06:29:00 The Happy Rock Garden welcomed its fourth member on Friday night, a second adopted son Julian. I will dub him The Happy Pebble Jr. to go along with our first Happy Pebble. He was born on Wednesday the 16th and we brought him home on Friday night. It all happened quite fast and unexpectedly ... More About: Misc
Tips To Kickstart Your Debt Reduction
2008-01-17 05:17:00 For those of us who have a mountain of debt or a small income, the journey to get out of debt is a long process. Along the way it is easy to become bored, sidetracked, depressed, or even to give up. Keeping on track is not easy, I know from experience. ... More About: Tips , Debt , Reduction
Does TurboTax, TaxCut And Other DIY Tax Software Really Save You Money?
2008-01-13 06:50:00 The obvious answer is??.Yes! The not so obvious answer is that it might cost me well over $300 dollars this year. First, the software can usually be purchased for next to nothing after rebates or through other programs. SlickDeals is a great way to scour the net for a deal on the software you want. The ... More About: Software , Money , Frugality , Save , Finance Software
The Vegetarian Experiment ? The Happy Rock Goes Veggie In January
2008-01-11 20:16:00 That?s right, the whole Happy Rock Garden is going vegetarian for the rest of January. I mentioned that I am not fond of resolutions, so here is an example of one way to spark change without resolutions. Experiment ! I will track being vegetarian for the month and the associated costs. Updates when ... More About: Health , Vegetarian , Food
Cash Only Spending Experiment Analysis
2008-01-09 19:30:00 Time to clean house. I have been carrying this dirty laundry around, since August. In July I started an all cash experiment to test the Dave Ramsey argument that you can save 12-18% just by spending cash. View the cash only experiment details here and the benefits of spending cash here. Some readers have asked me for ... More About: Analysis , Experiment , Spending , Experiments , Cash
Top 5 Reasons The New Year?s Resolutions Fail
2008-01-07 06:04:00 Like clockwork New Year ?s comes and everyone fantasizes about some habit they want to kick or a good behavior they want to start. I was on the resolution train for years, only to realize I was lucky to make it to February. I am here to offer some reasons why New Year?s resolutions aren?t ... More About: Habits , Motivation , Accountability , Experiments
The 5 Day 4 Night $200 Vacation
2008-01-03 06:18:00 I finally had to return to work today after 11 glorious days off. The first half of my time off was spent with family celebrating the holidays, and the second half was spent with family on vacation in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. We stayed in a 7 bedroom cabin complete with hot ... More About: Friends , Misc , Vacation , Night
Another Mini-Vacation
2007-12-27 18:30:00 The Happy Rock and family are heading up to the Adirondack Mountains of New York for a small vacation. The Happy Rock will be back posting again after the New Year. This vacation will be a good time to get away from the daily grind, gain some perspective, assess the year, and decide on some changes ... More About: Misc , Vacation , Mini
Merry Christmas With A Lesson From Ebenezer Scrooge
2007-12-22 06:43:00 “A merry Christmas , Bob!” said Scrooge , with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavor to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this ... More About: Lesson , Merry Christmas , Merry
Christmas, Debt, and Spending ? Our Example
2007-12-19 06:02:00 In the last post I asked some questions about the nature of Christmas spending and what we could do to change. I wanted to share some of the changes that my family has undergone in the last for years to fight the consumerism onslaught and then a few lessons learned. The Happy Rockette?s Family To set ... More About: Spending , Debt , Giving , Materialism
Can We Buy Meaning During The Holidays?
2007-12-16 05:47:00 Consumers planned holiday-related spending increased to $923.36? in 2007. Gift card spending alone was 24 billion dollars last year while the national spending average rises about 4.76% year after year. The money that gets tossed around on Christmas is staggering. Debt keeps us paying for Christmas well into the New Year. Gifts are ... More About: Holidays , Meaning , The Holidays
Call Comcast and Save On Your Cable Bill
2007-12-14 06:17:00 I wanted to share an abridged version my most recent cost cutting conversation with Comcast customer service. The dialogue is specific to my current situation, which was canceling cable, but it is representative of responses I have gotten in the past. They are willing to cut your bill. First, I dialed the Comcast customer service phone ... More About: Call , Frugality , Save , Bill
Quitting Cable - The Deed Is Done
2007-12-11 11:35:00 After some months of deliberation, I finally canceled cable. For those that don?t know the background, I put out a request for some support while I was considering dropping the tube in July. Then I posted some reasons why I should cancel cable backed by studies, and then finally provided a small blogosphere ... More About: Productivity , Cable , Quitting
Golf Ball Giveaway and a Personal Update
2007-12-11 05:35:00 I just wanted to let readers know that I will be back out of hibernation soon. I had been focused on three papers for my MBA classes for the last few weeks. I was quite interested in two of the papers and they took me quite a long time. It is amazing how different it ... More About: Personal , Golf , Misc , Update , Ball
Skip The Baby Carrots. Cheaper, healthier, and better.
2007-12-07 06:15:00 Recently we started buying regular carrots instead of the organic baby variety that we have loved for many years. I must admit the idea wasn?t mine; it was something I became willing to experiment with after reading this wonderful article from Andrea Dickson over at Wise Bread. The article gives a really interesting history ... More About: Baby , Food , Carrots , Frugality , Heal
Debt Reduction Tip - Divide and Attack
2007-12-01 06:32:00 Are you overwhelmed by the thought of trying to dig out of $15,000, $30,000, $60,000, or more of debt? Whenever the task at hand doesn?t seem possible, step back and divide the problem into small pieces that you can conquer. $25,000 may not seem possible given your current financial habits, but I bet most of ... More About: Debt , Reduction , Attack , Atta
The Cost Of Having Children
2007-11-28 05:29:00 A year after our son joined our family, I remember looking back over our budget and being amazed. Nothing had changed!!! How could that be? We had host of new expenses like $100 for formula every few months, yet the amount we could put towards debt and save each month hadn?t really changed. What happened ... More About: Children , Cost
Listen To The Dave Ramsey Show For Free
2007-11-25 16:21:00 Everyone who is struggling to get out of debt knows how hard it is. If you are looking for some support, advice, and motivation, Dave Ramsey is your man. During the 3 years it took us to get out of debt, I know listening to Dave Ramsey show kept ... More About: Show , Free , Listen
No Thanks In Thanksgiving But I Am Grateful
2007-11-25 05:40:00 The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings! -Henry Ward Beecher As I drove home from the second of our family?s Thanksgiving meals, I was struck by the fact that I hadn?t given thanks ... More About: Happiness , Materialism , Hank
Play A Game And Help End Global Hunger
2007-11-20 05:10:00 “About 25,000 people die each day from hunger or hunger-related causes, most of them children.” “The United Nations estimates that the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year.” This is post is about shedding some light on poverty around the world. It is ... More About: Food , Hunger , Play , Global , Game
How To Get Out Of Debt Faster - Big Shovel Edition
2007-11-18 06:15:00 One of the best tips for digging out from under a mountain of debt is to get a bigger shovel. Outside of finding deep meaningful motivation for getting out of debt, increasing the amount of money you put towards debt each month will probably the next biggest catalyst for overcoming debt. Note that if ... More About: Debt , Edition , Materialism , Aster , Hove
Have Your Car Fixed For Free : Auto Recalls And My 2003 Nissan Murano
2007-11-15 05:06:00 If you don?t get your car serviced at a dealership it can be very worthwhile to check the recalls that have been issued for your model vehicle. At SaferCar.gov The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) provides a simple tool for viewing and researching all auto recalls. Their website provides a host ... More About: Cars , Nissan , Free , Auto , Murano
Can?t Believe Everything You Read: 1953 Yale Goal Study
2007-11-13 18:28:00 ?Scientists surveyed the Yale class of 1953, and found that 3 percent had written down financial goals for their futures at their college graduation. When the group reconvened in 1973, this 3 percent of the class that had started their careers with some kind of plan controlled more combined net worth than the other 97 ... More About: Study , Read , Goal
Can?t Believe Everything You Read: 1953 Yale Goal Study
2007-11-13 18:28:00 ?Scientists surveyed the Yale class of 1953, and found that 3 percent had written down financial goals for their futures at their college graduation. When the group reconvened in 1973, this 3 percent of the class that had started their careers with some kind of plan controlled more combined net worth than the other 97 ... More About: Study , Read , Goal
Should I Report Ethical Misconduct At Work(Poll Included)
2007-11-11 19:58:00 The Simple Dollar tackled this question this week, and it really got me thinking. I must admit that I was surprised at the non-confrontational I can?t be a tattler sentiment in the article and in the comments. Somehow it feels frustrating that this is the accepted culture of business, but I guess that ... More About: Careers , Work , Report , Poll , Accountability
Sell Your Old Cell Phone For Cash
2007-11-09 06:35:00 Did you know that you can sell your old cell phone that you don?t use anymore for cash? I didn?t, but as I looked into a comment I came across a couple sites that give you cash for cell phones. I had heard of sites like Cell Swapper where you can sell your ... More About: Phone , Cell Phones , Cell Phone , Sell
Do We Earn The Right Not To Budget?
2007-11-07 06:10:00 I have admitted it before, The Rockette have never lived on a formal budget. The closest we come to real budgeting is what I label retroactive budgeting. This is when you come up with reasonable spending amount for the different categories like groceries, clothing, entertainment, etc. Then at the end the month ... More About: Energy , Financial , Motivation , Productivity , Earn
The ?Cost Per? Calculation Can Save You Money
More articles from this author:2007-11-04 05:09:00 Sometimes changing the criteria by which we assess the cast of a purchase can save us a lot of money. I like to use the trick of calculating the ‘Cost Per’ to see how much something will really cost. My favorite calculations are usually cost per use and cost per year, but the ... More About: Money , Frugality , Save 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 |
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