Archives

Welcome to the Archives! This is where all the stuff that hasn’t seen the light of day in months sits around. Good thing you’re here to explore!

If you’re looking for a quick insight into my best writing, check out the Best Of page, or see places I’ve been published/mentioned.

Browse the monthly archives of Fiscal Fizzle, or head past the dates to view everything by topic:

Monthly Archives

September 2010 (2)
- 02: Write an Elevator Pitch for Your Money (1)
- 01: Like Frogs in Boiling Water (6)
August 2010 (3)
- 31: 8 Lessons Learned from my Sabbatical (13)
- 27: Big Box Book Bonanza (Giveaway!) (4)
- 05: Pre-Register Now for the Fiscal Fizzle Newsletter (5)
July 2010 (1)
- 20: July Fizzle update…a preview (7)
June 2010 (1)
- 15: Blogging Sabbatical Update: Month 1 (3)
May 2010 (5)
- 14: I’m Going on a Blog Sabbatical (26)
- 12: How Can I Make It as a Single Parent? (5)
- 07: Baby Expense Report: Month 4 (14)
- 05: Attacking Your Power Bill (8)
- 03: Buying a Car from Hertz Rent2Buy (21)
April 2010 (8)
- 21: 5 Financial Items We Tend to Procrastinate (33)
- 19: Best of Money Carnival: Your Top 10 of Personal Finance (12)
- 16: Teach Kids Good Financial Habits with a Piggy Bank (3)
- 14: Too Much of a Good Thing?: Mortgage Prepayments (12)
- 08: Baby Expense Report: Month 3 (21)
- 06: Is an Extended Car Warranty Worth It? (2)
- 05: Can You Make a Living Recycling 10 Cent Bottles & Cans? (21)
- 01: Stop Wasting Time & Start Clipping Coupons! (22)
March 2010 (12)
- 31: March Links Roundup: Yakezie Challenge Edition (15)
- 29: Stopping Entitlement in Kids (11)
- 26: Should You Buy a New or Used Car? (10)
- 23: Would You Buy a Rental Car? (53)
- 21: Using Consumer Reports to Select a Car (3)
- 17: How to Sell Your Car on Craigslist (26)
- 15: Our One-Car Experiment and Car Decision (18)
- 14: Unatomate Your Finances: Adam Baker (9)
- 12: It's Okay to Pay for Value (25)
- 10: Socially Responsible Investment and an Improving Market (10)
- 09: Somebody, Please Take My Money (25)
- 08: Baby Expense Report: Month 2 (12)
February 2010 (17)
- 28: Sizzlers for February 2010 (5)
- 25: How To Live With Bad Credit (Half of Us Do!) (9)
- 24: Updates: Plutus Awards, #BP Twitter Chat Tonight (1)
- 23: Get a Second Job and Quit Whining About Debt (38)
- 22: How to Find a Financial Trim Tab (5)
- 19: Really Pay Yourself First: Doing a 180 on Savings (15)
- 18: Personal Finance in 3 Rules (Video): What Are Yours? (16)
- 16: There's No Such Thing as Passive Income (61)
- 15: Tips for a Smaller Headache This Tax Season (4)
- 13: Weigh In on The Best Debates (1)
- 10: Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage or Credit Card? (18)
- 09: What are Your Money Tapes? (7)
- 08: Baby Expense Report: Month 1 (6)
- 05: Lower Cable Bill, More Services: How I Did It (14)
- 04: Why You Probably Shouldn't Hire Outside Help (33)
- 02: 10 Steps to Online Shopping Safety (5)
- 01: Three Gift Cards for Fizzle's First Birthday! (20)
January 2010 (13)
- 29: Ron Insana Book Tour Stops Here (10)
- 28: How Personal is Personal Finance? (16)
- 26: Needs, Wants and Crap for a New Baby (22)
- 23: YNAB 3 Review: Give Me Back My Mvelopes (12)
- 21: Should Kids in High School Work? (42)
- 19: Spending With an Impact (9)
- 17: "Get Financially Naked" (Thakor/Kedar) (3)
- 15: 5 Good Reasons Not To Save Money (18)
- 13: How to Deal With Future Income (14)
- 10: Proud New Dad (and Mom) (17)
- 06: 6 Important Tasks After a New Baby's Birth (34)
- 05: Untemplater: Personal Finance for Generation Y (8)
- 04: Looking Out to 2010: Economy and Personal Finance (25)
December 2009 (10)
- 31: 5 Essential Money Lessons From 2009 (21)
- 29: Television Makes You Spend More? (Consciously Frugal) (7)
- 24: On Traditions and Christmas (Video) (0)
- 22: Purchase Case Study: Kodak Zi8 HD Camera (5)
- 19: 2009 Fizzle Favorites and Plans for 2010 (8)
- 17: Alternatives to Traditional Christmas Gifts (13)
- 14: A Personal Finance Reading List (32)
- 09: Pregnancy Expenses in the Third Trimester (16)
- 07: REVIEW: America, Welcome to the Poorhouse (Jane White) (2)
- 02: How to Write a Great Financial Mission Statement (10)
November 2009 (9)
- 30: How to Stay Frugal and Focused in a Recovery (15)
- 26: Things to Be Thankful For (2)
- 24: How to Take Advantage of a Crappy Economy (8)
- 20: The Path to Home Ownership (11)
- 16: 5 Ways to Get Ready for Worse Times Ahead (12)
- 12: Putting Together Your Personal Profit and Loss Table (7)
- 07: What's Sizzling? – November 7th Edition (1)
- 05: Writing an Awesome Personal Executive Summary (6)
- 03: Send the SWOT on Your Money (3)
October 2009 (10)
- 29: X Marks the Spot: Navigating Financial Treasure Maps (4)
- 24: What's Sizzling? – October 24th Edition (2)
- 22: Being Good With Money When You're Bad With Math (15)
- 19: Eat Well, Lose Weight, and Save Some Money (7)
- 15: Hurricanes and Planning for Financial Disaster (5)
- 13: Navigating The 4 Stages of New Car Ownership (10)
- 10: What's Sizzling? – October 10th Edition (0)
- 07: Money Saving Tips for Exercise (18)
- 05: Why Freelancing Benefits Your Day Job (11)
- 02: Fiscal Fizzle 2.0, Now With CC 3.0 (5)
September 2009 (12)
- 29: Pregnancy Expenses in the Second Trimester (9)
- 27: What's Sizzling? – September 27th Edition (1)
- 26: It's What You Do, Not What You Say (2)
- 24: Carnival of Pecuniary Delights #25 – Stephen Covey Edition (14)
- 22: Installing Financial Red-Light Cameras (9)
- 18: 15 Signs You're in Financial Denial (10)
- 15: 7 Ways to Find Your Financial Heart (8)
- 12: What's Sizzling? – September 12th Edition (1)
- 11: Building Passive Income with Cows (6)
- 09: The High Cost of Financial Clutter (4)
- 04: Using Life Roles to Organize Your Budget (7)
- 02: Book Reviews: Munny Journey & Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel (1)
August 2009 (23)
- 31: Fiscal Fizzle is Changing/August in Review (0)
- 28: What's Sizzling? – August 28th Edition (4)
- 27: 5 Benefits of Account Consolidation (4)
- 26: Ask Fizzle: Home Foreclosures and Cat Workouts (5)
- 25: Stop Being an Investing Chicken (5)
- 24: 5 Reasons to Dump Your Savings Account for a Brokerage (4)
- 21: What's Sizzling? – August 21st Edition (2)
- 20: Readers Weigh In: Your Worst Financial Nightmares (4)
- 19: The Days of Land Lines are Numbered (13)
- 18: Fifteen 5-Minute Tasks to Improve Your Finances (6)
- 17: Extremes in Personal Finance and the Conventional Approach (6)
- 14: What's Sizzling? – August 14th Edition (2)
- 13: The Foolproof Method for Responsible Credit Card Use (9)
- 12: Benefits of Using a Credit Card (9)
- 11: 55 Ways to Simplify Your Finances (23)
- 10: Why I Canceled My Collision and Comprehensive Insurance (6)
- 07: What's Sizzling? – August 7th Edition (2)
- 06: Is Cash Dead? 10 Places You'll Still Need It (13)
- 05: Readers Weigh In: Your Best Financial Advice for New Parents (10)
- 04: How The Internet Changed Personal Finance (4)
- 03: Is It Time for a New Car? (7)
- 02: Fiscal Fizzle Interview & Top 100 PF Tweeple (2)
- 01: The Best of July & 6 Months of Blogging (1)
July 2009 (23)
- 31: What's Sizzling? – July 31st Edition (3)
- 30: Pregnant? Consider Insurance and Legal Issues (3)
- 29: Review of "Expecting Money" by Erica Sandberg (0)
- 28: Pregnancy Expenses in the First Trimester (1)
- 27: We're Pregnant (Yay!) & The Launch of Baby Week (9)
- 24: What's Sizzling? – July 24th Edition (0)
- 23: 17 Tips for Recession Job Hunting (10)
- 22: Deciding What to Spend on a Wedding (4)
- 21: 5 Ways Vegetarianism Can Save You Money (22)
- 20: 5 Places to Find Diversified Financial Knowledge (4)
- 18: 'Staycation' Added to Webster's Dictionary (0)
- 17: What's Sizzling? – July 17th Edition (3)
- 16: Why Reading Personal Finance Blogs is Good For You (11)
- 15: Guest Post at Money Energy (0)
- 15: Saving More vs. Insuring More (10)
- 13: 6 Financial Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs (8)
- 10: What's Sizzling? – July 10th Edition (0)
- 09: Overview of Cash for Clunkers (5)
- 08: Resources for Buying Used Cars (3)
- 07: Alternative Forms of Transportation (1)
- 06: Getting the Best Car Insurance Rates (4)
- 03: What's Sizzling? – July 3rd Edition & The Best of June (1)
- 01: Forget Business – Do YOU Need a Business Plan? (0)
June 2009 (20)
- 30: Readers Weigh In: More Insurance or More Savings? (14)
- 29: Ways to Save for Retirement (1)
- 26: What's Sizzling? – June 26th Edition (1)
- 25: The 7 Habits of Personal Finance – Part II (1)
- 24: The 7 Habits of Personal Finance – Part I (7)
- 23: What is a Grocery Loss Leader? (0)
- 22: The Only Authentic Free Credit Report (0)
- 19: What's Sizzling? – June 19th Edition (2)
- 18: Frugal Father's Day Gifts (7)
- 17: 3 Ways to Control The Cost of Pets (2)
- 16: TED, Personal Finance, and a Little Creative Thinking (0)
- 15: Tracking Home Inventory Values: The Why and How (2)
- 12: What's Sizzling? – June 12th Edition (0)
- 10: 24 Reasons (Excuses) You Haven't Saved Money Yet (3)
- 09: Things I Learned on Our Trip to Ohio (3)
- 05: What's Sizzling? – June 5th Edition (1)
- 04: 7 Tips For Turning a Hobby Into a Side Income (1)
- 03: Saving $1,000 on Our Trip to Ohio (0)
- 02: Review of "The Cure for Money Madness" by Spencer Sherman (0)
- 01: Identifying Needs Versus Wants in Your Budget (4)
May 2009 (24)
- 30: May 2009 – Best of Fiscal Fizzle (2)
- 29: What's Sizzling? – May 29th Edition (1)
- 28: Modeling Government After Business (1)
- 27: Make Brown-Bagging Efficient and Fun (9)
- 26: Saving on Groceries by Doubling Up Coupons (4)
- 25: How Credit Scores Are Determined (0)
- 22: What's Sizzling? – May 22nd Edition (2)
- 21: 13 Lucky Ways to Save on Groceries (0)
- 20: Creating Graphic Tools to Motivate Your Finances (5)
- 19: Why I Use an Envelope Budget (and Free e-Book Giveaway) (4)
- 18: The Basics of Setting Financial Priorities (2)
- 16: What's Sizzling? – May 16th Edition (0)
- 14: Readers Weigh In: Should Government Be Run Like a Business? (10)
- 13: 6 More Job Hunting Tips for New Graduates (5)
- 12: Don't Play The Recession Victim at Work – Boost Your Productivity (1)
- 11: Tracking Your Finances: Tasks and Tools (1)
- 09: Frugal Mother's Day Gift Ideas (2)
- 08: What's Sizzling? – May 8th Edition (2)
- 07: Is It Better for One or Both Parents to Work? – The Verdict Is In (10)
- 06: Drips Turn Into Rivers – Another Car Story (4)
- 05: Eat In or Go Out? It Depends on the Food! (0)
- 04: What Types of Accounts Should I Open? (2)
- 02: Introducing Joyce House – The Coupon Diva (3)
- 01: What's Sizzling? – May 1st Edition (and The Best of April) (2)
April 2009 (23)
- 30: Readers Weigh In: Is It Better for One or Both Parents to Work? (19)
- 29: Saving Money When You're Always in a Hurry (7)
- 28: Can Swine Flu Affect Your Finances? (6)
- 27: How to Set Up Your First Successful Budget – Part III (Tracking & Review) (3)
- 26: Where is My Tax Money Spent? A Visual Guide (1)
- 25: More Motivational Quotes for a Bad Economy (0)
- 24: What's Sizzling? – April 24th Edition (1)
- 22: Optimizing Your Contact With Money (3)
- 21: Hungry for Spending? 8 Reasons to Try a Cash-Only Diet (4)
- 20: How to Set Up Your First Successful Budget – Part II (Organizing and Setup) (2)
- 17: What's Sizzling? – April 17th Edition (3)
- 16: 5 Ways to Fight Financial Stagnation (4)
- 15: How a $300 Home Inspection Saved Us $10,000 (1)
- 14: 7 Ways to Stop Eating Out From Killing Your Budget (19)
- 13: How to Set Up Your First Successful Budget – Part I (Understanding & Research) (1)
- 11: April is Financial Literacy Month (1)
- 10: What's Sizzling? – April 10th Edition (0)
- 09: 4 Unexpected Expenses You Can Count On (12)
- 08: Why Consumer Reports is an Amazing Value (2)
- 07: 5 Ways to Motivate Your Savings (3)
- 06: How to Calculate Your Net Worth (4)
- 03: What's Sizzling? – April 3rd Edition (0)
- 01: March 2009 in Review (0)
March 2009 (26)
- 31: How To Handle a Pay Cut (Financially Speaking) (5)
- 30: Mvelopes: Review of Free Trial (0)
- 29: What Sizzled the Week of March 22nd? (0)
- 28: Tag! 7 Things You Didn't Know About Me (0)
- 27: How to Set Joint Financial Goals with Your Partner (8)
- 26: What's Your Reason for Working? (8)
- 25: Using a Monthly Report to Discuss Money With Your Spouse (9)
- 24: Ten Reasons Why Budgets Fail (6)
- 23: Book Review: The Skinny on Credit Cards by Jim Randel (4)
- 22: What Sizzled the Week of March 15th? (0)
- 20: 22 Ideas for Cheap Dates (2)
- 19: 11 Ways to Stay Positive in a Bad Economy (5)
- 18: The Value of Affordable Entertainment (4)
- 17: 10 Ways to Leverage Your Wedding Budget (2)
- 16: Mvelopes/Finicity Money Manager: Experience So Far (0)
- 15: What Sizzled the Week of March 8th? (1)
- 14: Lessons Learned From My 2008 Taxes (1)
- 12: Review of Life Matters/Principled Money Management (2)
- 11: Using Adult Allowance to Cut Back on Expenses (1)
- 10: Ideas for Vacations in a Bad Economy (5)
- 08: What Sizzled the Week of March 1st? (3)
- 05: Google Debuts Tip Jar (1)
- 04: 100,000 Miles and Beyond – Make Your Car Last Longer (0)
- 03: Principles of Car Ownership (0)
- 02: How to Save on Moving Expenses (2)
- 01: What Sizzled the Week of February 22nd? (0)
February 2009 (24)
- 27: February in Review (0)
- 26: My Mvelope Trial Begins: Initial Report (1)
- 25: Recession Buster: A Collection of Positive Quotations (2)
- 24: The Lifetime Cost of Owning a Dog (14)
- 23: Invest for the Long Term: A Bit of Perspective (1)
- 22: What Sizzled the Week of February 15th? (0)
- 21: The Emotional Impact of a Layoff (2)
- 20: Layoff Checklist (1)
- 18: How To Find Cash Fast When Unemployed (0)
- 17: Should Personal Finance Be Taught in School? (1)
- 16: The Adult Piggy Bank: A Gradual Savings Plan (3)
- 15: What Sizzled the Week of February 8th? (2)
- 14: Should You Take Vacations in a Bad Economy? (6)
- 12: Young Professionals: Handling Money in a Downturn (1)
- 12: An (Almost) Horror Story About Car Repair (0)
- 11: Spending Down, Savings Up – The Paradox (1)
- 10: Desperate for Valentine's Day Ideas? (1)
- 10: 10 Ways to Quickly Slash Your Electric Bill (0)
- 07: Going Out of Business Sale? Think Twice (0)
- 06: Using a Wish List to Curb Impulse Spending (6)
- 04: The Positive Side of Unemployment (1)
- 03: Spending Down, Savings Up – There is Hope After All (0)
- 02: Are Wholesale Clubs Really Worth It? (0)
- 01: Why Tax Refunds are Bad (2)

Explore by Topic