Bankrate has some advice for those of you who want to buy the home you are currently renting.
advice
![Insider Tips For Buying Jewelry](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_pinkdoggywithnecklace.jpg?w=178&h=139&crop=1)
Insider Tips For Buying Jewelry
The diamond industry is a big stinking sham, but if you’re stuck in a relationship where you can’t get away with a plastic spider ring for a gift—well, first of all, we feel sorry for you, but second of all, here are some great tips to help you save money when jewelry shopping.
![Borrowing From—And Loaning To—Friends And Family](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_emptypocketshandofchang.jpg?w=178&h=157&crop=1)
Borrowing From—And Loaning To—Friends And Family
Ah, what an awkward situation—over the phone, or whispered at your desk, or asked face to face over beers at your weekly hangout. What’s the best way to respond when someone you love (or at least like to some degree) wants to borrow money? And what if you’re the one in need? Betterbudgeting.com offers some advice on when to loan and when to figure out whether you’re just enabling a bad habit.
![8 Tips For Fish Shopping](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_biguglyfishontable.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
8 Tips For Fish Shopping
If you grew up in a landlocked area like this author did—or you’re just not a foodie at heart—odds are you’re a bit clueless when it comes to fish shopping. Alton Brown of the Food Network offers some quick advice on how to find the best fish the next time you go to the market.
![When Should You Buy New Technology?](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_argylemanbuyingtv.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
When Should You Buy New Technology?
The short answer: when it’s no longer new, of course—early adopters are the pawns in the great game of consumer electronics, easily sacrificed by both sides in order to fuel product launches, establish word of mouth, and help discover any 1st-gen bugs. (*cough* iPhone *cough*) SmartMoney says on average, wait six months after a product is released before buying it, but they also provide a list of specific advice for things like cellphones, computers, and cameras.
![4 Tips For Keeping Your Digital Pictures Safe](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_touristphotoofoldlady.jpg?w=178&h=133&crop=1)
4 Tips For Keeping Your Digital Pictures Safe
Where would we be without photos? We’d have no blackmail, no things to cut up after a divorce, no US Weekly, and no pictures to stare at on The Consumerist. And now that there are digital cameras, anyone can take ’em. But like emails, thesis statements, and that Great American Novel you’ve been working on for years, they’re prone to digital oblivion if you don’t take some precautions. The Associated Press has four basic tips that you should already be following to keep your digital pics safe.
![5 Furniture Shopping Tips](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_cardboardfurniture.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
5 Furniture Shopping Tips
Despite the crummy real estate market and generally listing economy, now is a good time to go furniture shopping, apparently. That’s partly because consolidation and increased competition has squeezed out everyone except for discount-happy big box retailers in some cities, and partly because business is down overall this year so everyone is trying to attract more customers with markdowns.
![9 Ways To Break Your Shopping Addiction](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_shamefulshoppers.jpg?w=178&h=225&crop=1)
9 Ways To Break Your Shopping Addiction
If you compulsively shop, shop to cheer yourself up, experience regret after spending money you don’t have, run up high credit card bills, and generally behave like a freshman college student at your first beer blast, then… well, we don’t want to go all Dr. Phil on you, but you might have a little bit of a problem. Sharon Epperson, author of “The Big Payoff,” offers 9 tips on how to curb your addiction.
![What Should You Do With A Windfall?](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_leprechaunfroggy.jpg?w=178&h=220&crop=1)
What Should You Do With A Windfall?
Mighty Bargain Hunter offers some advice on what to do with your next windfall—it doesn’t have to be a lot of money, just a little more than you planned for in your budget, leaving you happily able to pick and choose how to spend or invest it.
![Good Laptop Bags For Guys](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_smashedlaptop.jpg?w=178&h=150&crop=1)
Good Laptop Bags For Guys
Buying a decent bag for your laptop can turn into an epic quest if you’re at all picky—there are a hundred bulky or badly built bags our there, and some flat-out ugly ones that look like they were designed by camels. A member of Ask Metafilter posted the following request earlier today: “I need a bag for a man with a computer.” His qualifications included that it should be padded, stylish, affordable, and not too bulky.
![Is Your Dentist Giving Your Bank Account A Root Canal?](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/con_grill.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Is Your Dentist Giving Your Bank Account A Root Canal?
We had to take out a loan earlier this year to pay for some dental work that our insurance wouldn’t cover. It sucked. What’s worse is that as we shared dental stories with friends, we quickly realized that our dentist is what you might call a “premium” service provider, in that she charges awesomely high fees for her work. What we should have done was the get a second or third opinion, among other things, says Personal Finance Advice website.
![If Your Financial Planner Won't Tell You How They Make Money Off Of You, Run Away](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/mole.jpg?w=167&h=162&crop=1)
If Your Financial Planner Won't Tell You How They Make Money Off Of You, Run Away
Money has a new column written by an anonymous financial planner (and you know how much we love that sort of sh*t), who says that if your financial planner is honest, he or she will tell you how you’re making them money.
![Howto: Find a Reputable Mover](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/hernia-movers.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Howto: Find a Reputable Mover
Moving sucks, even if you’re trading up. The un/packing, the organization of all your crap, the sound of packing tape being unrolled… I hate it all. I dread it like I dread root canal. At least the dentist gives you Novocaine.
10 Things To Never Buy Used
There’s a few things to avoid purchasing used, because they’re expensive if they, likely to, and/or dangerous if they break, according to MSN Money.
Grandpa's Financial Advice
Diversify your money. My grandfather was a bootlegger in the 1920s. He had an old Tin Lizzy that he used to drive around rural Illinois, carrying his wares under a tarp on the back. Unsurprisingly, given that Prohibition was ongoing, these were cash-only transactions, and he would often drive along in that old rusty machine across the backwoods of Illinois, in the time before there was even many paved roads….He kept all of his money in a local bank, the building of which was still standing when I was a child (though it has since been torn down)…Most of the businesses that the bank owner was invested in were bankrupt by the end of 1930, but the bank owner kept trying to play the market and make the money back. Well, in late 1931, word got around that the bank had almost no money at all, and lots of people went to the bank to try to collect. The bank just shut their doors, locked them up, and the bank owner left town with what remained of everyone’s money. My grandfather happened to be out on a run then, and when he came back to find himself in financial ruin, it changed his life forever.
Free Financial Check-Up
- For the fifth time, we are joining with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) to sponsor Kiplinger’s Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Days. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, January 16, and Friday, January 26, NAPFA members across the U.S. will be standing by to take your calls and answer your questions.
Stock Up on Cheap Hurricane Supplies
Channel 10 in Tampa. FL has an interesting consumer tip. Stock up on Hurricane Supplies. They’re on sale. Sort of like buying Christmas decorations the day after Christmas, but more morbid.