ArcaMax

Celebrity chef Alton Brown contends that a kitchen tool that does only one job is mostly useless. He calls anything like a pickle fork, garlic press, strawberry stem remover or hot dog steamer a "unitasker."

His advice? Don't waste your time and money on any kitchen tool if it is only good for one thing. It will just take up valuable space, ...Read more

Finally, you have a couple of months where things are going well. The bills get paid on time, and you actually have money left at the end of the month. Then, pow! Without warning, the water heater bursts, the car breaks down, and the first half of the property tax bill is past due -- and suddenly you're broke.

How can you possibly plan or ...Read more

Buying a home is likely the largest purchase you will ever make. This is not the time to make mistakes that could easily plunge you into an unfavorable financial situation.

During my 18-year career as a real estate broker, I learned a lot of things, but none was as valuable as what not to do! I didn't learn this in a seminar or while studying ...Read more

For many years I wouldn't have anything to do with a budget because I couldn't stand the idea of anyone -- or anything -- telling me how to spend my money. And where did that get me? Into one big financial mess.

Every month, when I ran out of money, I would turn to MasterCard and Visa for a bailout. To me, any available credit was the same as ...Read more

Need a foolproof way to cut your food/grocery expenses by 25% this month? Announce to your family that there will be a complete ban on the consumption of food during the first week of every month. There. That should do it! Twenty-five percent right off the top.

What?! Don't think you can pull that off? Me neither, but not to worry. Here are ...Read more

Humidity, or the lack thereof, is always a popular topic. Where I live in northern Colorado, it's dry! We have no humidity. Well, not exactly, but it averages in the low- to mid-20% during the summer and fall months. We have a humidifier in our home, and it runs 24/7 year-round for health and comfort.

Recently, lots of readers have inquired ...Read more

The wedding was complicated and expensive. But it's over, and you are ready to settle back and enjoy your new life together. I'm here to warn you about some common money myths that newlyweds have been known to bring with them into their marriages.

But wait. You're not a newlywed? No one is immune to believing these myths. No matter your marital...Read more

While tying the knot is getting more expensive for the bride and groom, attending a wedding is becoming costlier, too. Some surveys reveal the average guest will spend $673 this year to attend a single wedding -- including but not limited to travel, accommodations and attire.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I SPEND ON A GIFT?

I'm not here to tell you what to...Read more

What's behind your closet door? Orderly rows of shoes, stacks of folded T-shirts and hanging clothes arranged by color and season? Or do you have a situation that could be declared a national disaster?

If the latter, you might ask the president for federal disaster relief funds -- or you could just get organized.

Here are simple steps to find ...Read more

I just read something that made me laugh out loud -- mostly because it's funny, but also because it is poignantly true.

"I wonder what my kids are going to tell their kids ... 'It was so rough back in my day. I didn't get a phone 'til 4th grade and sometimes the wifi didn't always work upstairs!'"

You're laughing too, aren't you? Well, I want ...Read more

When I packed up my kitchen for our big move a few years ago, I was embarrassed to discover what I had accumulated in the spice drawer.

I'm pretty sure there were a couple bottles in there that were certified antiques, predating the Nixon administration. And that ground allspice? I think the "sell by" date was 50 A.D.

DO SPICES EXPIRE?

The ...Read more

Could you use an extra $300? You might want to take a look in your garbage. A survey conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization revealed that global food waste per year is roughly 40-50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables! Mind-boggling, right?

Here's a fun crash course in the how, where and why of fresh fruits and vegetables. Start ...Read more

From time to time, this kind of question pops up in my inbox: How can I get started investing in stocks and mutual funds that are risk-free and have guaranteed high rates of return?

Of course, that makes me laugh, not only because there is no such thing as a risk-free investment -- let alone one with a guaranteed high rate of return -- but also...Read more

Do you know what I love? Walking into my supermarket the day after Thanksgiving and hearing the best Christmas music ever. Yeah! And if I wasn't in the mood to bake Christmas cookies before I got there, just hearing that lovely music changes everything. Right there, that proves I am the quintessential impulsive consumer. That retailer's got my ...Read more

It was a Sunday night, and the house felt cold. The Doloski family's furnace was clearly not working. Within minutes of arriving, the service technician diagnosed the problem: They needed a new igniter. At least the problem was one they could not have resolved themselves.

Then the technician opened the side panel of the furnace. Filthy. ...Read more

A lovely new assisted living complex is under construction close to where I live. As beautiful as this place is, it has become a daily reminder of how difficult it can be to talk to aging parents about their health and future needs.

If you're 40 or older, you're part of the sandwich generation, which refers to middle-aged individuals who feel ...Read more

I don't know why some of us have such a strong propensity to accumulate, collect and otherwise hold on to stuff beyond a reasonable limit. Maybe we're born that way. Or, more likely, we've picked up an understandable yet unfounded fear of not having enough of what we might need someday. Whatever the reason, what starts as clutter can quickly ...Read more

It's an interesting question and one that comes up every time I write about how to use and maintain a dishwasher. For many readers, hand-washing dishes just feels better and is hard to let go of, especially for those who don't use enough dishes to fill the dishwasher more than a couple of times a week.

But isn't low-tech hand-washing just as ...Read more

Back to school for most kids means new shoes, a cool backpack and an unspoiled 64-pack of crayons. It also means getting back to a morning routine. This year, make breakfast a requirement in your house. All you need is 15 minutes, plus these quick and easy breakfast ideas, tips, tricks and hurry-up secrets.

FRUIT SHAKES

Start with the basic ...Read more

I blame my suspicious nature on my neighborhood grocery store. The store used to be a logically arranged market with bright lights and clean floors -- a basic, friendly, functional place to shop. Then the bulldozers morphed it into a big, fancy-schmancy supermarket complete with shopping triggers like mood lighting, Starbucks, Panda Express and ...Read more