ArcaMax

It's no secret that more and more people -- especially seniors on fixed incomes -- are sinking deeper into credit card debt. Why is this? I don't think it's because we've had so many emergencies (the common reason to have credit cards, right?). It's because we don't want to feel poor.

At this point, I should define "feeling poor." It's not easy...Read more

How maddening to reach for the brown sugar, expecting it to be soft and fluffy, only to find a rock-hard clump in the bottom of the box. Or how about this: Brown sugar is on sale, so you stock up. Even without opening the bags or boxes left on the shelf, the contents, in time, turn brick-hard. Should you toss the bricks into the garbage? Better ...Read more

Don't assume your kids are going to learn in school how to manage money well. There is a growing recognition for the need, but few children are lucky enough to learn about money matters in school. If you have kids, teaching them about money rests squarely on your shoulders. So, how are you doing with that? Don't know where to start? Today, I've ...Read more

One afternoon not long ago, I decided to conduct a little experiment. Nothing scientific. No clipboard required. Just a kitchen timer and a bit of curiosity. I wanted to know how long everyday housework actually takes.

Like many people, I sometimes catch myself thinking certain chores will take forever. Wiping the kitchen counters. Emptying the...Read more

Not long ago, a Realtor dropped off the flier announcing plans for the annual neighborhood garage sale. "Join us to make this the biggest sale ever!" the flyer read.

Since making our move to Colorado, we have never participated in this annual ritual. This year would be no exception. I've learned the hard way that for a compulsive shopper it ...Read more

In the cupboard right above my washing machine, there's a bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap standing in a coffee mug. I'm sure it's five years old, and it appears that it will be good for at least another five. When I come across a stain, I grab the soap, dip the end into water and use it to scrub the stain -- almost as if it were a big eraser -- ...Read more

For decades, I've been collecting and disseminating timesaving and money-saving tips. Readers email them to me, comment with them on my website at EverydayCheapskate.com, hand them to me on little scraps of paper and even send them in the mail. Some are hilarious, others downright weird. And the very best ones show up in this column. Thousands ...Read more

Walk down the laundry aisle at any grocery store or supermarket and you might think washing clothes requires an entire chemistry lab.

There are scent boosters, fabric softeners, color catchers, wrinkle releasers, stain fighters, brighteners, whiteners, odor removers and at least six products claiming to make towels "fluffier than ever." It's ...Read more

Every day, it seems, my virtual mailbag fills up with mail from my dear readers. Many messages include questions about everything you can imagine and some that are beyond imagination! Today, I've chosen to answer a small sampling of them.

Dear Mary: I ruined my credit starting about 10 years ago, in the usual foolish way people do with ...Read more

If you think organizing your home or getting your personal affairs in order requires a lot of time, you might be right. However, if you feel that you just don't have enough time to spend on these tasks, then you're probably wrong. All you have to do is recognize little chunks of free time throughout the day.

This is the best idea ever. OK, ...Read more

At the tender age of 11, I made a solemn vow that when I grew up I was going to be rich. My plan was simple: Marry well.

I bless the day I married my husband, a man who is rich in character and unfailing love. I assumed his money would follow. While waiting for wealth to descend upon me, I made the near-tragic error of spending as though I were...Read more

There are plenty of things I won't buy at the dollar store. If it has a plug or a moving part, or claims to last "forever," I'm cautious. But there is one humble cleaning tool I buy there on purpose every single time, and I feel downright clever doing it.

Microfiber cloths.

Not the fancy, color-coded, premium-packaged ones promising laboratory...Read more

I don't care much for pain. In fact, I'll do almost anything to avoid it. I also know that pain can be a good thing.

The human nervous system triggers a sensation of pain to stop us from doing something that might cause a severe injury and to let us know that something may be wrong.

While we mostly think of pain in terms of physical wellbeing,...Read more

If you drink morning coffee, then it's likely you throw away used coffee grounds every day. If you don't, chances are there's a coffee shop nearby where you can get some; just stop by and see if they give them away. Here are some ideas for reusing them.

REPEL INSECTS AND FLEAS

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, coffee grounds ...Read more

There are so many good reasons to make your own household cleaners. It's cheaper, healthier and greener, too. The homemade household cleaners I share with you from time to time do not contain chemicals. That means you can always count on them to be nontoxic.

Dear Cheapskate: The copper post tops on my deck are becoming tarnished. Do you know of...Read more

By the time winter finally loosens its grip, our houses tend to feel a little tired. The air is stale, the light feels dimmer than it should be, and no candle -- no matter how pine-scented -- can convince you it's actually spring.

The good news is that freshening your home after winter doesn't require a shopping spree or a cart full of "spring ...Read more

While it's true that life is uncertain, there's at least one thing of which I am very sure: I will never be held hostage for refusing to iron.

Unlike Billie Jo Tyrrell, whose son Robert held her at gunpoint for six hours because she refused to iron his clothes, I love to iron. I'm not saying that I would be that thrilled to do it for a 29-year-...Read more

If there is one thing most people take for granted, it is food. U.S. supermarkets are always well stocked, and we don't think much about how all that food gets there. When pushed to consider it, I wager most of us assume there are huge warehouses somewhere filled with enough food to feed the nation for some unknown period of time.

The truth is,...Read more

If you speak English in your home, your kids are not likely to come out speaking Italian. Kids learn through observation and imitation. And they don't miss a thing. Children are shaped from the very beginning of life by the way their parents live. They are ever-attentive witnesses of grown-up behaviors. They take their cues from what they see ...Read more

Most household stress doesn't come from dramatic, headline-worthy disasters. It sneaks in quietly. It's the mail spreading like ivy across the kitchen counter. The leftovers shoved to the back of the refrigerator to "deal with later." The grit that magically appears anywhere people walk in and out all day.

None of it feels urgent in the moment....Read more