After a 26-year-old woman in London lost her job and her apartment, she decided to squat in abandoned buildings and live off of food, clothes, and household goods that’d been thrown away. The takeaway: Living on less than $2 a day isn’t so bad.
Real Estate & Homes
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Jon Corzine
“Let’s face it: Everyone’s property taxes are too damn high.”
Fighting for the Right to Dry
Most people are in favor of saving energy. Dryers account for about 15% of domestic energy. So why do some communities get so upset when one of their neighbors chooses to not use a dryer?
Cheapskate Wisdom from … Economist George Loewenstein
“People are notoriously bad at figuring out what to do with their money.”
How to Break Your Cell-Phone, Gym, Apartment, or Car Lease Contract
All of them are actually leases, and you’ll endure more than your fair share of headaches by trying to break any such contract.
Strategic Mortgage Default: The Irresponsible, Amoral, But Best Strategy?
If you voluntarily walk away your mortgage because you owe more than the home is worth, are you a bad person? Should you even care?
Top Speculative Quotes About the Economy
Are we heading for a boom time? A slow slog? Another recession? A ’90s-Japan-like lost decade? A full-on depression? The experts have weighed in, as they’re apt to do.
Homeownership: More Nightmare Than Dream?
Buying a home—the wrong home, at the wrong time—can wreak havoc in your life. As many buyers know, you can lose money and drive yourself nuts with stress even when you’re not in the middle of a housing market crash. That’s why in a newly emerging version of the American Dream, a lot of people (men especially) are most content renting.
Got Money?
Some people are lucky enough to be wondering not how to get money, but what to do with a sum that’s landed somewhat surprisingly in their laps.
It Was an Awful Year for the Economy. But a Great One for the Consumer?
The most obvious upside to being a consumer this year was that you felt wanted, and you felt appreciated. In a bad year for business, retailers were very, very happy to have yours. You felt the love—though sure, they only “love” you for your money. It wouldn’t be the first time somebody was happy to be in a relationship with a gold digger.
Great Expectations in 2010: More Personal Savings and Cheaper Food, Heat, Electronics, and Homes
As we leave 2009 behind, there are many signs that life will be way better in the year to come.
Shout-Out: ‘How to Save $5,000 This Year’
A story in Real Simple lays out dozens of ways to save on everything from health care (try a retail clinic) to entertainment (buy refurbed electronics) to everyday bills (switching cell phone plans could save you over $300). Add up all the savings and you could have a few extra grand in your bank account at year’s end.