Open Source Blogging

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags.

As usual, we’ll start things off with a few links to older articles that directly answer questions I’ve heard recently. A few people have asked questions lately about how to get by on a very low wage, particularly after exiting a higher-paying job. Here are three articles that might help…. Continue Reading

“Balance is beautiful.” -  Miyoko Ohno, Japanese bridge designer

Article by Leo Babauta

I have a close friend named Norm who is a great photographer and a great person in general … recently he was telling me that all he does is work.

That might sound familiar to some of you — I’ve certainly been there at different points in my life, although these days I have to say that I’ve found a pretty good balance between all the important things in my life, including work, family, and other things I’m interested in.

Norm asked me to write a post about work-life balance, … Continue Reading

So you’ve just moved into your nice new home. You’ve unloaded the boxes, unpacked most of your stuff, and are just starting to settle into your residence.

Right now is the perfect time to walk through a checklist of ways to save money on your home. Starting on these things as early as possible will allow you to start saving money sooner rather than later.

Here are eighteen things to check on or do immediately that will reduce the energy and maintenance costs of your home over the long haul.

1. Check the insulation … Continue Reading

After listening to feedback and my own changing interests, I’ve decided to change how I do book reviews on The Simple Dollar. Instead of reviewing a personal finance book on Friday morning and a personal development book on Sunday afternoon, I’m going to just post one review a week on Sunday afternoon, alternating between a personal finance-themed book one week and a book on some related topic the following week.

The reason I’m doing this is based mostly on feedback, but also my desire to change what I’m reading (at least a little). Most readers seem to … Continue Reading

Yesterday, Carrie made a very interesting comment in response to my review of I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This:

if being happy is a matter of attitude […] then shouldn’t people be able to make anything work […] by simply changing their attitude?

Carrie’s question strikes right at the heart of a key question about personal development and success: is a positive attitude enough to succeed?

My answer? No, it’s not. It’s … Continue Reading

Each Monday, The Simple Dollar opens up the reader mailbags and answers ten to twenty simple questions offered up by the readers on personal finance topics and many other things. Got a question? Ask it in the comments. You might also enjoy the archive of earlier reader mailbags.

As usual, we’ll start things off with a few links to older articles that directly answer questions I’ve heard recently.
How to make your partner happy (for free)
Psychological tricks of department stores
How I deal with a cold on the cheap

And now for some great reader questions!

How can … Continue Reading

The current issue of BusinessWeek features a big collection of articles on personal challenges in the workplace. I eagerly read their article about work-life balance as this is something I struggle with, but I was disappointed to find that the article mostly consisted of stories about people who were already well off who simply just chose a different career. While that is one great way to improve your work-life balance, it’s … Continue Reading