I just wanted to write a quick note to thank everyone for their kind words and support over the past week. As I’ve written before, my grandmother passed away and I had to travel to the Netherlands to attend her funeral. Again, I’d just want to say “Thank you!”.

Now that I’ve recovered from the jet lag, I’ll be updating Pinching Copper on a regular basis again.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday (you did buy a card, right?), and I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to freak out a little bit about what to get my mom. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know I just spent a little over $3000 on airfare so my family could make it to my grandmother’s funeral last week. Needless to say, I’m a little strapped for cash heading into this holiday.

Long ago, I made a decision to stop buying flowers online for my mother because of the ridiculous prices and shoddy service. So what’s a broke guy to do when it comes to Mother’s Day? Here’s a few cheap Mother’s Days gifts that won’t break the bank.

Note: This article is a repost, since I’m traveling out of the country this week.

It seems like I can’t go a day without watching or reading another news story about how an innocent American family has become completely overwhelmed by debt. Each story is the same, a family goes about their daily routine, oblivious to their financial situation, when they get a call from their creditors.

Frankly, I’m getting tired of listening to the same story over and over again, when I already know who these people are victims of. Themselves.

Note: This article is a repost, since I’m traveling out of the country this week.

Gather around, everyone. It’s story time. Last Friday was my birthday, and each year my wife and I try to one up each other with decorations we put up for each other’s birthday. This year, my wife decided to go all out, and completely decked out our place with streamers, banners, and other birthday decorations. But she didn’t want to stop at just our home, she wanted to decorate my car as well. In the middle of the night, she snuck out to my car and filled it with hundreds of little helium balloons.

Fast forward to that morning, and I’m getting ready to leave for work. I get to my car and see nothing but balloons from the windows. After spending ten minutes rearranging balloons so I could fit in my car, I finally sat down and turned the ignition. Surprise! My battery was dead. Frantic, I ran back and grabbed my bike so I could get to work on time. As I was riding in on my bicycle that morning I realized that I should have started doing this a long time ago.

Note: This article is a repost, since I’m traveling out of the country this week.

OK, I realize the USPS announced an increase in their stamp prices a little while ago, but I just found out about it last night. While increasing postage costs are the just part of the inevitable forces of inflation, the USPS has thankfully given us a break. It’s the forever stamp, and it’s designed to save you money.

Forever stamps were introduced last year, and are intended to protect consumers from postage rate increases. Granted, a penny a stamp rate hike isn’t going to send most households into a financial meltdown, but the costs add up. A lot of utility companies still aren’t set up to accept online payments, which means each one gets a stamp once a month. Throw in a few birthday cards and a letter to grandma, and you’re looking at almost a dime in extra costs to add to your budget.

Note: This article is a repost, since I’m traveling out of the country this week.

Since getting married, it seems like everyone is asking my wife and I when we’re going to settle down and buy a house. The idea is, we can’t settle down and start a family unless we take out a mortgage to buy a house. But with housing prices at nearly historic heights, and rapidly falling, buying a house can be a huge financial gamble. So why do we rent? Because, at least for now, renting is almost half the cost of buying a house. I’ll crunch the numbers on three example homes and show you how much money you can save by renting in today’s market.