Fifteen steps in buying a house: a comprehensive guide
We’ve been writing about how to choose a house to buy, how to spot a great neighbourhood and whether it is better to rent or to own your house on The Money Principle. Recently I had a conversation with our niece who is looking to buy a house that…
Fifteen blogging tips to make you an awesome blogger
Over the last couple of years, I have been working on moving away from being ‘a distinguished professor’ towards becoming ‘an awesome blogger’ figuring helpful blogging tips on the way. Today, I’m breaking one of the core rules on The Money Principle – don’t go with the crowd –…
Four reasons you should listen to Young Jeezy and Macklemore when they rap about making money
Would you take financial advice from a rapper? Probably not. Most people would rather talk to a personal finance advisor. Cool; if that’s is your swagger. Still, there is much to be said about learning and variety. And there is a lot to be learned about making money, business and…
Tasty treats for less: feta cheese pie
Today I made one of our favourite treats : feta cheese pie. Now, normally I’d say that pies are poor man’s food. Seriously, they are mostly carbs and fat. Several years back, I had to get to Granada in Spain; I was invited to give the keynote at a small…
A Review of Spending: The Frugal Bug is Infectious
This week I’ve done a review of spending and it’s left me feeling good. As part of a generation that often have troubles maintaining regular work and struggle to make ends meet, it’s unfortunately common to find myself feeling down in the dumps some days. In fact I constantly worry…
Get to love your dentist or get the dentist you love: thirteen signs your dentist is ‘for keeps’
Couple of days ago I heard my mobile phone pinging. I looked at the text and my heart sank: it was a text from my dentist telling me that I have an appointment today. I’ve been with my dentist for close to ten years now; I know he has ‘light…
The World of Work: six occupations that will make you a living
There has been a shift in what it takes to earn a living. The competition for stable and secure jobs directs masses of applicants from all walks of life. Yet as jobs change and disappear before our eyes we change in order to further our own prospects. Now there are…
Five unorthodox ways to spot an up-and-coming neighbourhood (and don’t ignore number four)
Today, in Money Week, I saw that the Bank of England is expecting interest rates to be up to 3% by 2017. Now, this is only three years away; which means we all should pay more attention to the houses we have (and the mortgage), the houses we want…
Three Kitchen Appliances to Help You Slash Your Food Budget
Couple of weeks ago John was shredding some old bank statements. I know, we are personal finance sinners for still finding sealed envelopes with financial statements dating back to the mid-1990s in them. How did you think we found ourselves in the financial pickle we worked so hard to get…
Do you have what it takes to be a strategic saver? Take the test!
You may think that being a saver is boring and it will damage your groove. I thought so as well! For decades, I was the hedonistic intellectual who was above and beyond money. Only I wasn’t. Still, I found saving boring and didn’t even think of doing it. Well,…
Work Life Balance for Women or Can You Have Your Cake and Eat It
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Women’s Money Week. On my way to lunch, I was walking behind two women in their mid-thirties. They were talking about work-life balance and their conversation went like this: ‘I am expected to teach, do admin and publish in these top-notch…
Fail proof business models
Lately, business has been on my mind a lot. Coming up with ideas for businesses is what I’ve been puzzling over before I go to sleep, while driving and while sliding fast downhill on bad, slushy snow. Why, you may ask, a university professor is so preoccupied with the…