Thanksgiving is one of those occasions when one could feel like you have no alternative to spending money. If you’re going to travel, you’re traveling on an insanely busy weekend. If you’re hosting the dinner or overnight guests, you have to plan for a bigger grocery bill.
But do not spend more money than you need [...]

This post is for my Michigan readers:
The first Free Fare Day for the Mackinac Bridge has been announced for Sunday Nov. 1.
The Michigan Department of Transportation reports that from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1, the Mackinac Straits Health System Foundation and its co-sponsors will pay the fares for all non-commercial motorists who are [...]

The Aug. 16 edition of USA Weekend featured Suze Orman’s top six tips for saving money.
A snippet:
Increase your auto deductible to $1,000. Why? Because car insurance should cover only major damage, not scratches or dings. If you make a habit of claiming small stuff, you’ll see premiums rise dramatically — or your insurer will drop [...]

The Toledo Blade is reporting today on a situation that I heard was in the works: the Ohio Turnpike is increasing fares in October.
The only way to keep your fares at the current rate is to get an electronic transponder, which are used on several other toll roads across the country. This service is a [...]

I first saw the headlines last night, and it’s all over the national news media this morning – the Cash for Clunkers program has turned out to be so popular that the available funding is running out.
What happens now? There’s a lot of chatter, but no answers yet.

The Cash for Clunkers promotion is getting a lot of attention from customers, according to some of the auto dealers in Monroe, Mich.
My co-worker Charles Slat filed this story for today’s edition of The Monroe Evening News: Cash for Clunkers creating clamor.

This post is for my readers in and near Monroe, Mich.:
A grant from the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is allowing the Traffic Improvement Association to present the Mature Driver Workshop from Aug. 10 to 12 at the Monroe Center for Healthy Aging, 15275 S. Dixie Hwy., Monroe, Mich.
This grant will allow the workshop to [...]

The Detroit Free Press had this report today: Tight credit market a blow to hopes of auto recovery.
A snippet:
“It’s all about debt-to-income ratios,” said Steve Cervin, a credit counselor with Commerce Financial Services in West Bloomfield. “The borrower may pay nearly everything on time, but if he has five credit cards and two of them [...]

Here are some of the personal finance and frugal living blogs that caught my attention during the past couple of days:

Just Plain Frugal presents Ways you cost yourself money. (If you can put in some effort to save money, why aren’t you doing that? Number one answer: “It takes too much time.” Well, if you [...]

My husband and I have always driven our cars long after they are paid off. The deciding factor when to buy a new vehicle is when the necessary repairs are starting to cost more than a car payment would.
The problem for families who are living paycheck to paycheck is that expensive car repairs never seem [...]