Queen of the Discount

 ..or so sayeth   Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1798 poem *The Rime of the Ancient Mariner . And so live-eth many of us in the Southwest area of the US-particularly if you're along the Colorado River Compac t catchment area.  This is already probably more than anyone needs to know (unless you live in this area of the US), and is really just an intro to one of my favorite topics:  Water Usage.   We are rapidly approaching the time of year where the snowfall in Colorado melts and starts it's annual flow to the South and West along the Colorado River to Hoover Dam and parts further along.  The gotcha this year (like the many years before it) is that snowfall has thufar been at record lows this season, meaning that less water will flow, and everything you can do to save even a few drops of water can add up to a lot of water-and to to a lot of $$ savings.  Ah...now this is starting to make more sense! Even beyond life in the SW US, I've lived in place...

 With the Super Bowl two weeks away, it's time to turn to that next American tradition:  Tax Season! Kidding. If, like me Tax Season is not your favorite American tradition-especially if you end up owing taxes, I feel your pain. ...and I have a suggestion you may want to consider if that is where you find yourself in the run-up to April 15:  Pay the taxes you owe with your Credit Card.  Not Kidding. It's crazy, I know.  But, bear with me.  As 70%+ of Americans have a credit card that pays some time of reward (cash back, points, etc...), this knowledge drop is for most anyone reading this post. If you're going to keep reading, there are two things you MUST do to make this play pay-off:  1.  You have to read the fine print on the IRS website to understand what the fee will be for your taxes owed to be paid by credit card and 2.  You have to read the fine print of your Credit Card to *accurately* calculate what the rewards/cash back will be on t...

I know this is a well-tread topic, but hopefully my suggestion will be something that is a new idea to try. A few months ago, while reading my monthly Consumer Reports, I came across a mention of a company called Billshark  in the context of a company that CR recommends as a way of reducing your monthly bills on certain utilities-Internet, Mobile Phones (Wireless), TV or Satellite.   Basically, you sign up with Billshark, give them your account details -and authority to contact your service provider on your behalf, and they will attempt to negotiate a lower rate for the *exact same* service you have.  In other words, you could end up paying less without downgrading your service (a game we've probably all played more than we care to think about). If Billshark aren't successful in reducing your bill, there is no cost to you.  However, if Billshark are successful, you'll pay them 40% of your total savings (maximum two-years).  So, if Billshark save you $10 a m...

Is it just me, or does it seem like the credit card companies have been really active lately with their emails and mailers for the 'Best Credit Card Offer Ever (ever...ever...ever...)'?!?   OK.  It's not just me.  Whew!  So, what do you do when you're bombarded with all of these offers in a short amount of time and decide you actually *do* want a new credit card?  My answer is:  you geek out on the data in the offers to figure out what the best ROI on that new credit card is.  Data?  ROI?  From a credit card offer?   Absolutely.  Let me explain-and we'll use Credit Cards with some type of Travel affiliation (hotel points-like Hilton or frequent flyer miles like American Airlines) to explain.   Each of these offers will have 3, 4, 5+ benefits-and quite possibly a 'boosted benefit' if you spend a certain amount in a specific timeframe- that you can quantify (and attach a dollar value to), and on the flip side, ther...