Just like clock work every month I get a Chase coupon code in the mail. It’s good for a $125 sign up bonus when you open a Chase checking account with direct deposit. However, each month I’ve had a conflict and the offer ends up in the trash.

Of course, this month is the same thing; we’re heading out for vacation shortly for the next couple weeks and the offer ends on May 31.

I’ve lived in DC for a total of eight years, four in college and four since. At the end of each of those post-college years I have contemplated my next steps – do I stay where I’m at, move to a new local apartment, or make an even bigger move back to my home state of Texas? As I’ve noted before, moves are expensive even when they’re just a few miles (or even blocks) away.

Our asset allocation in the past was based strictly on our retirement funds that I can control at a 88/12 stock/bond asset allocation.

Then I worked on adding phantom bond allocations to incorporate the net present value of our pension plans and analyzed the impact of including the same for possible social security benefits.

Housing is a significant part of almost everyone’s financial pie chart. The basic need for shelter can also wreak havoc on our budget if we aren’t careful.

When you want to save money, it makes sense to start at the top and determine where you’re spending the most money. Often, where you are spending the most money is also the best place to make some cuts.

Chase has a great Free Money Friday offer through their Chase Sapphire Preferred card. They’re offering 50,000 bonus points that you can redeem for anything you want, from $625 worth of travel to $500 worth of merchandise, gift cards and cash back.

The English language is constantly changing. New products are invented, new situations arise, and new ways come about that people interact with their world. The English language morphs to accommodate these new situations. However, not every new word is included into the Merriam-Webster or Oxford English Dictionary. In fact, very few words are actually added to these dictionaries each year out of the thousands of new words that are invented. This is because dictionaries are widely used and all-encompassing.

I am sure you have been to the grocery store lately (unless you shop for groceries online). We shop for groceries every other week, and my husband was the last person to go so I hadn’t been to a store for a month until last weekend; boy was I surprised! Our grocery bill has increased by about $20 every other week from just a few months ago. That is $40 for our two person household; how much has your grocery bill increased per month?

I’m taking part in a garage sale this week. However, I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’ve never participated in a garage sale before. Partially, because I have trouble parting with stuff, but also because I’ve never had enough stuff to sell to fill an entire garage. In the past, I’ve opted to sell a handful of things here and there on Craigslist and eBay.

The adjustable rate mortgage craze was part of what led to the housing and financial crisis that we are still recovering from. Adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) usually have lower interest rates than traditional mortgages when they are first disbursed. This leads to lower payments, which makes it easier for people to take on large mortgages that potentially can become unaffordable when the ARM adjusts.

Since we’ve been talking brokers lately, this week’s Free Money Friday from Sharebuilder is especially timely!