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One of the keys of good stewardship is to spend less than you make creating a surplus. The surplus allows you the ability to help others or to give to a good cause. Unfortunately, 60% of Americans say they spent more than they earned last year. A survey of more than 27,000 people by the FINRA Investor…

U.K. firm Intelligent Environments has a product to help over spenders manage their money better. They link an electronic bracelet with the customers’ bank account and send a gentle buzz warning when the account balance gets close to a preset limit and delivers an electric shock if it dips below. There…

NFL wide receiver Ryan Broyles is making big money. The 27-year-old lives a simple, middle-class life. He is living on a $60,000 budget despite a salary of over one million dollars per year. Broyles is aware that roughly one in six NFL players files for bankruptcy within 12 years of retirement. Broyles,…

A survey by LifeWay Resources questioned Christians from Alabama to Wyoming and found that most believe that it is sinful to lend money to someone who can’t afford to pay it back. Most of those who responded also said they want the government to protect consumers from loans with excessive interest, yet…

190 years after Thomas Jefferson died, a lock of his hair sold at a Texas auction for nearly $6,875. Heritage Auctions in Dallas said the sale involved 14 strands of Jefferson’s hair that were saved by his doctor at the time of his death in 1826. Though the buyer wished to remain anonymous, Heritage…

When a Georgia bank teller accidentally posted a customer’s $31,000 deposit to the wrong account, the teenager who received the money by mistake immediately began a huge spending spree. Records show the names on the account were the same, and the teller apparently did not double check the account numbers…

A gas station in Germany charged $14 per liter of gasoline in order to discourage customers from filling up their tanks. The nationwide shortage influenced Esso gas station near Stuttport to take these measures. Unsuspecting motorists proceeded to fill up their tanks despite the obvious warnings posted…

Many lawmakers have recently stated their belief that the growing national debt of the United States is a moral issue. After unveiling a Christian federal budget proposal, Ron Sider, founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, said he agrees debt is “a moral threat,” but said poverty is a measure by which…

Money Do you run out of pay check before you run out of month? If you do, you're not alone. Many Americans experience financial struggles, and those struggles increase stress in our lives and strife in our homes. For some people, the problem is too little income, for others, it is too much out go. For…

Costly Christmas Is Christmas too costly? The average American will spend more than $800.00 on Christmas this year, according to the CNN Financial Network. Is this too much? Are there ways to cut costs and still celebrate Christmas? There is no way to answer those questions without first coming to grips…

DEBT Recently low interest rates are luring many Americans to take on record levels of debt, which might create a repayment crisis in the future. Mortgage rates are at record lows, car dealers are offering zero percent financing, and “buy now pay later” advertisements are everywhere. Spurred by the easy…

Simplicity "The only difference between men and boys," they say, "is the price of their toys." I don't know about you, but I resemble that remark! My first "adult" hobby was photography. I learned how to take pictures and develop them during a college course. I took the course with a borrowed camera…

According the recent reports from the National Retail Federation, here's how the US holidays rank in terms of spending habits. (I've rounded the figures to the nearest tenth of a billion to keep things simple.) The per person figures are rounded to the nearest five dollars and represent the amount spent…

"A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart." ~ Jonathan Swift "Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." ~ Will Rogers "A penny saved is a penny earned." ~ Benjamin Franklin "Do not value money for any more…

Edward Gibbon, author of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, has attributed the fall of the Empire to: 1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of the dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society. 2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public monies for…

Air Mattress Your eyes do not deceive you: that sleek slab levitating in midair is in fact a bed, and it is floating unsupported--though lightly tethered at its four corners--16 in. above the floor. The hovering bed is the daydream of a Dutch designer who says he was inspired by the monolith in the movie…