Thanks for visiting Ultimate Money Blog! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Bartering can be one of the most fun and interesting ways to save money. What is bartering? Bartering is an exchange of services or goods. Bartering not only can help you save money, but it also can cut down on your consumption and help you get rid of clutter. photo credit: StevenGroves A few weeks ago, I shot a family portrait session for one of my friends. She said she would pay me but I didn’t feel right charging her. A few weeks later I needed someone to let my dogs out at night when I was unable to, and asked her if she would be interested. I offered to pay her, but she declined. We called it even. It was a win-win situation! Are you interested in bartering? There are many ways you can get connected with like-minded people. One idea is to check Craigslist. There are many people that list items on there that are interested in trading. Who [...]

If you haven’t heard about the Gulf Oil spill, you are probably living under a rock. When I see pictures or hear new stories, it saddens me.  The other day I heard of a some great ideas to help clean up the oil spill. Matter of Trust is organizing ways to help with the cleanup of the oil spill.  There are many ways you can help, including: -Donating money. You can send checks made payable to “Matter of Trust” to Matter of Trust, Inc. 99 St. Germain Avenue San Francisco CA 94114 -Donating Hair, fur, and recycled nylons. As silly as this sounds, think about it.  Why do we wash our hair?  Because it gets oily.  Hair absorbs oil and can help clean up the oil spill.  I’m going to donate some of the tons of dog hair I sweep off my floor every day!  I’ll collect it and send it in an envelope.  Hair is light, so it won’t cost much to send. -Spread the word. If you can’t afford to give money, you can help by spreading the [...]

photo credit: Speaker Pelosi How many times have you heard someone blame the economy for something? I hear it daily, and I can’t help but wonder just how much we can blame on the economy. Should we blame everything on the economy? After all, it does affect pretty much everything. Should we take responsibility and say that we can control our lives? I know that personally I make many decisions based on “the economy is horrible.” I won’t cut back on my hours at work because I need job stability. I am afraid to seek other employment because the economy is so bad that no one is hiring. I’m afraid to look into selling my house and moving because the economy is so bad. Is it all a bunch of excuses? Or am I being smart in erring on the side of caution? Sometimes I feel like I’m letting the economy dictate what is going on with my life. I let it control my happiness. There was a time where I was so scared to even have kids because I [...]