Thanks for visiting Ultimate Money Blog! If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Does your desk look like this? A lot of the time I feel like mine does! A lot of my problem is that I don’t know how long to keep records. I know that there are guidelines out there, but do you really follow them? Here’s what I generally do for record retention: Utility Bills: I shred as soon as I pay the bill if I receive a paper bill. I used to hold onto the bills but then I realized that I had proof of payment once it posted to my checking account. If there ever was a discrepancy, I could provide the bank statement as proof. Bank statements: Even though I am a pretty self proclaimed “greenie”, I still receive paper bank statements on our main checking account. I know that if I ever needed a bank statement and I didn’t have it, I can get it (usually it costs $5). I’ve been keeping bank statements for 7 years. [...]

Do you remember the flooring dilemma I had a few months ago? I’m almost embarrassed to say that I am just now getting around to solving the problem. I installed laminate flooring into my hallway and bedroom. And I have to say, at this moment I am confident this was the best decision for us. Not only do I have the peace of mind of having a complete, normal, beautiful floor in my bedroom, but I have the financial peace of mind knowing I didn’t spend $3737.50.  I love the look of hardwoods, but with the dogs I couldn’t justify spending that much money and watching them get scratched.  Going with laminate flooring eliminates that worry.  It’s going to take a lot (knock on wood) for them to scratch the laminate.  Also, I was able to install it myself, which saved us a ton of money. With the current housing market the way it is, we’ve decided to love the home we’re tied to, and make improvements that fit our lifestyle.  We can afford the laminate flooring.  We actually bought [...]

Helpful readers: I am in desperate need of your help. I am looking for a dish soap recipe and dishwasher soap recipe. As you are probably aware, I love making my own cleaning products. I have tried and tried to make my own dish soap and dishwasher detergent, but every time it either doesn’t work, or turns out horrible. I want to “be green” and also be frugal at the same time. Here are a few things I have tried. Dishwasher detergent recipes: Mix and use per dishwasher load: 1 Tablespoon Borax 1 Tablespoon Baking soda and 1 Tablespoon Borax 1 Tablespoon Washing soda These recipes never seemed to get my dishes clean! Dish Soap Recipes: I’ve also tried melting soaps down to a liquid consistency and then using those as dish soap. I have a ton of bars of soap that I wanted to use up. I used Dr. Bronner’s bar soaps, melted them, and then used it as dish soap. The problem is that it doesn’t lather up very well. It works fine for hand soap, but when [...]