Whenever the subjects of shopping or the household come up when I'm talking to a neighbor, she almost always will offer up a variation of this advice: "The dollar store is the best place to get ." While I'm all for saving money and getting things my household needs and uses at a good price, I'm not totally sold on the idea that the dollar store (the DS) is the be-all, end-all of great deals. Sure, everything costs one buck. But does that mean it's really providing you the best bang for said buck?

The Q's Have It

When it comes to general investment terms that could make a difference to you as a stock market investor, day trading is one term that should be defined. This term very well could affect you, and it might come with a few rules and regulations. So let's take a look at day trading.

What is Day Trading?

I’m anxiously awaiting my final piece to my taxes so that I can file away. Silly person, wanting to file taxes, you say? Well, I’m excited to file because the government owes us money. (I know, I know: make adjustments so I’m not loaning the government money. We will.) But this year, it’s nice to get a windfall from Uncle Sam. To roll in the dough. To find money raining from the sky.

There doesn't seem to be a week that goes by without our local news doing some kind of story or focus on gas prices. Recently, I watched a story about how the prices in our area have shot up a pretty hefty amount fairly quickly. And while we, the consumers, really don't have any immediate control over the price we pay at the pump, there are some tips we can employ to help us save on filling up our cars.

Lowest Bidder

Many people who marry young don't even think about a prenuptial agreement. Oftentimes, this is because young people don't have assets to consider before the marriage takes place. But what happens when things change? Can a couple sign a prenup post nup? Thankfully, yes. At any point during the marriage, a couple can sign a legal agreement about their finances, aka a postnuptial agreement. Let's look at this idea a little more in depth.

Who Needs a Postnup?

Slowly but surely we are making our way across this nation and taking in the sights. Well, not really. What we are taking in, however, is what each state in our country offers up in terms of plans for saving for college – their 529 plans. This time out, we look to Oklahoma (where the wind comes sweeping down the plain).

The Plans and Their Similarities

We continue our finance definitions series with our focus on stock-related terms, and we now come to the phrase "periods of illiquidity." This term is rather simple, so we'll get a little break from our intense stock terms. Even so, the phrase is an important definition to know and keep in mind as you invest, so let's dive right into the definition!

The Basic Definition

This weather has been uh-maze-ing. Absolutely, fantastically, wonderfully amazing. It’s reached 65, 70 and 75 degrees in the last three days alone, and each day has been sunnier than the last.

Surprisingly, I was able to resist playing hooky by making a daily schedule for myself – and by turning my computer monitor toward the window. Sure, there have been times that I’ve had to squint to see the words swimming across the page, but it was well worth the effort.

Groupon. Saveology. Living Social. Unless you're living under a rock, chances are you've probably heard of at least one of these sites. Websites that hook the consumer up with local business services at a deep discount are big these days, and it seems new similar sites are popping up on the web often. But do these sites really save you money?

Know Your Stuff

If there's one thing that's difficult for a child to understand, it's a change in finances. Often, their entire short lives have centered around one way of living, so switching gears can seem unfair, especially when the alteration means cutting back on some of the things they have learned to expect in life. So how can you as a parent explain to them why Chuck E Cheese is out of the question when life throws you for a financial loop? Let's look at some options.

Explain Money