A couple of months ago I shared with you that I still drive my very first car.  She’s approximately a decade old now, but she still hasn’t had any engine problems and I haven’t made payments in over five years.  Oh, and one more thing, she’s still shiny.

Some people see cars as an investment.  Maybe they think that pretty little mode of transportation is going to become a classic and one day they’ll be able to sell it for a nice profit.  Most of us, however, aren’t that lucky, and unless we want to retire in our cars (as in sleeping in them), our cars are not an investment.

What better time is there to ponder taxes than now, when tax season is upon us and in full swing? While some of us are still deciding between employing Turbo Tax, H & R Block or our college buddy who kinda dabbled in accounting, here's a bit of tax-related reading dedicated to marginal taxes.

Continuing our series about relationships and finance, it is important to talk about your big financial goals, so let’s look at some pointers.

Agree On The Basics

As you begin your discussion, lay out some big-picture groundwork that you and your spouse can agree on. Figure out where you want to be in 10 years. Ask yourselves what big-ticket items are you want to save for. Look closely at your budget to break some bad spending habits.

As moms, we take care of everybody in our family: our kids, our spouses, our pets. It's in our job description, and it's just what we do. So . . . who's taking care of you? More specifically, who is looking after your health? So often, we'll meet others' needs well before even thinking about our own. Get a healthy snack for Junior's soccer practice. Check. Make sure Fido's dog food is certified organic. Check. Send the hubby a reminder text that his eye appointment is at 5. Check. Sound familiar?

From the time I decided to become an attorney, my brain was always wrapped around the future.  Everything in life was set to mesh well with getting into and succeeding at law school.  That included finances.

Always careful to only take the exact amount of student aide to cover what my scholarships did not, I knew I didn’t like the idea of all that interest accruing.  I didn’t move out, I chose to stay living at home, where I could study, work, and not have to pay rent (plus I like my parents a lot, and staying wasn’t nearly the drag for me as others seemed to think it was).

I really enjoyed reading everyone’s posts this week.  Again, thank you to our new commenters.  It’s always nice to know who’s reading, and what you’re blogging about as well. 

From toys teaching us how to invest to levees breaking, this last week of posts was just great!  Thank you to everyone for such an outstanding week.  It never ceases to amaze me how much I learn from each of you every week.

Kids, Toys, and Spring

No one likes to think of themselves as paranoid, but we're often more comfortable with being called "skeptical."  In finance, though, skepticism is basically just a healthy dose of paranoia.  This is nothing to be ashamed of; in fact, it is your common sense kicking into play.  In the world of finance and investing, there are plenty of people who are out to get you, so paranoia isn't entirely out of place.

Skepticism Can Be Common Sense

There seems to be a trend going on in the world revolving around the idea that less is more. Frugality is making a comeback. Saving pennies for a rainy day has become more appealing than splurging for the latest "better than botox" cream. It's no wonder than some of us (present company included) fancy saving over investing. It's safe, steady, and what we've been taught to do for so many years, plus investing could be the same as gambling our hard-earned dollars away. Right? Sure, no one is going to say you shouldn't save money.

Last week we talked about opening the finance lines of communication to cut back on unnecessary items. As you went through your budget with your spouse, there were certainly some areas that were not integral to living well, and you probably cut out the extras.

Their house was beautiful. We pulled up expecting a small ranch like our own, but found ourselves sitting in a three-car driveway, in front of a three car garage. Really? How many people need a three-car garage?