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Len Penzo dot Com

The offbeat personal finance blog for responsible people.

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My State of the Household Report, Net Worth, and 2016 Expenses

By Len Penzo

I've said it before and I'll say it again: When it comes to money management, one of the most important pieces of information anyone can have is a detailed summary of where your household income was spent during the previous year. I've been ...

Continue reading My State of the Household Report, Net Worth, and 2016 Expenses

January 13, 2017

How People Spent Their Money During the Past 75 Years

By Raul

Consumer spending makes up a large percentage of the United States economy. We all have bills to pay and mouths to feed. But where do Americans spend their money? Take a look at this chart below to see a breakdown of how Americans spent their ...

Continue reading How People Spent Their Money During the Past 75 Years

January 3, 2017

4 Things Every Homeowner Should Look for in a Pest Control Company

By Sabado Domingo

Like it or not, pests in the home are a fact of life. And the truth is, most people will end up having to call a professional pest control service -- no matter whether it's to get rid of a serious bug problem in the kitchen, rats in the attic, or ...

Continue reading 4 Things Every Homeowner Should Look for in a Pest Control Company

December 30, 2016

7 Signs That the Home You Want to Buy or Rent Has a Pest Problem

By Sabado Domingo

So you think you found the home of your dreams? Well, that potential dream home could easily turn out to be a nightmare if you don't pay attention during the house hunting process. After all, it's easy to overlook pest problems; many new home buyers ...

Continue reading 7 Signs That the Home You Want to Buy or Rent Has a Pest Problem

December 16, 2016

More Holiday Gift Ideas Under $25

By Mikey Rox

I recently presented a list of holiday gifts for under $25. If you're still at odds with your decisiveness on what to get some people on your holiday gift list, then consider this collection of even more ideal ideas for a wide range of ages, ...

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December 14, 2016

6 Tips for Stretching Your Casino Gaming Budget

By Tex Freitag

"The house always wins" is a famous saying in gambling; anyone who's ever been around the casino world knows this to be true. And although the casino does indeed always win in the end -- after all, they'd just go out of business otherwise -- ...

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December 9, 2016

A List of the Best Selling Christmas Toys Since 1983

By Len Penzo

If you're old enough, you probably remember the Cabbage Patch Doll. The strange-looking dolls were an instant hit, and by 1985 they had scored more than $600 million in sales. Of course, most of those sales occurred during Christmas. In fact, ...

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December 7, 2016

The $100,000 Salary Benchmark Is Woefully Overrated

By Len Penzo

In 2004 my gross annual income crossed the magical $100,000 benchmark for the first time. Reaching that milestone became a personal goal after graduating with an electrical engineering degree in 1988 and taking my first job at a salary of $31,000. ...

Continue reading The $100,000 Salary Benchmark Is Woefully Overrated

December 5, 2016

12 Deadly Foods to Keep Away from Your Pets During the Holidays

By Judy Koutsky

The holidays are a time for delicious food and a lot of sharing. But while it may seem harmless to give your pet a little bit of Grandma's chocolate cake, it can actually make him really sick. In fact, there are a number of holiday treats for humans ...

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November 16, 2016

5 Signs You’re Ready to Quit Signing Leases

By Katie Bassett

Calling all renters! Let's take a look at all of your previous living situations. By now, I'm sure you have dealt with your fair share of landlords, both extremely accommodating as well as a few uncooperative. You've forked over several down ...

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November 9, 2016

Here’s Proof of Skyrocketing Inflation in Our Most Basic Necessities

By Jeff Desjardins

The way that economic data is presented, we often think of inflation as a singular number representing a general increase in prices. For example, it might be reported that nominal GDP growth was 3%, and that inflation was 2%. Since the inflation ...

Continue reading Here’s Proof of Skyrocketing Inflation in Our Most Basic Necessities

November 2, 2016

6 (Really) Frugal Halloween Costume Ideas for the Kids

By Len Penzo

So the Honeybee took our two kids out shopping for Halloween costumes this week and spent a grand total of $69.43. This is not only a ghastly amount of money to spend on Halloween costumes, but it's totally unacceptable in my opinion. What, ...

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October 17, 2016

My Solar Power Savings Report Card – One Year Later

By Len Penzo

As most of you know by now, I had solar panels installed on the roof of our house back in 2015. Well, it's been a full year since I flipped the switch on my new solar electricity system and the results have been nothing short of amazing. Rather than ...

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July 3, 2016

The Price of Silence: How to Stop Annoying Dogs That Bark Constantly

By Len Penzo

When I was in high school, I had a classmate named Steve Kowolski who used to bug the bejesus out of me and my buddies. Okay, to be honest, Steve's last name wasn't Kowolski -- although he did have a last name that ended in "ski." Anyway, the ...

Continue reading The Price of Silence: How to Stop Annoying Dogs That Bark Constantly

May 23, 2016

My Porch Remodel (Phase 2): Hardscape, Railing and Total Project Cost

By Len Penzo

Well, it took a couple of months longer than the Honeybee and I originally anticipated, but after a few delays due to uncooperative weather, supplier issues, and one less-than-scrupulous contractor, we finally completed our porch remodel ...

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May 9, 2016

Why Private Schools Are a Financial Rip-Off

By Len Penzo

Most parents end up considering private education because they only want the best for their child. But today I'm going to show you why, from a purely financial perspective, private schools are not worth the price of admission. Well, that is unless ...

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May 2, 2016

My Porch Remodel (Phase 1): New Columns and the Hunt for Obsolete Bricks

By Len Penzo

I've already shared my remodeling adventures with our kitchen and master bathroom -- so I thought I'd share our latest home improvement sojourn. After 18 years, the Honeybee and I finally decided to give our front porch an upgrade. To be honest, ...

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February 10, 2016

Poll: The 5 Biggest Money Regrets of 2015 — and How to Conquer Them

By Fred Schebesta

I'm confident that this time last year, scrawled on your list of New Year resolutions, was a sentence relevant to at least one of these four phrases: 'save money' 'stop spending' 'get out of debt' 'stick to a budget' According to a ...

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January 6, 2016

Culinary Odds & Ends: How Eating Leftovers Saves Me $1700 Annually

By Len Penzo

Last year my family spent a small fortune on groceries -- $12,764 to be exact. If you were to press me on the matter, my teenage son, Matthew, probably ate $9000 worth of them. Anyone who thinks I'm kidding hasn't seen our kitchen after a visit ...

Continue reading Culinary Odds & Ends: How Eating Leftovers Saves Me $1700 Annually

December 28, 2015

A Peek at My Kids’ Christmas Lists

By Len Penzo

Readers: Just for fun, I thought I would repost this article from Christmas Eve 2009 Well, according to my friend the Silicon Valley Blogger, Zhu Zhu Pets are the hot Christmas gift item for 2009. Don't tell my kids that though because those ...

Continue reading A Peek at My Kids’ Christmas Lists

December 24, 2015

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