Money Review - January

The cliche-ridden issues of personal-finance magazines have arrived, with reminders to keep the resolutions and dollar-cost average. Still, after sifting through this latest Money magazine, I was able to cull a few ideas and points to follup up on.

- Is Gevalia worth it, or will and ordinary pod coffee maker suffice? I've been wanting to cut back on purchasing coffee out, but my brewing techniques are lacking. (Dec. 21: I don't think so. Seems somewhat costly.)

- Check out customer-service cheat techniques here. (Dec. 21: Neat-o. This could save me a lot of frustration.)

- Turns out grocery shopping is typically the largest expense for most people outside of car payments and mortgages. I've been looking for ways to hone our shopping practices and trim our bill. Some ideas are to create grocery list (which I usually do) and shop online. My immediate goal is to examine our habits and devise a strategy.

- Check out this Music Lives initiative from Fidelity. (Dec. 21: Interesting, but there are plenty of other causes for me to focus on.)

- Check out Waste Management's green committment. Nice site name, at the least. (Dec. 21: Very interesting stuff. I'd have never guessed. Keep researching the issue.)

- Should I sign up for Walter Updegrave's weekly newsletter? (Dec. 21: Nah)

- Set a plan for house maintenance, with a handy clip-and-save schedule.

- Can I enter the magazine's Maui sweepstakes? (Dec. 21: I think so, but it seems there's a catch. Plus, should I win, I don't want to pay the taxes.)

- What's this advertised site about? Is it something worthwhile? (Dec. 21: Nope)