Financial Compatibility

It's the end of the month and the paychecks are rolling in. Did your parents openly discuss their financial issues? This is one question from USA Today's Compatibility Quiz. A major issue in many marriages stems from money. As in other things, it's important to know the knowledge level of your spouse when it comes to finances in order to meet on common ground. This 14 question quiz will get you started. Once you've completed the quiz you'll have a better understanding of your take on money, as well as your spouse's. You can also view a video that gives advice on your financial compatibility.

I'm the Decider

The NY Times (registration required) has an article discussing a word Pres. Bush used in a speech last week: decider. Basically, the article explores who in marriage makes the decisions. "I'm the decider" might be the hot new phrase, but others already recognize it from an older phrase, "I wear the pants."

Featured in the article is Donna Perry Keller, a Kalamazoo, MI wife who's take on marriage offers the best advice, "For us, marriage is more a finesse game than a power game. It requires 'the suggester' and 'the discusser' as much as it does 'the decider.' "

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Gas Prices

Since gas prices have now reached the stratosphere, we thought we'd forward a few gas-saving tips from the good people at Edmunds.com. Edmunds tested common heard tips on saving gas and offers their recommendations. Among their findings:

• Aggressive Driving vs. Moderate Driving
  Result: Moderate driving has an average savings of 31%
  
  
• Lower Speeds Save Gas
  Result: Average saving of 12%
  
  
• Use Cruise Control
  Result: Average saving of 7%
  
  
• A/C On, Windows Up vs. A/C Off, Windows Down
  Result: No measurable difference
  
  
• Check Your Tire Pressure
  Result: No measurable difference
  
  
• Avoid Excess Idling
  Result: Average saving of 19% (if idling longer than 1 minute)
  

Not that we need to mention it, but carpooling with your spouse and driving a hybrid will also help.

Ideal Body or Financial Success?

Meal plan company, Medifast (so maybe take this stat with a grain of salt) says that 49% of adults find it more difficult to watch their weight than watch their budget (40%). They've sent out a press release with a few more numbers along with "10 Tips to Slim Down for Bathing Suit Season." Their third tip: Get a buddy. I'd like to add that a spouse is a perfect buddy.

It's Good for Kids to Eat Dirt

Okay, so maybe it's not good for kids to eat dirt, but an article from CNN says many immunology experts believe that germ exposure is good for kids. The reasoning is that early germ exposure helps kids build their immune system to fight allergies and asthma in the future. One of the more interesting findings comes from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, which says that the prevalence of allergies has substantially increased over the past 15 years. The experts are now beginning to believe that while the disinfecting and sterilizing is creating a cleaner society, kids bodies have not learned how to fight germs without the help of Mr. Clean. So go ahead and let your kids play in the dirt, but please keep them away from the dog bowl, that's just gross.

Here's an Offer You Can't Refuse

UK's The Guardian has put together their list of the top 50 films adapted from books. The list runs the gamut from "Fight Club" to "Pride and Prejudice." Here's an idea, why not go through the list and mark the movies you haven't seen and pick one or two to rent this weekend? Or conversely, if you've seen the movie why not read the book? Whatever you decide, remember to "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

Plan a Surprise in Paris

Many, many people have traveled to the City of Lights declaring their feelings, but if you're looking for something new, Apoteo Surprise has the package for you. Apoteo Surprise offers 40 different ways to say "I love you" from having a group seranade you outside your window as a wakeup call to having lunch in an 18th century castle and witness a parachuter fall from the sky to hand your spouse a message from you. Hey husbands, if you really want to impress your wife, book the Knight's Tale package in which you'll take a horse carriage through a forest and then have bandits appear to attack you, followed by a prince coming to fight them off. After the prince defeats the bandits he'll hand your sweetheart a note from you. Yeah, it's a bummer you can't be the prince, but all the excitement is likely to pay dividends anyway.

Sleeping On the Couch is Sooo Passe

James Wilson and his wife have a disagreement. His wife, Valentina is allowing their two young children to sleep in their bed. To protest, James is literally camping on the roof of their house--tent and all. Valentina says the couple gets all the intimate time they need. We're guessing James disagrees. Our two cents to James: sleeping on the roof isn't a practical logistical solution, unless you can convince your wife to go up there with you. Hmm, guessing not.

Health News Reviews

While you wait for the official hitched launch to deliver all the information you'd need and want as a married person, we thought you should know that you can get some quality health news at www.HealthNewsReviews.com, which pulls health-related stories from various media outlets and reviews the quality and accuracy of the articles. Those reviewing the stories are 21 medical professionals, analyzing items such as treatment options, costs, source of information and seven other criteria. The stories are then ranked from one to five stars. What's nice is that visitors can search for specific stories or just browse the latest stories that have been scrutinized.

Women & Men Lose Weight Differently

As the weather begins to heat up, now is a great time to start shedding your winter, um, fat suit. If you're like many other couples, the men often times get quicker results when the weight loss regiment begins and the wife is left frustrated and maybe even a little ticked off. Wanna know why and how men drop the pounds quickly? Or perhaps more importantly, what can wives learn from their husbands slim makeovers? This article on MSN highlights some similarities between men and women and their differences. For example, husbands and wives are both susceptible to food cravings, however, men will more often than not reach for a low-carb steak, while women will grab cake or other carbs, says recent research from Cornell University. Another helpful tip mentioned is that men rarely strive for perfection according to the article, they're just trying to improve.

"When women start a diet, they go from zero to 100%--they become 'perfect' overnight, which is a hallmark of failure. That's why I developed the 80% rule: Hit your weight loss goals 80% every single day you can. One day, it'll be 120% because it happens to be a great day. Other days, you'll hit 50% or even 20% when you're dealing with PMS. Just make sure it averages out to 80%."

So when you and your spouse begin your weight loss quest, be supportive of eachother because the pounds do come off differently.

Here's a Tip

The Washington Post has an article worthy of a tip on, well, tipping. The article explores how to appropriately tip in both The States and abroad and tells of entertaining anecdotes explaining things like, why you shouldn't tip in Mexico with your loose American change. The article is also accompanied by a side bar chart called "Ante Up," explaining the general rules of tipping for the variety of tipping situations including: bartender, coat checker, sommelier, garage attendant, doorman and more. By the way, your welcome for the tip.

Want to be a Millionaire?

Are you trying to resolve a money problem? USA Today has this nifty calculator page that asks simple questions and then offers various calculators to solve them. The simple calculators are divided into five categories: mortgages, autos, credit, retirement and savings. Drop down menus under each category ask simple questions such as, How much will my loan payments be? What will it take to be a millionaire? Should I convert my IRA to a Roth IRA? Or, am I better off renting? These are great, easy-to-use tools that can help shed some light on your future and find the road to get their.

100 Calorie Snacks

Have you seen the 100 calorie snack packs? Food makers have responded to criticisms demanding portion control and have found the marketing magic number: 100. This article says Kraft sold more than $100 million of their 100 calorie packs in 2005. Experts in the article say it's easy for calorie counters to keep track of intake with these snack portions and that it reduces the guilt, knowing they aren't going to overindulge. Highlighted as the most recent food maker into this category is Coca-Cola, who introduced 100-calorie, 8-ounce cans. A heads-up for this weekend, if you're trying to stick to 100 calorie portions, share the Cadbury Creme Egg because they are 170 calories a piece.

Marriage is Bliss

The Pew Research Center asked a simple question: Would you describe yourself as very happy? Only 24 percent of non-marrieds replied "yes," but 43 percent of married people said "yes." We blogged a few weeks ago about a study that suggested people who are married are healthier, now this report says married people are happier. Healthier and happier, Hitched continues to work on getting the remaining 57 percent of married people to come aboard.

Are Husbands Bigger Suckers for Internet Fraud?

A federal agency called the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which is an established partnership between the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI recently released their report highlighting fraud complaints and activities for 2005. The IC3 paper says men reported roughly 64 percent of the complaints. Moreover, losses reported by men were equal to $1.86 for every dollar lost by women.

The highest median dollar lost was for...[drumroll]...the Nigerian letter scam ($5,000). Please don't fall for this anymore, it's become cliche. A more recent scam to avoid involves Super Bowl tickets. Apparently, husbands are suckers for football. To protect yourself, the bottom of the report details many tips including how to prevent auction fraud, credit card fraud and other forms of thievery. The report also links to the website www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com where visitors can read more tips and file a complaint if necessary.

Give Your Flowers Some Booze

Working on your garden this weekend? William Miller, a Cornell University horticulturist recommends giving your daffodils a drink of hard liquor, such as vodka, tequila, gin or whiskey to stunt stem growth. This prevents the flowers from growing too tall and flopping over while the blossoms keep vibrant and sober. This article from USA Today says the proper alcoholic blend can stunt flower growth 30% to 50%. Miller says alcohol levels between 4% to 6% are ideal and warns that levels above 10% become toxic to the flowers. The article says, "to get a 5% solution from 80-proof liquor, which is 40% alcohol, add one part liquor to seven parts water." Keep the vino and six pack in the kitchen because they don't work.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage Relief

This article from USA Today tells some pretty scary stories of individuals and couples who are having difficulty keeping up with their bills as mortgage rates continue to increase. In fact, since June of 2004 rates have increased 15 times. The Mortgage Bankers Association says that nearly 25 percent of all mortgages are with adjustable rates. In the article, Christopher Cagan at First American Real Estate Solutions says that over the next five years that up to 1 million households who took out adjustable rate mortgages since 2004 could lose their home through foreclosure.

Fortunately, it's not all doom and gloom. The articles says, "The Homeownership Preservation Foundation offers free credit counseling and referrals, 24 hours a day, seven days a week (888-995-HOPE, or 888-995-4673). And NeighborWorks America, a national non-profit that supports homeownership and financial literacy, has member groups in every state."

Buy Now for Summer Airfare

Planning your summer vacation? An article from the St. Petersburg Times says to buy your airline tickets now because summer bargains aren't going to come. A main reason for the lack of good deals is because the level of available occupancy has decreased. Added to the current climate of fewer seats is news that Delta pilots are on the brink of a strike. With Delta planes on the ground, that means even fewer seats in the air. Bon voyage, summer deals.

Download on Date Night

For those nights where it's raining or you don't want to schlep to the video store to purchase your favorite movie that just came out, Hollywood is offering a new option--legal downloads. Brokeback Mountain will be the first movie where consumers can simultaneously buy a DVD in the store or download the movie from the internet. This article mentions that Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount, Fox, Sony and MGM are all on board. The bad news is that new movie downloads are a little pricey: $20 to $30. Regardless, date nights just got a lot more convenient.