I’ve had this site bookmarked for weeks and haven’t gotten around to reading it. I finally did and I am really glad I did. If you stop thinking about how much things cost and start thinking about the future return on your expenses, you will become a wiser consumer, investor and saver.
Here are a few of the smartest things you can do with your money:

• Before you put your home on the market, plant a daisy or two. Simple landscaping should cost less than $500 but will increase your sale price by a couple grand. Other high-return/low-expense projects: Put a coat of fresh paint on the front door, turn up the wattage in your lamps, and hire a pro to deep clean.
• Start a business from your home, however small, and magically, expenses ranging from Internet access to plumbing repairs can become at least partly deductible. There are rules, of course: You have to use your home workspace exclusively for work, among other things. Print out Publication 587 from www.irs.gov for details.
• Meet a former colleague once a month for a bite to eat. A regular $30 out-of-the office lunch could reward you with a fat, up-to-date Rolodex the next time you’re in the job market.
• If you have cash wallowing in a money fund or bank account at 1 percent and a credit-card balance at, say, today’s average rate of 13 percent, write a check for the balance immediately. That’s a 13 percent return — with no risk.

Read the rest here

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