This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman.
When you have a need or a problem, there’s usually a solution that can be bought. Buying a solution is often the easiest and fastest way to solve a problem — but it also can be the most expensive.
When my husband and I were in debt-repayment mode and had our discretionary spending locked down, I began to see that there are alternative solutions to problems that I once thought could only be solved by buying something. Sometimes quality counts, but more often than not, I would choose a solution that required spending more than necessary, when some forethought might have yielded a solution that was less expensive (or even free). Or maybe if I had stopped to think about it, I’d have realized it wasn’t a critical problem, and I could just choose to do nothing about it.
We set a strict budget while we were [...]

This article is by GRS staff writer Adam Baker. Currently, Baker is fat and in debt.
We all know how to rent a typical, cookie-cutter apartment or house. Find a contact number. Set-up a walk through. Fill out the application. Pay your fee and wait for a response.
But sometimes typical just doesn’t cut it.
Maybe you’re looking to secure a unique apartment in an irresistible location. Or you might be seeking the only house for rent in a certain school district. Heck, you may even find yourself in New Zealand needing a short-term (3-month) lease when everyone wants a 6-month minimum.  *raises hand*
Whatever your motivation, here are nine ways you can knock the socks off your next landlord or property manager:

Create a Rental Résumé. Treat this like you would a job search. The majority of applications are going to ask for the same information. Put together a basic one- or two-page document containing this commonly requested information. Even if the landlord or property manager makes [...]

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman.
A couple of years ago, I had a Great Closet Clean-Out. My clothing racks and drawers were overflowing at the time, and some of it still had price tags. Hoping to accomplish that European knack for owning less and looking better, I donated, consigned, and gave away about 75 percent of my wardrobe. Today it’s 100 times more functional.
These are the best tips I picked up while going through the process, gleaned from fashion gurus, designers, and style bloggers. These tips are applicable to women and men, whether you’re a high-power attorney or a stay-at-home parent.
1. Make four piles.
The Great Closet Clean-Out is your first step. Tim “Make It Work” Gunn, fashion guru and author of A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, advises you to divide your clothes into four piles: throw out, give away, repair, and soul-stirring. Get rid of clothes in the first two [...]

This is a guest post from Karawynn Long, who writes about personal finance at Pocketmint. Karawynn is a semi-regular contributor for Get Rich Slowly. She has been blogging since before “blogging” was a word.
Here at the Koke-Long house we’re in the market for some furniture. Our living room is currently semi-furnished with a comfortable but deteriorating Ikea couch and some leftover dining chairs; we’d like a nice armchair or two and some tables.
I’ve mostly gone for Ikea ‘cheap and new’ furniture in the past, but I’ve been disappointed by its (understatement alert!) lack of durability. This time I’d like to try buying used but higher-quality. As I began to look around, though, I realized that I knew very little about what makes for a strong, long-lasting piece of furniture.
Anyone can identify a rip, scratch, or stain, or decide whether they like a certain color, without special knowledge. But judging whether a [...]

This article is by Adam Baker, a GRS Staff Writer. In addition to writing for Get Rich Slowly, Baker blogs over at Man Vs. Debt, where he discusses ways to simplify your financial life.
A thriving emergency fund is an essential piece of a healthy financial picture.
You’ve heard this a million times before. The basics of emergency funds have been covered in depth. We’re used to hearing discussions on why they’re important and how large they should be.
But do you know what we don’t hear much about? How freakin’ boring they are!
Let’s be honest: There’s nothing sexy about building an emergency fund. Sure, it’s possible to get fired up for the initial push. You can take advantage of small, specific tips to create an early spark. But what about going from $1000 in savings to six months of expenses?  Eventually the excitement fades.
Testing a fresh approach can change everything. Sometimes all it takes is a minor shift in mindset. Whether you’re [...]

This article is by Adam Baker, a new GRS Staff Writer. In addition to writing for Get Rich Slowly, Baker blogs over at Man Vs. Debt, where you can find his personal background story and read more of his writing.
Last week, I adjusted several preferences on my PayPal account. I added and verified a new e-mail address and swapped my linked bank account. Shortly after finalizing the changes, I received a brief e-mail from PayPal stating that I needed to log in order to verify my account.
Nothing seemed suspicious at first. But after closer examination, I noticed that the message was requesting that I log into a client provided within the e-mail itself. ”That’s weird,” I thought. Then it hit me: A well-timed phishing attack had just penetrated my e-mail account’s spam filter. I couldn’t believe how similar it was to the legitimate e-mails I’d received earlier that day confirming my account changes — or how perfect the timing [...]