Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm a little nuts about expiration dates on food. Despite the fact that I haven't ever actually gotten sick from eating old food, I'm really neurotic about the freshness of my food. While this doesn't seem so bad at first glance, it can definitely effect my pocketbook.

I don't like eating leftovers that are older than 2 days, despite reading various charts that tell me it's still safe. And don't even TRY to get me to eat food that is past its printed expiration date- that is just not going to happen. I even tend to treat the sell by dates as use by dates, even though I know there's a real difference there. And since I won't touch food that is even a little bit old or expired, there tends to be too much spoilage in my kitchen. It's not quite so bad now that I have a human garbage disposal living with me that has an iron stomach and hates waste, but it still isn't ideal. Trust me, I've tried to get over it, but I just can't. Pretty much the only way I'll eat old food is if my mom okays it first. I know it doesn't even make sense because I'm often just describing the food to her over the phone, but having that specific approval seems to satisfy the weird tick I have.  More Here...

Consolidation can really help with student loan debt because you cut down on the number of payments to keep track of and you can usually end up with a lower interest rate than you had, on average, before.

Kat asks about a good place to do this on our Advice page:
I just found out that the company that I consolidated undergrad loans with is no longer consolidating because of the state of the economy. Are many other companies doing this? Where else can I get them consolidated?

A recent Fast Company study showed that, even in the midst of the recession, online purchases have continued to increase. The study showed that 154 million people, which is almost half the entire US population, bought something online in 2009.

Many people are starting to buy online more often than in stores. More Here...

It can be hard to figure out how to break into, and manage having, a side job. Especially if it's a more creative or unusual job than a gig at the mall.

Kat has decided that she wants to try her hand at dog walking and needs some advice about getting started:

As you might know from my previous posts, I am new to the New York area and looking for some extra income. As a former dog-owner (the dog was the biggest loss in my last breakup, hehe) and Humane Society volunteer, I would enjoy being a dogwalker or petsitter as a part-time job. But how do you get the clientele and how do you get them to trust you with their dogs?