If you want to get a smartphone, and for whatever crazy reason you don’t want an iPhone, Marv will show you the best alternatives available. While he would never want one for himself, he gives you a “pros and cons” of the best smartphones that don’t have a lower case I in front of their names.

In the hype of everything and everyone going green, we’re pretty sure that most of you have heard you should eat what’s in season. It sounds obvious, but most of us don’t actually do it. We’ll go out of our way to get items which are not being grown locally, items which we can’t easily get at the local grocer.

Everyone has experienced it. You’re placing your bids on eBay, and you’ve got the top bid with only a minute left. Then, as you’re doing the ritual countdown, someone outbids you. It’s annoying and a piss-off… but it’s so excruciatingly fun from the other end.

Okay, I know this whole series of articles is supposed to be about being smart about your finances as a couple so you can decrease the number of things that you two have to fight about. Therefore, with this knowledge you’d be able to avoid breaking up. But hey – smart spending can only do so much. Things fall apart and relationships can go bad at any time.

So how about this Fathers Day you shake things up! Hire a professional photographer to take intimate portraits of you with your dad. And no, I don’t mean for you to set up a typical studio session where you’re against a cheesy background with plastic smiles painted on your faces.

In the spring, it’s natural to have certain instincts; enjoying the blooming foliage, shrugging off winter’s heavy layers…and feeling a little extra romantic. Even in these economically recessive times, it’s important that we continue to hold on to the things that truly make us happy. Otherwise, what are we working hard and budgeting and stressing about?

For me, buying Tupperware just meant having containers with matching lids every time for all the sizes and things I needed them for. The containers were durable and looked beautiful when shelved neatly for all miscellaneous things.

One of the best parts of being in a relationships is doing all the fun little habits that you enjoy together. And while I would never tell you to stop indulging and enjoying your life together, I think we can all agree that it can be all too easy for couples to indulge a bit too much sometimes.

One of the reasons I love writing about ways to be smart about spending money is that it forces me to learn about it even more. Confession: I’m not naturally that great with money. I like to shop, I like to make excuses to celebrate, and I’m not especially fond of saving.

Yard Sale season is in full swing, my favorite time of year. I am not a collector of junk like a typical yard sale shopper is labeled, I simply shop yard sales to find the things I need versus going to buy them brand new at the store. Shopping yard sales is an inexpensive way to decorate your house while having a blast doing it.