ArcaMax

Today's topic is not pretty, but unless you have $8,000 earmarked for dental care, it could prevent a lot of pain -- both dental and financial.

Periodontal disease is an infection that destroys the attachment fibers and supporting bones that hold the teeth in the jawbone and the jawbone itself.

Bacteria get caught between the teeth and under ...Read more

It seems to me that nearly every household product has at some time decided it needed to become "concentrated." Concentrated detergent, concentrated cleaner, concentrated juice, even concentrated coffee. These days I'm half expecting concentrated throw pillows.

The promise is always the same: smaller bottle, bigger value. Less packaging, more ...Read more

Dear Mary: My husband says that it costs more to make ice in the freezer than to buy it in bags. I find that hard to believe. Do you know the answer? -- J.M.

Dear J.M.: Let's say a 10-pound bag of ice at the store costs $2. Two dollars' worth of water from your tap would be nearly 350 gallons at the U.S. average price of about 0.0058 cents per ...Read more

Your credit score is a three-digit number between 300 and 850, generated by a mathematical algorithm (a mostly secret formula) based on information in your credit report compared with information on tens of millions of other people. The resulting number is said to be a highly accurate prediction of how likely you are to pay your bills.

If it ...Read more

There's no doubt that credit cards are convenient. They're compact, easy to carry and work just about anywhere. And that's the problem. What seems like no big deal on a daily basis can add up to one whopping surprise at the end of the month.

In the event you have fallen into a mind-numbing "coma" that has you swiping the plastic with abandon, ...Read more

Every summer starts with good intentions: This will be the year we stay ahead of things. The year we don't waste food, lose track of sunscreen, or make six emergency grocery runs a week because nobody knows what's for dinner.

And then suddenly it's July, the refrigerator is full, the counters are cluttered, nobody can find the sunscreen, and ...Read more

Today is a good day to reach into my virtual mailbag and pull out letters from two of my dear readers.

Dear Mary: We are homeowners with about $175,000 in equity, which we will need to buy a bigger house in the future. Our home needs some expensive improvements (new windows, updated kitchen, siding), none of which are urgent, but which will be ...Read more

Homeowners beware. These days, home loan scam artists are lurking around every corner. They're hungry, they're determined and they're coming after your equity.

Unscrupulous loan peddlers are known as predatory lenders because of their uncanny resemblance to vultures. These loans encourage people to consolidate their debts and suggest this will ...Read more

In today's offering of tips from your fellow readers, you're going to get a bonus: a new vocabulary word. Read on.

My dream is to own a second home in Sweden, and to be able to purchase it without a long-term mortgage. I found a picture of the home I dream of and hung it where I will see it often during the day. This has "dreamwashed" my mind, ...Read more

Every summer, right about the time the house starts feeling like a toaster oven with furniture, people begin searching for bigger solutions.

A stronger fan. A portable air conditioner. Blackout curtains that look like military equipment. Somebody with a decent advertising budget trying to sell a "cooling mattress" for the price of a used car.

...Read more