Money Crashers: 3 new pieces, 2 updates

Several more of my articles have appeared on Money Crashers in the past few days — some new, some older articles that needed to be refreshed with up-to-date numbers. Some of these were meant to be published for Earth Day, but only one of them actually made it onto the site in time; however, they all appeared during Earth Week, at least, so that's sort of a win.

The new pieces are:

1. Latte Factor – Giving Up Lattes Won’t Make You Rich But Here’s What Will

In this piece, I quibble with financial guru David Bach's famous "latte factor" formula: the idea that you can become rich by just cutting out some small indulgence, such as a daily latte, and channeling that money into investments instead. The problem: the math doesn't add up. This piece show exactly why the latte factor doesn't work, and explains how to tackle the much harder jobs that actually will make a difference: minimizing your fixed expenses, maximizing your income, and choosing the right investments.

2. 14 Disposable Items You Can Ditch to Save $1.5K This Year – Alternatives

This is the piece that got published in time for Earth Day, though it had actually been in the works for months. It covers a lot of the same ground as last year's Thrift Week posts, showing how reusable alternatives to disposable stuff — water bottles, soda bottles, batteries, paper towels — can keep money in your pocket and help the planet at the same time.

3. What Is the Freecycle Network – Give & Get Free Stuff

An updated version of a piece done in 2012 by another writer, this one is also relevant to Earth Week because it deals with reuse. It sums up a lot of what I've said about Freecycle on this blog over the years in a single post: how it works, what it's good for, what kind of problems you can run into when Freecycling, and how proper Freecycle etiquette can make the process smoother for everyone.

The updated pieces are:

1. How to Save Money by Living Green – Saving Electricity, Gas & Trees

One of the first pieces I ever published on Money Crashers back in 2015, this article has been updated with new prices and other facts that reflect changes in technology and consumer behavior over the past five years, such as improvements to energy-efficient light bulbs, the continuing decline of paper newspapers.

2. How to Save Money With Your High-Speed Internet Service Provider

This 2018 piece is newer, but even two years have brought about significant changes in the spread of high-speed Internet and the prices people pay for it. And, with so many people moving more of our lives online in response to COVID, it's timely.