Before and after the holidays, our in-boxes are flooded with discounts, sale emails, and deals that seem impossible to resist. Even worse, they're often loaded with urgency: save 30 percent off, two days only! But shopping a few sales here and there on top of gift buying can add up to a massive credit-card bill at month's end. This season, I've been finding new ways to exercise willpower around Read more

We're thrilled to present this smart Kiplinger story here on Savvy! Pesky bank fees aren’t just creeping up — they’re attacking from all sides. Banks impose 49 different fees, on average, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Getting paper statements in the mail will cost you $1 to $2 a month; seeing a teller could result in a $9 fee; and maintaining a checking account without meeting Read more

The elliptical is a mainstay in the gym for good reason: it's easy on the joints and provides a great cardio and total-body workout. But the elliptical can also get pretty boring and repetitive, too. Instead of spending a mindless 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, maximize your time by doing one of these eight workouts instead. Whether you're a beginner, looking for a high-intensity interval Read more

When you first start running, it's important to think of yourself as a tortoise and not a hare, slowly easing yourself into running two to three miles a day, three to five days a week for about five weeks at a comfortable pace. This way, you can cover a lot of ground, yet still build endurance while minimizing injuries. Once you're in a comfortable pace zone, you'll notice that you're getting in Read more

Even the most cooking challenged would agree: you'd be hard-pressed to mess up popcorn, a TV dinner, or soup in the microwave. But stick a sheet of foil in on accident, and it's a recipe for disaster — just ask my 8-year-old self! So why does the microwave take poorly to metal? Microwave oven transmitters produce electromagnetic radiation ("microwaves") that disturbs electrons (the Read more

A friend asked me to go for a run the other day, and I agreed with the disclaimer that I was pretty poky in the speed department. I was surprised that I wasn't as slow as I thought. I've been working on my pace, and I guess what I've been doing has been effective. Try these tips on your runs to give your running pace a little kick in the pants. Don't fear the hills. Running uphill is much Read more

I hit a wall last year. I was working out a lot and eating well, but my body wasn't progressing. Whether it was doing that last pull-up, biking that last mile, or adding heavier weights to my routine, my muscles just gave up on me. This year as part of the Get Fit For 2010 challenge, I made it my goal to increase my strength and endurance. To accomplish my goal I've been doing a lot of interval Read more

Even before Tiger Woods gave his celebrity endorsement to sex addiction, we debated whether it's an easy excuse or a mental health issue. Now Time magazine is taking on the topic in the latest issue. We already took a look inside sex rehab clinics to find out what to expect when you're reforming, but here are five facts from the article you might not have been aware of already. Sex addiction is Read more

Today, the Internal Revenue Service announced that new rules have been implemented that will make things easier for taxpayers who are having a difficult time paying back debt owed to the IRS. Here they are: The threshold for tax liens will be doubled from $5,000 to $10,000, which means the IRS won't file a lien unless your unpaid taxes are more than $10,000. The liens give the IRS the ability to Read more