family

Having an autistic child can present seemingly nonstop challenges for families. Among those are thousands of dollars spent in the hopes, fleeting as they may be, of finding a cure for the exasperating illness. And lining up a qualified doctor can be a full-time job.

Any family can live on one income, and while I believe this to be true without exceptions, there are certainly situations where the lifestyle changes would be so objectionable as to keep many Americans from diving in. But for most, especially those with young children, a home in need of work or...

Horror stories of mismatched lifestyles living in tiny shared spaces are deeply rooted in the college experience. Every student who chooses to live on campus pauses to think about the uncomfortable situations they could possibly encounter. But this year, students across the country are entering...

I wrote a story for WalletPop last week on how to prepare your child for an allowance. For those who prefer video to reading, here's a TV interview I did the next day on "The View from the Bay," a San Francisco TV show.

Chipotle Mexican Grill wants to turn spam -- the electronic kind -- into nutritious meals for school children. The national burrito chain restaurant is encouraging Americans to forward all of their junk e-mail as part of its "No Junk" campaign. Each piece of junk or spam e-mail sent to...

It was announced yesterday that Disneyland would no longer require its women workers to wear stockings. For readers who are under 30, stockings are leg coverings that cling like leggings but aren't nearly as comfortable. Think tights, but sheerer, prone to snags and generally good for one or two...

Annually-released statistics such as the Agricultural Department's "cost of raising a child" report are the sort of thing that make a frugal woman shake her head. The cost of raising a child from birth to age 17, says the USDA, is $222,360 for those born in 2009; this takes into account the...

For people with friends and family living or traveling far away, Skype has always been a go-to service for making long distance calls for free, or at very competitive rates. Now, thanks to new calling plans, Skype users can save even more by creating a customized calling plan to cell phones or...

Poverty is growing in the recession, with nearly 40 million Americans living at or below the official poverty level in 2008. That figure includes more than 14 million children and a growing class of "working poor."

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, you're probably thinking you'd like to do something special for your spouse or significant other, and maybe for your kids and your parents, too. But you're also probably lacking the cash to really show them how you feel. Join the club! And these days,...