Want a $20 Amazon Gift Card?

If you’re the random winner of my little contest, I’ll send you one. Who doesn’t want free money to spend on Amazon?

All you have to do to enter is comment on this post with your answers to the two questions below. You can gain additional entries by “liking” the MoneyCrush and Pay Off Debt app Facebook pages & noting that you’ve done so in your comment here. So, up to three entries per person. See the “fine print” at the end of this post if you want the mumbo jumbo details.

Now, here are the questions:

1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

Hurry and enter, because I’m anxious to hear what you have to say. And I’ve got this gift card burning a hole in my pocket…

And now the “fine print”: Contest ends at midnight Arizona time on February 13, 2011. Void where prohibited, and you can’t enter if you’re in my immediate family. (Sorry, son!) The random winner will be chosen by numbering the entries and then using the True Random Number Generator to generate the number of the winning entry. If you win and don’t respond to my email or notice in the comments of this post that you’ve won within 7 days of the contest end, I’ll pick a new winner. Not responsible for late or misdirected entries. I love pizza.

54 comments

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? The budget isn’t constant. Every month it seems we have to adjust our budget because the price of something has changed, usually it cost more.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? I’ve always wanted to learn how to work the stock game.

  • Amy

    1. My biggest pet peeve about money is how advertising is everywhere. I’m so sick of seeing some sort of advertisement everywhere I look.

    2. I’d like someone to teach me how to negotiate or bargain for stuff.

  • 1. People who talk about how they never have any money, and then you see them going out to eat 3-4 times a week, or spending money on frivolous things.

    2. If I had to choose one thing, it would be to better understand investing in stocks.

  • Bo

    1. Pet peeve is the “Woe is me” attitude. (“I’ll never be able to save money”, “I’ll never be able to pay for a car in cash”, etc.)

    2. I’d like investing advice for beginners.

  • Kay

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?

    Trying to mentally stay in the “glass is half full” attitude when many around me are crying that it is just the opposite.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

    How can I budget to create an emergency fund without negatively impacting today?

  • Just liked both of your pages on facebook! My answers to the questions are shown below.

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?

    Spending too much money on wine/beer/mixed drinks when going out to restaurants.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

    To invest their money at a young age in index mutual funds and/or index ETFs

  • Kim

    1. Feeling overwhelmed by poor money choices in the past.

    2. A walk through of how to open a high yield savings account. I try but I get kicked off and frustrated.

  • Jenny Dee

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
    That I have to have it to get stuff is my main pet peeve. No, really. If I didn’t have to have money, then I wouldn’t need to work and I could do things I really enjoy. I’ve heard about places where you can barter, but my talents only stretch so far. Is a secondary pet peeve that we’re “told” we “need” to own a house, and that a 30-year mortgage is worth it?

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

    An investment/savings plan that would enable me, when I hit 55, to stop working because I “must” in order to pay the bills. I think it’s called “passive earning” or something like that.

  • 1) People who claim to be broke but are always wasting money!

    2) To become a better negotiator!

    I also like Money Crush on Facebook!

  • 1. Biggest pet peeve – That money struggles tend to be kept a secret until the problems mushrooms. I want to encourage more people to be open about their struggles and find help while the problem is still a molehill.

    2. Pay for advice – I need more advice on setting up proper business structures and great, legal, sound tax strategies.

  • 1. People who make a lot of money but are in debt.

    2. Umm, I have two finance degrees and used to work in a bank, so I am pretty good on that. I guess it would be nice to have a better background on derivatives.

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?

    Well, it’s more about when it comes to me–my excessive spending on eating out, primarily. But also that I just have to stay on top of myself pretty relentlessly to keep myself from pissing money down the drain. Irritating!!

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

    I would really like to understand investments better, but the only classes I’ve seen are from folks trying to sell me something. I don’t want a broker teaching me. I’d like to find a nice academic who could dumb down all the complicated investing stuff into something more easily comprehensible.

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? I hate that we all seem to accept the fact that we should spend 25-40 of our best years working just to make enough money to afford to live okay while we age and die. It’s depressing.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? I’d want to be taught about how to invest and deal with large sums of money in retirement. I know how to save and my husband knows how to invest, but neither one of us has experience with a million dollars or more…

  • Betty

    Hello! Q1: My biggest peeve is when people complaint they’re broke and can’t pay their bills, yet they go out to lunch every day, and always have new clothes.
    Q2: I would love for someone to dummy down the tricks of investing for me. I participate in a work program, (457) but I really don’t know what I’m doing.
    Thanks!

  • Peg

    I would like to pay someone to explain investing outside of my 401k/mutual funds in a way that doesn’t confuse and terrify me. :)

  • My pet peeve about money is when I get twenties out of the ATM, I must get change elsewhere. Another is I hate carrying change, so I turned it into a positive and throw the change into a savings jar. I wouldn’t pay anyone to teach me about money, although I suppose I do with investments (mutual fund expenses).

  • Al

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
    WHEN PRICES AREN’T LISTED!!! It’s so aggravating…not that I’m cheap but…

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    Stocks. Wouldn’t it be nice to just pick and win?

  • Al

    I liked moneycrush

  • Al

    and the notorious POD app :)

  • Al

    Facebook profile is: Juan Gonzalez.
    Out of curiosity, how would you be able to track “likes”? I’ve always wondered about that.

    • Since I don’t have 5000 fans or anything (yet, right?) it’s pretty easy to notice new ones, and FB provides stats on the number of new likes. But I asked people to note it here so it will be easier to track.

  • SherryH

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?

    That so much wealth in the US is concentrated in the hands of so few, and that so many people are working full-time and earning less than a living wage. It’s possible to make money go a lot farther by being knowledgeable and frugal, but it still only stretches so much.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?

    I have been thinking about taking a tax preparation course at the Community College to pick up a little extra money during the tax season – would that count?

  • Jason Ormes

    1. Just when I get a bit of play money saved up some issue such as home repair always seems to come along and sucks it up.

    2. How to get into investing with just $50 a month.

  • Hello!

    My biggest pet peeve with money is the phrase people like to throw out “you get what you paid for”. So NOT true!

    I wish I could pay someone to teach me how to go solar without the huge investment costs!

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
    When people who make good money will try to do what they can to save a couple of bucks.
    One example is lying about a child’s age in order to not pay an entrance fee.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    I would like to learn how to invest in stock and pick the right mutual funds.

    I think I already “Like” your page. If not, I will be liking it after I post this. :o)

  • 1. Pet peeve – the fine print! Nothing is as advertised, there is always a fine print!
    2. I would like an insiders view on how the Feds work – not what they feed us, but what actually goes on!

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? When people (including me) waste it.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? How to make it last my entire retirement.

  • Amanda W

    What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? When we have extra
    expenses come up.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    How to invest.

  • What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? My money sometimes manages me and I want to be the one in charge!

    If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? How to invest. Definitely.

    Am now liking you on Facebook!

  • petra

    My biggest pet peeve when it comes to money is the way my state manages its finances. I wish my elected officials would look at ways to cut spending before they were so quick to raise taxes.

  • petra

    If I could pay someone to teach me one thing about money it would be how to make wise investments.

  • pedro

    My biggest pet peeve is the low interest rates banks are offering on savings accounts right now.

    If I could, I would pay someone to teach me more about saving for retirement.

  • Em

    1. I think my biggest money pet peeve is that so much is determined by your FICO score–which you can’t see unless you pay.

    2. I’d like to learn beginning investing advice. Not quite the basics of what a mutual fund or an index fund is, but the next level beyond that.

  • Gintare

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
    probably that i pay money for a poisonous food (when you look at the labels it looks like some chemistry book or something – but we sstill pay money for that.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    i would like somebody to teach me how to spend money wisely – it’s such a science – not just saving money, but spending them too

  • 1. I don’t know if these really qualify as “pet peeves”, but it annoys me how difficult it is to drill savings into my kids – and worse, my husband. Also, that I can’t fix any of my past mistakes.

    2. I think I’d like to pay someone to teach me how to deal with negative accounts on my credit report.

  • I like MoneyCrush on Facebook (and follow on Twitter).

  • I like Pay Off Debt on Facebook (and have the app).

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? My biggest pet peeve is when people say they don’t have enough money to make ends meet, and then they proceed to talk about their night out drinking with friends, their $100+ cable package and designer clothes they just bought.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? Probably would want to learn the finer points of the stock market and investing.

  • Carol

    My biggest pet peeve about money would have to be people that make a bumcg but slways complain about not having any. Hello? What about the rest of us?
    I would love to learn more about investments and passive income I hear so much about.

  • Susan Lake

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? That I don’t have enought of it.
    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be? How to save more of it..

    Liked on Facebook :)

  • 1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money?
    – You have to earn it, it doesn’t grow on trees! Ok all kidding aside, my pet peeve of money is credit cards. It can act like money but its not money, it is actually trouble if you are not careful when using it.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    – Well if I have to pay someone to learn about money, I would like them to teach me how they started teaching about money so I can start getting people to pay me to learn about money :)

  • Andrea

    Liked both FB pages. :)

    My biggest pet peeve re: money is working in a field (social work) that doesn’t pay well, yet not being able to find a legitimate way to supplement my income.

    I would pay someone to teach me how to invest my money. I have a Roth IRA with the “autopilot” option for where the money goes, but I’d like to move beyond a level zero understanding and be able to do it on my own.

  • My biggest pet peeve is that my lot in life seems to be to make money to support everyone else. I was just thinking this morning I wish I had time to take accounting classes. So I guess I would pay someone to teach me accounting principles because I think I’m missing information for the work that I do since I didn’t go to college to be an accountant. I liked your app and Money Crush on facebook. Thanks for this little giveaway!

  • Biggest pet peeve about money? No matter how much you try and plan, there’s always something you didn’t anticipate…. such as ACT Test Fees…. went to register my daughter for that. Ugh — it never occurred to me that it cost that much. But its a necessary cost if she’s going to college.
    What I’d like to be taught? Better money management — I’m not very good at it.

  • Jenny

    1. The way the prices of everything just keep creeping up, and often the sizes/service/options creep down at the same time, so you end up paying much more for less.

    2. I would like to learn more ways to develop passive income.

  • Henria O.

    1. I hate when people complain about not having money and never seem to discriminate regarding their needs when it comes to spending. I’m talking about the people who never change or curtail their spending habits and continue to complain about a lack of money or end up borrowing.
    2. I’d like to be taught how to maximize my profits investing in real estate.
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

  • Henria O.

    I like Money Crush on FB!
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

  • Henria O.

    I like the Pay Off Debt app on FB!
    sazzyfrazz at gmail dot com

  • Brian Ryall

    1. Need receipts for all non food purchases

    2. I need to learn more about investing

  • Janet F

    1. What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to money? No matter how much I budget there never seems to be enough money for everything that I want or need.

    2. If you could pay someone to teach you one thing about money, what would it be?
    How to budget and still have money for the things I want.

    janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

  • Janet F

    I like the MoneyCrush and Pay Off Debt app Facebook pages – Janet Fri

    janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com

  • And the winner is….Amanda W, whose biggest pet peeve when it comes to money is having extra expenses coming up. Amanda, I’ve notified you via email, so go ahead and reply so I can get you your gift card.

    Thanks everyone for entering!