The Best Prom Money Can Buy: South Suburban Spending Habits

We called on our Facebook fans from across the south suburbs to share their experiences dealing with the expenses of a modern-day prom.

For some, prom is the apex of the high school experience—a magical night to be looked back on with nostalgia for years to come.  Others will recount it as a well-dressed ten-ton credit-munching beast with an insatiable appetite. Like Matt L., our Tinley Park Patch Facebook friend who needed several years to pay his parents off his parents for a prom loan. Or Angie S. from Oak Lawn, who budgeted $1,000 for her daughters’ proms (and she’s not the exception). Now that we’re in the heart of prom season, we were curious to hear about the financial impact prom has on the typical south suburban family. How much does the average local family spend on a prom, and who foots the bill? Mom and dad, or the teens? We asked our Facebook fans across the …

•  5 Comments
• Photos (1)

Kids and Money

Some tips from local martial arts instructor, Andre Campos.

5 Ways to Start Saving Money in the New Year

If your New Year’s resolution is to get your finances in order, these guidelines will help you get started.

In this economy—and especially during this time of year—many of us are facing our very own fiscal cliff. While we may not be able to raise revenue as easily as the federal government can, these five steps may help you reach solvency and put savings in the bank, financial planners say. Join the conversation. Join Homewood-Flossmoor Patch on Facebook and sign up for the daily email newsletter! Once you’re free of debt and ready to grow your savings, you can look to financial services companies for investment advice, including banks (Bank of America, Wells Fargo and others), insurers (State Farm, Allianz and others) and brokers (Edward Jones, for example). Good luck! By Theresa Waldrop

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Dinkum

1:17 pm on Wednesday, January 2, 2013

This are fine pieces of advice. Most people who have money issues will not follow them. So I offer these: 1. First off, you are poor, broke, etc. because you can't manage your desires/needs. It's not about money. It's about you. Get out of denial. It's not you can't manage money, you can't manage you. 2. Live below your means. Figure out what you make and your expenses should be about 20-30% …   more ›

How Much Will Falling Off the Fiscal Cliff Cost You?

If Congress fails to pass an extension of the Bush era tax cuts by midnight Monday, American paychecks will get smaller. You can use the fiscal cliff calculator to see the impact on your paycheck.

With leaders of Congress becoming more and more skeptical that a deal will be reached before midnight Monday to avoid the fiscal cliff, it becomes increasingly likely that American paychecks will get smaller Tuesday, according to a story in today’s New York Times. “I have to be very honest,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in the New York Times article. “I don’t know time-wise how it can happen now.” The Senate reconvened today in an unusual session between Christmas and Jan. 1. Even if the Senate passes legislation, the House of Representatives will not come back into session until Sunday barely 24 hours before the deadline, according to a story today on Politico. If no deal is reached, a single person with two exemptions earning $…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Censured PSC Board Member Loses Over $1,200 in Reimbursements

A Patch investigation reveals that a controversial political maneuver cost Prairie State College Wendell Mosby over $1,200 in travel reimbursements.

Documents released by Prairie State College reveal just how hard Trustee Wendell Mosby was hit when the board stripped him of his travel reimbursement privileges earlier this month. The board made the move after Mosby walked out of the Oct. 30 meeting just before it came time to vote on a nepotism policy he disagreed with. The walk-out removed the quorum—preventing the board from making a decision on the policy. Read: Prairie State Board Censures Trustee After Strategic Walk-Out Patch requested an itemized list of each travel expense reimbursement given to each sitting Prairie State College trustee between Jan. 1, 2011 and Dec. 13, 2012. A "travel expense" is defined as transportation costs of in- or out-of-state trips, along with lodging…

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

$10,000 Scholarship Video Contest

The three-pronged contest targeting college students and professionals, asks contestants to create a short video explaining why they chose their current career path and how they plan to change the world through their chosen fields.

Fifth Cash Mob Coming This Saturday

The secret venues will be announced on Friday. This will be an ALL-DAY event; shop any time during the venue's business hours, then gather for the aftermob at 7 pm.

Flossmoor Property Tax Relief Efforts: Minutes with the Mayor

In this installment of Minutes with the Mayor, Paul Braun answers what the village is doing in an effort to reduce the burden of property taxes on homeowners.

Patch gathered questions from readers, for Flossmoor Mayor Paul Braun. Now, Patch will regularly air a series of video responses to the questions readers voted as most pressing. In this edition, Braun responds to the question: What is the village doing to help reduce the burden of property taxes on homeowners? Transcript: That’s a really important question. That affects all of us here in Flossmoor. We are concerned about the burden our residents have with property taxes. To put it in some perspective, the village’s share of the property tax bill is 15.2 percent. So, what that means is about 80 percent of the property tax bill—that’s paid for local schools and the township and Cook County—the village has no control over. So, to answer the …

•  3 Comments
• Videos (1)

Tony Dauginas

1:17 pm on Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The discussion about property taxes should start with the taxing bodies that get the largest percentages, but the lack of non-residential tax base is a planning issue under the control of the village   more ›

New Homewood Marquee Sign Squeaks By

Village President Richard Hofeld broke a three-to-three vote during Tuesday night's Homewood village board meeting.

Story Updated at 3 p.m. on Aug. 29 Prepare to be more informed, and possibly more distracted, when driving past village hall on Dixie Highway. The controversial expenditure of just over $21,000 on a new electronic marquee sign to replace the village’s current manually programmed sign was just barely approved during Tuesday night’s board meeting. The final vote was three to three, with Village President Richard Hofeld casting the tiebreaking "yes" vote. The new sign, which has the ability to produce graphic images in addition to text, is required by law to hold static messages for no shorter duration than 15 minutes at a time, according to Community Development Director Paula Wallrich. The village will be installing the new sign at the …

•  33 Comments
• Photos (1)

Vote: Which Bank Best Handles Your Money?

We need your input on the best bank in town.