A refrigerator on the fritz and a relocating neighbor teach our blogger that there’s potentially hundreds of dollars a year that can be saved, and a more orderly environment and clearer conscience to be had, by giving up our all-consuming habits.

Periodically, I like to digress and recycle factoids and crumbs for thought financial. It is with this plan in mind that I humbly submit today's offerings.

For a plausible explanation of how the nation's economy melted down in 2008, read "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis. The book not only boasts solid writing, but it's peppered with wisdom and insight into the workings of Wall Street.

The median family practitioner retires with a net worth of $2.5 million and the average cardiologist has $5.2 million. Although these numbers may qualify doctors as being “rich” among some people’s perceptions, most physicians would say they sure don’t feel or act rich.