How to Be Prepared for Black Friday 2013

Shopping for the best 2013 Black Friday Deals? This year, things may be a little different. Be prepared with the following tips, and you’ll get the best prices without being overwhelmed. It is solid advice to get you through the most important shopping day of the year. By making the following preparations now, you’ll be sure not to lose out on those bargains and at the same time, have everything be a positive and fun experience. Prepare for the Changes Swallow that turkey and be out the door by early evening if you want to start your Black Friday shopping. … Continue reading →

Earn Money Selling Children’s Clothing

Selling children’s clothing can be an easy way to earn money! You can make your own hours and work as much or as little as you like. Whether you need an income that will allow you to stay home with children, a fun project that will earn money, or some extra cash to put toward debt, consider earning money by selling children’s clothing. How to Get Started The nice thing about selling children’s clothing is that, if you have children, you can start with the items that they have outgrown! This means that initially, there is no cost to you. … Continue reading →

6 Steps to a Simple, Nonmaterialistic Life

Six easy steps you can take, starting today, to live a more simple and debt-free life Live Below Your Means Did you know that the average American spends $1.25 for each dollar he or she actually earns? Scary isn’ it? We live in a culture where living above your means is so normal, so casual, that we don’t even realize it. Create a budget and aim to live below your means, not above. Value Usefulness Over Status The clothes we choose, the cars we drive, the homes we live in and the electronics we carry sometimes are often purchased for … Continue reading →

5 Ways to Spend Less on Halloween

The cute costumes, the Martha Stewart decorations, the bags and bags of candy…the cost of it adds up. Just like the dark monster in the corner, you are afraid to take a good look at how much your are actually spending. Halloween has certainly become a big holiday. In fact, according to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent more than $8 billion last year celebrating. Eight billion! Seriously. It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, brandish your own bag of tricks to spend less this Halloween. You’ll be able to make it a magical holiday and leave the bills … Continue reading →

Debt and Marriage: How It is Tough to Love When You Owe

Many couples enter into a marriage with debt already in hand. Others accumulate debt together. Either way, nurturing a loving relationship can be hard when debt is hanging over your head. In fact, according to a study by Jeffrey Dew at Utah State University, couples who reported disagreeing about finance once a week were over 30 percent more likely to get divorced than couples who reported disagreeing about finances only a few times a month. Another inference can be made from this study: there is a whole lot of disagreement about money out there. Debt is a source of contention. … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on School Supplies

Tis the season for back to school supplies. Parents everywhere are facing this time with a mixture of joy and dread. The summer will soon be over, and how on earth will they pay for all of the stuff that there kids need? If they are smart, budget-conscious consumers, they may try using the following strategies to bring the cost of needed school supplies down to just pennies on the dollar. Shop Multiple Stores Retail stores are fighting hard to get your back to school dollar, but not all sales are created equal. That is why if you want to … Continue reading →

7 Tips for Saving Money on Diapers

Many parents of young children struggle with the cost of diapers. While babies don’t really need as many things as new parents might think, they do need diapers, and they need lots of them. Diapers can carve out a significant amount of the grocery budget. That is why it is so important to use the following ten tips to save money on diapersMany parents of young children struggle with the cost of diapers. . Don’t have young children? You can still benefit when you purchase diapers for pennies and donate them to a shelter or other organization that helps women … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Save on Your Next Move

Summer is a prime time for moving. Families typically uproot at this time, when the weather is good, the kids are out of school and the parents can take time off of work. With the economy picking up, the demand for moving services is picking up as well. This means that costs may be slightly higher than in previous years. If you are planning or considering a move and are budget-conscious, you’ll want to keep reading. There are a few insider tips and tricks that can greatly reduce the costs associated with moving. Don’t Move at the End of the … Continue reading →

Seven Ways to Avoid Late Fees

Credit card late fees continue to rise, along with late fees for other bills. Late fees are everywhere, just waiting to trip you up and take your money. You could wind up spending hundreds of dollars a year, sometimes even more, when you are hit with late fees. That is why it is so important to know how to avoid late fees, no matter the source of origination. Here are seven different ways you can start to keep more of your money. Sign up for Alerts Many businesses and organizations, from banks to your local library, offer free alerts to … Continue reading →

Netflix or Amazon Prime: Which is More Cost Effective?

When you want to get your entertainment on, you might choose a streaming service. After all, most of us do, and the cost of these services can be much lower than paying for premium cable channels or paying for cable at all. There are two such services that are dominating the market right now: Netflix and Amazon Prime. Both, for a fee, will allow you to stream movies and television shows to your computer, streaming device, tablet or smartphone. Which of these services is the right one for your family? Well, of course it depends. Let us take a look … Continue reading →