Happy Kids On The Cheap

With all of the expenses of raising a family, parents are often searching for ways to save money wherever they can. One area of the family budget where spending can often be reduced quite a bit is entertainment. Parents often believe that they need to spend more money to keep their children entertained and occupied than they actually do. Children are naturally curious, and often parents are pleasantly surprised by how simple things can capture their imaginations and hold their attention for hours. My favorite example of low or no cost family fun is a trip to the playground. Depending … Continue reading →

Things That It Makes Sense To Buy In Bulk

If you are looking for ways to save money, buying certain items in bulk can be one way to trim your household budget. While it is true that a membership to Sam’s, Costco, BJ’s, or another wholesale club does cost money there are savings to be had if you shop wisely. For most families, it does not make sense to buy all of the groceries in bulk. For example, is the double mega pack of Honey Nut Cheerios really a good deal of your kids don’t like eating the same cereal for breakfast every day for a month? There are … Continue reading →

Does Budgeting Actually Cost You More Money?

Do you have a budget? Everyone says it is the best way to take control of your spending. Once you have spent your allotted amount for food, or gas, you’re done. Unfortunately it doesn’t always work like that. I read a study recently that said that people who have a budget can spend as much as 50% more than they were planning. This is said to be because budgeting starts in your mind. You are thinking constantly about what you can and cannot spend and that is what causes you to spend more. Many people who say they have a … Continue reading →

Importance of a Safety Net

If you are a tight rope walker you know how important a safety net is, but everyone needs a safety net, not just circus performers. I’ve read time and again that everyone should have $500 in an emergency account. In the grand scheme of things $500 isn’t a lot of money, but when you are living paycheck to paycheck the amount may seem unreachable. I’ve learned lately how important that $500 is and how much it’s saved me in the long run. First, my dog needed surgery, it was $800 but that $500 sitting in the savings account sure helped … Continue reading →

Mortgage Relief

Owning a home is still the American dream, but for many of us, that dream is slowly turning into a nightmare. We are all feeling the pinch of this economy. When I bought my home the payment was completely affordable but in the past several years as I’ve had to take pay cuts in order to keep my job, it’s becoming more and more difficult to make that payment every month. It seems that everyone is struggling right now. I know there are people who over extended themselves, bought more house than they could afford and now a majority of … Continue reading →

Coupons and Me – We are Not Meant to Be

You may remember that a few months ago, I decided to give couponing a try. In case you are wondering how that all worked out, I must confess that I have stopped couponing. For about a month, I faithfully got the newspaper every Sunday and clipped and sorted the coupons. I had them all organized in envelopes, and I scanned three area grocery store flyers to see whether I could use any coupons along with sale prices to get great deals. While I did get some excellent prices on a few things, there were things that I noticed along the … Continue reading →

When Should You Collect Your Social Security?

Many people who are at or near retirement age are wondering whether they should begin claiming their Social Security benefits at age 62 or whether they should wait until they are 66 years old. Waiting it out seems like a good idea because you get bigger checks. However, there are times when it makes more sense to begin collecting your benefits ass soon as you are able to. One major factor in deciding whether or not to wait is your health. Of course, it can be difficult to admit if your health is beginning to decline. Even though your benefit … Continue reading →

Things to Buy in February

I have talked before about how timing purchases strategically can really help you to score some fabulous deals. Now that it is February, you may feel like letting your wallet see the light of day again because you have had about a month to come to terms with those Christmas bills that nearly knocked you over when you opened the envelope. There are a few things that you may want to buy this month, if they are on your radar of things that you were thinking of purchasing some time soon. You may be thinking of spring, but there is … Continue reading →

How Can I Protect My Family’s Finances?

Despite our best efforts to plan and budget, sometimes things happen that throw our families’ finances so far off track that we may wonder whether we will ever be able to meet some of the financial goals that we had set for ourselves. Things like retirement, college educations for the kids, and even home ownership can seem like distant fantasies when times get tough and you are living in survival mode. The good news is that as bleak as things may seem, all is not lost. You do not have to give up on your family’s financial goals. With some … Continue reading →

Rent or Buy?

Much of the time, people think that if they want or need something, the best way to get it is to buy it outright. Many of us do this every day without even thinking about it, it is just how we do things. However, there are some times when you may want to consider renting an item instead of buying it. If you think about it, renting items that you only need to use once or will use infrequently can not only save you the cost of buying those items, it can free up space in your home that would … Continue reading →