Category Archives: Money

Raising a family, paying for shoes, cars, college and retirement are all costly things in this day and age. Learn here how to plan properly and make the most of the money you have!

Travel Money

Cash will get you nowhere when you fly on United Airlines. The popular commercial carrier operates cash-free flights; meaning that anything you plan to purchase while onboard the plane can only be paid for via major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Diners Club, and debit cards bearing the Visa or MasterCard. In addition, if you are traveling to the Hawaiian Island of Oahu and need to fill-up your renal car late at night, you will also have to swipe some plastic instead of forking over cash at the pay-at-the-pump stations that dominate Honolulu. With so many … Continue reading →

Cash for Kids

How much would you pay your kid to sweep up spilled Cheerios from the kitchen floor? With summer just around the corner, many kids are looking for ways to make money to fund summer fun. In most cases, younger children look to their parents for spare change or cash in exchange for hard labor. Okay, maybe that’s just my house. Older children may look for outside work to pad their wallets; though securing a summer job is not always easy. It pays to start the search for summer employment early. Many businesses start posting seasonal positions as early as March. … Continue reading →

Money in Your Golden Years

I once sat through a workshop sponsored by a company I used to work for where the guy in charge kept warning: “There are no do-overs when it comes to retirement planning.” He also added (in a very ominous tone) that if we messed up now we’d all be doomed to a life of penny-pinching in our golden years. Ah, memories of corporate America. Truth be told, the workshop leader’s scare tactics were quite effective. His advice was sound and bears considering regardless of whether you are self-employed or part of a multi-million dollar corporation. Retirement planning is important, as … Continue reading →

Improving Your Personal Financial Future

A recent poll shows that most Americans have been shaken by the recession and are no longer optimistic about the economy improving any time soon. In addition, researchers found that many people, especially women are fearful about their personal financial future. In many cases, women admitted to saving less for retirement because they are “just getting by” or are desperately trying to pay off current debts, including school loans. The poll’s results have many financial experts concerned that individuals are not building a large enough retirement nest egg. This is especially true for the female respondents who stand to suffer … Continue reading →

Save Money While Conserving Energy

Earth Day was last week. You may or may not have realized that there is often a connection between things that are good for the environment and things that are good for your wallet. In honor of Earth Day, here are three tips that can help you do right by the planet and save some money on your utility bills. Programmable thermostats are easy to install and can save money and energy. You can program your thermostat to go down five to ten degrees at night while you are sleeping. This move alone can save you five to ten percent … Continue reading →

Is That Good Deal Really Good?

The other day as I was at the grocery store, I was inspired to write this post by some coffee that was on sale. Our family’s grocery budget is rather tight but we do splurge on certain things, like high quality coffee for my husband’s morning cup. Our favorite brand, Green Mountain Coffee, was on sale for $6.00 per bag instead of its usual $8.50. That is quite a savings. As I picked up two bags of the coffee and placed them in the grocery cart, I remembered that coffee was not on my grocery list. I had bought two … Continue reading →

Bouncing Back from Bad Credit

A bad credit rating can have multiple aspects of your life if you are not careful. While most people are well aware that a bad credit score can make it impossible to secure a loan, there is also a litany of other negatives associated with a dismal credit report. For example, even if you are able to secure a loan from a financial institution, if you have bad credit, you will likely be forced to pay a much higher interest rate. In some cases you may also be hit with fees because lenders consider you a risk. In addition to … Continue reading →

Seeking Financial Help

When you are desperately looking for ways to save money, it is often hard to see the forest through the trees. What’s more, wishing that trees grew money isn’t going to help your situation. If you are drowning in debt and are about to hit rock bottom, you may be overdue for some solid financial help. Believe it or not, assistance is not hard to find. In fact, most people don’t realize that there are almost as many ways to find debt relief as there are credit card offers that flood your mailbox. The trick is finding the option that … Continue reading →

When You Are Swimming in Debt

Have you ever seen HGTV’s “My First Place”? It’s about first-time home buyers looking for the perfect place to call their own, within a set budget. I’m always amazed by how seemingly transparent they are with their finances. I’ve seen a few episodes where the buyers freely divulged how bad their credit scores were as a justification as to why their budget for house hunting was so low. Another episode followed a guy as he tried to repair his credit while house hunting. The show documented the jockeying he did with lenders as he waited for his score to improve … Continue reading →

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 →