Seven Ways to Save Money on Everyday Expenses

Minimize the cost of running your home when you use the following tips to save money on those everyday expenses. 1. Combine services It isn’t only your cable service that offers bundling. Once you are done combining your Internet, phone and cable television into one package, move on to other services that be combined in order to save money on your monthly expenses. For example, you can combine your home and auto insurance for a lower overall rate. 2. Pay your bills on time That $5 or $10 a month may not seem like much, but in the course of … Continue reading

Learn How to Make Decisions, and You Can Save Money for Life

I used to have a terrible time making decisions in life. It all came to head one week when I had three different job offers and no clue which one to take. I resorted to putting the names of the companies in a hat, flipping a coin, calling every good friend I knew for advice and more. The deadline to make a decision was fast approaching. How did I solve it? A blown-out-tire forced me to choose the job that was the closest and easiest to place to make the commute. Pathetic, no? I vowed after that to work on … Continue reading

Top Reasons to Use an Insurance Broker

Have you ever used an insurance broker? There are so many good reasons to do so! Using an insurance broker to find a good, affordable, health insurance plan is a great idea. Here are the top reasons to go ahead and seek out the assistance of an insurance broker. Insurance brokers are experts. They know more about the current and upcoming laws, rules, and regulations that affect health insurance than you will. An insurance broker can tell you if the health insurance policy you are considering buying will not be considered to be a sufficient plan in 2014. They can … Continue reading

How Much Should You Spend on Christmas Gifts?

We talk a lot about ways to save money, don’t we? And since we are in the holiday season, we’ll be sharing more ideas that focus on saving money during the holidays. But one thing that I notice is missing in the frugal living posts is an actual guideline about how much, in a dollar amount, that you should be spending on Christmas gifts. We all tend to go a little bit overboard during the holidays, and we figure that we will just cut back on other things later. Each of our families have their own financial limitations when it … Continue reading

All About Layaway

Putting items on layaway seem to many to be a quaint tradition of Christmas past, much the same as the bank Christmas Club savings account. With the easy availability of both band and store credit cards, layaway went out of fashion. By did you know that there are still many large stores that offer layaway plans? And a layaway plan may be a great option to help you avoid credit card debt. What is layaway? With layaway, you are able to purchase a product and then pay it off gradually. You don’t actually take possession of the item until it … Continue reading

Dollar Store Deals

Some items in the dollar store are better than others. If you want to get the best value for your dollar without getting taken by inferior or dangerous products then keep reading. I’ve put together some of the best dollar store deals that I have seen consistently in various dollar stores. Sunday Newspaper If your dollar store sells the Sunday newspaper for a dollar, then this is a great deal. Our normal Sunday paper costs $1.75 elsewhere. Only spending $1 means that I can stock up on the Sunday insert coupons. School Supplies Looseleaf paper, notebooks, number 2 pencils and … Continue reading

Buying a Used Christmas Tree

Believe it or not, you can get a nice Christmas tree when you buy a used one. Most people debate about whether to by a live or an artificial tree. If artificial is your choice, then do consider getting one that has been pre owned. You’ll save a lot of money. Current artificial trees can cost $150 or more. A good used Christmas tree can cost you $10 or less. So you can see where the math works out here. The first place to shop for a used artificial Christmas tree is your local thrift store. Because Christmas trees take … Continue reading

5 Savings Questions Ask Your Store Manger

The next time that you go out to shop, you can use that time to “earn” extra coupons and discounts. It is all a matter of simply asking your store manager certain questions. Jot down the answers and then take advantage of the bounty of coupons that you will get. 1. Do you have a loyalty program? Loyalty programs allow shoppers to earn points or even cash back on their purchases. Most stores have some sort of loyalty program, although many don’t advertise this. Even thrift stores, such as GoodWill often have loyalty programs. You can also earn free products … Continue reading

Six Questions to Ask Your Self Before Buying Something New 2

If you want to get ahead financially, you have to spend less. One great way to do this is to avoid purchases that aren’t really wanted or needed. To do this, it is helpful to ask yourself six different questions before you actually purchase something. This will help you determine if you really want or really need the item, or if there is a way to get the item for free or for a lower cost. You can also find out if the item is worth the expense. In yesterday’s blog post, I counted down the first three questions to … Continue reading

Top Ways to Cut Your Grocery Food Bill

Let us get those grocery bills chopped down for good! Think of all of the uses for that extra money! Here are my favorite ways to cut your grocery food bill. 1. Use coupons. You knew that, right? When you cut and use coupons, make sure that they are for products that you really need or want. There is no sense in using a coupon for something that won’t get used. How many exotic mustards, meal kits, weird snacks or other items do you already have in your pantry not being used? 2. Clean out the pantry. Ah, do you … Continue reading