Money Tips Network
Time Crunch; Money Crunch
I am a blur in a financial relay race. In the first leg of the race, a shortage of time led to the second leg of the race: a shortage of dollars. And faced with a time crunch, I passed the baton and took expensive shortcuts.
Here's how my time crunch sprinted into a money crunch:
Step One: One night, low on time and energy, I fixed a frozen pizza and made a fresh salad for dinner.
Step Two: Running even lower on time and energy, I bought a bag of pre-washed, pre-cut salad and a frozen pizza.
Step Three: (Weeks later) I called the neighborhood pizza place and ordered a takeout meal: a large pie and a gourmet salad.
Best Money Tips: Secrets to Saving at the Super Market
Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some amazing articles on secrets to saving at the super market, affordable beach weddings, and things you should check before buying a used car.
Top 5 Articles
10 Secrets to Saving at the Super Market — Downloading store apps and learning how to recognize the best sales can help you save at the super market. [Kiplinger]
12 Tips for an Easy and Affordable Beach Wedding — To save on a beach wedding, keep it intimate and provide practical favors. [POPSUGAR Smart Living]
10 Simple All Natural Bug and Mosquito Repellents
Bugs. Can't live with them, but can't live without them. Despite all the good flies, mosquitoes, bees, and other insects do for our ecosystem, they can sure seem like pests during that backyard BBQ or annual camping extravaganza. With a little foresight, common sense, and maybe a few essential oils, however, you can battle with these creatures and win. Better yet? You can do it all without using harsh chemicals or other ingredients that are hazardous to your health. Here are 10 ways to keep the bugs away. (See also: Homemade Sunblock and 6 Other Recipes to Get Your Skin Ready for Summer)
Capital One 360 Bonus Offer: Get $100 FREE
4 Days Only (June 30-July 3): For their 5th Annual Financial Independence Days Sale, get
$100 when you open a 360 Checking account and make a total of 5 Debit Card purchases or
5 CheckMateSM deposits or any combination of the two within 45 days. This is an interest
bearing checking account!
You can also grab a $76 bonus when you open a 360 Savings account with a $500 minimum
deposit. The bonus starts earning interest on day 1, but you can’t take it out for at least 30 days.
Summertime Reading
What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Moving in together
2. Paying no-interest bills ahead
3. Extra car keys?
4. Retirement basics
5. Do I need financial advice?
6. Home ownership questions
7. Home with expensive maintenance
8. Personal car use at work
9. Youth sports equipment
23 Money-Saving Items Everyone Should Own
Can I get this cheaper?
This is a question that all thrifty shoppers ask themselves before opening their wallets. And well they should: Less expensive is good. But what about items that actually save you money over time? (See also: 101 Ways to Save Money Around the House)
It's time to pile savings on top of savings with these 23 money-saving items that everyone should own.
How To Stay Motivated While Getting Out Of Debt
Let’s be real. The idea of getting out of debt sounds awesome. The day-to-day grind of getting out of debt… not so much.
Here’s how to stay motivated while getting out of debt -
Celebrate Your Progress – Check those numbers and get excited about the amount of debt you have already paid off! For our family, we are working to pay off our mortgage (update this week!) – and while our progress has been a little slower than we had hoped – we are 1/4 of the way there! It’s super-motivating to see just how far we have come.
Dissecting retirement savings
This article is by staff writer Lisa Aberle.
When I finally and completely quit my once-full-time job in May, something changed: Neither my husband nor I have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan. With a significant drop in income, we’re looking at maximizing our now small retirement account contributions. So, how can we get the biggest bang for our buck?
Before we talk about that, let me fill you in on my retirement contribution history. I did some things right and some things wrong. When I turned 21, I was allowed to start contributing to my employer-sponsored retirement plan. While I wasn’t completely finance-savvy, I had heard that I should contribute enough to get the maximum employer match, so I did. Six percent of my paycheck went into my 401(k) and another 3 percent came from my employer.
I'm Eating What? 12 Gross Things in Your Food
You are what you eat. Vitamins, minerals, protein, fat… and you might also be eating bugs, clones, breast implants, and viruses. If you want to avoid the last half of that list, it's time to learn about all the gross stuff you're eating — and how to avoid it in the future.
Good health requires relatively healthy eating habits. Health insurance companies and consumer agencies alike now advocate consuming nutritious foods as a preventative health care measure. Ignore what you're eating, and you could end up paying the price via higher health insurance premiums and medical bills. (See also: Skip Multivitamins and Eat These These Good Foods Instead)
The Power of Working Your Career
On a recent post, one reader left the following comment:
If You Want Your 401K to Grow, Stop Doing These 6 Things
Are you counting on your 401(k) to fund your dream retirement? If so, make sure you're not making the following common mistakes. By avoiding these pitfalls, you'll ensure that you end up with the most money possible. (See also: Optimize Your IRA and Your 401(k))
Essential money tips for new college grads
Graduation is the theme all around my neighborhood. It is a time of excitement and big dreams. Unfortunately in most cases, personal financial sense is not a taught at college. Once out of college, going from living broke to a big paycheck every month can easily encourage lifestyle inflation and a downward spiral of bad financial habits. Hence, it is essential to establish a good personal finance foundation to avoid getting trapped in a lifetime of debt. Here is a checklist I would hand over to a new graduate to make sure they start on the right path.
Earn
Be ready for insurers to ask your car what really happened in an accident
The next time you file an accident claim don’t be surprised if your insurance company wants to download data from your car or truck to make sure you’re telling the truth. No one knows exactly how much auto-insurance fraud goes on, but experts peg the losses at up to $30 billion. That covers a wide [...]
Be ready for insurers to ask your car what really happened in an accident from personal finance blog Bargaineering.com.
This blog was posted by Russ Heaps
Finding My Inner Cheapskate (Again!)
Stuff happens. Life happens. And setbacks are inevitable, especially when it comes to frugal habits, money and savings. So I don't think I'm alone in confessing that I've fallen off the frugal path. And I won't be alone as I try to build up my savings and rebuild healthier financial habits.
I'm not alone. I have emotional support from my family and a few good friends. Plus, in this space, I have public accountability to help with my personal accounting.
Please follow my new online journal as I adjust my personal balance statements.
Five keys to making a child’s allowance a teaching tool
Giving children solid grounding in money management is crucial. Budgeting, saving, frugality, and financial planning are important components of living on one’s own and taking responsibility. It’s unlikely that personal finance skills will be taught in school to any appreciable degree, so it’s up to parents to do this.
We give our daughter an allowance. It’s the same introduction to money management that I got when I was a child. It’s what I know.
But, in order to this be a series of teachable moments, there needs to be structure and purpose. Here are five key features of how we’re going about it:
Envelope System Video – Simple Cash Management
I created this video 7 years ago (wow!) to demonstrate my favorite cash management system – the envelope system.
I have been using the envelope system for nearly a decade and it really is a great system for managing cash and household expenses.
Watching this video always makes me smile. The quality is so cheesy-awesome – but the concept is so super-simple. My Dad says that the opening reminds him of Napoleon Dynamite!
Side note -
I’ll soon be making more videos – with improved graphics and audio! – so visit the NCNBlog channel and subscribe!
The channel will focus on money-saving ideas, tips, and strategies, as well as DIY projects, frugal living, and home maintenance. Be blessed.
Twelve Simple Tactics to Shore Up Your Career During Work Downtime
When I used to work in an office environment, my days consisted of working on little projects and tasks that would fill half an hour or an hour or so, then I’d have a bit of downtime. I would either be doing some internal thinking about the next thing I needed to work on or I might be waiting on someone or something.
The same thing is true now that I’m a self-employed writer. I’ll work on an article until it’s finished or I’ll edit an article and submit it and then I’ll find myself with a little pit of downtime while I’m thinking about what to do next.
I’ve found that, both then and now, using that “downtime” in a smart fashion is vitally important in terms of building a successful career. Why? Two reasons.
History Podcasts – My Favorites
It’s been a while since I listed my favorite history podcasts. There are a number of high quality, entertaining, free podcasts available and these are my favorites:
History Podcasts -
Revolutions – Mike’s awesome podcast, covering the revolutions which shaped the modern world.
The History of Byzantium – This podcast tracks the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. This is a subject about which I learned very little in school – and I am fascinated by this podcast. Good stuff.a
Myths and History of Greece and Rome – This podcast takes an in depth look at the Greek and Roman Empires – from their foundations. I listen for the information – and the awesome accent!
Naked With Cash: Betsey S, May 2014
Naked With Cash is an ongoing series at Consumerism Commentary in which readers share their households’ finances with other readers. These participants benefit from the accountability that comes from tracking their finances publicly and the feedback of the four expert Certified Financial Planners (CFPs).
Best Money Tips: Ways to Watch Movies for Free
Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some amazing articles on ways to watch movies for free, bridal shower gift ideas, and motivation and money.
Top 5 Articles
11 Ways to Watch Movies for Free — To watch movies for free, go to the library or use SwapADVD. [POPSUGAR Smart Living]
5 Bridal Shower Gift Ideas Under $50 — A gift basket or spa certificate are just a couple bridal shower gift ideas that won't break the bank. [One Smart Dollar]
Facebook
Become a fan
Twitter
Follow us
RSS
Subscribe