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Cut These Expenses and Watch Your Savings Grow
Want to make this a great year for your finances? The new year is a great time to set some money-related goals, whether you’d like to pay off your high interest credit card debt, beef up your emergency fund, or save up for a big purchase like a vacation or a down payment on a house. Of course, whatever your goal is, you’ll need to free up some extra... -
7 Strategies for Cutting Your Grocery Bill
7 Strategies for Cutting Your Grocery Bill Looking for a way to save more money each month? You might want to start with a long, thorough review of your grocery spending habits. Are you overspending on fancy items you can’t really afford and don’t really need? Are you going to the store without a plan? If you’re like most people, you can probably answer “yes” to more than one... -
Not-So-Frugal Mistakes that Frugal People Make
Not-So-Frugal Mistakes that Frugal People Make A new year is just around the corner, and for a lot of folks that means a fresh start on finances: A chance to pay down credit card debt, save money, and create a budget. And if you’re planning on making 2016 the year of living frugally it’s important to make sure that your attempts to save money and scale back spending don’t... -
Save Tax-Time-Stress with this Easy Checklist
Save Tax-Time-Stress with this Easy Checklist ‘Tis the season . . . to get ready to do your taxes. No, really. That may sound crazy – it’s early November, after all. You haven’t even finalized your Thanksgiving menu. You’re still trying to sort out holiday travel plans. You won’t even get your W-2 until January. Why worry about taxes now? Because if you’re like most folks, the span of... -
How to Overcome Common Money Worries
How to Overcome Common Money Worries Money worries: We all have them. Some of us lose sleep over credit card debt. Others are more concerned about “what-if” scenarios like getting laid off or getting hit with an unexpected – and costly – emergency. And still others wrestle with income-related feelings of envy or inadequacy. Unfortunately, there’s no way to really prevent the occasional bout of finance-related fear. Everyone worries,... -
8 Tips to Save During the Holiday Season
8 Tips to Save During the Holiday Season It’s official: The holiday season is here. There’s a lot to love about that festive stretch of time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day: The parties, the food, the over-the-top decorations, and the gift exchanges are all part of what makes this time of year so much fun. But if you’re not careful, all of that partying, eating, decorating, and gift... -
Chip Credit Card FAQs: 7 Common Questions Answered
You’ve probably heard a thing or two (or three!) about credit card chip, or “chip” cards by now. It seems like for the past two or three months every website, magazine, and TV news show has done a story on the big transition. And if you use credit cards, there’s a very good chance that you recently received a new chip card in the mail. If you’re like a... -
Get a Jump on Tax Season with This Easy Checklist
Get a Jump on Tax Season with This Easy Checklist ‘Tis the season . . . to get ready to do your taxes. No, really. That may sound crazy – it’s early November, after all. You haven’t even finalized your Thanksgiving menu. You’re still trying to sort out holiday travel plans. You won’t even get your W-2 until January. Why worry about taxes now? Because if you’re like most... -
The Rewards of Responsible Credit Card Use
I spend a lot of time on this blog discussing the negative side of credit cards because, well, used irresponsibly, there is the potential for a lot of negative consequences. For example, if you treat your credit card as a secondary source of income, or when you carry a balance month to month and allow interest to pile up, you run the risk of serious, costly long-term debt problems.... -
8 Spending Habits that Can Cost You
You’re not a big spender. You don’t drive a fancy car. Your rent/mortgage payments aren’t astronomical. In fact, you consider yourself to be fairly frugal. You should have no problem saving money. But somehow, all that extra cash you should have seems to disappear by the end of the month. Why? Where does it go? And how does it get there? Is there some kind of financial Bermuda Triangle...