Taking good care of yourself is important, right? Basic hygiene can ward off things like unnecessary dental visits, while keeping yourself neat and presentable can do a lot for your self-esteem, personal relationships, and career. But, when it comes to personal care services like salon haircuts and color treatments, mani-pedis, and other spa services, it isn’t always as easy to justify the expense, especially if you’re trying to trim unnecessary spending from your budget.

Depending on your lifestyle and career, it might be important to get a quality haircut every 6 to 8 weeks and keep your nails looking immaculate. For many of us though, these personal care “necessities” would rightly be categorized as luxuries. Regardless of whether self-care services are more necessity or luxury for you, there are ways to save money on these budget-eating expenses. Here are a few ways for you to try.
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save money on cell phones
One of the recurring expenses that many people see each month is the cell phone bill. Smart phones are almost becoming a necessity these days, and that means, for many, cell phone bills are rising.

With data plans, apps to buy and the phones themselves (there are $2000 phones now?!), owning a cell phone can get pricey.

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budget wedding ideas

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, but it can also be one of the most expensive. You want your day to be perfect, but with the average cost of a wedding in America totaling $25,200, that price tag is hard to swallow. That’s a lot of money to pay for a few hours of celebration.

It’s tough to cut back on your wedding. After all, it’s a celebration of love in front of the most important people in your life. But at the same time, spending the bulk of your savings doesn’t make sense either.

Thankfully, don’t have to spend your life savings to have a fabulous wedding. You can still have a beautiful event on a tight budget. Before you spend thousands on a wedding, here are 5 tips to help you save on your special day.

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Does being rich make you happy?

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke says here that it does to some extent, but that there’s more to life than chasing after money. Of course, Mr. Bernanke is not the only one to have this view on money and happiness. Numerous studies on happiness support his conclusions.

Here are a few thoughts on the points Bernanke makes in his speech:

Basic Human Needs Must Be Met

When people say that money does not buy happiness, they generally mean “extra money.” I think we can all agree, and research supports this view, that people whose basic needs for shelter, clothing and food are not met, will find it very difficult to feel happy.

Of course, there are exceptions, including people whose religious beliefs dictate that they should be happy with as few material possessions as possible, but for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.
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15 Ways to Earn Extra Money

by David@MoneyNing.com · 112 comments


Sometimes being frugal isn’t enough to meet your financial obligations and goals and you’ll have to look for ways to earn some extra cash.

Whether you’re a stay at home parent looking to supplement your family’s income, looking to pay down debt or establish an emergency fund or saving for a special purchase, here are some ideas to help you make some extra money.

Note that these are not get rich quick schemes and they might not work in every situation. This post will help you brainstorm how to use your unique skills and resources to make money in ways that might not have occurred to you before.

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IRS and taxes

Most taxpayers would probably prefer to do nearly anything (including going through an anesthetic-free root canal procedure) than be audited by the IRS.

However, if you are an honest taxpayer, audits shouldn’t be something you worry about.

Here are some basic facts about audits that should help you to breathe a sigh of relief.
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