Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
At some point during a job hunt, you will be asked to share your current salary, or to throw out a number for what you would like to make.
In many cases, talking about salary during a job interview can be a daunting task — and it could be detrimental to your long-term income prospects. If you didn’t negotiate for a higher salary on your first job, sharing that in a job interview for a new job could mean you’re setting yourself to keep under-earning.
On top of that, sharing a salary requirement could mean that you are dismissed for budgetary reasons. You might throw out a slightly high number, willing to be negotiated down, but never get the chance to do so because the employer moves on.
Instead of just sharing a number, it can help to try to dodge the question a bit. Here are some things you can do if a prospective employer asks for a salary requirement: [ continue reading… ]
Whether you chose to wait in long lines before dawn or sit in your pajamas while shopping the deals online, Black Thursday/Friday may have gotten the best of you already. In spite of your best intentions, you overspent, you’re full of regret, and you’re getting a headache just thinking about your next credit card statement. Now what?
Black Friday is approaching, so if you’re among the majority of Americans who waited until this month to do your holiday shopping, it’s time to formulate a game plan. One reason we tend to put off shopping is that we don’t know what to get for the people on our list, as trying to find that ‘perfect gift’ for everyone is one of the most stressful aspects of the gift-giving season. It’s also one of the reasons some families choose to avoid the tradition altogether (it certainly saves on the holiday budget!).
To make your shopping a little easier, a recent survey released by the National Retail Federation shows exactly what’s on most people’s Christmas list: gift cards. Gift cards? Yes, gift cards. 69 percent of women and 53 percent of men say gift cards are at the top of their list this year.
If you’re like me, I tend to consider gift cards a last resort for those hard-to-buy-for people. You know – the ones who have ‘everything’ or don’t want anything. But as it turns out, people actually want them. Why do you think that is? Are people thinking more practically? Getting pickier? Trying to be less wasteful? Tired of getting gifts they can’t use and don’t want? It’s probably a combination of all of this, but the bottom line is that it could make your holiday shopping a whole lot easier! Still, there are ways to buy gift cards more effectively, efficiently, and even save money while you’re at it. [ continue reading… ]
I am a huge fan of discounts, especially stores that are full of discounts. That’s why I love the .99-Cent Only Store, which a great place to go for inexpensive essentials. I’m going to share with you my favorite things to buy from that store, as well as tips on what to avoid.
Hair Accessories
Skip the hair brushes and weird looking hair products and go straight for the hair accessories. I usually buy bobby pins, the 500-packs of small elastics, and decorative hair accessories from the .99-Cent Only Store. I just look for name brand items. If you have ever visited the hair section at Target, then you know how amazing the .99-Cent Only Store hair finds can be. Target charges $3-4 for bobby pins, elastics, and hair accessories, which sounds inexpensive until you realize it’s 300% or 400% of $0.99.
Just today I found cute Goody hair clips for my two little girls, and in the past, I have found adorable Cherokee hair clips (with the Target price sticker of $5 still on it). [ continue reading… ]
Now that the most shocking presidential election of my lifetime is over, I’m getting an increase in questions about money. Many people want to know how to change their money management strategy after the end of an extremely controversial campaign.
How should you change your money management approach after an election like this one? The short answer is this:
You shouldn’t.
Yes, your financial situation can be impacted by the policies put in place during any given presidential administration. But, first of all, it’s important to understand that most of those policies aren’t unilaterally put into place by the president. Congress makes laws. So before you get too into who the president is, and what he says he wants to do, take a look at the make-up of Congress and try to figure out if you could be at financial risk.
Even if the president could suddenly make wholesale changes that would impact your finances, none of this changes the fact that you shouldn’t completely upend your money management strategy in response to a presidential election.
No matter who’s “in charge,” you’re better off following some of the basics of financial management: [ continue reading… ]
My husband and I have been saving every extra bit of income for a specific item over the last few months. We didn’t want to just charge the credit card, so we deliberately said ‘no’ to some smaller things along the way and, quicker than I anticipated, saved the amount we needed. Now I can’t wait to do it again, for something else: I’ve caught the ‘savings bug.’
Whether many-legged creatures, colds or computer viruses, things that have the word “bug” attached to them aren’t things we want to catch. But if there’s one bug everyone should make a point to catch, it’s the savings bug. Unlike the bugs you catch passively, however, this one has to be pursued.
No matter how aware we are of the need to save money, many of us still struggle to do it. We can blame so many things – the cost of living, stagnant wages, the price of college tuition, even our children’s voracious appetites. What it really boils down to is usually either: [ continue reading… ]
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