Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Changing your habits and way of life takes time. Implementing a new fitness routine, diet, or spending pattern doesn’t happen overnight. In an attempt to change our shopping habits, my family and I have started buying in bulk (when it makes sense) as a way of saving money.
My wife, myself, and two kids, have been slowly buying things at Costco when they are cheaper to take advantage of the 2% cash back rewards program of our executive membership.
It’s taken almost a full year, but we finally have a system that results in saving time, money, and earning enough cash back to at least pay for our membership renewal each year.
Here are our bulk buying rules that actually work.
Student loans are becoming the signature of our generation as droves of students are graduating with thousands of dollars in debt. At this point, the rising cost of tuition is making once affordable public schools hard to attend without taking on some form of assistance.
The numbers prove it, too. According to the Project on Student Debt, 69% of students who graduated in 2013, from public or non-profit schools, had an average of $28,400 in debt. That number is only increasing and is much larger for students who are attending private school, or going to school out-of-state.
As I can attest, when you graduate with student loan debt, you may be at the mercy of various lenders, various interest rates, and vastly different repayment terms.
So, what should you do if you have multiple lenders, multiple payments and various interest rates that cascade from high to low? Consider student loan refinancing.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes me trust others about money advice. Tony Robbins recently published a book about money, and millions of people follow established “money gurus.”
I’ve also been giving this thought since I received an email from a reader asking me for specific money advice. While I’m pretty comfortable offering general insights gleaned from my own financial processes, and reporting what I learn from people I consider experts, I was a bit thrown by the idea that someone would email me looking for specific direction about what to do with tens of thousands of dollars.
(I simply said that, while I knew what I would do with the money, my situation is likely different, and he should talk to a fee-only financial professional or a registered investment advisor for help with his situation.)
So, what makes you trust someone’s money advice? And what prompts people to trust complete strangers for help with their vital financial decisions?
Aside from housing costs, the next biggest expense in our budget is food. Especially if you have a large household, food costs can eat up a big part of your weekly spending (no pun intended).
According to a survey conducted by Gallup, the average American household spends $151 a week on food. That’s over $600 a month for a family of four. Shamefully, I use to spend that much on groceries and eating out for just 2 people.
After realizing how much money I was throwing away needlessly, I cut back on take out and learned how to shop smarter at supermarkets. But the most popular advice for saving money at the grocery store is to use coupons. And while that’s a smart idea, it usually means cutting them out of the newspaper, checking expiration dates, and remembering to bring them with you to the store.
It can become too much of a hassle and it’s easy to miss out on savings. So here are my 5 favorite coupon-free, money-saving hacks for grocery shopping.
I just had my second daughter a week ago, and I forgot how amazing and equally draining a newborn can be.
A new baby can make even the most frugal a spendthrift. However, there are three big purchases that I think every new mom should have before or right after the baby comes.
The days are getting longer, the sun is shining brighter, and everyone is thinking about airing out their houses and washing windows.
Spring cleaning holds a different meaning for everyone, but usually involves a routine of once-a-year chores, purging, organizing, and refreshing. While you’re doing your spring cleaning around the house this year, don’t forget that your finances also need a spring refresh.
Once you set up your budget, your files, your payment plans, and your savings or investment contributions, it’s easy to let them run themselves, and in so doing, remain unaware of simple updates or improvements that could be saving you more money.
Here are a few aspects of your financial household you should be dusting off and giving a refresh this spring.
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