Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
Soon it will be the beginning of a new year, and everyone will be setting goals they want to achieve during 2015. Health clubs everywhere will be overrun with new people looking to join, and existing members that haven’t found their way through the doors in months.
January 1st is a line in the sand that provides us with a fresh start, and the motivation to take a run at losing a little weight, and getting in better physical condition. By the end of month, however, the club will look much like it did in December.
Why? What’s the difference between how we feel at the beginning of the year, and our lack of follow-through shortly after?
One of the ways to successfully manage your debt, and create a pay down plan, is to make use of a debt consolidation loan. It’s always important to carefully consider your options, and be careful when using debt to pay off other debt.
However, if you plan properly, and are careful to practice discipline, a balance transfer or a personal loan can be a good way to consolidate debt and make it easier to pay off. But which one is the better option? Should you only use one, or both as a way to get out of debt faster?
Jocelyn Baird, from NextAdvisor.com, points out that choosing the right method for you depends on where you stand, as well as the kind of debt you have.
Gift giving is fun, that is until you realize you need a lot more cash for the season. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to show your loved ones that you care, but it may require a bit more time and creativity to do so.
I love giving gifts, but I’m also very practical and hate to give gifts just for the sake of doing so. I want to give gifts that are meaningful and don’t collect dust.
Seriously, I am the type of person that thinks giving a Costco-size package of toilet paper is a much better gift option than a cheap trinket you put on a bookcase. I’m sure not many of you will agree with me, but here are some other more affordable and practical last-minute gift ideas.
Receipts are a topic of controversy in my home. They take up spaces in our pockets, purses, wallets, and you can never find the exact one you need (until months later of course). In other words, the little scraps of paper are a scourge in the side of clutter-haters everywhere.
Within minutes of walking through our front door I decide whether to keep a receipt or dispose of it. Grocery receipts are automatically tossed, clothes are looked over one more time to ensure they are satisfactory, and any major purchase with a warranty has the receipt filed away in a fire-resistant box.
How long are you supposed to keep receipts? Is it worth the extra time and energy to save them for future use? Which ones are worth keeping and which ones can be tossed?
For the first time ever, my husband and I have full benefits through his work. As we looked over our health insurance options, we discussed the premium/deductible tradeoff. We’ve had a high-deductible plan for years, mainly because that was the only way to keep health insurance costs reasonable when buying as an individual.
But, thanks to my husband’s awesome benefits package, we briefly considered choosing a plan with a higher premium, but a much, much lower deductible.
In the end, though, we decided that a high-deductible plan was still the best financial move for us, since we can save money on the premiums and put those savings in a Health Savings Account for further tax benefit, and future investment growth.
It looks as though we are not alone in our assessment of the situation.
Planning for your financial future as a couple isn’t something you should tackle alone. You and your spouse each have a valuable voice in the success (or demise) of your finances. But talking money usually causes arguments and discord even in the sturdiest of marriages.
So how do you and your spouse get on the same page while financial planning? Money’s not something everyone agrees on because it’s personal, and comes with all kinds of personal beliefs and learned behaviors (from our parents, teachers, and society).
In order to create a smart and success financial plan, that not only allows you to both survive and thrive, ask each other these four questions.
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