Sharing insights since 2007 on carefully saving money, investing, frugal living, coupons, promo codes because the little things matter in achieving financial freedom!
A hard week at work or unexpected promotion may call for a reward — but is it within reason, or are you relying on credit cards to support your excessive spending habit? [ continue reading… ]
We’ve been Amazon Prime members for the last few years, and for the most part, it’s made financial sense for us. We make plenty of purchases on Amazon, and when Christmas time comes, the two-day free shipping it includes is amazing for last-minute shopping.
At $79 per year (under $7 a month), Prime is reasonable for anyone who would ordinarily spend that much per month on shipping costs — especially because membership includes thousands of free streaming media titles (similar to Netflix) and roughly 500,000 free Kindle ebooks. So if you shop on Amazon frequently, enjoy streaming media, and read a lot of books, this is a good deal.
But back in March, Amazon announced it’s raising its Prime rate to $99 per year, which is an additional $20. That’s about $8.25 per month. Since Amazon is eager to maintain its massive Prime customer base, it’s added a new benefit: Prime Music. Similar to Pandora One and Spotify Premium, Prime Music will allow users to listen to one million song titles, arrange playlists, or access pre-set playlists completely ad-free. [ continue reading… ]
More and more people are using credit and debit cards for rewards, insurance, and convenience. Another MoneyNing blogger even asked if carrying large amounts of cash was outdated.
But to me, cash is still king.
I should qualify my statement, since I do pay all my monthly bills electronically. What I’m really talking about is our discretionary spending. In our budget, discretionary/entertainment spending is just another bill — which we pay weekly by withdrawing our allocated amount from the ATM each Friday afternoon.
My wallet is fat and my smile wide; the bulge in my back pocket is a constant reminder that my finances will stay on track because I’m using cash. [ continue reading… ]
One of the things I’ve wanted to do for a long time is start a dividend portfolio. I like the idea of building a dividend portfolio that can (eventually) provide me with a revenue stream and increase my income diversity.
However, one of the challenges to dividend investing is the fact that dividends build up slowly. You only receive a few cents per share, so it can be discouraging if you start out with a small amount of shares.
During the past year, though, I’ve been part of an investing challenge. Along with several other bloggers, I’m seeing what I can do with $1,000. I decided this was the perfect opportunity to get a start on my dividend investing portfolio — so my entire $1,000 went into dividend paying investments.[ continue reading… ]
Have you ever spent hours working on your finances and spending plan, only to come up short month after month?
Following a budget isn’t as simple as it seems; if it were, everyone would have one and live within their means. The key to developing a workable spending plan is identifying and eliminating the loopholes that are hindering you.
Here are some minor mistakes that may be destroying your budget:
6 Common Budget Mistakes
1. You don’t list goals
When starting out, it’s extremely difficult to stay on track if you have nothing to look forward to. There’s no logic to conforming to a spending plan without any real objectives. Following a spending plan without working towards any financial goals is the equivalent of taking a slew of college courses without intending to actually graduate. Get out a piece of paper and write down your financial goals — stat. [ continue reading… ]
Today, I’m going to share three more ways to simplify. It won’t be easy, but I’ve found that the more I simplified areas in my life (from the kitchen to my daughter’s bedroom), the more time and money I had. Not only that, but that feeling of being weighed down started to melt away.
3 More Ways to Cut Down on Kids Costs
1. Baby supplies & gear
You can always identify the home of a new parent because it looks like Babies”R”Us threw up all over the living room. When my daughter was an infant, I remember feeling overwhelmed and buried by all the baby stuff we had. Family members urged me to buy this or that, or told me to hang on to items for the next baby. [ continue reading… ]
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