While we haven’t gotten the first report of “Eek – Christmas decorations already?!?” it’s bound to happen soon and so begins the 6 months talk of getting ready for the holidays. For many people, shopping is part of the fun and they relish the opportunity to start – the sooner the better. I’ve even heard a couple of people proudly proclaim that they were completely finished with their list well before Halloween.
If you ask these early birds, they’ll tell you that shopping early lets them get the best bargains and avoid the crowds. They keep their eyes open all year long for the perfect gift at a great price and spend the rush between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day safely out of the mall. The really organized ones even wrap as they go!
But is getting a huge head start on shopping the answer for everyone? Knowing my own shopping personality, I’d have to say no, it’s not an idea that works universally. Here are some of the big drawbacks I’ve found when shopping early.
[ continue reading… ]
Every now and again, everyone will want to lose weight, meaning that they will flock to the gyms to try and fulfill their goals. Of course, we know how that usually ends but it also means that people will also have to try and figure out how to fit gym memberships into their monthly budget. Is it possible? Absolutely.
Assess Your Needs
Nothing will cost you more than joining more gym than you need. What does that mean? If your goal is to get on a treadmill three times a week and that’s all, there is no reason to join a full service gym with pool, classes, and a parade of personal trainers. Not only will you pay more, chances are you are going to feel inadequate as well when faced with people who consider gym time a way of life.
[ continue reading… ]
My son is only 10 months old, but I have already spent a great deal of time thinking of ways I will help him to understand money and learn how to use it responsibly. Right now, that means I include him in my weekly checkbook balancing (he sits on my lap and tries to eat my pen) and I make sure all our spare change (half-jokingly referred to as his college fund) goes in his piggy bank to be deposited in his 529 every few months.
Someday, in what feels like the distant future, I’ll also set him up with his own kid-friendly bank account. Many banks offer savings accounts specifically designed for minors. Go ahead and start with your personal bank to find an account that will work for your child.
Here are some pointers on how to open up your child’s first savings account:
[ continue reading… ]
Once a week, a cleaning services comes by my house and does what I refer to as ‘the heavy cleaning.’ Floors get washed, bathrooms get scrubbed and just about everything in the house gets dusted. In theory, these are all tasks that I could fit into my schedule at some point, rather than paying someone to handle. In reality, for my household, this is the only way that cleaning much beyond laundry and dishes will ever get done.
The same is true in other households with other services. I know a family who employs a dog-walking service for similar reasons, families who bring in landscapers, a couple that entirely rely on their handy man and plenty of other examples of people who rely on household help.
[ continue reading… ]
Many of us are already familiar with the fact that a good credit history is essential if you want to save money on loans. Indeed, your interest rate on home loans, auto loans and credit cards will be lower if you have a higher credit score. A good FICO score can save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars over the life of a loan.
However, your credit score is no longer just about lowering your cost of borrowing. Your credit history is used for a number of financially related transactions. If you aren’t careful, a slip up could ruin your credit, and you could find yourself passed over for a job, paying higher insurance premiums, or unable to qualify for a cell phone plan.
[ continue reading… ]
For the small business owner, the question of incorporating is a pointed one. A large percentage of small companies are run as sole proprietorships for a variety of reasons. At some point, though, the idea of incorporation comes up, and there are some valid reasons to go through the effort.
No one likes to pay taxes, even if they support the services that those taxes provide. If you own your business you have probably already found out that you must pay more taxes on your income than you ever did when you were employed by someone else. Why is this?
When you are an employee, your employer paid half of your Social Security and Medicare taxes. Now that you own the company, you must pay both halves: yours and the business half. That comes out to a fairly significant percentage of your income.
[ continue reading… ]
