relax
The idea of retiring early and living on a beach somewhere sounds like a dream to many people. And for most, it may be a harder-to-reach goal than they realized. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 57% of workers have less than $25,000 saved up for retirement when they estimate that they’ll need $500,000. Being prepared for retirement can seem like a world away, let alone early retirement. However, retiring early is definitely possible.

More and more people are striving to retire early. Why? Simply put: time. Retiring early gives you the ability to spend more time with the people you love and do things that excite you. It isn’t easy but it can be done. You have to start preparing now in order to do that. Here’s how:
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filing taxes
April 15th may well possibly be the most dreaded day in America. It is otherwise known as Tax Day. Many of us often go into a mad scramble the weeks or even days leading up to April 15th, trying to collect tax documents and getting all our questions answered. It’s a vicious cycle that seems to happen every year.

Do you want to change that? Then start early this year.

It’s not too early to start thinking about tax day even though April is still a few months away. Getting a head start now will help relieve the stress you go through every year trying to file your taxes and actually make it quite simple. There are plenty to things you can do now to prep. Consider these 5 action items to help you prepare for tax season:
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You may be pretty confident that you’re good at saving money. But did you know you might be throwing money away and not even know it? Even if you think you’re living a frugal lifestyle, there are many things we all do everyday that are both a waste of time and money.

We can always improve upon our savings habits, and stash away more money. Even though I try my best, I know that I’m often throwing away my money on the most frivolous things.

Put yourself to the test and see if you’re guilty of one of these biggest money wasters:

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When I look back on my childhood, some of the memories I cherish the most are the times my parents made an extra effort to make certain experiences special. It’s those kinds of memories that I want my kids to be able to look back on and smile.

I’m not talking about expensive trips to the beach, or a surprise day trip to an amusement park, although both of those sound fun too. I’m talking about the inexpensive things that occur in day-to-day life. Specifically, what I like to call Pizel Family Traditions.

These traditions are inexpensive outings and events we do each week that give us all a little something to look forward to, without blowing our budgets.

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food at home
Preparing cheap meals at home isn’t hard, but the task gets more complicated if you want to do it quickly. This article will show you how to do.

I’ve been cooking nearly all of my meal at home since graduating from college. I started the habit because cooking saved me tons of money compared to eating out at restaurants. Now I cook mainly because it actually saves me a ton of time. That’s right, cooking at home saves more time than eating out. The fastest way of course would be to get food delivered, but it’s tricky for many people to get delivered food that is also healthy. So let’s stick with eating at home.

I’ll take this opportunity to address any concerns people may have right now. First, this style of cooking does take some upfront investment. It means having a decent kitchen, decent cookware, a decently sized refrigerator/freezer and at least a little time at home each day. Also, this style of cooking does not lend itself to a huge amount of variety. If you enjoy eating a massive variety of foods, then this may not be for you.

But if you’re focused on cooking cheap, healthy, quick, tasty meals at home – keep reading.
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Winter On a Budget

by Vered DeLeeuw · 7 comments

winter on a budget
Winter can get expensive! Whenever I feel the temperatures dropping, one of my first thoughts is, “Great! Back to seeing $500 each month on our utilities bill.” Heating is of course a major expense during the winter, but there are other expenses including buying new coats for kids who have outgrown their old coats, taking the family car to the car shop to make sure it’s winter-ready, engaging in snow sports (downhill skiing can get expensive!), and paying for indoor activities (since you can’t take the kids to the park).

With some advance planning, you CAN manage your costs during winter. These are the things that work for me as I try to keep my family’s winter-related expenses in check.
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